Recap: Short, Morrison, Broderick, Langella & Krakowski Salute Mel Brooks at Kennedy Center Honors

A slew of Broadway talent joined in the 32nd annual Kennedy Center Honors on December 6th to honor acclaimed Broadway producer, Mel Brooks. The group included Gary Beach, Matthew Broderick, Richard Kind, Jane Krakowski, Matthew Morrison, Frank Langella and Martin Short. Brooks was honored as a winner of the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors for his contributions to both stage and screen.

During the ceremony, Short performed the title song from the film Blazing Saddles, while Morrison performed a classic from The Producers, Springtime for Hitler.

Additional recipients that were honored at the 32nd annual national celebration of the arts are: pianist and composer Dave Brubeck; opera singer Grace Bumbry; actor, director, and producer Robert De Niro; and singer and songwriter Bruce Springsteen.

"This year, the Kennedy Center celebrates five extraordinary individuals whose unique and abundant artistry has contributed significantly to the cultural life of our nation and the world," said Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman. "With his hilarious movies and musicals, Mel Brooks has created comedic gems that will keep us laughing for years to come. Dave Brubeck's genius has dazzled us for six decades and has helped to define an American art form. Grace Bumbry helped to break the color barrier on her way to one of the most illustrious operatic careers in the 20th century. One of America's greatest cinematic actors, Robert De Niro has demonstrated a legendary commitment to his characters and has co-founded one of the world's major film festivals. With his gritty and honest songs that speak to the everyman, Bruce Springsteen has always had his finger on the pulse of America."

The annual Honors Gala has become the highlight of the Washington cultural year, and its broadcast on CBS is a high point of the television season. On Sunday, December 6, in a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage, produced by George Stevens Jr. and Michael Stevens, the 2009 Honorees were saluted by great performers from New York, Hollywood, and the arts capitals of the world. Seated with the President of the United States and Mrs. Obama, the Honorees accepted the thanks of their peers and fans through performances and heartfelt tributes.

The President and Mrs. Obama received the Honorees and members of the Artists Committee who nominated them, along with the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees at the White House prior to the gala performance. The 2009 Kennedy Center Honors Gala concluded with a supper dance in the Grand Foyer.

The Kennedy Center Honors medallions were presented on Saturday, December 5, the night before the gala, at a State Department dinner hosted by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

The Honors Gala was recorded for broadcast on the CBS Network for the 32nd consecutive year as a two-hour primetime special on Tuesday, December 29 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

George Stevens Jr., who created the Honors in 1978 with Nick Vanoff, produced and co-wrote the show for the 32nd year. The Honors telecast has been honored with five Emmys for Outstanding Program and is nominated again this year. It has also been recognized with the Peabody Award for Outstanding Meritorious ServIce To Broadcasting and seven awards from the Writers Guild of America.

The Boeing Company is the exclusive underwriter of the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors Gala and weekend of events, which included the honorees luncheon and post-gala supper dance in the Grand Foyer.

Delta Air Lines, the official airline of the Kennedy Center Honors television broadcast, provided transportation for the performers and television crew that came to Washington for the Honors Gala.

The Honors recipients recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts-whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures, or television-are selected by the Center's Board of Trustees. The primary criterion in the selection process is excellence. The Honors are not designated by art form or category of artistic achievement; the selection process, over the years, has produced balance among the various arts and artistic disciplines.

Past Honors recipients, as well as members of the Kennedy Center's national artists committee, made recommendations of possible 2009 Honorees. Artists making recommendations included: Alan Alda, Jane Alexander, Dan Aykroyd, Harolyn Blackwell, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Barbara Cook, Laurence Fishburne, Thomas Hampson, Herbie Hancock, Evgeny Kissin, Patti LuPone, Yo-Yo Ma, Reba McEntire, Anna Netrebko, Mark O'Connor, Christopher Plummer, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Frederica von Stade, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Previous Kennedy Center Honorees, including Edward Albee, Clint Eastwood, Suzanne Farrell, Aretha Franklin, Zubin Mehta, Sidney Poitier, Chita Rivera, and Barbra Streisand, also made nominations.

Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser expressed the national cultural center's continued gratitude to the many individuals involved in the success of the Honors program. "In addition to recognizing some of the world's most treasured artists, the Kennedy Center Honors supports a wide variety of artistic programming, as well as the Center's educational and national outreach efforts."

For more information visit, www.kennedy-center.org.

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski