How Bad Will the Kennedy Center Honors Be- Page 2

[Huss417]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 9:39pm

Why Michael Crawford?

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 9:43pm

Huss417 said: "Why Michael Crawford?"

Because Donald Trump stopped retaining information in 1989. 

[Tom5]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 9:46pm

I understand honorees will be mostly or all deceased and their acceptance speeches will be delivered by Trump-approved holograms. 

[romain2]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 9:46pm

The country "legend" could possibly be longtime supporter Lee Greenwood. 

[MCfan2]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 10:10pm

romain2 said: "The country "legend" could possibly be longtime supporter Lee Greenwood."

The Post article suggests it's George Strait. I hope he turns it down, too.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 10:14pm

MezzA101 said: "DAME said: "I can’t link the Washington post article. Maybe someone else can?"

https://wapo.st/3JiZj49

Enter any email address to unlock.

"

Thank you.  Hopefully Michael declines.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 10:26pm

Azúcar! said: "DAME said: "WAPO is saying it Michael Crawford and Kiss."

Hopefully Crawford turns it down. "

Of course, it would be preposterous if Michael Crawford received it.  Besides Phantom (which we all know is not a large role), what else does he have in his resume that stands out?  Cornelius Hackl?  Dance of the Vampires?  It would be absurd, regardless of if his political leanings.

[MCfan2]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 10:38pm

His British resume is quite full (Barnum, Flowers for Algernon, Billy, some successful British films and TV series, solo albums, concert tours). And of course he was a smash hit in Phantom regardless of the size of the role. But it would be pretty unusual for someone to get a KC Honor based largely on a British resume that most Americans aren't aware of. 

In any case, British or no, I would be very happy for him if any other president gave it to him. But this one -- please, no.

[ggersten]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 10:57pm

[sarcasm] Seems that honoring a British citizen who took jobs Americans could have had in film and stage is contrary to Trump's shtick. 

Updated On: 8/12/25 at 10:57 PM

[smidge]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 12:47am

MCfan2 said: "romain2 said: "The country "legend" could possibly be longtime supporter Lee Greenwood."

The Post article suggests it's George Strait. I hope he turns it down, too."

George Strait definitely deserves the honor. In no way has Kid Rock ever been considered a country icon .

[Copeman63]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 7:44am

Honestly, I am in complete shock if Michael Crawford accepts this. Anyone normalizing Trump is bad enough, but someone who has made a career in musical theater normalizing Trump is unforgivable.
 

it would absolutely break my heart, because I have been a big fan of Mr. Crawford ever since I was in the fourth grade.  But the reality is I have cut off family members for their support of Trump, so it will be what it will be.

 

Thank Goodness for Ramin!

 

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 8:03am

Please correct me if I’m wrong but hasn’t Michael been out of the public eye for sometime and is in bad shape ? 

[RunnyBabbit]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 8:17am

Don’t they usually confirm with the nominees that they will accept before making the announcement? I’m sure the orange one with tiny hands wouldn’t risk having someone turn him down publicly.

[TheOtherOne2]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 9:16am

People I could see being honored include Robert Duvall, Jon Voight, Tom Cruise, Gary Sinise, Kelsey Grammar, Ann-Margret, David Mamet, JK Rowling, Lee Greenwood, Stephen Schwartz, James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow...

Updated On: 8/13/25 at 09:16 AM

[TheOtherOne2]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 9:28am

I left out Sylvester Stallone, but he is a definite possibility.

[SeanD2]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 9:30am

TheOtherOne2 said: "People I could see being honored include Robert Duvall, Jon Voight, Tom Cruise, Gary Sinise, Kelsey Grammar, Ann-Margret, David Mamet, JK Rowling, Lee Greenwood, Stephen Schwartz, James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow..."

And all of these people would legitimately deserve it.

[communitytheatergal88]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 10:21am

RunnyBabbit said: "Don’t they usually confirm with the nominees that they will accept before making the announcement? I’m sure the orange one with tiny hands wouldn’t risk having someone turn him down publicly."

Yes -- anyone who is announced has already accepted

[MezzA101]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 10:36am

pablitonizer said: "Probably a dumb question but if you turn this honor down, will you ever be considered again?

Katherine Hepburn turned them down for years before finally accepting. TPTB of future administrations have a free hand to offer to anyone they want.

In 1992, Stephen Sondheim refused a National Medal of Arts Award. In a letter to the Bush administration, Sondheim wrote that the NEA has been transformed into "a conduit, and a symbol, of censorship and repression rather than encouragement and support. For me to accept an award from the NEA in this particular climate and from an administration that seems to approve of that transformation would be an act of utmost hypocrisy." He later accepted it in 1997 during the Clinton Administration.

 

 

[MCfan2]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 10:53am

WldKingdomHM said: "Please correct me if I’m wrong but hasn’t Michael been out of the public eye for sometime and is in bad shape ?"

As I recall, he started winding down his career a few years ago after a diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis, and is now living the retired life in New Zealand. I suppose it's possible he's not paying attention to what's going on in the U.S. at all.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 11:17am

Crawford would be chosen because Trumps is OBSESSED with Phantom of the Opera. He saw it many, many, many times and often (pre political career) would fly cast members to Mar-a-Lago for events. Howard McGillian has a story (I think you can look it up on Seth Rudetsky's Obsessed) about being flown down and Trump tells the audience "they vote on these things and this guy was voted the very best Phantom and he's gonna come out and sing all the songs" and Howard is so confused and is like...the Phantom has one song what does he want me to do??

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 11:17am

Taco Tits Cheeto Mussolini is about to make an an announcement at the Kennedy Center. 

[Dom P]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 11:56am

Jordan Catalano said: "Taco Tits Cheeto Mussolini is about to make an an announcement at the Kennedy Center."

The list of honorees is unimpressive.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 11:57am

From NYT:

President Trump is scheduled to visit the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington on Wednesday morning to announce this year’s Kennedy Center honorees.

Who might those honorees be? The Kennedy Center teased the announcement in a social media post Wednesday. “Coming soon,” the post read, “A country music icon, an Englishman, a New York City Rock band, a dance Queen and a multibillion dollar Actor walk into the Kennedy Center Opera House….”

Mr. Trump has taken a strong interest in the Kennedy Center’s affairs ever since naming himself chairman in February, when he purged its traditionally bipartisan board of Biden-era appointees and restocked it with loyalists.

In March, Mr. Trump toured the center and met with his new board for the first time. He floated the idea of hosting the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony himself, according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained by The New York Times. Mr. Trump referred to himself then as “the king of ratings.”

He boycotted the ceremony during his first term after several of the artists who were being honored criticized him.

In his post on Tuesday hyping the new honorees, he wrote: “GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS.”

How much of a “whoops” that actually was remains to be seen. Last month, some Republican lawmakers proposed renaming the Opera House at the Kennedy Center after the first lady, Melania Trump.

Mr. Trump’s post Tuesday promised to bring the Kennedy Center “back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment.”

[communitytheatergal88]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 12:05pm

apparently Trump will be "hosting" the show...oy

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 8/13/25 at 12:12pm

There's so much that's terrible about all of this but the list of honorees is not as bad as I thought it might be.