Last night, this year's five Kennedy Center Honors recipients were honored at the formal Artist's Dinner in Washington DC at the State Department. This dinner is traditionally held the night before the official Kennedy Center Honors awards ceremony and is where the honorees receive their medallions and pose for formal class photos. United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted the evening in honor of Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, country singer Merle Haggard, composer and lyricist Jerry Herman, and dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones.
See photos of the Kennedy Center honorees at the State Department dinner
Other celebrities in attendance at the Artist's Dinner included Barbara Walters, Forest Whitaker, Sam Waterston, Mary Louise Parker and Gayle King.
The 2010 Kennedy Center Honors Gala takes place tonight, December 5. Prior to the awards ceremony, President and Mrs. Obama will greet the honorees at the White House. The Kennedy Center Honors Gala concludes with a "supper dance in the Grand Foyer."
According to the Kennedy Center website, the Honors recipients are "recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts—whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures, or television" and are selected by the Center’s Board of Trustees. Paul McCartney was previously scheduled to receive the award in 2002, but withdrew due to a family commitment. Just this summer, Paul McCartney received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song presented by President Obama (see photos).
CBS will air the two-hour special of the awards ceremony on December 28, 2010 at 9 pm (ET/PT).
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