Gloria Estefan to Host This Year’s Kennedy Center Honors Ceremony

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Gloria Estefan is preparing to take Center stage.

The 66-year-old Cuban Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and entrepreneur will return as host of this year’s Kennedy Center Honors, which will air on CBS on Wednesday, December 27.

Billy Crystal, Renée Fleming, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah and Dionne Warwick are this year’s recipients.

The ceremony will air from 9:00 – 11:00 pm ET/PT and stream on Paramount+.

The actual ceremony, one of the biggest entertainment events of the year for D.C. politicos and media, will take place on December 3. This year’s event also will honor the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

Done+Dusted is returning as producer in association with ROK Productions. Elizabeth Kelly is executive producer along with David Jammy, and Alex Rudzinski is the director.

Estefan received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2017.

The ceremony traditionally has been preceded the night before by a dinner hosted by the U.S. Secretary of State. Just before the event, the president hosts a reception at the White House for the honorees. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have attended the ceremonies the past two years.

Christopher Carrera Named to President Joe Biden’s President’s Advisory Committee on The Arts

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Christopher Carrera has joined the Committee…

U.S. President Joe Biden has appointed 14 members to the President’s Advisory Committee on The Arts, in which they will serve as representatives for the Kennedy Center, including the Latino businessman.

Carrera, who serves as president of Carrera-Willowbridge, LLC, was previously a Partner in the Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities Division at Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he began his career as a summer intern in high school. Carrera serves on the board of the FDNY Foundation and is Treasurer of his co-op building. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and was a former member of the Board of Overseers of the College of Arts and Sciences. Carrera also served as a Trustee of Riverdale Country School.

He joins a roster of committee members that includes Andi Bernstein, partner at venture capital firm The 98; arts advocates Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and Barbara Gamson; philanthropist Melissa Hedden; Lorna Johnson, chair and CEO of LMJ Global Enterprises; busineswoman and author Bonnie Lautenberg; P.R. and public affairs strategist Allison Putala; Sunil Puri, CEO and founder of First Midwest Group; Charles Pohlad, director at Pohlad Investment Management, LLC; Diane Robertson, documentary producer and proprietor of a horticultural design firm; residential and commercial developer Thomas Safran; and Andrew Tavakoli, principal and CEO of Tavaco Properties.

Eugene William Stetson III, senior fellow at The Atlantic Council and a film producer, will serve as chair.

The President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts was established in 1958 by President Dwight Eisenhower. According to the Kennedy Center, its members are considered a “national network” for the arts center.

The Kennedy Center also has a board of trustees, chaired by David Rubenstein, and its members also are appointed by the president.

Another arts board, the National Council on the Arts, advises the National Endowment for the Arts. Another group, the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, was an advisory committee to the president’s administration, but President Donald Trump did not renew its authority in 2017 after all of its members resigned.

Justino Diaz Among This Year’s Kennedy Center Honors Recipients

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s an Honors of a lifetime for Justino Diaz.

The 81-year-old Puerto Rican operatic bass-baritone is among the recipients of the Kennedy Center’s Kennedy Center Honors this year, as the organization plans to return the ceremony to its traditional time and format in December.

In 1963, Díaz won an annual contest held at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, becoming the first Puerto Rican to obtain such an honor and as a consequence, made his Metropolitan debut in October 1963 in Verdi‘s Rigoletto as Monterone.

Diaz’s big roles throughout his career were in the operas of Mozart, taking on the title role of Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro a total of 27 times in his Met career.

He was also a renowned Scarpia and Iago in his time. He was famously picked by Franco Zeffirelli to take on the villain in his film version of Verdi’s final tragic masterwork; Scarpia was the last role he sang on the Met stage.

In addition to Diaz, the recipients for the December 5 event will be singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, actress and singer Bette Midler, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, and Motown Record founder and producer Berry Gordy.

CBS will broadcast the 44th annual ceremony, and it will be live streamed on Paramount+ and available on demand.

The Kennedy Center Honors traditionally takes place in the first weekend of December, with events at the White House and the State Department preceding the ceremony at the Kennedy Center Opera House. But because of Covid-19, the most recent honors were postponed until May this year, with the ceremony spread out over several days with a mix of indoor and outdoor events, some in person and some pre-taped. Instead of a White House reception, President Joe Biden had a smaller gathering of the honorees.

In a statement, Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter said, “After the challenges and heartbreak of the last many months, and as we celebrate 50 years of the Kennedy Center, I dare add that we are prepared to throw ‘the party to end all parties’ in D.C. on Dec. 5th, feting these extraordinary people and welcoming audiences back to our campus.”

Ana Villafañe to Star in NBC’s Comedy Pilot “Night Court,” a Follow-Up to the Classic Legal Series

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Ana Villafañe is holding court…

The 32-year-old Cuban and Salvadoran American actress/singer has landed a series regular in NBC’s half-hour pilot Night Court.

