December 30: Dave Brubeck, grace bumbry, jennifer nettles, robert de niro & wife at Kennedy Center Honors 2009. Watching Tuesday’s CBS broadcast of the 32nd annual Kennedy Center Honors special, one was left wondering whom to look for- the five honorees or the many-time awardees who turned up to grace the occasion.
Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Robert De Niro, and Bruce Springsteen were the five artists honored with this year’s Kennedy Center Honors for their lifetime contributions to American culture.
Just after the traditional White House reception, the honorees met again with President Obama, Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on the stage.
Actress Meryl Streep, who has won multiple Academy Golden Globe and Emmy awards, recalled how astonished she was at the versatility of the director Robert De Niro who had directed her in Falling in Love and The Deer Hunter.
Martin Scorsese, a 2007 Kennedy Center honoree and winner of multiple Academy, Globe and Grammy awards said De Niro is guide, lifesaver and good friend of him.
Multiple award-winning musician Herbie Hancock described musician Dave Brueback as his ‘musical inspiration.’
Then came a series of musical tributes to Mel Brooks and two of them were by Frank Langella and Martin Short who had acted in Brooks-directed movies. Tributes by Jack Balck, Harry Connick, Jr., Richard Kind, Jane Krakowski, Shuler Hensley, Matthew Morrison, and Matthew Broderick followed.
Tony Award winning choreographer Susan Stroman choreographed all the tribute performances.
Caroline Kennedy hosted of the star-studded event for the seventh consecutive year.
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