Kennedy Center Honours

Caroline Kennedy hosted the 31st Annual Kennedy Center Honors, which taped Dec. 7, before she made headlines by announcing her political ambitions.

The six honorees this year are Ms. Streisand, actor Morgan Freeman, Texas singer George Jones, choreographer Twyla Tharp and rockers Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of the Who.

None of the honorees did much but wave, but there where a number of big name salutes:

Actor and director Clint Eastwood paid tribute to Freeman calling him "a great good luck charm".
In a video message, Queen Latifah said Streisand "threw out the rule book" to chart her own career. "She took to the stage like butter on a bagel," she added.
Broadway star Idina Menzel sang Don't Rain on My Parade from Streisand's 1964 musical Funny Girl, Beyonce sang The Way We Were and R&B singer Ne-Yo grooved to Streisand's 1965 hit Lover, Come Back to Me.

Another set of stars paid tribute to The Who in front of a neon-lit Union Jack, including rock singer Rob Thomas who sang Baba O'Riley.
Country stars Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson and Shelby Lynne gave Jones a tip of the hat with performances of the star's work.

For Tharp's presentation, actress Lily Tomlin said Tharp saw dance everywhere she looked: "This is a woman who saw the Beach Boys and made a ballet."

First Lady Laura Bush took the stage to salute George Jones, saying "there's no getting tired of a singer like him". The First Dude sat in the audience.