Text 1828, 258 rader
Skriven 2005-12-04 23:33:08 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (051204) for Sun, 2005 Dec 4
==================================================
===========================================================================
President Welcomes Kennedy Center Honorees to the White House
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 4, 2005

President Welcomes Kennedy Center Honorees to the White House
The State Floor



5:13 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Please be seated. Thanks for coming, and welcome to the
White House. The annual reception for the Kennedy Center Honors is always a
memorable event, and Laura and I are happy you all could join us. We extend
a special welcome to this year's honorees, and to their families and
friends.

The Kennedy Center Honors are presented for exceptional accomplishment in
the performing arts. Once again, the Center has selected five extraordinary
Americans for this high distinction. Each of these honorees, in a lifetime
of achievement, has set a standard of excellence that is admired throughout
the world. All of them have earned a unique place in the cultural life of
the United States and a special respect among their fellow Americans.

The first Kennedy Center Honors were presented in 1978, to a group that
included the eminent choreographer, George Balanchine. And on that stage
that evening, dancing in tribute was the great Suzanne Farrell. Together,
Balanchine and Farrell gave the world of ballet one of the rarest and most
successful collaborations in history. He created masterpieces just for her.
And no one epitomizes the style and grace of Balanchine choreography as
much as Suzanne Farrell.

She first came to New York from Cincinnati. In only after a year at the
American School of Ballet, she made her professional debut in 1961. Before
long word began to circulate there was something new -- someone new,
someone very special at the New York City Ballet. When she took the stage
as Dulcinea in Don Quixote, she became a sensation. In that performance, a
reviewer said, Suzanne Farrell was "absolutely flawless, technically
impeccable, light as a bubble, perfect in line and style."

In hundreds of performances over a 28-year period, Suzanne Farrell was
never known to depart from that standard. This was a ballerina who had it
all -- grace, strength, and the ability to act, turn and jump with
perfection. During classes, Balanchine often coached dancers with three
words: "Do like Suzanne." (Laughter.)

In performances as diverse as "Agon," "Theme and Variations," "Scotch
Symphony," and "Clarinade," she had a mesmerizing effect on her audiences.
Watching her was said to be "one of the sublime experiences of an era." One
admirer said that Suzanne was a dancer who "made audiences sweat." This
remarkable lady is now guiding a new generation of dancers as the leader of
the Suzanne Farrell Ballet.

In the words of one of her dancers, Suzanne "inspires you. You want to give
her everything you have because she meets you each step of the way." She
does this every day with the spirit and the patience and the guidance of a
truly lovely woman. She is widely appreciated as the greatest ballerina
this country has produced, and the United States of America is proud to
honor Suzanne Farrell. (Applause.)

Julie Harris discovered very early in life she loved to act. And the world
discovered that she was better at the craft than almost anyone else. Fifty
years ago, when her beautiful face was on the cover of Time Magazine, the
story inside offered the confident and accurate prediction that she would
be a star "for the rest of her life."

Julie Harris has excelled in every forum she has attempted, from historical
drama to tragedy, to musical comedy, to Shakespeare. She is known for one
of the most hauntingly loving -- lovely voices in theatre, and she stands
nearly alone in the depth and range of her talent. She became a star on
Broadway at age 24, playing a 12-year-old girl in "The Member of the
Wedding," and was nominated for an Oscar when she played the same role for
film. Whatever age or personality or struggle the role calls for, Julie
Harris can fill it, with meaning and feeling and complete believability.
She has thrilled audiences as St. Joan of Arc, and Mary Todd Lincoln, and
Florence Nightingale, Queen Victoria, and Emily Dickinson.

Her greatest admirers, perhaps, are her fellow actors. Boris Karloff said
Julie "is always in complete control of herself, just as a fine pianist is
always the master of his music." The screen pioneer, Ethel Barrymore, put
it even more simply. She said, "That girl can do anything." (Laughter.)

The most respected actress in American theatre received five Tony Awards,
more than any other performer -- plus a Special Tony Award for Lifetime
Achievement in the Theatre. She has also won a Grammy and three Emmys, and
has appeared in many television plays and motion pictures. In her career,
Julie Harris has starred with Robert Redford, George C. Scott, Lauren
Bacall, Shelley Winters, and Sir Lawrence Olivier. She's the girl who
appeared opposite James Dean in the "East of Eden."

