Latest news with #KennedyCenterHonorees
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
White House Gets Touchy About Trump's ‘One Hit Wonder' Kennedy Center Pick
The White House took umbrage after a guest on CNN said the Kennedy Center had chosen to honor 81-year-old Gloria Gaynor merely because she is a person of color. On August 13, President Donald Trump unveiled this year's Kennedy Center honorees, which include Gaynor, known for hit songs 'I Will Survive' and 'Eye of the Tiger.' Tia Mitchell, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Washington bureau chief, told CNN's This Morning Weekend Saturday that Gaynor had been selected because of diversity considerations. 'I do believe as much as the Trump administration has attacked [diversity, equity, and inclusion], they wanted a person of color on the list of Kennedy Center Honorees,' Mitchell said. 'The fact that Gloria Gaynor is the one person of color on the list indicates that they struggled ot find a person of color to agree to be on the list.' While the Center usually picks 'people who are icons in their genre of the arts' with 'a huge body of work,' Mitchell described Gaynor as 'basically a one-hit wonder.' White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung took Mitchell to task on X. 'Some dipshit named Tia Mitchell went on CNN to say legendary singer Gloria Gaynor doesn't deserve to be a Kennedy Center Honoree and only chosen because she's Black,' Cheung posted. 'Liberal 'journalists' will twist an inspiring story because it involves Pres. Trump.' 'Total TDS,' he added, employing the oft-used acronym for 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.' The other Kennedy Center honorees include action man Sylvester Stallone, the band KISS, country star George Strait, and English actor Michael Crawford. The View's Anna Navarro encouraged Gaynor to turn down the award, saying on X earlier this week, 'Don't do it, Gloria!' 'Look, the woman is a goddess and deserves all the flowers that come her way,' Navarro said. 'But I wish she wouldn't accept an award from the hands of a man who has attacked the rights and history of women, people of color, and LGBTQ.' Tom Cruise also reportedly turned down a lifetime achievement award from the Kennedy Center, The Washington Post reported.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- First Post
Did Tom Cruise turn down invite to receive lifetime achievement award from Donald Trump? Here's what we know
The report also shared that the representative of Tom Cruise refused to comment on the matter Tom Cruise, the popular Hollywood actor, known for his work in the MI and Top Gun franchises, has reportedly declined to be among the first group of Kennedy Center Honorees during US President Donald Trump's second term in the White House due to 'scheduling conflicts'. '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,' read a Washington Post report. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The report also shared that the representative of Tom Cruise refused to comment on the matter. US President Donald Trump named Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone and country music great George Strait among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors on Wednesday. This action of Trump is one of the efforts to take control of the Kennedy Center arts complex earlier this year. One of the nation's highest arts awards will also be given to Gloria Gaynor, rock band KISS, and British theatre star Michael Crawford. The President shared that he would host the Honors gala, which generally takes place in December and is later broadcast on CBS. The Valkyrie actor is still slated to receive an honorary award for his contribution to the film industry before the end of 2025. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced in June that Tom Cruise will receive an honorary Oscar at the 2025 Governors Awards on November 16. The actor was last featured in _Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning_, which also starred Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett in supporting roles. The movie was directed by Christopher McQuarrie. It was the last part of the MI franchise.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Tom Cruise turns down invite to receive lifetime achievement award from Donald Trump: Report
Hollywood actor Tom Cruise has reportedly declined to be among the first group of Kennedy Center Honorees during US President Donald Trump's second term in the White House. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced the recipients of the 48th Kennedy Center Honors. Tom Cruise declines Kennedy Center Honor According to a report by Washington Post, Cruise was invited to receive a Kennedy Center Honor, but he declined due to "scheduling conflicts". The report read, '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.' The report added that a spokesperson for the actor has declined to comment on the development. More about the honours On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump named Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone and country music great George Strait among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors. This move is part of his ramped-up efforts to take control of the Kennedy Center arts complex earlier this year. Disco diva Gloria Gaynor, rock band KISS, and British theater star Michael Crawford, known for his indelible turn in the lead role of Broadway staple Phantom of the Opera, will also receive the honors, one of the nation's highest arts awards. Trump announced he himself would host the Honors gala, which usually takes place in early December and is later broadcast on CBS. The Kennedy Center, one of the nation's top performing arts venues, is a living monument to the late John F. Kennedy. Opened in 1971, it has long enjoyed bipartisan support. The Kennedy Center is home to the National Symphony Orchestra and also offers theater, opera, comedy and other productions. Back in February, shortly after returning to the Oval Office, Trump ousted the center's leadership and installed himself as board chairman, vowing to purge any programming he deems objectionable. More about Tom Cruise Meanwhile, Cruise is still slated to receive an honorary award for his contribution to the film industry before the end of 2025. In June, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced that he will receive an honorary Oscar at the 2025 Governors Awards on November 16. Over the years, the actor earned Oscar nominations for his performances in films such as Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia. He also got a Best Picture nomination as producer on Top Gun: Maverick. He was most recently seen in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Lee Greenwood says Gloria Gaynor deserves Kennedy Center honor, calls out Ana Navarro's plea to turn it down
