One
of the best awards shows of the year arrived between Christmas and New Year’s
Eve this year: the annual Kennedy Center Honors. This is a lifetime achievement
award, granted to people who have made longstanding and notable achievements in
music of every imaginable genre, television, movies, theater, dance, anything
having to do with entertainment. If you’re not familiar with any of a
particular year’s honorees, it’s a good idea to acquaint yourself with their
accomplishments. This year’s honorees were Rita Moreno, George Lucas, Cicely
Tyson, Seiji Ozawa, and Carole King. You should know all of them already. If
you don’t, do some homework.
As
always during this annual ceremony, I have random thoughts about the
recipients, the presenters, the audience, any number of things.
·
I
loved that they showed a clip from The Ritz as part of the tribute to
Rita Moreno. Moreno starred in both the Broadway and film versions of this
comedy set in a gay bathhouse. Her character, Googie Gomez, was allegedly based
on outrageous performers like Bette Midler, who first came to fame at the
Continental Baths in New York. Moreno won the Tony Award for Best Supporting
Actress in a Play in 1975 and used part of her speech to claim that she was the
leading lady of the play, which was technically true even if she was more comic
relief than central to the narrative. The next year the supporting categories
were permanently renamed “Featured Actor/Actress” to reflect more accurately
the importance that some characters and performances can have.
·
Moreno
is one of the more famous EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winners, and the
tribute pointed this out by emphasizing each of those wins. There is an
asterisk to her EGOT, of course, since she won the Grammy with a whole bunch of
other people for the cast show album of The Electric Company. Still, as she
herself has been fond of reminding people, she does have them all—and
deservedly so.
·
Was
it meant to be a joke that for the tribute to George Lucas that Carrie Fisher
appeared as a holographic image (as she did in the first Star Wars movie) and
that James Earl Jones only provided his voice to the tribute package? Jones
never appears in the Star Wars films either; it’s only his voice you hear as
Darth Vader. Was that intentional or just the result of difficulties in getting
the stars to the ceremony?
·
Does
Steven Spielberg not have enough money to have his tuxedo pants tailored? They
were way, way too long, and I had trouble concentrating upon what he was saying
about his friend George Lucas because I kept trying to determine how many extra
yards of fabric were swirling around his lower legs.
·
I
had no idea that Cicely Tyson was once married to Miles Davis. That is such an
interesting pairing of people. The mind reels at what dinner at the Davis-Tyson
house was like.
·
I
was 11 years old when The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
was first on TV, and I remember it well, especially the scene involving the
Whites Only water fountain. It was a transformative experience watching Tyson
in that role, the first of many performances of hers that I have admired.
·
CeCe
Winans will take you to church even if you’re not particularly fond of
churchgoing. Her performance of “Blessed Assurance” with the choir from the
Cicely Tyson Community School for Performing and Fine Arts brought tears to the
eyes of many people in the audience—including Usher. Tyson herself was singing
along with a great deal of joy. She’s such an amazing presence and still acting
at age 90!
·
Apparently,
the Eagles were also chosen to be honored this year, but they had to postpone
their appearance until 2016 due to Glenn Frey being ill. One of the biggest
laughs of the night was when host Stephen Colbert said that waiting a year
would allow the band to “accept the honor the way they made their
music—together…and shirtless.” I’m looking forward to next year’s ceremony
already although I’m not certain any of the members need to go shirtless.
·
I
vow each year after watching the tribute to a classical music performer that I
will learn more about this genre. This year the honoree was conductor Seiji
Ozawa, and he was feted by such greats as Itzak Perlman, John Williams, and
Yo-Yo Ma. I still don’t know very much about classical music, though, and I’m
not sure I should keep making a promise that I’m very unlikely to keep.
·
The
highlight of the evening was undoubtedly to the tribute to singer-songrwriter
Carole King, much of it framed by the cast of Beautiful, the Broadway
show based on King’s life. What impressed me most was the genuine sense of
excitement and surprise King showed each time another famous performer showed
up to sing one of her famous songs: James Taylor, Sara Bareilles, Aretha
Franklin. It’s quite a canon of musical gems.
·
Speaking
of Franklin, as you would expect, she shut down the whole evening with her
rendition of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” She took command of the
stage from the moment she walked out wearing a huge fur coat and carrying her
purse. I don’t know why she needed to keep her purse with her, but she plopped
it on top of the piano and began playing and singing. She was already
enchanting the audience when she stood up, walked to center stage, and took off
that fur, dropping it to the stage so that she could reach notes even higher
than before. By that point, everyone was standing and cheering. Aretha could
take CeCe Winans to church.
One
of the most interesting things about the Kennedy Center Honors show is that the
recipients don’t speak or perform during the evening; they just get to sit and
relax and enjoy others paying homage to them and to their accomplishments. They
are spectators just the way that we at home are. I don’t think I could enjoy
the event as much as Carole King obviously did or have the same exuberance as
Cicely Tyson, but it’s a special couple of hours each year that I don’t miss.
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