WASHINGTON: Hollywood stars, ballet dancers, and soul singers recently celebrated Kennedy Centre Honours winners, actor Tom Hanks, singer-songwriter Sting and others during Washington’s high-profile tribute to excellence in the arts. Ballerina Patricia McBride and singer Al Green completed the group of artistes, who sported the esteemed prize on an impressive night of dance and song.
The evening began with a tribute to Green, whose hit tune Let’s Stay Together drew political as well as artistic attention when President Barack Obama publicly crooned a few of its lines earlier in his presidency. “I’ve been keeping his traditions alive,” the president joked at a White House ceremony. “He did a great job. He sounded better than me,” Green told reporters ahead of the show, which featured spirited performances of his soulful music by singers Usher, Jennifer Hudson, and Earth Wind & Fire.
Hanks represented the top Hollywood draw of the night. The actor, who won the Oscar for his roles in the films Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, joked that he didn’t belong among the list of awardees. “I couldn’t believe when I was notified that it was going to happen. I feel like there’s an anomaly in the vote-taking process,” he quipped. Film director Steven Spielberg and actor Martin Short paid tribute to Hanks after a medley of his top roles played on a large screen.
McBride, who worked for 28 years as a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, watched as some of her protégées glided gracefully across the stage in her honour. “When I hung up the toe shoes, I didn’t look back but I went forward. And I remember all my years with joy and wonder,” she told reporters before the show.
Actors Jane Lynch and Jane Fonda feted Tomlin, renowned for her performances of telephone operator Ernestine on television show Laugh-In and roles in movies, such as Nashville and 9 to 5. Then came the musical surprises, which included performances by Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen and Bruno Mars, with highlights from Sting’s varied career. A highly overwhelmed Sting exclaimed, “(To) have other people sing my songs and have to do virtually nothing but smile is quite something.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2014.
Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.