Article by: BRETT ZONGKER , Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The good
times never seemed so good for Neil Diamond.
Known for his songs
that have become anthems at ballparks and bars, Diamond was chosen Wednesday to
receive the Kennedy Center Honors this year along with some of the biggest
names from Broadway, jazz, classical music and Hollywood.
Diamond will be honored
with Broadway singer Barbara Cook, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, saxophonist Sonny Rollins
and actress Meryl Streep for their contributions to American culture through
the arts. President Barack Obama will salute the artists and others will
perform in their honor at a ceremony at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 4. CBS will
broadcast the show Dec. 27.
Diamond said he was
"flying way above sea level" when he heard about the honor.
"I've watched, and
I've seen, and I've even dreamed that someday that would happen to me," he
told The Associated Press. "But I never really believed that it
would."
Diamond said he used to
get distracted when people sang along with him to hits like "Sweet
Caroline," which was written for presidential daughter Caroline Kennedy
who hosts the show.
"But I realized
pretty quickly that it was a compliment, and I had no choice in the matter
anyway, so I got with the program and just learned to love it," said
Diamond, who earlier this year was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame. He said he's planning another U.S. tour next summer after performing
abroad recently.
The 70-year-old Diamond
also tweeted Wednesday that he was engaged to a woman named Katie — but
wouldn't tell AP who she was so that she wouldn't "change her mind."
Streep, 62, has made more
than 45 movies and has won two Oscars in a career that spans from Shakespeare
to ABBA with the movie "Mamma Mia!" Some of her biggest hits have
come in recent years with "The Devil Wears Prada," "Julie &
Julia" and "It's Complicated." In the upcoming biopic "The
Iron Lady," Streep will play British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
The actress said she is
deeply honored by the Kennedy Center's nod and wishes her parents were alive to
see it.
"All that
education, allowance, tuition, voice lessons, summer jobs, scholarship
application deadlines and loving care and discipline — all that they gave me,
bore fruit in a way they never dreamed," she said in a statement.
George Stevens Jr., who
created the honors and produces the show with his son Michael Stevens, said
each of this year's honorees is the best at what they do. The heart of the
show, he said, is exploring their lives through filmed tributes.
Ma is one of the
best-known classical musicians, playing the cello since he was 4. He played for
six U.S. presidents, including President John F. Kennedy and President Dwight
D. Eisenhower at age 7 at a fundraiser to build a national cultural center that
would later become the Kennedy Center. In 2009, he played at Obama's
inauguration and last year was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The 55-year-old said he
feels too young to be receiving such an award for lifetime achievements.
The son of Chinese
parents who lived in Paris and moved to New York said some of his musical
heroes have won the Kennedy Center Honors, including Mstislav Rostropovich and
Leon Fleisher, so he was stunned to be joining their ranks. He said the honors
are an important moment to nurture the arts each year. http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/129377738.html
