Latest news with #Honorees
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump visits Kennedy Center and announces honorees. See the full list.
Washington — President Trump visited the Kennedy Center Wednesday and announced this year's list of Kennedy Center Honorees, after his administration took steps to overhaul the D.C. cultural institution in recent months. "This is a very exciting project," Mr. Trump said. "We're going to do something that will go rapidly, relatively inexpensively, and we'll make it better than it ever was." The president said he was "delighted to be here as we officially announce the incredible talented artists who will be celebrated later this year at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors." He added that he had been asked to host the 48th annual Honors this year: "I have agreed to host — do you believe what I have to do?" The president then announced the honorees, saying the board selected a "truly exceptional class" this year. 2025 Kennedy Center HonoreesGeorge Strait: Country music star George Strait, known as the "King of Country Music," has been performing for over 30 years. He has 60 No. 1 country singles, more than any other artist in any genre, has sold 120 million records and produced 33 platinum albums, more than any other artist. "He's beloved by hundreds of millions of people all over the world," the president said of Crawford: Actor and singer Michael Crawford was the original Tony Award-winning "Phantom of the Opera" when the show opened on Broadway in 1988. "I think he's one of the greatest talents I've ever seen," Mr. Trump said. Sylvester Stallone: Actor, director and bodybuilder Sylvester Stallone's Hollywood career spans over five decades — he's best known for the role of boxer Rocky Balboa in the blockbuster hits "Rocky" and its five sequels, which he wrote and starred in. He also played John Rambo, a soldier with PTSD, in five films. Mr. Trump referred to him as "a friend of mine" and "a real talent — never been given credit for the talent."Gloria Gaynor: Disco star Gloria Gaynor is best known for her anthem "I Will Survive," a song Mr. Trump said he's heard "thousands of times." "It's one of those few that get better every time you hear it," he The rock band KISS was formed in 1973 in New York City by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. The band, which wore face paint and staged elaborate performances featured pyrotechnics and fire breathing, became a pop culture phenomenon in the 1970s. The president referred to the band as "one of the greatest rock bands of all time" and noted it has sold over 100 million albums worldwide. "The 48th Kennedy Center Honorees are outstanding people, an outstanding group — incredible," Mr. Trump said. "We can't wait to celebrate the Kennedy Center Honors." The Kennedy Center previewed the announcement Tuesday, writing in a post on X: "A country music icon, an Englishman, a New York City Rock band, a dance Queen and a multi-billion dollar Actor walk into the Kennedy Center Opera House..." The Kennedy Center Honors, a televised gala, take place annually in December. The Kennedy Center Honors ceremony is directed and produced by CBS and airs on the network. Last year's honorees included singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the Grateful Dead, composer Arturo Sandoval and the Apollo Theater. Trump era at the Kennedy Center In recent months, the president and his allies have broadened their influence over the Kennedy Center. After the White House accused the institution of being "woke" and scrutinized its finances earlier this year, Mr. Trump ousted Kennedy Center board members appointed by former President Joe Biden, replacing them with his allies. Soon afterward, the new board replaced the center's chairman, David Rubenstein, with Mr. Trump, and Richard Grenell became the Kennedy Center's interim president. The Kennedy Center was designated by Congress as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy in 1964. Along with efforts to reshape the center's governing body and performances, the president outlined during a visit to the famed opera house in March that "we're going to make a lot of changes — including the seats, the decor — pretty much everything. It needs a lot of work." In July, House Republicans advanced a measure that would rename the Kennedy Center's opera house after first lady Melania Trump. The president said Wednesday that in the months since he became chairman, "we have completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution," claiming "it was being run down" and "money wasn't spent properly." "With a little fix-up and a little work, we can make it unbelievable," the president said of the space. "The bones are so good." In a post on Truth Social Tuesday, Mr. Trump said work is being done to bring the Kennedy Center "back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment." The president, who broke with tradition during his first term by skipping the Honors shows after several award recipients criticized him, touted the "GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS." The president on Wednesday also mentioned another project — a White House renovation — and his effort to "fix up" Washington, D.C., including the deployment of federal law enforcement and the National Guard in the District of Columbia this week to address crime. "I'm determined to make Washington safe, clean and beautiful again," he said. President Trump says meeting with Russia's Putin is not to broker peace deal in Ukraine Could Tropical Storm Erin become the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025? Trump claims "land swapping" between Russia, Ukraine will happen Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 5 Most Outrageous Things Donald Trump Said in Announcing the 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees
