Kennedy Center Honors fete performers, but Trump takes spotlight

By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON, Dec 7 – President Donald Trump will solidify his takeover of Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday when he hosts its annual flagship event. This year's Kennedy Center Honors, widely seen as the top U.S. recognition for achievement in performing arts, will fete actor Sylvester Stallone, disco singer Gloria Gaynor, country musician George Strait, "Phantom of the Opera" star Michael Crawford and rock band KISS. Trump, who had a hand in picking the recipients, did not attend Kennedy Center events during his first term. But he has taken a keen interest in the institution during his second, firing its president, installing a new board that made him chair and ordering a renovation of the building.   "It's been tired. It's been mistreated, a little bit like the White House has been mistreated," Trump said on Saturday about the Kennedy Center building. The former real estate developer is putting his stamp on both structures, controversially tearing down the White House's East Wing to make room for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.  The Kennedy Center's new president, Ric Grenell, who once served as Trump's ambassador to Germany, is overseeing the performing arts complex's multi-million-dollar renovation and revamping the organization's events, including hosting the World Cup final draw on Friday. Grenell's tenure has been marked by staff turnover and discontent in the arts community about its direction.   At the Oval Office on Saturday, Trump praised this year's honorees and gave them newly designed gold medallions with blue ribbons, rather than the rainbow-colored ribbons used since 1978 to represent the spectrum of performing arts. "These are among the greatest artists, actors and performers of their generation," Trump said. "We can hardly imagine the country music phenomenon without its king of country, or the American disco without its first lady, or Broadway without its phantom…or Rock and Roll without its hottest band in the world, and that's what they are, or Hollywood without one of its greatest visionaries." KISS members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss rose to fame in the 1970s with hits such as "I Was Made for Lovin' You" and "Rock and Roll All Nite." Country star Strait's hits include the song "Down and Out." Gaynor is known for her disco hit "I Will Survive." English stage actor Crawford originated the lead role in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "The Phantom of the Opera," and film star Stallone established himself with movies such as "Rocky" and "Rambo." The show will air on CBS on December 23. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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