Kennedy Center Honors: Tributes Over Politics – NPR

Here’s a⁣ breakdown of the content, focusing on‍ key information and‍ themes:

Main Event: The 48th Kennedy Center Honors

Honorees:

* KISS: Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and Paul Stanley (all three living members where present)
* Gloria Gaynor

* Sylvester Stallone

* George Strait

* Michael Crawford

Key Points & Themes:

* ⁣ Donald Trump‘s Involvement: This year’s Kennedy Center Honors were notable as of President Trump’s direct involvement. He is the ⁤first president to host the awards⁢ and claimed to have been “closely involved with picking the honorees.” He even joked about renaming the center the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”
* Shift in Tradition: Trump broke with tradition by announcing the honorees himself in August,‍ rather than the usual method.
* Focus on the Honorees: Despite the ‍political context, presenters largely focused on ‍sharing personal ⁤stories and celebrating the achievements of the⁢ honorees.
* Highlights from the Ceremony:

* bill Conti performed selections from the Rocky score for Sylvester ⁣Stallone.
* ‍ Kurt Russell shared a humorous anecdote about working with Stallone.
* ⁢Kelsey Grammer honored Michael Crawford and praised Trump’s investment in the Kennedy Center,⁣ noting it was “pretty much falling down.”
* Red Carpet Appearance: The members of KISS attended the red carpet ⁢event without their signature makeup, opting for tuxedos. They still drew a large crowd.

Image‍ Description:

The image shows ‍Shannon Tweed simmons,Gene simmons,Gigi Criss,Erin Stanley,and Paul⁣ Stanley on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The photo was taken by Kevin Wolf of the Associated Press.