CBS to Broadcast Kennedy Center Honors Ceremony, 12/26

CBS will broadcast the 28th Annual Kennedy Center Honors on December 26th at 9 PM ET (check local listings).

The ceremony took place in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center's Opera House on December 3rd.

Tony Award-winner Lloyd Webber, whose Evita is currently a Broadway-bound smash in London, was among the honorees.  The others were conductor Zubin Mehta, country star and songwriter Dolly Parton, singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson and film director-producer Steven Spielberg. 

The evening featured performances by Betty Buckley and Sarah Brightman (performing "Memory" from Cats), Elena Roger, Christine Ebersole (performing "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Boulevard) and Josh Groban (singing "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera).

"This year we honor five extraordinary international artists whose abundant contributions to their fields are remarkable. They have transformed the culture of our country and of the world. Andrew Lloyd Webber has led a seismic change in our musical theater becoming the most popular theater composer in the world; conductor Zubin Mehta's profound artistry and devotion to music make him a world treasure; Dolly Parton's creativity and spirit make her country music's best international ambassador; Smokey Robinson's song and voice have created the soundtrack for the lives of a generation of Americans; and Steven Spielberg's films make him one of the most successful and accomplished directors of all time," previously stated Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman.

Sir />Andrew Lloyd Webber has been a major theatrical force for almost 40 years.  Also a theatre-owner and impresario, Lloyd Webber has penned the music to Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, Song and Dance, The Phantom of the Opera, Starlight Express, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game, The Woman in White and more.  As the producer of the upcoming London The Sound of Music revival, he currently appears on the UK reality show "How to Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?," which aims to find an unknown actress to play the spirited governess in the West End.  His next musical will be an adaptation of the Russian novel The Master and Margarita.

Tony Bennett, Suzanne Farrell, Julie Harris, Robert Redford and Tina Turner were the recipients of Kennedy Center Honors in 2005.

Visit www.kennedy-center.org for more information.