HONORS #2

What a day!  Heck, what a weekend!   I feel like I've been on Fantasy Island.


Spent the bulk of the day at the Kennedy Center.  This morning were final run throughs of all the tributes.  What I never knew before (this is I think the 4th KC Honors Program I have sung) is that we are allowed to go into the Opera House and watch the other rehearsals live!  Yikes!  I didn't know that.  So after our morning run-through I found myself back in the Opera House after lunch watching the Neil Diamond and Yo-Yo Ma tributes.  We had seen much of Yo-Yo  Ma's tribute yesterday.   I was so enamored with ELMO that I didn't realize that he was the 2nd person on the tribute.  The person who made the initial introduction of Yo-Yo Ma was none other than  (this truly was the HIGH POINT of the entire day. . . and it was a day of high points) Steven Colbert!!!  What a hilarious man. . .absolutely brilliant.  If you watch the Honors broadcast on Dec. 27 and get to see nothing but his 5 minutes at the beginning of that tribute it will be worth your time.


The Neil Diamond tribute was fabulous.  John Lithgow introduced him.   Then there were various musicians playing his music. . . among them Lionel Ritchie, Jennifer Nettles (from the band Sugarland. . . her rendition of Hello My Friend was out of the ball park), and Smokey Robinson leading Sweet Caroline.  There is a big surprise at the end that was very cool and which I don't want to reveal.


For Meryl Streep there was Stanley Tucci,  Tracy Ullman, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blount and Kevin Kline.  And with all those names, frankly her tribute fell a little flat.  However there was a wonderful retrospective of her film career with golden nuggets of moments from her movies.   Which means, in essence, that she paid tribute to herself!


I did go over to watch the "red carpet."   Always fun to see the celebs come in.  However. . . . aside from the fact that I found myself being interviewed for the NPR guy.  .. . .once Newt Gingrich arrived I quite frankly had to leave.  So I missed most of the big stars.   I did see Cal Ripkin of the Baltimore Orioles!  


Our segment went well, although after we were through we were initially told that we would have to stick around and re-record the end of the piece because (the rumor was) Glenn Close had not been in top form.  But they later cancelled that and we could leave.  I stayed to the bitter end watching the show on closed circuit.  Lots of the show is cut for the television broadcast, and I wanted to see the whole thing.


One other fun time was when we were lined up and waiting for our cue.  The curtain rises at the very end of the Barbara Cook segment to reveal us.  Just before the curtain went up, Sarah Jessica Parker ran through to get to the other side of the stage.  She looked fabulous. . . very Sex In The City!


I think it's likely that the choir got some camera time, but only Dec. 27 will tell who gets  shown and for how long.  I was on the front row of the choir slightly to the left of center. Depends on where the camera swooped whether or not there will be proof positive that I was there.  


Tomorrow. . . . Country Roads Take Me Home!!!  It's been a week.  I can't wait to get back into my jeans, hit the road, and see what progress has transpired on my crappy little house.


Stay tuned for further adventures as I reveal the dramatic role I've been cast in for the Family Christmas concert!