Last night’s Kennedy Center Honors show was the most starless in its history.
Although there were some highlights, most of the show — set for airing on December 23rd — is just plain weird.
The best parts will be the country segment honoring George Strait, and the rock element for the group KISS.
In the former, Miranda Lambert, Vince Gill, and Brooks & Dunn will appeal to the CMA crowd.
In the latter, Garth Brooks and Cheap Trick will be of interest to their fans.
But “disco queen” Gloria Gaynor had one big hit in her career, “I Will Survive.” The song is performed but there isn’t much else to say.
Sylvester Stallone — walking with a cane and struggling with a hair piece — gets a tribute from Kurt Russell, who acted with him in “Tango and Cash” many years ago. Composer Bill Conti and Arturo Sandoval perform “Gonna Fly Now,” the “Rocky” theme song. But absences of other Stallone co-stars and friends, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, are glaring. So also is no sign of Russell’s partner, Goldie Hawn, who declined the opportunity to be there no doubt.
The worst section is for Michael Crawford, the Broadway star of “Phantom of the Opera.” He appeared in “Hello, Dolly!” in 1970 on Broadway. The performers are underwhelming. They include Laura Osnes, a pariah in the theater community stemming from the pandemic; and unknown singers David Phelps, and Carrie Manolakos.
The show’s producers will struggle with editing around host Donald Trump, who went on and on when on stage, talking about nothing relevant to the proceedings. The show will be punctuated by interviews with the honorees.
