The Kennedy Center Honors

Last night I watched one of my favorite annual TV shows, The Kennedy Center Honors. I've been a regular viewer of this program almost since its inception thirty-some years ago, and last night's edition was as rewarding as usual.

This show gets hammered by some critics, and I see their point. It celebrates artists across the spectrum of the performing arts, but is heavily balanced toward a television audience. Thus artists who represent classical music or are otherwise not as well known tend to get short shrift. Last night was no different, as the segments for Mel Brooks and Bruce Springsteen went over a commercial break, while the opera diva Grace Bumbry got one aria in recognition of her. These charges are true, but what are you going to do? I can only hope that we saw an edited version of the show, and that there was more tribute to Bumbry during the live event.

But those criticisms aside, these shows really get to me. There are a couple of factors at work here. The celebrated artists are not called upon to give a speech, instead sitting in the box of honor and looking down as colleagues deliver heartfelt encomiums. Many of them are moved to tears. I would imagine the feeling is similar to being able to attend one's own funeral. Secondly I love the mix. Where else would you see Dave Brubeck tapping his hand to "Born in the U.S.A." or Springsteen nodding in appreciation at "Take Five?" Finally, I love that the president and first lady attend these things, no matter who the chief executive is. I have this strange habit of wondering what other people think of things--if I'm at a play or concert and somebody famous is in the audience, I speculate on what they think of the very thing I'm watching. So last night I wondered what Barack Obama thought of "Springtime for Hitler."

The show does have some drawbacks. Those performers who are not musical get dry tributes--Robert DeNiro got reminiscences by Harvey Keitel, Ben Stiller, Edward Norton and crazy Sharon Stone, who as usual turned it into something about her. This doesn't have to be--I remember when Warren Beatty was honored they got a wonderful singer to perform his favorite song, "Over the Rainbow," and he was weeping. Doesn't DeNiro have a favorite song?

The best moment of last night's show was the cap of the Mel Brooks tribute, when Matthew Broderick, no great singer, movingly performed "Til' Him," and Brooks, who had previously been laughing it up in his box, seemed suddenly transformed. Perhaps he was thinking about his late wife, Anne Bancroft, or thought back on his long career, but something got to him, and the emotional look on his face was genuine. It's moments like that have me tuning in every year.