There’s no Kennedy Center, but there’s going to be a Kennedy Center Honors.
I’ve confirmed the show is happening on December 5th at the Capital One Arena in Washington.
This is a big change since the Arena can hold 20,000 people. The Kennedy Center’s Opera House and Concert Hall each accommodate about 2,200 guests.
Sources say the production will not make use of the entire arena, just the front part of the floor seats.
A source said: “You can make these places intimate. Look what Taylor Swift did for her wedding at Madison Square Garden.” The singer by all accounts had 1,000 guests.
This year’s producer, a firm aptly called Den of Thieves, has never worked on the Kennedy Center show but they have plenty of experience with events like the MTV Awards.
What remains a question is who will be the honorees? Earlier this year, Liza Minnelli told me she would accept the award even with Donald Trump in office. Since she just turned 80, waiting two or three more years until Trump is gone might seem dicey. Will she be chosen?
Other choices include Mel Gibson or Jon Voight. Last year, Sylvester Stallone took the honor. Trump had named the three of them his ambassadors to Hollywood. Gibson might want to wait til next year when his “Passion of the Christ” sequel is released. Voight is always ready.
Musical acts would definitely be a country artist. Alan Jackson is a possibility. So is Vince Gill.
One problem for Trump would be getting a person of color to accept. But someone non-white will persuaded to participate in this folly.
Stay tuned…