Julie Harris has been called Broadway's "tiniest tower of strength," a
woman of deep intelligence and discipline. She is known, as well, for her
gentle spirit. As one stage manager put it, Julie Harris is "an angel,
everyone loves her." It's hard to imagine the American stage without the
face, the voice, and the limitless talent of Julie Harris. She has found
happiness in her life's work, and we thank her for sharing that happiness
with the whole world. (Applause.)

There was a time when Robert Redford thought his life's work might be as a
baseball player. (Laughter.) He went to college on an athletic scholarship,
but his interests soon turned to the arts and eventually to acting. Years
later, when he was hitting home runs, as the character, Roy Hobbs, a
reviewer of the film said this: "Robert Redford reminds those who need
reminding that he is one of the perfect male film stars, extraordinarily
handsome, effortlessly fascinating, and enormously talented. His role here
gives us ample chance to see another kind of 'natural' in his element."

For more than four decades, Robert Redford has been one of America's most
watchable and credible actors. From early appearances and televised plays
and on Broadway, he moved easily into the film and into film history. We
all remember his finest dramatic roles -- with Barbra Streisand in "The Way
We Were," with his notebook in "All The President's Men," on the election
trail in "The Candidate," and in the Utah wilderness as "Jeremiah Johnson."
Paired with Paul Newman in two legendary films, Robert Redford also proved
to be an actor with flawless comic timing, and he earned an Oscar
nomination for his role in "The Sting."

In his capacity to grow and to excel as an artist, Robert Redford has shown
very few limitations. In 1980, he decided to try working behind the camera.
The result was "Ordinary People," and it won him the Oscar for best actor
[sic]. Soon afterward, he founded a workshop for independent American
filmmakers at Sundance, which has done so much to encourage and teach
emerging filmmakers.

Robert Redford is a public-spirited man, a Westerner who cares about the
issues. He knows what he believes and he's not afraid to tell people.
(Laughter and applause.) Over the years he's had a strong influence on
public policy. (Laughter.) And it doesn't hurt -- (laughter) -- and it
doesn't hurt that he's quite a charismatic guy. (Laughter.) One time he
found himself speaking in front of a group of people in a profession he
didn't think too much of. So he stepped to the mike and gave them a piece
of his mind. When he finished, one of the people he had just scolded rushed
right up and said, "Did you really make the jump off the cliff in 'Butch
Cassidy'?" (Laughter.)

When Robert Redford speaks you hear more than an actor or director. You
hear the voice of an active, passionate, committed citizen. His family can
be proud that this man they love is one of the most familiar faces in the
world, one of the biggest names in movies, and an all-time favorite of his
fellow Americans. Congratulations. (Applause.)

Tina Turner's life began in Tennessee in a town called Nutbush. (Laughter.)
I've never been there, but -- (laughter) -- I've passed a few sign wavers
who apparently want me to know about it. (Laughter.) As a girl, she worked
in the cotton fields and sang in the church choir. In her amazing journey,
Tina Turner went on to sell tens of millions of records, and earned a place
in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

She's written music classics and a best-selling book. And a movie about her
life was nominated for two Oscars. As a performer, Tina Turner is known to
"transcend age, gender, race and social status." On one of her tour stops
in Texas, a concert reviewer described an audience that included "college
students and biker chicks wearing jeans and leather vests,
ten-gallon-hat-wearing cowboys, and finger-snapping grandpas." (Laughter.)
Everyone was there for the same reason -- to see one of the greatest live
entertainers ever to come out of the United States.

Tina Turner, it has been said, "commands the stage with the sheer force of
her full-throttle voice and magnetic presence." People stand in wonder at
the natural skill, the energy and sensuality, and the most famous legs in
show business. (Laughter.) Behave yourself. (Laughter.)

Her voice has been described as combining "Otis Redding's husky break and
James Brown's growl with some of Aretha Franklin's soaring cadences." She
moves better and faster than dancers less than half her age; she does it
all in four-inch high heels. (Laughter.)

