Can you really have the Kennedy Center Honors with no Kennedy Center? Over the past few years, the Washington, DC institution known as the John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts has been going through a stretch of absolute chaos under Donald Trump's leadership.
Earlier this year, Trump, who'd already had the venue renamed after himself, ordered a two-year closure for renovations. Soon afterward, a federal judge blocked Trump's closure and ordered his name removed from the building, which led to Trump threatening to demolish the venue. In any case, the Kennedy Center is temporarily closed for now, but Trump still plans to hand out Kennedy Center Honors.
Theoretically, the annual Kennedy Center Honors celebration is a way for the executive branch of the federal government to recognize and fete the performing artists who have made contributions to American culture. Under the current regime, it's just a chance for Donald Trump to throw a party for the few old celebrities who are willing to show up and kiss his ass, a list that shrinks a little more every year. When Trump announced last year's honorees — including KISS, George Strait, and Gloria Gaynor — Trump joked that he'd add his own name to the next year's cast of honorees.
Well, he hasn't done that. Instead, according to The Hollywood Reporter, this year's Kennedy Center Honorees will include teen idol-turned-crooner Paul Anka, country singer Barbara Mandrell, and adult-contempo producer David Foster. Last year, Donald Trump announced the Kennedy Center honorees at a press conference and then went on to host the show.
This year, the Kennedy Center has made much less fuss about unveiling the class of honorees, which makes sense, considering the relatively low level of starpower on display. With the Kennedy Center itself closed, this year's ceremony will happen Dec. 7 at Washington, DC's Capital One Arena. In addition to the musicians, actor Andy Garcia and playwright/filmmaker David Mamet will also be honored.
The Capital One Arena is a big room, and I truly can't imagine how they expect to fill it with those names. Paul Anka, 85, was actually born in Canada to Syrian and Lebanese immigrant parents, but he holds dual citizenship after becoming a naturalized American in 1990. He was part of the teen idol wave in the '50s, and then he went on to make adult contemporary hits and to write or co-write hits for artists like Frank Sinatra and Tom Jones.
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