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OT: 2015 Kennedy Center Honorees Named
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Carmen
Jul 15, 2015, 8:34:00 PM7/15/15
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The 2015 Kennedy Center Honorees were named today. Sadly (or, as usual?), Barry still isn't among them. This year's honorees are:
Grammy-winning Band The Eagles
Grammy-winning Singer/Songwriter Carole King
Filmmaker George Lucas
Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony Award winner, Actress Rita Moreno
Symphony Conductor Seiji Ozawa
Emmy & Tony Award winner, Actress Cicely Tyson
[i]The Kennedy Center Honors[/i] gala will air on CBS on December 29, 2015.
Grammy-winning Band The Eagles
Grammy-winning Singer/Songwriter Carole King
Filmmaker George Lucas
Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony Award winner, Actress Rita Moreno
Symphony Conductor Seiji Ozawa
Emmy & Tony Award winner, Actress Cicely Tyson
[i]The Kennedy Center Honors[/i] gala will air on CBS on December 29, 2015.
Carmen
Jul 15, 2015, 8:38:29 PM7/15/15
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Sorry... Here's the link from the Kennedy Center website that I meant to put in my original post:
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/
marvin
Jul 15, 2015, 10:31:26 PM7/15/15
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Thanks for posting the list for the KCH Carmen.
I usually complain how the KCH has overlooked older artists for younger honorees whom I thought were not as worthy for the honors as much as Barry is.
This year I honestly think that the two music honorees are worthy. The Eagles sold more than 200 million albums, that is more than twice the number that Barry has sold.
In the case of Carole King, more than 1,000 artists have covered her more than 100 hit songs, plus there is a Broadway musical written on her life and she is 74, so it was time for her to be honored.
Hopefully, Barry will be selected next year. Other worthy music honorees still waiting for the KCH include Bette Midler, Frankie Valli, Johnny Mathis, Glen Campbell among others.
I am not sure what Barry must still do at this point in his life to add to his impressive credentials to be considered worthy for the Kennedy Center Honors. Regards, Marvin
I usually complain how the KCH has overlooked older artists for younger honorees whom I thought were not as worthy for the honors as much as Barry is.
This year I honestly think that the two music honorees are worthy. The Eagles sold more than 200 million albums, that is more than twice the number that Barry has sold.
In the case of Carole King, more than 1,000 artists have covered her more than 100 hit songs, plus there is a Broadway musical written on her life and she is 74, so it was time for her to be honored.
Hopefully, Barry will be selected next year. Other worthy music honorees still waiting for the KCH include Bette Midler, Frankie Valli, Johnny Mathis, Glen Campbell among others.
I am not sure what Barry must still do at this point in his life to add to his impressive credentials to be considered worthy for the Kennedy Center Honors. Regards, Marvin
Kristen Cladek
Jul 15, 2015, 10:45:21 PM7/15/15
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marvin
Jul 16, 2015, 9:18:38 AM7/16/15
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Very excited about Carole King!
Barry and Melissa Manchester did a duet on Carole's "You've Got A Friend" in one of Barry's CDs.
Perhaps with some luck, Barry & Melissa will be selected to perform the song live at the KCH when Carole is officially inducted. Regards, Marvin
Carmen
Jul 17, 2015, 1:38:26 AM7/17/15
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Marvin--
Regarding your mention of Glen Campbell as someone you feel deserves a Kennedy Center Honor but hasn't received it yet... Sadly, I think his current health status means his time is probably past. According to the most recent things I've read, his Alzheimer's Disease (with which he was diagnosed a few years ago) is at the point where he's had to be placed in a care center near his family's home &, more often than not, he no longer recognizes his family/loved ones when they're with him.
I did some research though. It doesn't specifically say (that I've found) there's anything precluding his--or anyone else's--being honored by the Kennedy Center if he (they) can't be present for the events leading up to & including the Gala where the recipients are honored by their professional peers, which we get to see an (at least slightly) edited version of on TV, usually sometime between Christmas & New Year's (the events where the Honors are presented actually take place at the beginning of December). But I'd presume, especially since a segment of the televised gala honors each recipient, The Kennedy Center would prefer all the recipients attend all the events associated with the presentation of the Kennedy Center Honors.
Although... they DID reschedule Paul McCartney's Kennedy Center Honors presentation for a few years after he was originally chosen, because he couldn't be there in the original year he was selected (2002, finally awarded in 2010) due to a long-before scheduled family-related wedding... So maybe there is a "mandatory attendance by an honoree" requirement for recipients. That's the only thing I've really found regarding required attendance by a recipient.
I think, at this point, he (Glen Campbell)'d be mentally--if not also physically--unable to participate in the multiple events involved, & I'm not sure the Kennedy Center would allow a family member to participate on his behalf. There's no precedent for something like that--just for rescheduling someone to accommodate a wedding in their family. There's also no precedent (so far, at least that I could find) for awarding a posthumous Kennedy Center Honor to anyone, should they wait that long in his case. All the recipients, so far, have been alive & well at the time they were honored.