She first became a star in the "Ike and Tina Turner Revue." She made music
history with a rendition of "Proud Mary" that no artist could ever hope to
match. It won the Grammy, and still wins her fans.

In the 1970s, the brave lady had to start over again, on her own. It was a
hard time. All she owned in the world was her stage name and her God-given
talent. These, combined with her persevering character, led to a phenomenal
solo career. A single album, "Private Dancer," sold more than 12 million
copies, and the year it was released won her three Grammys. She has
produced a string of hits that are familiar across the world, including
"What's Love Got To Do With It?," and "Simply The Best." She has played
before some of the largest concert crowds ever assembled, and each time
every eye is trained on the stage, not wanting to miss a single note or a
single move by this electrifying artist.

There's nobody quite like Tina Turner, and in the arc of her life, there is
so much to admire -- the incredible musical gifts, the inner strength and
the moral courage. She's a woman of achievement, and elegance, and class.
And it's an honor to welcome you to the White House. (Applause.)

Tony Bennett once said, "What I try to do is give a performance and have
everybody say, 'God, I love that song.'" Well, he's known that satisfaction
throughout his career. When you hear the title of a Tony Bennett song, all
at once you can hear the man singing it -- "Fly Me To The Moon," "The Good
Life," "The Best Is Yet To Come," "Just In Time."

This son of New York made his singing debut as a little boy in 1936,
standing beside Mayor LaGuardia at the opening of the Triborough Bridge.
Much time has passed, and at this point, the Triborough Bridge is showing
some age. (Laughter.) The little boy who sang that day is still looking
pretty good. (Laughter.)

Perhaps his biggest professional break came in the late 1940s, when he was
opening for Pearl Bailey in Greenwich Village, and she introduced him to
Bob Hope. When he learned this young man's name was Anthony Dominick
Benedetto, Mr. Hope said, "That's too long for the marquee, let's simplify
it and call you Tony Bennett."

Soon he was one of the great nightclub singers, performing through the
years with the likes of Duke Ellington, and Count Basie, and appearing on
the "Tonight Show," as Johnny Carson's first guest. When Tony recorded "I
Left My Heart In San Francisco," he won his first Grammy, and the song took
him from the clubs to Carnegie Hall. From that day to this, he's been
playing to sellout crowds. He's won a total of 11 Grammys and a lifetime
achievement award.

And it's a symbol of his endurance that this man who was making records
when Harry Truman lived in the White House has become a favorite of the MTV
generation. As one newspaper declared, "Tony Bennett has not just bridged
the generation gap, he demolished it." (Laughter.) The vocal style and
interpretive skill of Tony Bennett are without equal. And no other singer
is held in higher regard by his fellow entertainers. B.B. King once said,
"To be near him is a highlight of my life. I've met two Presidents in
office, I've met the Pope, Pavarotti -- and Tony Bennett." (Laughter.)
Frank Sinatra declared that Tony Bennett was the best singer in his
lifetime.

His vocal talent and love for music came from his dad, John Benedetto, who
passed away when Tony was 10 years old. In his memoir Tony writes that John
was a "very poetic man, full of love and warmth, who sang with a gentle,
sensitive voice I can still hear." Tony's mom, Anna, undoubtedly saw those
same qualities in her son. He called her, "my one guiding star." And in a
long life, Anna watched her boy rise to the top and remain there.

Tony Bennett is also a very talented painter, whose work is widely
exhibited and admired. He's a deeply committed humanitarian. He's a man of
character who served in the U.S. Army in World War II, and he marched for
civil rights with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Of his career, Tony Bennett has said, "The audience has been beautiful to
me." And the sentiment is entirely mutual. Everybody likes the man. He's
been aptly described as "the kind of celebrity who cabdrivers call by his
first name." We're joyful that he remains a friendly presence in American
life, an entertainer still at the top of his game, and a voice we love to
hear. Tonight our nation honors Mr. Tony Bennett. (Applause.)

Each of these honorees has enriched our culture and reflected credit on our
great country. It's a true pleasure to be in their company, and to let them
know just how much they mean to the people of the United States.
Congratulations. Thanks for coming. (Applause.)

END 5:32 P.M. EST
===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051204.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)