VIDEO: Tom Hanks, Sting Reflect on KENNEDY CENTER HONOR

Singer Al Green; actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks; ballerina Patricia McBride; singer-songwriter Sting; and comedienne Lily Tomlin received honors for 2014 on THE 37TH ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS, broadcast last night, Tuesday, Dec. 30 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. CBS has broadcast the special each year since its debut 37 years ago.

Below, honorees Tom Hanks and Sting reflect on the evening's tributes. "It's not unlike a very healthy way of watching your life flash before your eyes," joked Oscar winner Hanks. Shared Sting, "I don't think of myself as an icon, I think of myself as a very fortunate human being."

In a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage, the 2014 Honorees were saluted by great performers from Hollywood and the arts capitals of the world. Seated with President and Mrs. Obama, the Honorees accepted the thanks of their peers and fans through performances and heartfelt tributes.

The President and Mrs. Obama received the Honorees, members of the Artists Committee who nominate them, and the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees at the White House prior to the gala performance taping on Dec. 7. The 2014Kennedy Center Honors Gala concluded with a supper dance in the Grand Foyer.

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 selected by 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.