The Kennedy Center Honors is actually a 2-day event, not just the big flashy gala which they show on TV. On the first day (Saturday) the Kennedy Center has a lunch for the recipients, at which they're formally introduced. That same night, the current US Secretary of State hosts a dinner in the recipients' honor, I think at the State Department. This is usually where the recipients get the ribbon/medal they wear around their necks, emblematic of being a Kennedy Center Honors recipient. The next day (Sunday), there's a White House reception in their honor, hosted by the current President & First Lady. That's followed by the big Gala, at the Kennedy Center Opera House, attended by--among other dignitaries--the President & First Lady, where the recipients are honored by their professional peers (while sitting in the Presidential Box with the President & First Lady).
I did like your idea about Barry & Melissa Manchester singing "You've Got a Friend" in Carole King's honor this year. But I really doubt it'll happen, even though she is/has been a Stiletto Entertainment client in recent years (in doublechecking this, I couldn't verify her current Management, but the merchandise store currently on her website *is*, in fact, run by Stiletto Solutions, which is what Stiletto currently calls their merchandising arm).
See, Barry & Melissa's version of the song just isn't that well-known to most of the world, except for Manilow fans & perhaps Manchester fans. I think James Taylor had a bigger/the next biggest hit/the most recognizable version of it after Carole King, & I'm fairly sure he's participated in previous Kennedy Center Honors Galas, so I'm already assuming that's who'll be doing "You've Got a Friend" if it's included, at least in full, in Carole King's tribute.
Regarding your mention of Glen Campbell as someone you feel deserves a Kennedy Center Honor but hasn't received it yet... Sadly, I think his current health status means his time is probably past. According to the most recent things I've read, his Alzheimer's Disease (with which he was diagnosed a few years ago) is at the point where he's had to be placed in a care center near his family's home &, more often than not, he no longer recognizes his family/loved ones when they're with him.
I did some research though. It doesn't specifically say (that I've found) there's anything precluding his--or anyone else's--being honored by the Kennedy Center if he (they) can't be present for the events leading up to & including the Gala where the recipients are honored by their professional peers, which we get to see an (at least slightly) edited version of on TV, usually sometime between Christmas & New Year's (the events where the Honors are presented actually take place at the beginning of December). But I'd presume, especially since a segment of the televised gala honors each recipient, The Kennedy Center would prefer all the recipients attend all the events associated with the presentation of the Kennedy Center Honors.
Although... they DID reschedule Paul McCartney's Kennedy Center Honors presentation for a few years after he was originally chosen, because he couldn't be there in the original year he was selected (2002, finally awarded in 2010) due to a long-before scheduled family-related wedding... So maybe there is a "mandatory attendance by an honoree" requirement for recipients. That's the only thing I've really found regarding required attendance by a recipient.
I think, at this point, he (Glen Campbell)'d be mentally--if not also physically--unable to participate in the multiple events involved, & I'm not sure the Kennedy Center would allow a family member to participate on his behalf. There's no precedent for something like that--just for rescheduling someone to accommodate a wedding in their family. There's also no precedent (so far, at least that I could find) for awarding a posthumous Kennedy Center Honor to anyone, should they wait that long in his case. All the recipients, so far, have been alive & well at the time they were honored.
The Kennedy Center Honors is actually a 2-day event, not just the big flashy gala which they show on TV. On the first day (Saturday) the Kennedy Center has a lunch for the recipients, at which they're formally introduced. That same night, the current US Secretary of State hosts a dinner in the recipients' honor, I think at the State Department. This is usually where the recipients get the ribbon/medal they wear around their necks, emblematic of being a Kennedy Center Honors recipient. The next day (Sunday), there's a White House reception in their honor, hosted by the current President & First Lady. That's followed by the big Gala, at the Kennedy Center Opera House, attended by--among other dignitaries--the President & First Lady, where the recipients are honored by their professional peers (while sitting in the Presidential Box with the President & First Lady).
I did like your idea about Barry & Melissa Manchester singing "You've Got a Friend" in Carole King's honor this year. But I really doubt it'll happen, even though she is/has been a Stiletto Entertainment client in recent years (in doublechecking this, I couldn't verify her current Management, but the merchandise store currently on her website *is*, in fact, run by Stiletto Solutions, which is what Stiletto currently calls their merchandising arm).
See, Barry & Melissa's version of the song just isn't that well-known to most of the world, except for Manilow fans & perhaps Manchester fans. I think James Taylor had a bigger/the next biggest hit/the most recognizable version of it after Carole King, & I'm fairly sure he's participated in previous Kennedy Center Honors Galas, so I'm already assuming that's who'll be doing "You've Got a Friend" if it's included, at least in full, in Carole King's tribute.
dcsharon
Jul 17, 2015, 11:07:46 AM7/17/15
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Also, keep in mind the Kennedy Center relies heavily on donations and they are undergoing a huge restoration project.
