CBS Sets Air Date for 40TH ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS

CBS has announced that it will air THE 40TH ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS on Tuesday, Dec. 26th at (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT). Actress, dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade, singer-songwriter and actress Gloria Estefan, hip hop artist LL Cool J, television writer and producer Norman Lear and renowned musician and record producer Lionel Richie will receive honors. CBS has broadcast the special each year since its debut 40 years ago. The host will be announced at a later date.

In a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage on Dec. 3, the 2017 honorees will be saluted by great performers from New York, Hollywood and the arts capitals of the world. The honorees will accept the recognition and gratitude of their peers through performances and tributes.

The 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 confirmed by the executive committee of the center's board of trustees. The primary criterion in the selection process is excellence. The honors are not designated by art form or category of artistic achievement; over the years, the selection process has produced a balance among the various arts and artistic disciplines.