Kennedy Center board member Lee Greenwood discusses President Donald Trump's celebration of the Kennedy Center honorees and opposition from liberal foes on 'The Ingraham Angle.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Donald Trump Announces George Strait, KISS & Michael Crawford Among 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees
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 – the first class of honorees since President Donald Trump took over the Kennedy Center in February, firing trustees who had been appointed by President Joe Biden and replaced them with his own picks. More from Billboard Kid Cudi Didn't Want to Testify in Diddy Trial, But 'I Knew I Was Helping Cassie' Tyler, The Creator Has Had Enough of Timothée Chalamet in Fiery 'Marty Supreme' Trailer: Watch Justin Bieber Takes His 'Chicken Legs' for a Night Swim in 'First Place' Music Video: Watch In his first term, Trump never once attended the annual Kennedy Center Honors gala, making him the first president to never attend the event during his term. In announcing this year's inductees at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday (Aug. 13), Trump also revealed that he will host this year's show. The show will air on CBS in December. It will mark the first time a president has hosted the show. Last year's honorees, the last class to receive the honors under President Biden, were filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, iconic rock band Grateful Dead, singer-songwriter-guitarist Bonnie Raitt, jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and The Apollo Theater in Harlem, the first venue to receive the honor. The Kennedy Center Honors were first presented in 1978. The inaugural class consisted of contralto Marian Anderson, dancer-actor-singer Fred Astaire, choreographer George Balanchine, composer Richard Rodgers and pianist Arthur Rubinstein. While the focus in the early years was on fine arts – heavy on classical and opera – over the decades, it has broadened to also include more popular forms of music. In 1987, B.B. King became the first blues artist to be inducted. Other performers who were the first in their genres to be honored were Roy Acuff for country in 1991, Aretha Franklin for R&B in 1994, Pete Seeger for folk in 1994, Bob Dylan for rock in 1997, Gloria Estefan for Latin music in 2017 and LL Cool J for rap in 2017. Here's a quick look at this year's honorees. George Strait Strait, 73, is the first country artist to receive the Kennedy Center Honors since Garth Brooks in 2020. Other country artists to be honored are Roy Acuff (1991), Johnny Cash (1996), Willie Nelson (1998), Loretta Lynn (2003), Dolly Parton (2006), George Jones (2008), Merle Haggard (2010) and Reba McEntire (2018). Strait was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. He won his only Grammy to date in 2009, when Troubadour was voted best country album. Strait has had five No. 1 albums on the all-genre Billboard 200: Carrying Your Love With Me (1997), 50 Number Ones (2004), Somewhere Down in Texas (2005), Troubadour (2008) and Twang (2009). KISS KISS – Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley – are the sixth rock band to receive the Kennedy Center Honors as a group. In 2008, The Who became the first rock band to be honored. They were followed by Led Zeppelin (2012) Eagles, (2016), U2 (2022) and Grateful Dead (2024). KISS was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello did the honors. KISS has had nine top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, topped by Sonic Boom, which reached No. 2 in 2009. The band has two top 10 hits on the Hot 100 – 'Beth' in 1976 and 'Forever' in 1990. Michael Crawford Crawford, 83, won a Tony for best lead actor in a musical in 1988 for The Phantom of the Opera. He received two Grammy nominations in 1994 – best traditional pop vocal performance for his album A Touch of Music in the Night and best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal for 'The Music of the Night,' a collab with Barbra Streisand (a 2008 Kennedy Center Honoree). Crawford's highest charting album on the Billboard 200 was A Touch of Music in the Night (No. 39 in 1993). Gloria Gaynor Gaynor, 81, is a two-time Grammy winner. She won her Grammys 40 years apart in very different categories – best disco recording in 1980 for 'I Will Survive' and best roots gospel album in 2020 for Testimony. 'I Will Survive' was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012 and the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2015. Gaynor's highest charting album on the Billboard 200 was Love Tracks (No. 4 in 1979). She has had two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 – a disco remake of the Jackson 5's 'Never Can Say Goodbye' (No. 9 in 1975) and the immortal 'I Will Survive' (No. 1 in 1979). Sylvester Stallone Stallone, 79, received Oscar nominations for playing Rocky Balboa in two films, released 39 years apart – Rocky and Creed. He was also Oscar-nominated for best original screenplay for the original Rocky. The film also won best picture, but Stallone wasn't a producer of the film, and thus, didn't win. Two Rocky films yielded No. 1 hits on the Hot 100. Bill Conti's 'Gonna Fly Now' from the original Rocky topped the chart in 1977. Survivor's 'Eye of the Tiger' from Rocky III logged six weeks at No. 1 in 1982. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
