Ronstadt, Field get Kennedy Honors
conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, singer Linda Ronstadt, actress Sally Field, founders Joan Ganz Cooney and Dr. Lloyd Morrisette, Earth, Wind & Fire members Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson and Sesame Street’s Abby, Big Bird and Elmo
Actress Sally Field, singer Linda Ronstadt and the discofunk band Earth Wind and Fire shared the spotlight Sunday night as part of the latest group of recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement in the arts.
Also in this year’s class were conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and longrunning children’s TV show Sesame Street.
Sunday’s event featured a genuinely unique event for the Kennedy Center as Big Bird walked the red carpet along with fellow Sesame Street characters Bert and
Ernie, Abby and Cookie Monster, accompanied by their respective humans. The massive yellow avian’s appearance held a particular resonance as Caroll Spinney, Big Bird’s original puppeteer, died earlier Sunday at age 85.
As she entered the building, Field, who has won two Academy Awards and three Emmys, reflected on the unique nature of the Kennedy Center Honors medallion. “It’s not about one performance. It’s not about being the flavor of the month,” she said. “It recognizes artists whose body of work has resonated over the years.”
Once again, the attendance of President Donald Trump was a topic of speculation until the White House said Friday that neither he nor first lady Melania Trump would attend. Trump skipped the past two celebrations; in 2017, multiple recipients threatened to boycott the event if he attended.
Tom Hanks, as the entered the building, pointed out that this annual tension seems unique to the Trump administration. “We’ve been here for Republican presidents and we’ve been here for Democratic presidents,” he said. “We were all celebrating the arts in America.”
Last year’s ceremony contained very few overt political references. But this year, several signs of the country’s divisive political mood bubbled to the surface. During the annual Saturday night gala dinner for honorees at the State Department, Ronstadt, a longtime liberal activist, reportedly had a testy exchange with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Pompeo introduced Ronstadt by referencing one of her signature hits — When Will
I Be Loved — and wondered aloud when he would be loved. Ronstadt, according to multiple attendees who posted on social media, responded, “When you stop enabling Donald Trump.”