The bigger your donor dollars, I suspect the more say you'll have in who gets a KenCen honor.
(DC) Sharon
marvin
Jul 17, 2015, 6:18:35 PM7/17/15
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Also, keep in mind the Kennedy Center relies heavily on donations and they are undergoing a huge restoration project.
The bigger your donor dollars, I suspect the more say you'll have in who gets a KenCen honor.
(DC) Sharon
Hi Sharon,
The bigger your donor dollars, I suspect the more say you'll have in who gets a KenCen honor.
(DC) Sharon
I hope you are wrong about those with money having the power to induct an honoree. If that indeed is what happens, then the committee to honor the artists have lost all integrity as far as I am concerned, but hopefully you are wrong about this. Regards, Marvin
Carmen
Jul 17, 2015, 7:32:37 PM7/17/15
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I used the Kennedy Center Honors' Wikipedia page as the source for at least some of the things in my last post.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Center_Honors
There is a section there which--briefly--touches on the selection process (& doesn't say much, including that the public may now supposedly submit nominations for the Honors, which I'd swear was mentioned here on the NG awhile back).
Though this really has nothing to do with Barry (or Glen Campbell, for that matter), it also says that 2 Hispanic Advocacy Groups have complained about the lack of Hispanic & Latino representation among the Kennedy Center Honors recipients (including this year's honoree Rita Moreno, only *5* artists of Hispanic or Latino heritage have been recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors--*5* Hispanic/Latino artists honored since the Honors' inception in 1978). The Kennedy Center has said they will review the process of how they select the honorees.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Center_Honors
There is a section there which--briefly--touches on the selection process (& doesn't say much, including that the public may now supposedly submit nominations for the Honors, which I'd swear was mentioned here on the NG awhile back).
Though this really has nothing to do with Barry (or Glen Campbell, for that matter), it also says that 2 Hispanic Advocacy Groups have complained about the lack of Hispanic & Latino representation among the Kennedy Center Honors recipients (including this year's honoree Rita Moreno, only *5* artists of Hispanic or Latino heritage have been recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors--*5* Hispanic/Latino artists honored since the Honors' inception in 1978). The Kennedy Center has said they will review the process of how they select the honorees.
annielove...@gmail.com
Jul 17, 2015, 7:48:13 PM7/17/15
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Annie
Blintzy
Jul 18, 2015, 6:22:43 AM7/18/15
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qmcneal...@gmail.com
Jul 18, 2015, 2:08:16 PM7/18/15
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Whether Barry ever wins this award has no impact on my affection for him, personally. Although, I admit it is always nice to see his life celebrated. I loved Toni Braxton's tribute to him on her family's television program a few years ago, for example.
Brenda M
Jul 18, 2015, 5:05:38 PM7/18/15
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I don't know the man ...
But somehow I doubt awards mean much to him anyway. I suspect the music has always been ample reward for Barry.
Brenda
But somehow I doubt awards mean much to him anyway. I suspect the music has always been ample reward for Barry.
Brenda
qmcneal...@gmail.com
Jul 18, 2015, 5:50:56 PM7/18/15
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I sense the same thing, Brenda.
marvin
Jul 19, 2015, 3:46:47 PM7/19/15
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I don't know the man ...
But somehow I doubt awards mean much to him anyway. I suspect the music has always been ample reward for Barry.
Brenda
Brenda, maybe I am too much in awe of the Kennedy Center Honors to think of it as just an award. but to me it is the highest distinction for any American artist to receive, along the lines of a performer in Britain being knighted by the Queen.
But somehow I doubt awards mean much to him anyway. I suspect the music has always been ample reward for Barry.
Brenda
I think if Barry receives a KCH lifetime achievement, it is a big acknowledgment to those that never heard of Barry years in the future to know that the quality of his music and career is of the highest caliber.
There are still some people that are not Barry fans that think Barry's music and performance is not of the caliber of other artists and if Barry is acknowledged with a KCH for lifetime achievement it will add to his legacy and the honor is a recognition that Barry is among the elite entertainers in the world. So winning this KCH honor should matter to Barry. Regards, Marvin
Maria M
Jul 19, 2015, 3:56:48 PM7/19/15
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Bill Cosby received one
In 1998. Value in the stock has now gone down...
Maria
In 1998. Value in the stock has now gone down...
Maria
annielove...@gmail.com
Jul 19, 2015, 7:32:32 PM7/19/15
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So I'm moving into OT territory re: Bill Cosby.
