LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Country star George Strait, disco legend Gloria Gaynor and the rock band KISS are now official Kennedy Center honorees. The 48th annual Kennedy Center awards were given out Sunday night. President Trump didn't show up to these ceremonies in his first term. But as NPR's Andrew Limbong reports, this time, he was the star.
ANDREW LIMBONG, BYLINE: Historically, presidents have taken a back seat at these things, or more like box seat. They're up there with the honorees with a wave here and there, clapping along, enjoying the show. But this year, President Trump became the first president to ever host the show. And when he was asked on the red carpet how he prepared for the gig, the president said...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, maybe I haven't prepared. Maybe you want to be a little bit loose.
LIMBONG: But the president has had a tight grip on the Kennedy Center since he began his second term. Back in February, he kicked out previous Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter and installed himself as the chair of the board. Since then, he's had a close hand in choosing the honorees. He changed what the awards themselves look like, from a rainbow ribbon to a more understated blue. And that's all on top of Trump's efforts to renovate the place, which was something the actor Kelsey Grammer, a supporter of the Kennedy Center and the president, praised on the red carpet last night.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KELSEY GRAMMER: I mean, I remember here the last time, and I was like, looking pretty shaky. It was not a good thing. So...
LIMBONG: Grammer paid tribute last night to Michael Crawford, best known for his work in "The Phantom Of The Opera."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT")
MICHAEL CRAWFORD: (Singing) Open up your mind. Let your fantasies unwind.
LIMBONG: On the red carpet, Crawford said receiving a Kennedy Center Honor was humbling - not something he thought he'd ever see.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CRAWFORD: At the end of a career, you didn't - I didn't expect a phone call like that.
LIMBONG: Speaking of the red carpet, it was a Who's Who of President Trump's supporters - Kari Lake, Laura Ingraham, Stephen Miller, his wife and podcaster Katie Miller - who showed up in between the stars and honorees, such as Gloria Gaynor, best known for her song "I Will Survive."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I WILL SURVIVE")
GLORIA GAYNOR: (Singing) At first, I was afraid. I was petrified.
LIMBONG: She was honored by the singer Elle King, gospel singers Debbie Winans, Chris Blue and more. By the way, you aren't hearing any tape from the show itself because CBS is set to broadcast the proceedings later this month. But with the major exception of the president, the show itself was a fairly apolitical affair. Kurt Russell spoke about his friend and previous co-star Sylvester Stallone, who was greeted with orchestral renditions of Bill Conti's score from "Rocky," conducted by Conti himself.
(SOUNDBITE OF BILL CONTI'S "GOING THE DISTANCE")
LIMBONG: And George Strait, the king of country, one of the highest-selling acts in the genre...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALL MY EXES LIVE IN TEXAS")
GEORGE STRAIT: (Singing) All my exes live in Texas.
LIMBONG: ...Was honored by Vince Gill, Miranda Lambert and more. And the show ended with a tribute to the rock band KISS, who were short one member. Guitarist Ace Frehley died in October. Lead vocalist Paul Stanley said Frehley would have enjoyed being here.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PAUL STANLEY: It's still a celebration, and we can mourn him and celebrate what we've accomplished.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PETER CRISS: Yeah. I wish he was here. He was a very big part of the band.
LIMBONG: Drummer Peter Criss.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CRISS: I can't say enough about Ace. I miss him dearly. A very heavy subject - right? - and I don't want to break down and start crying about him.
LIMBONG: The night ended with the band Cheap Trick doing a version of the KISS hit "I Want To Rock And Roll All Nite," but not all night. Things were wrapped up by 11. As for the future of the Kennedy Center Honors, President Trump was asked who might be honored next year. He said it was a secret, but that a lot of people would like to be on his list.
Andrew Limbong, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
