SERVING UP SOME STARS
Should Webster update the dictionary, The Kennedy Center Honors weekend could defi ne the word “lavish.” The luncheon for the honorees at the Kennedy Center – followed by the State Department dinner and a second meal hosted by the Turkish Ambassador for donors – all vied for Saturday’s top prize, while The White House and The Four Seasons hosted dueling pre-gala receptions. Although there was a well-stocked celebrity presence at the brunch (hosted by Liz and George Stevens) for the 30th Kennedy Center Honors at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s Café Mozu, one thing was conspicuously absent – late humorist Art Buchwald. Nonwithstanding his graceful leave of planet Earth last January, his aura was felt everywhere. Any psychic could have predicted that, as well as Art, who wrote a book called You Can Fool All of The People All of The Time. The entrance table where he held court in previous years with longtime pal Ethel Kennedy remained the place to see and be seen, even in his absence.
The greet-and-chat crowd included Ted Kennedy, Jr.; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; BET founder Bob Johnson; Susan Blumenthal; Rep. Ed Markey; Red Cross chairman Bonnie McElveen–Hunter; Mandarin Hotel developer Alan Novak; actresses Christine Baranski, Gloria Reuben of “ER” and Michelle Lee; Andrea Mitchell and Alan Greenspan; violinist Itzhak Perlman; cellist Yo- Yo Ma; and comedian Martin Short. Among honorees, Steve Martin and Leon Fleisher were in attendance.
Close by, political satirist Mark Russell was loading up on breakfast American style but avoided the lavish sushi spread. “I stay away from karaoke and sushi,” quipped Russell. “It’s what I call Japan’s revenge for World War II.” Justice Stephen Breyer chatted up CBS’s Sunday Morning national correspondent Rita Braver. Singer songwriter Lyle Love , there to honor Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, made up for the less than accommodating Cameron Diaz, whose interaction with guests was basically nil. There with his fi ancée, guests caught Lovett between coffee and Danish. “I’ve never actually met Brian Wilson, but I’ve gotten to participate in the Honors several times before. When you study a song to learn it, it gives you an even greater appreciation of the artist. In this case it gave me an even greater appreciation of the depth of [Wilson’s] musicality. Last night I got to sing his song God Only Knows at the State Department dinner. They toasted him and said it was one of the most beautiful songs ever written,” said Lovett. “I never get nervous performing,” said young American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. “But this time, I am a bit – the President is going to be there, and Diana Ross. She’s so beautiful. Is it weird to say that?” Some then went on to The White House, others home
to regroup.
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There were two reasons why you couldn’t miss
Aretha Franklin: First, she was in a bright yellow gown
with a gold and green shawl; and secondly because she
was so unpretentious. “I’m delighted to be here,” she
said with conviction. She was actually only one of
a few stars who entered the VIP reception. Many
celebrities, to the chagrin of the high rollers,
skipped the red carpet in favor of another color:
The Green room.
Once guests made it past the German
shepherds, which raised eyebrows, they
were greeted by Kennedy Center President
Michael Kaiser. Doing the line were
Tom Ridge, Mack McLarty, Mandy and
Mary Ourisman (she in a red satin dress),
Johnny Damgard and Mark Shriver.
“We are here to see Diana Ross,” said
former Afghan Ambassador Isaaq Sharyar.
“Hafi zah and I love her.”
“I’ve been coming here for 20 years,” said
D.C. Councilwoman Carol Swartz. “It’s very
exciting, although it’s impossible to get tickets
now. I’m here with my daughter; it’s her fi rst
time. My husband and I came here when it
fi rst started.”
It’s impossible to get the whole program
into a column so we will say this about that:
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