By now we all know that Donald Trump has no filter. At a press conference at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday (Aug. 13), at which he announced this year's five Kennedy Center Honorees, he blurted out some doozies, which we rounded up here. More from Billboard Ice Cube Says Donald Trump's ICE Raids in L.A. Are Meant to 'Traumatize' People: 'Nobody's Safe, Man' Joan Baez, Graham Nash, Sean Ono Lennon & More Sign Public Letter About Rising Nuclear Threat Donald Trump Says He 'Can't Stand' 'Woke' Taylor Swift While Praising Sydney Sweeney In case you missed it, country icon George Strait, 1970s rock veterans KISS, Broadway star Michael Crawford, disco queen Gloria Gaynor and actor Sylvester Stallone are the 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees. None of those selections was a shock, though Gaynor has a fairly slim resume to receive an honor of this magnitude – just two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. The real shocker of the press conference came when Trump revealed that he will host this year's ceremony. It will mark the first time a president – sitting or not – has hosted the show. Most of the previous hosts have been performing artists, but there have been three exceptions. Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President Kennedy, hosted from 2003 to 2012 and opened the show in 2017 (when there was no formal host). Two renowned broadcast journalists have hosted – Eric Sevareid in 1979, followed by Walter Cronkite from 1981 to 2002. In his first term, Trump never once attended the Kennedy Center Honors gala, making him the first President to never attend the event during a term in office. This is the first class of honorees since Trump took over the Kennedy Center in February, firing trustees who had been appointed by President Biden and replacing them with his own picks. Here are the five most outrageous things Trump said in announcing this year's Kennedy Center Honorees. Trump said he had to be talked into taking the job as host. 'I've been asked to host. I said 'I'm the president of the United States. Are you fools asking me to do that?' [They said] 'Sir, you'll get much higher ratings.' I said 'I don't care. I'm president of the United States. I won't do it.' They said 'Please.' … I said, 'OK, I'll do it.' So, I have a great host [for the show]. Do you believe what I have to do? I didn't want to do it. They'll [his critics] say he insisted [on hosting]. I did not insist, but I think it will be quite successful, actually. It's been a long time. I used to host The Apprentice finales and we did rather well with that. So, I think we're going to do very well.' Trump said he had long wanted to receive a Kennedy Center Honor. [reading from prepared remarks]: 'Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been among the most prestigious awards in the performing arts.' [departing from the script]: 'I wanted one. I was never able to get one. [laughter from the audience.] It's true, actually. I would have taken it if they would have called me. I waited and waited and waited. I said 'To hell with it. I'll become chairman [of the Kennedy Center] and I'll give myself an honor. Next year, we'll honor Trump, OK?' [Note: That last line might have been a joke, but sometimes it's hard to tell.] Trump said Sylvester Stallone is the second-biggest name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Three guesses who he puts first. 'Sly is a pillar of the American pop culture and a Hollywood superstar like few others. And one of the biggest names on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In fact, the only one that's a bigger name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame they say is a guy named Donald Trump. I'm on the Hollywood Walk of Fame too, if you can believe that one.' Asked how involved he was in the selections, he replied, '98% involved.' 'I turned down plenty. They were too woke. I had a couple of 'wokesters.' No, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be. These are great people. Look at the Academy Awards. It gets lousy ratings. Now it's all woke. All they do is talk about how much they hate Trump, but nobody likes that. They don't watch anymore. That used to have 45 million people watching. 'Remember The Apprentice first season. The Apprentice had 42 million people. The Academy Awards had 41 million people. We were the second show to the Super Bowl, but since then the Academy Awards have gone down to – I think they've gone down to numbers that are like a regular show because it went woke. We're not doing it [rethinking the selections] for that reason. We're doing it because we want the great talent. I was very involved.' Trump giveth and he taketh away. Large photos of each of the honorees were displayed. When Trump saw the photo of George Strait, he said 'Oh, that looks nice. A good-looking guy.' But Trump felt compelled to add: 'I hope he still looks like that.' 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UPI