The project is a follow-up to the classic legal comedy series headlined and executive produced by The Big Bang Theory’s Melissa Rauch, with the original series’ John Larroquette reprising his Emmy-winning role.

Written/executive produced by Dan Rubin based on the original series created by Reinhold Weege, the multi-camera Night Court centers on unapologetic optimist judge Abby Stone (Rauch), the daughter of the late Harry Stone, who follows in her father’s footsteps as she presides over the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court and tries to bring order to its crew of oddballs and cynics, most notably former night court prosecutor Dan Fielding (Larroquette).

Villafañe will play Monica, the court’s assistant district attorney. Type A, superficial and tightly wound. Monica sees the night court as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. She’s above this place and all the people in it, but it’s a good way to get some courtroom experience under her belt. It’s all part of her plan to land a job at one of the big firms. Thirty will be here before she knows it and if she’s not wildly successful by then…well it’s best not to think about it.

Villafañe is recurring on the final season of Younger, which streams on Paramount+.

She has also recurred on two NBC/Universal Television series, drama New Amsterdam and comedy Sunnyside.

On stage, Villafañe originated the role of Gloria Estefan in the Broadway production of On Your Feet and starred throughout the musical’s entire 2014-2017 run, winning the 2015 Theatre World Award for Best Actress.

She later starred as Nina Rosario in the Kennedy Center’s 2018 production of In the Heights and made her off-Broadway debut in MCC’s Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties in 2018. She is a two-time Drama League Award nominee for On Your Feet and Collective Rage.

Moreno Among the Recipients of This Year’s Kennedy Center Honors

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Rita Moreno continues to rack up the honors…

The 83-year-old Puerto Rican actress, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award at last year’s SAG Awards, has been announced as one of recipients of this year’s Kennedy Center Honors.

Each year, the Kennedy Center recognizes a select group for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts with the primary criterion in the selection process being excellence. Honorees are chosen by the center’s board of trustees.

Moreno, a Grammy, Oscar, Golden Globe and Tony Award winner, will be honored along side Star Wars patriarch George Lucas, actress Cicely Tyson, songwriter Carole King, conductor Seiji Ozawa and the Eagles.

Moreno, who recently guest-starred on the CW’s Jane the Virgin, has previously received the Library of Congress Living Legends Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a National Medal of Arts and the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The event, a fundraiser for the Washington, D.C. arts center, will take place on December 6. CBS will broadcast the star-studded event on December 29.

Santana Named One of This Year’s Kennedy Center Honorees

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Santana is being celebrated for his American influence…

The 66-year-old Mexico-born musician has been selected as one of the honorees for the 36th annual Kennedy Center Honors.

Recipients are recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts – whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures or television – and are selected by the Center’s Board of Trustees.

“From his legendary performance at Woodstock to his sweep at the 2000 Grammys and beyond, Carlos Santana’s artistry transcends genres while entertaining millions,” says Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein.

In 2003 Rolling Stone listed Santana at number 20 on the magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He’s won 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards.

In addition to Santana, actress Shirley MacLaine, pianist/singer/songwriter Billy Joel, opera singer Martina Arroyo and pianist/band leader/composer Herbie Hancock will also be honored.

“The Kennedy Center celebrates five extraordinary individuals who have spent their lives elevating the cultural vibrancy of our nation and the world,” said Rubenstein.

The annual event at Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been broadcast on CBS every year since its debut 36 years ago.

This year’s broadcast will air on Sunday, December 29, from 9:00 – 11:00 pm ET.

Longoria to Host Latino Inaugural Concert

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Longoria is preparing to host a huge pachanga to celebrate President Obama’s inauguration.

The 37-year-old Mexican-American actress and political activist, a co-chair for Obama’s inauguration, is hosting a Kennedy Center concert honoring Latino arts and culture during inaugural weekend.

The $300-per-head event will take place on January 20 and will feature José Feliciano, George Lopez, Mario Lopez, Rita Moreno, Chita Rivera and others.

The event is part of “Latino Inaugural 2013,” a three-day series of lectures and cultural activities in Washington, DC.

“Latinos played a critical role in this year’s elections and helped tip the scales in President Obama’s victory,” said Longoria, a national co-chair of Obama’s 2012 campaign. “But we are not waiting another four years to make an impact on our country’s future, and Latino Inaugural 2013 will set a path for Latino civic engagement in the near term,” she said in a statement. “What better way to establish our presence at these inaugural celebrations than by showcasing the beauty and diversity of our culture at the nation’s premier performing arts center.”

The Latino inaugural gathering is driven in part by organizers of The Futuro Fund, which helped mobilize Latino support for the Obama-Biden re-election campaign. Millions of Hispanic voters turned out with 71 percent support for Obama. Republican candidate Mitt Romney‘s 27 percent Hispanic support was less than any presidential candidate in 16 years, drawing calls for Republicans to rethink their approach to Latinos.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Kennedy Center