It is that time again – time for the Kennedy Center to honor those that have made significant contributions to the American culture. Last year, the Center honored movie director Steven Spielberg, singer/songwriter/actress Dolly Parton, singer Smokey Robinson, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and conductor Zubin Mehta.
This year, the Center will honor:
Brian Wilson
A founding member of the Beach Boys, Wilson was the lead songwriter, producer, composer, and arranger for the group. He also played bass and often sang lead vocals. He began performing with the Beach Boys in the early Sixties and he continues to perform today, planning to headline the Sydney Festival in January 2008.
Martin Scorsese
Scorsese has been a honored and respected filmmaker for the past thirty five years. His films include Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, After Hours (one of his lesser known films, but one of my favorites!), The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, The Aviator, and the one that finally won him a Best Director Oscar, The Departed.
Martin transformed himself from the 70’s “wild and crazy guy” into what the Center calls a “renaissance comic whose talents wipe out the boundaries between artistic disciplines.” He gave up performing stand-up while at the top of his game only to conquer movies (The Jerk, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and The Pink Panther) and writing (for the New Yorker and the novella Shopgirl).
Diana Ross
Her career spans from her Motown roots with the Supremes to her successful solo career and beyond. She has sold more than 100 million albums, received a Tony Award (for 1977’s An Evening with Diana Ross), a special Golden Globe (for portraying Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues), and has received seven American Music Awards.
Leon Fleisher
Fleisher began playing the piano at the age of 4 and was playing with the New York Philharmonic by the time he was 16. He is well known for his interpretations of Brahms and Beethoven. He lost the use of his right hand due to focal dystonia, but continued to perform using only his left hand. He recently regained the use of his right hand and a short documentary about his life “Two Hands” was recently nominated for an Academy Award.
You can see the show on CBS on December 26th.