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Sylvester Stallone, KISS, Gloria Gaynor set for Kennedy Center Honors
1 of 5 | Sylvester Stallone was announced Wednesday as one of this year's Kennedy Center Honors recipients. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License Photo Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, KISS, Michael Crawford and Gloria Gaynor have been named this year's Kennedy Center Honorees. U.S. President Donald Trump -- and former Apprentice star -- announced the recipients' names on Wednesday. He also said he was asked to host the event and reluctantly accepted the invitation. The lifetime achievement awards are to be presented to the artists at a ceremony Dec. 7 in Washington, D.C. The Kennedy Center is proud to announce our incredible lineup of 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees: •George Strait (@GeorgeStrait) •Michael Crawford •Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone) •Gloria Gaynor (@GloriaGaynor) •Kiss (@Kiss) Congratulations to our 48th Class! The Kennedy Center (@kencen) August 13, 2025 The gala will air on CBS and Paramount+ at a later date. "For nearly half a century, this tradition has celebrated those whose voices and visions tell our nation's story and share it with the world," Kennedy Center President Ambassador Richard Grenell said in a statement Wednesday. "This year's Honorees have left an indelible mark on our history, reminding us that the arts are for everyone." Last year's Honorees, who were named during President Joe Biden's administration, included Francis Ford Coppola, the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt and Arturo Sandoval. Queen Latifah hosted the ceremony.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Trump visits Kennedy Center and announces 2025 honorees. See the full list.
Washington — President Trump visited the Kennedy Center Wednesday and announced this year's list of Kennedy Center Honorees, after his administration took steps to overhaul the D.C. cultural institution in recent months. "This is a very exciting project," Mr. Trump said. "We're going to do something that will go rapidly, relatively inexpensively, and we'll make it better than it ever was." The president said he was "delighted to be here as we officially announce the incredible talented artists who will be celebrated later this year at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors." He added that he had been asked to host the 48th annual Honors this year: "I have agreed to host — do you believe what I have to do?" The president then announced the honorees, saying the board selected a "truly exceptional class" this year. "The 48th Kennedy Center Honorees are outstanding people, an outstanding group — incredible," Mr. Trump said. "We can't wait to celebrate the Kennedy Center Honors." The Kennedy Center previewed the announcement Tuesday, writing in a post on X: "A country music icon, an Englishman, a New York City Rock band, a dance Queen and a multi-billion dollar Actor walk into the Kennedy Center Opera House..." The Kennedy Center Honors, a televised gala, take place annually in December. The Kennedy Center Honors ceremony is directed and produced by CBS and airs on the network. Last year's honorees included singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the Grateful Dead, composer Arturo Sandoval and the Apollo Theater. In recent months, the president and his allies have broadened their influence over the Kennedy Center. After the White House accused the institution of being "woke" and scrutinized its finances earlier this year, Mr. Trump ousted Kennedy Center board members appointed by former President Joe Biden, replacing them with his allies. Soon afterward, the new board replaced the center's chairman, David Rubenstein, with Mr. Trump, and Richard Grenell became the Kennedy Center's interim president. The Kennedy Center was designated by Congress as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy in 1964. Along with efforts to reshape the center's governing body and performances, the president outlined during a visit to the famed opera house in March that "we're going to make a lot of changes — including the seats, the decor — pretty much everything. It needs a lot of work." In July, House Republicans advanced a measure that would rename the Kennedy Center's opera house after first lady Melania Trump. The president said Wednesday that in the months since he became chairman, "we have completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution," claiming "it was being run down" and "money wasn't spent properly." "With a little fix-up and a little work, we can make it unbelievable," the president said of the space. "The bones are so good." In a post on Truth Social Tuesday, Mr. Trump said work is being done to bring the Kennedy Center "back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment." The president, who broke with tradition during his first term by skipping the Honors shows after several award recipients criticized him, touted the "GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS." The president on Wednesday also mentioned another project — a White House renovation — and his effort to "fix up" Washington, D.C., including the deployment of federal law enforcement and the National Guard in the District of Columbia this week to address crime. "I'm determined to make Washington safe, clean and beautiful again," he said.
