The new Kennedy Center Honors show will be more rock and pop, and pitched to the release of the new “Star Wars” movie.
David Rubenstein, who kicked out the founding producers last year, wanted to jazz up the show for better ratings and more entertainment. It’s a bag of mixed results.
Rubenstein has three music inductees– The Eagles, Carole King, and long time Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Seiji Ozawa. The latter means there will be a little bit of classical music.
But the show is pitched to pop with The Eagles– The Eagles, unbelievable– and Carole King. By picking two pop acts, Rubenstein forgoes any other fine arts representative from dance, jazz, opera, etc.
Then they throw in George Lucas, who should have gotten in a long time ago. This is a tie in with the new “Star Wars” movie. So you can count on Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, wookies, etc to be on stage.
Cicely Tyson is in, after missing the cut forever. She’s 90 years old, looks 70, and just won a Tony Award a couple of years ago. Everyone loves her. She’s overdue.
The final choice is Rita Moreno. They skipped over Jane Fonda and a bunch of really active Oscar winners for Moreno. The winner of an Emmy, Oscar, Grammy and Tony is a lovely woman, but kind of an uninspired choice. But this may have been a push from the older committee members reacting to the Eagles.
The Eagles? Good god.
Well, this is how it was going to be once Rubenstein ousted George Stevens, Jr. after 37 years.
