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Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump to host Kennedy Center Honors, which will go to Stallone, Gaynor, Kiss and more
President Donald Trump announced the recipients of the 48th Kennedy Center Honors on Wednesday — the first class of honorees since he took over the arts complex this year — and a major change to the ceremony: He'll be the host. Speaking from the center's Hall of Nations, Trump revealed the 2025 honorees by unveiling five portraits draped in velvet. The group: glam metal band Kiss, Broadway and West End star Michael Crawford, country music legend George Strait, actor Sylvester Stallone and singer Gloria Gaynor. Actor Tom Cruise was offered the honors but declined because of scheduling conflicts, according to several current and former Kennedy Center employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss event plans. A spokesperson for Cruise declined to comment. Before naming the honorees, Trump said he always wanted the award himself but 'was never able to get one.' 'I waited and waited and waited, and I said, 'The hell with it, I'll become chairman and I'll give myself an honor,'' he said, drawing chuckles from a crowd that included Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and members of the White House staff. '... Next year, we'll honor Trump, okay?' The choices may surprise some Trump critics. When Trump took over the Kennedy Center, an overworked joke circulated on social media. Here is political analyst Larry Sabato's version: 'Can you imagine forthcoming Kennedy Center Honors for Lee Greenwood, The Village People, and Kid Rock? Inevitable with Trump as Chair. Prepare your stomach.' It certainly seemed as if Trump had major plans in store for the honorees. At a board meeting in March, Trump said: 'We'll go slightly more conservative, if you don't mind, with some of the people. There are people out there that would not be considered that are much bigger stars than the ones that were being honored.' He even suggested offering honors to deceased icons and widening the scope of possible recipients to include athletes, business luminaries and politicians. Perhaps the most surprising thing about Trump's class of honorees is how comfortably it fits with those that came before it. A-list actor? Check. Aging rock band? Check. Broadway star? Check. (The Washington Post previously reported that the center was 'seriously' considering Strait, Crawford and Kiss.) Trump said he was 'very involved' in selecting the 2025 honorees and turned down names he didn't approve of. 'I would say I was about 98 percent involved. They all went through me,' he said. '... I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different.' Not all of the artists have supported Trump, including the face — that is, the tongue — of Kiss. Bassist Gene Simmons, whom Trump fired during the first season of 'The Celebrity Apprentice,' backed Trump during his first term — but soon changed his tune. 'Look what that gentleman did to this country and the polarization — got all the cockroaches to rise to the top,' Simmons told Spin of Trump in 2022. 'Once upon a time, you were embarrassed to be publicly racist and out there with conspiracy theories. Now it's all out in the open because he allowed it.' 'I don't think he's a Republican or a Democrat,' Simmons added of the president. 'He's out for himself, any way you can get there. And in the last election, over 70 million people bought it hook, line and sinker.' Simmons's bandmate Paul Stanley appears to have had a more favorable view of Trump. Days after the 2024 election, Stanley wrote on X: 'IT'S OVER. If your candidate lost, it's time to learn from it, accept it and try to understand why. There will be no building bridges to those you don't agree with by being condescending, insulting, talking AT them or removing yourself.' Gaynor, a Grammy Award-winning singer from New Jersey, rose to fame during the disco era of the 1970s. While she isn't known to be political, her hit song 'I Will Survive' has become an anthem for marginalized groups — particularly within the LGBTQ+ community — and was named to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2015. If Trump's personal tastes align with any of the picks, it would be Crawford. Trump is famously a fan of 1980s Broadway hits, particularly 'The Phantom of the Opera,' the title role of which Crawford originated. Trump would often play songs from the musical at his rallies. Stallone, though, has emerged as a prominent Trump booster. In November, the Rocky actor gave a warmup speech for Trump at Mar-a-Lago, where Stallone described him as the 'second George Washington,' called him a 'mythical character' and compared him to Rocky Balboa. In January, as president-elect, Trump named Stallone — along with Mel Gibson and Jon Voight — as 'Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,' and tasked them with 'bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!' Strait, meanwhile, is a country legend — a genre that soundtracks many red states — but he has long kept fairly mum on his political leanings. The ceremony will take place Dec. 7 and will later be broadcast on CBS. During the news conference, Trump spoke about an array of topics, including crime, his upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the landscape of D.C. 'We're going to make it so beautiful again,' he said of the city whose police he has placed under federal control. '... When you look at the parks where the grass is old, tired, exhausted. We're going to redo the grass with the finest grasses. I know a lot about grass because I own a lot of golf courses.' He also made unsubstantiated claims that, since becoming chairman of the Kennedy Center, 'we have completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution.' 'We ended the woke political programming, and we're restoring the Kennedy Center as the premier venue for performing arts anywhere in the country,' Trump said. 'Anywhere in the world.' As of earlier this summer, subscriptions to the center's programming were down from last year, and several artists have boycotted the center. Trump said of the columns supporting the center, 'When you see them the next time, they'll be magnificent,' before praising the 'bones' of the building. Outside the center Wednesday, about a dozen demonstrators gathered with signs and bullhorns to protest Trump's involvement in the arts. Since returning to office in January, the president has targeted prominent arts and cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress. There will be potential changes to the honors, according to the current and former employees. The center has contacted the jeweler Tiffany & Company about redesigning the medallions, which have traditionally depicted President John F. Kennedy on one side and the building on the other, with a rainbow-colored ribbon meant to represent different artistic skills and talents. The annual dinner at the State Department may be moved to the White House. The White House and Tiffany did not respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile, Done+Dusted, the production company that produced the past several Kennedy Center Honors (as well as recent Mark Twain Prizes for American Humor, the center's other big televised event), pulled out of producing this year's honors. Matthew Winer, the center's internal executive producer of the honors, has resigned from the center, along with Emeline Carlisle, the producer and honoree manager. Even in less tumultuous years, the Kennedy Center Honors are a complex, logistical undertaking. The show usually consists of 70 or more other artists celebrating the honorees. Last year, the 2½-hour show featured Queen Latifah, David Letterman, Robert De Niro, Dave Chappelle, Sheryl Crow, Al Pacino and Martin Scorsese, many of whom are outspoken Trump critics. With so many performers avoiding the center, who will be there on the actual night? It might be where Lee Greenwood, the Village People and Kid Rock come in.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tom Cruise's Reason For Declining Trump's Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award Revealed
Tom Cruise was not among the recipients at this year's Kennedy Center Honors, and the reason for his absence has finally been revealed. President Donald Trump was instrumental in picking out the nominees after seizing control of the center upon his return to office. Meanwhile, Tom Cruise continues to set tongues wagging with his rumored romance with Ana de Armas, as the pair were seen flaunting PDA during their Vermont trip. Tom Cruise Turns Down Donald Trump's Award Tom Cruise reportedly rejected a Kennedy Center award from President Donald Trump. According to The Washington Post, a source said that the "Mission Impossible" star was offered the center's Lifetime Achievement Award, but declined it over "scheduling conflicts." Trump is understood to be at the center of it all, but Cruise is known to often distance himself from politics, choosing to use his platform to support the military, veterans, and his Scientology beliefs. Over the years, the 63-year-old actor has picked up multiple awards, including the Golden Globe Award and the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Motion Pictures. He's yet to win a competitive Oscar Award after being nominated 4 times, but has been selected to receive an honorary Oscar statuette at the annual Governors Awards later this year. The President Claims Americans Are Tired Of The Academy Award Because It Is 'Woke' News of Cruise's decline comes after Trump unveiled the 2025 recipients at the Kennedy Center's Hall of Nations, a list he stated he was "about 98% involved" in selecting. "I turned down plenty. They were too woke. I had a couple of wokesters," he said, referencing the proposed nominees, per the Daily Mail. This year's honorees include country music legend George Strait, rock band KISS, disco icon Gloria Gaynor, actor Sylvester Stallone, and Broadway star Michael Crawford. The billionaire politician also said that he didn't want to host the award ceremony, but was handpicked to do it by the new Kennedy Center board, especially his chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Trump seized control of the center and appointed himself as chairman while also appointing 14 new members to the board. After naming this year's recipients, he declared that the country is tired of award ceremonies like the Academy Awards because they were too "woke." "Look at the Academy Awards. It gets lousy rating. Now it's all woke. All they do is talk about how much they hate Trump, but nobody likes that," he said. No Tom Cruise, No Problem For Trump In handing out the honor to Stallone, the billionaire politician heaped praises on the actor as one of the best of his generation. "Nobody else could have done what he did. They tried and it didn't work out too well," he said, referencing Stallone's "Rambo" and "Rocky" as monumental achievements. "I'll never forget I was a young guy and I went to see a thing called 'Rambo,'" he recalled. "I said, 'This movie is phenomenal. What the heck.'" Trump praised Crawford as "an international sensation" for playing "one of the greatest roles in the history of Broadway" as the Phantom of the Opera. He then went further to describe Gaynor as "one of the most revered singers of the American disco era," praising her song, "I Will Survive" as an "unbelievable song." "I have heard it, like everyone else here, thousands of times. And it is one of those few that get better every time you hear it," he said. "And no one can sing it like her." Trump then shared that he'd always wanted a Kennedy award, calling the institution one of the "most prestigious" awards in showbiz. "Next year we'll honor Trump, okay?" he joked. Tom Cruise's Alleged Romance With Ana De Armas Cruise seemingly has a lot on his mind already, especially as his rumored romance with Ana De Armada heats up. The pair were recently spotted at an Oasis concert and also enjoyed a Spanish getaway and a Vermont holiday, where they were seen holding hands. Reports suggest the "Top Gun" actor is ready to take things to the next level in his relationship with the actress. "Tom micromanages every detail of his life; anyone close to him always has loads of paperwork and NDAs to sign," a source said, per Star Magazine. "Marriage takes it to a new level. Tom has so much to protect." Ana de Armas Is Reportedly 'Confident' She Can Make Tom Cruise 'Happier' Insiders also shared that the "Ballerina" actress is quite "confident" she can make Cruise a "happier" man, more than his exes did. "Ana's familiar with Tom's history, but it doesn't worry her," a source explained. "It actually annoys her that people judge Tom by his exes, and she's confident she'll be able to keep him happier than they did." The insider added that de Armas is "on board with a contract," and is "taking Tom at his word that he's just making a safe plan for the future," noting that the pair "will be official soon enough." Solve the daily Crossword