When I was a student at the University of Massachusetts, my roommate was a graduate student in the Education department. My roomie told me that within the Ed department there were whispered rumors that Mr Cosby had paid someone to write his doctoral dissertation - he had received his doctorate in Education a few years before we were there.
At the time it seemed an unbelievable rumor because Bill Cosby was such a wonderful guy! Or I should say, his carefully crafted public persona was a wonderful guy.... but, now.........well,who the hell knows.
And with all that has come to light recently, an allegedly falsified doctoral dissertation is the least of the things to dislike about this guy. But as we learn more about the cracks....fissures.....chasms.....in Mr Cosby's moral character, there may have been some truth to those rumors after all.
Annie
marvin
Jul 19, 2015, 9:11:21 PM7/19/15
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Bill Cosby received one
In 1998. Value in the stock has now gone down...
Maria
For better or worse Maria, none of the many people and worthy organizations that have given Bill Cosby many awards and honors over years among them "father of the year" "man of the year" that have made him an idol can't be given back. Regards, Marvin
In 1998. Value in the stock has now gone down...
Maria
Brenda M
Jul 20, 2015, 7:10:47 AM7/20/15
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Marvin,
I'm not suggesting it wouldn't matter at all to Barry ... I'm certain he would be pleased and gracious in accepting the award if it were offered.
I just don't think he'd lose any sleep over not getting one. Public pats on the back just don't seem to be that big a deal to him.
Again, I don't know him. JMHO.
Brenda
I'm not suggesting it wouldn't matter at all to Barry ... I'm certain he would be pleased and gracious in accepting the award if it were offered.
I just don't think he'd lose any sleep over not getting one. Public pats on the back just don't seem to be that big a deal to him.
Again, I don't know him. JMHO.
Brenda
Kristen Cladek
Jul 20, 2015, 8:57:43 PM7/20/15
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-Kristen
dcsharon
Jul 20, 2015, 10:39:13 PM7/20/15
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> I feel like it would be more of an award for the fans. It would finally justify to a very public audience that Barry is talented and not just the glitzy pop singer commoners believe he is.
>
> -Kristen
I don't believe that the Kennedy Center Honors is an award for fans. It's a "perk" to big donors of the Kennedy Center to be able to select the people they want to get an award in exchange for big dollar donations. And, I suspect if Barry really wanted that award, a few choice words to some friends would probably secure the nomination. Additionally they want people that are going to draw ratings as it's one of the few events broadcast on national television. Most of the KenCen events are in conjunction with PBS, so there's few, if any commercials for advertising dollars when PBS airs it.
It's probably very similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame process. If you've got $30K, been famous/iconic for 5 years, and agree to attend the ceremony, you're in (provided the committee approves you). It's also a way to draw people to Hollywood so you've got tourist/local dollars coming into Hollywood.
http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/07/16/how-to-get-a-star-on-the-hollywood-walk-of-fame/
The Kennedy Center Honors is one of the hottest tickets in town. Generally there's a wait list for the tickets, as it's a "to be seen" night in DC (probably only second to the Nerd Prom (aka the White House Correspondent's Dinner). The last time my friends and I tried for tickets, they were $400 a piece, without any guarantee you'd get in. You send your check and wait. Unfortunately, our check was returned, so we didn't get tickets on the standby list.
The selection process for the Kennedy Center Honors honors has always been suspect, as it's not very clear.
I think Carmen previously posted the link, but Wikipedia explains the process fairly well --
>> Each year the Kennedy Center's national artists committee and past honorees present recommendations for proposed Honorees to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The selection process is kept secret, though "certain criteria seem apparent: a mix of artistic disciplines, the inclusion of men and women, minority recognition."
>> The announcement is made in late summer, usually after the Labor Day weekend (in September). In 2015, the selection was made on July 15, with six recipients chosen, instead of the usual five. The ceremony is held the first weekend of December. Highlights from the gala performance are televised in a 90-minute (with commercials in a 2-hour slot) version broadcast on CBS television between Christmas and the New Year.
>> Two Hispanic advocacy groups have complained that the Kennedy Center Honors have failed to acknowledge enough Hispanics and Latinos (as of the 2015 honors, Martina Arroyo, Plácido Domingo, Rita Moreno, Chita Rivera, and Carlos Santana have been honored). One of the groups has demanded that Mr. Stevens (the founding director of AFI) be replaced. The Kennedy Center said that they will review the process of how they select the honorees.
Even though they do have a "write in" campaign every year (and my friends who volunteer there say they poll the volunteers for suggestions as well), I suspect the donor dollars speak the loudest. Again, I don't know for sure, but it seems to be the case. Notice how the Latino's were up in the arms that there weren't many Latino's and this year's selection is mostly Latino (coincidence? .. who knows!) No sense in adding to the controversy.
So, IMHO, I believe that if there's any award a celebrity would like to have (or, in some cases, never wants their name associated with it) either outcome can happen.
(DC) Sharon
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