Why do you think Carol Channing hasn?t gotten the Kennedy Center Honors yet?

[Will42]

To me she is the most obvious choice when it comes to those who deserve to receive the honor the most, but for same reason she is being ignored year after year.
I wonder what are they waiting for?
I hate to say it, but at 92, it is not like she is getting any younger.

[artscallion]

Not to dis Carol, but if you look at the list of past honorees, Carol doesn't really fit. They all seem to have made much broader/deeper contributions to the performing arts. I think to most people, while iconic, Carol is more of a fabulous, beloved "personality" that moves from show to show, doing the same schtick than someone who made groundbreaking or significant contributions to the field.

You can find a list of past honorees here for reference... http://tinyurl.com/a22lsz2

Again, not dissing Carol. Love her for what she is.

[bobs3]

^ Yeah. She's pretty much only remembered for one role and "doing the same schtick" for over 60 years.

And please, don't start listing her credits.

[madbrian]

I have to agree. I don't think her resume stacks up.

[bdn223]

She is basically only known for Hello Dolly, causing no matter how many credits to her name people only think of her as Dolly. Patti Lupone may face a similar fate due to Evita.

[bdn223]

She is basically only known for Hello Dolly, causing no matter how many credits to her name people only think of her as Dolly. Patti Lupone may face a similar fate due to Evita.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Patti Lupone has had a much more diverse career than Carol ever has.

To say she will only be known for Evita is almost laughable.

[Will42]

Well, I agree that she doesn�t have the same resume as past recipients like Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews or Julie Harris, but still, I don�t really think it�s fair to say that she has been doing the same �schtick for over 60 years". After all she�s an Oscar nominee and the recipient of the 4 Tony Awards nominations (winning 2). Plus, I don�t think they give Lifetime Tony Awards for nothing (By the way, where�s Lansbury�s Lifetime Achievement Tony Award?).

[Reginald Tresilian]

It's not just that Channing is essentially known for only one role; it's that she continued to play it for decades without doing much of anything else.

While it's true that LuPone's Evita was iconic, she's not still touring in the role.

[Buscee]

While I will agree that she is know mostly for "Dolly". She really still does deserve the Kennedy Medal. Besides her performing she has spend the last decade at least fighting to have the arts in schools remain in schools. Despite the fact that government wants these programs cut. She's a living legend, and deserves it. I only hope she gets it soon.

[Reginald Tresilian]

For the record, I was just addressing the LuPone-Channing comparison. I'm happy anytime a theater icon is acknowledged.

[madbrian]

The criteria for Kennedy Center Honors is nebulous, at best, so there is no explicit benchmark, and comparing artists, even within the same discipline, is difficult. Wiki defines the criteria as a 'lifetime of contributions to American culture'. Not sure if that helps, other than to further muddy the waters. But based on that fuzzy criteria, you can make a stronger case for Channing than strictly looking at her resume.

[bobs3]

My parents took their honeymoon in 1959 in New Orleans. Channing was doing her nightclub act in the Blue Room at The Roosevelt Hotel (they still have the program). Twenty years later they saw her nightclub act in Los Angeles. They said it was the same act she did twenty years earlier only she added a couple of songs from "Hello, Dolly".

[Dollypop]

People are forgetting that Carol Channing did GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES and toured in lots of plays by George Bernard Shaw--including PYGMALION (Yes, she played Eliza Doolittle!). She also replaced Roz Russell in WONDERFUL TOWN.

She's the most glorious woman on the face of the earth!!!!!!!!!

[bobs3]

Carol Channing has the same chance of getting a Kennedy Center Honor as does Little Richard.

[Far From Home]

"My parents took their honeymoon in 1959 in New Orleans. Channing was doing her nightclub act in the Blue Room at The Roosevelt Hotel (they still have the program). Twenty years later they saw her nightclub act in Los Angeles. They said it was the same act she did twenty years earlier only she added a couple of songs from "Hello, Dolly".



My parents went to see Channing doing her act at a casino in Reno, NV several times over the years. My mother, who never complained about anything, said it was almost the same old tired show and costumes every time they saw it. She said Channing probably just left the dirty old costumes hanging backstage until she returned for another engagement.

She always sang "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" and threw fake diamond rings into the audience. When I was a kid (children were allowed at the dinner show) I remember crawling under the tables after the show to retrieve the rings.