It’s Kennedy Center Honors time for a crop including Queen Latifah, Billy Crystal and Dionne Warwick
WASHINGTON — The newest group of Kennedy Center honorees, including comedian Billy Crystal and actor Queen Latifah, will be honored Sunday evening at a star-studded event commemorating their lifetime achievements in the arts and entertainment.
Opera singer Renée Fleming, music star Barry Gibb and prolific hitmaker Dionne Warwick will also be honored at the black-tie gala. Each receives a personal tribute, which usually includes appearances and appearances that are kept secret from the winners themselves.
In announcing the recipients earlier this year, Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter called this year's group of inductees “an extraordinary mix of individuals who have redefined their art forms.”
Crystal, 75, rose to national prominence in the 1970s playing Jodie Dallas, one of the first openly gay characters on American network television, on the sitcom “Soap.” He had a brief but memorable one-year stint on 'Saturday Night Live' before starring in a string of films, including hits like 'When Harry Met Sally…', 'The Princess Bride' and 'City Slickers'. ”
Crystal, who also received the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize in 2007 for lifetime achievement in comedy, joins an elite group of comedians cited for both: David Letterman, Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Lily Tomlin , Carol Burnett and Neil Simon. Bill Cosby received both awards, but they were revoked in 2018 following his sexual assault conviction, which was later overturned.
Warwick, 82, rose to fame in the 1960s as the muse of the superstar songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Her discography includes a string of hits spanning several decades, both with and without Bacharach, including “I Say a Little Prayer,” “I'll Never Love This Way Again” and “That's What Friends Are For.”
Fleming, 64, is one of the leading sopranos of her time, with a string of awards including a National Medal of Arts presented by President Barack Obama, a Cross of the Order of Merit from the German government and honorary membership of England's Royal Academy. of music.
Gibb, 76, rose to worldwide fame as part of one of the most successful bands in the history of modern music, the Bee Gees. Together with his late brothers Robin and Maurice, the trio released an almost unparalleled series of hits that defined a music generation.
Latifah, 53, has been a star since she was 19, when her debut album and hit single “Ladies First” made her the first female crossover rap star. She has forged a diverse career that includes seven studio albums, starring roles in multiple television shows and films, and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie musical “Chicago.”
Fleming and Latifah, real name Dana Owens, also share an obscure bit of historical tidbit about Kennedy Center Honors. They both performed at the 2014 Super Bowl. Fleming sang the national anthem while Latifah performed “America the Beautiful.”