Kennedy Center Honors

The Kennedy Center honored a new batch of icons over the weekend, culminating with a gala performance that will be seen on CBS, Friday, December 26:

"Godfather of Soul" James Brown and country music icon Loretta Lynn were among five stars honored in Washington on Sunday for their contributions to American culture.

Brown and Lynn joined violinist Itzhak Perlman, comedian Carol Burnett and film director Mike Nichols — whose films include "The Graduate" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" — as this year's Kennedy Center honorees.

The annual celebration culminated in a gala performance attended by President Bush at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.

Bush hosted the honorees at a White House reception before the performance, calling the group an "interesting mix" bound by "superior performance" throughout their careers.

The president's father, George Bush, made an appearance at the show to congratulate Lynn — perhaps best known for the landmark hit "Coal Miner's Daughter" — on being "an American original."

"I feel very confident in speaking for the entire Bush family in expressing our love and our respect for this national treasure, Loretta," the elder Bush said. [Reuters]

Rapper LL Cool J said Brown "broke down mental and social barriers and made it possible for me, a black kid from Queens, to stand in front of presidents and say, 'Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud.'"

Younger R&B stars covered some of Brown's hits, with Anastacia performing "Sex Machine," Joss Stone singing "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" and Brian McKnight tackling "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag."

Country legend Lynn was toasted by Sissy Spacek, who played her in the film biography "Coal Miner's Daughter." "I loved being you, Loretta," Spacek said. "I could've gone on being you for the rest of my life."

Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Lyle Lovett and Patty Loveless performed a medley of Lynn's hits.

Playwright Tom Stoppard saluted Nichols by noting his many other prizes. "The Mike Nichols Every Medal or None International Committee - or MNEMONIC, as we like to call ourselves - has so far awarded Mike Nichols 87 medals," Stoppard said, for movies, plays, albums and "personal hygiene."

Elaine May, Nichols' one-time partner in comedy, also was on hand. Candice Bergen, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christine Baranski joined in a musical-comedy salute to Nichols' career as director of Broadway shows, including the original production of "The Odd Couple," and movies, including "The Graduate." Nichols' latest film, an adaptation of Tony Kushner's epic play "Angels in America," debuted Sunday on HBO.

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