CNN
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Donald Trump celebrates his pantheon of Trump-approved stars
Donald Trump People in entertainment MusicFacebookTweetLink Follow Everyone likes to share their taste. Donald Trump is just like us, except he also has tanks. Today the president returned to the Kennedy Center to make announcements about this year's honorees, showing off his vision for the arts institution that would fulfill the goal he promised earlier this year: to 'reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation.' Trump is eager to leave his imprint on America not just through participating in legislation and budgeting but by changing what culture we recognize and celebrate and teach, across American museums, universities and beyond. For colleges, he is brokering deals where he promises to withhold funding until the schools pay the government for various misdeeds he says they have committed, thereby earning a clean slate for some period of time. For DC, he brought in the FBI, military and tanks. For the Kennedy Center, it was even easier: he simply appointed a board that would name him as chairman. 'It's going to be a big evening,' Trump said, about the upcoming Kennedy Center awards evening. 'I've been asked to host,' he said, adding that he'd declined, but that the board had insisted. 'Next year we'll honor Trump.' His 'STARS' turned out to be: George Strait, the record-setting country recording artist. Also, Michael Crawford, 'one of the greatest talents I've ever actually seen,' Trump said. He waxed rapturous about Crawford's roles in the theater, most notably in 'The Phantom of the Opera.' Trump gave a big lead up to an 'action movie icon and a friend of mine, a very unique man,' Trump said. That was Sylvester Stallone. 'He was very honored to be honored.' Gloria Gaynor, singer of the great American gay anthem 'I Will Survive,' also made the list — 'an unbelievable song,' Trump said. 'One of those few that get better every time you hear it.' Ivana Trump agreed — this was the song, she wrote in her memoir, 'Raising Trump,' that she listened to in court with headphones during her divorce trial from Trump. Also making the list: the legendary makeup-forward rock band Kiss. The president's love of culture has always been deep if narrow and has often turned to disco. A Spotify playlist of his 2020 campaign presidential rally songs brings together artists as diverse yet clustered together as Elton John, the Village People and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. That playlist also includes the Rolling Stones, who are among the many artists who have objected to Trump's endorsement of or use of their music. Trump clearly adores the song 'Macho Man' and the brassiest of show tunes. This is the president who once allegedly had a fellow around to play him the song 'Memory' from Cats whenever he was too upset. The experience of seeing 'Cats' is what Trump recalled, with great passion, in a meeting with Kennedy Center trustees in March, during which he pledged to bring Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals back to our nation's capital. One funny thing about 'Memory,' that show's most famous song, is that it's famous because of Betty Buckley's performance, which Trump says he remembers with great detail. Buckley herself says she built that performance from following around women who were homeless. In doing so, she had a realization. She explained to the New Yorker: 'I began to follow homeless people—women my age, women who were like me—trying literally to interpret them. I was playing it pathetically—but what I saw instead on the streets were women really trying to hold on to their dignity, so their self-presentation was all dignity and grace.' After announcing the honorees, the president offered some thoughts of his own about homeless people. As part of his plan to make Washington 'beautiful'—now that he has taken over the city's police department and dispatched federal officers and the National Guard — Trump said, 'We're going to have to remove the tents and the people that are living in our parks.' 'They're saying 'he's a dictator,'' Trump said of critics of his current approach to governance. 'Instead of saying 'he's a dictator,' they should say 'We're going to join him.'' The president promised more intervention in cities beyond D.C., including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York: 'Our whole country is going to be so different.' 'I don't want to call a national emergency,' he said, 'but if I have to I will.'
