Kennedy Center Honors: Mel Brooks

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 11:22pm

Did anyone catch the Kennedy Center honors tonight? During the Mel Brooks tribute, there were a bunch of musical numbers (staged, of course, by Susan Stroman):

Frank Langella sang from Twelve Chairs
Richard Kind sang The Inquisition
Jack Black sang Men in Tights
Harry Connick Jr sang High Anxiety
Martin Short sang Blazing Saddles
Matthew Morrison sang Springtime for Hitler
Gary Beach sang Heil Myself
Matthew Broderick sang I Want to Be a Producer, followed by 'Til Him

It was a lot of fun to watch.

[raker]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 11:24pm

Worst lip-syncing ever.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 11:27pm

Lip-syncing?? I'm pretty sure it was live...

I enjoyed it. "'Til Him" was a perfect song to finish his tribute.

[mc1227]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 11:30pm

Loved the segment but couldn't help but wish that Nathan Lane be there with Matthew to honor Mel. Lane's greatest stage success was largely due to Brooks.

[being.jeremiah]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 11:38pm

And Jane Krakowski was edited out of the telecast? Big boo!

[nealb1]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 11:38pm

I guess with Nathan doing "Addams Family," he couldn't make it. With him out of the show for a day or 2, box office receipts would be way off. Who knows? I'm sure there's a valid reason why he couldn't be there.

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 11:46pm

I got so choked up when Mel started to cry!

[wicked1492]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 12:08am

What was Jane supposed to sing?

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 12:16am

I missed this. Anyone know about a re-broadcast? If not, if anyone finds the videos online, please post!

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 12:27am

KirbyCat, I started choking up too!

I hate to say, but I was really distracted by the young lady behind him. Was that one of his kids?

[mc1227]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 12:48am

I saw her too but wasn't sure she was his daughter. I thought he had two sons. I saw her crying during Mel's tribute and also during Bruce's.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 12:54am

Wikipedia tells me he has a daughter and two sons from his first marriage, and then he and Anne Bancroft had a son.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 12:55am

The performances just started on the re-air.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 1:04am

I never thought I would ever see him cry...

[minicko88]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 1:26am

HILARIOUS! I thought it was really cool, and I must say the entire show was great. But Mel Brooks's segment was the best! LOVE YA MEL

[Mamie]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 12:47pm

I found (at least) the first 7 segments on the tube.... The rest are probably there as well and I just didn't find them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzJAGset2XY
Martin Short and Gary Beach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERAtQ250Nbg
Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MsXrsq-YzY&NR=1
Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1RSl-Tjxp8&feature=related
Part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu_aUBGl1TA&feature=related
Part 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p73pGudZ9Vg&feature=related
Part 5 (Mel)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqoGHJfGwbw&feature=related
Part 6 (Mel)

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 1:11pm

I was going to record it & decided against it. Big mistake.

[I<3bway]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 1:36pm

Mel cried?

I was too busy laughing from his tribute to notice.

[Elke]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 1:42pm

During the "Mel Brooks finale", you could also see Roger Bart and (I assume) Shuler Hensley onstage as Frederick Frankenstein and The Monster. Were there cuts in the broadcast? Because I guess they also performed...

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 2:27pm

"During the "Mel Brooks finale", you could also see Roger Bart and (I assume) Shuler Hensley onstage as Frederick Frankenstein and The Monster. Were there cuts in the broadcast? Because I guess they also performed..."

I guess their performance wasn't shown, but playbill had a picture of their segment:

http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/gallery//903/?pnum=9
Updated On: 12/30/09 at 02:27 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 2:44pm

Does anyone know what song Jane Krakowski performed?

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 2:50pm

I think Nathan Lane has had quite enough of Mel Brooks.

[Edna Turnblad]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 5:33pm

I was really hoping for Jane to be shown. I laughed to myself when the didn't show any Young Frankenstein.

[mc1227]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 9:53pm

It's pretty glaring that Lane did not make an appearance at the Brooks tribute. I'm sure this appearance was well known in advance and he could have stated that he needed to have that Sunday off to go to Washington. Broderick was in a play at the same time and managed to arrange it. Stroman directed and choreographed the entire segment. Just odd that Nathan wasn't there.

[leefowler]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 10:21pm

Nathan wasn't there because he had a 2 show day at Addam's family in Chicago. That schedule was in place long before the Kennedy Center Honors were announced. He wanted to be there, everyone else wanted him to be there, but it just wasn't possible.

Incidentally, Jane Krakowski sang a jazzy version of, "If You've Got it, Flaunt It"