WASHINGTON — President Trump announced five recipients of the annual Kennedy Center Honors Wednesday — including actor Sylvester Stallone, the rock band Kiss and disco singer Gloria Gaynor.
British actor Michael Crawford, best known for originating the titular role in the Broadway smash “The Phantom of the Opera,” and country music star George Strait will also be honored at a ceremony later this year.
President Trump announced the honorees, including George Strait, on Wednesday. AFP via Getty ImagesTrump, 79, shared his personal fondness for each of the honorees, including raving about seeing Crawford on the Great White Way and marveling at Stallone’s appearance in the “Rambo” and “Rocky” film series.
Stallone in particular was “very honored to be honored,” Trump said.
Disco legend Gloria Gaynor is among the honorees. David Fisher/REX“I’ll never forget, I was a young guy, and I went to see a thing called ‘Rambo’, and it just came out. I didn’t know anything about it, but I was in a movie theater, like we used to go to movie theaters a lot, and I said, ‘This movie is phenomenal,'” he said of the series that debuted in 1982, when Trump was 36 years old.
Trump also recounted Stallone’s overnight success as the star and screenwriter of “Rocky,” after he refused to cast one actor who had a thin build and “one shot and your heart would pop out” and another thespian who was “fat, sloppy, but had a good face.”
Actor Sylvester Stallone, known for ‘Rocky’ will be honored by Trump. Getty Images for Fontainebleau Las Vegas“He did it as a writer, but he ended up playing it because he couldn’t find anybody else that fit the role. And who knew what would have happened,” Trump said.
The president called Gaynor’s 1978 disco hit “I Will Survive” “one of those few that get better every time,” and promised that Kiss was “going to do something very special” during the ceremony.
The president called Gaynor’s 1978 disco hit “I Will Survive” “one of those few that get better every time.” Matt Licari/Invision/APCrawford, well-known in the UK as a comic actor, received gushing praise for “one of the greatest roles in the history of Broadway.”
Crawford received gushing praise for “one of the greatest roles in the history of Broadway,” according to Trump, referencing” portrayal of ‘The Phantom of the Opera.’ AP
The president promised that Kiss was “going to do something very special” during the ceremony. AP“He made his Broadway debut in 1967,” Trump said. “I was there. I shouldn’t say that, but I was there — seems like a long time ago, and he became an international sensation in the 1980s for his original portrayal of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, one of the greatest ever, ever, ever.”
Trump, who leads the Kennedy Center as chairman, said he personally approved each of the honorees and claimed that “I turned down plenty. They were too woke. I had a couple of wokesters.”
“Look at the Academy Awards, it gets lousy ratings now. It’s all woke. All they do is talk about how much they hate Trump, but nobody likes that. They don’t watch anymore. That used to have 45 million people watching,” Trump said.
George Strait, the country crooner, will receive the honor at a December ceremony hosted by Trump. Getty Images for Strait To The Heart
Trump leads the Kennedy Center as chairman. AFP via Getty ImagesThe former reality TV icon noted his past role on “The Apprentice” and the fact that he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame before joking he may have to honor himself.
“Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been among the most prestigious awards in the performing arts. I wanted one. I was never able to get one,” the president said.
“I waited and waited and waited and I said, ‘To hell with it, I’ll become chairman and I’ll give myself an honor.’ Maybe I’m going to honor — next year we’ll honor Trump, OK?”
The Kennedy Center Honors are scheduled to be broadcast in December on CBS.
