<ul class="summary-list"><li>President Biden on Sunday restored a Washington tradition by attending the Kennedy Center Honors.</li><li>The annual event, which was postponed last year due to COVID-19, returned to full form this year.</li></ul><p><keyword id="11917122" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="president-joe-biden" source="Orion">President Joe Biden</keyword> and first lady <keyword id="11937546" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jill-biden" source="Orion">Jill Biden</keyword> on Sunday returned a semblance of political normalcy to Washington with his much-heralded attendance at the Kennedy Center Honors, the first time that a commander-in-chief has attended the gala since 2016.</p><p>This year's <a href="https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/honors/">honorees</a> for lifetime artistic achievements were Motown Records founder and legendary music executive <keyword id="12682675" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="berry-gordy" source="Orion">Berry Gordy</keyword>, "Saturday Night Live" creator and producer <keyword id="12130200" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lorne-michaels" source="Orion">Lorne Michaels</keyword>, actress and singer Bette Midler, opera singer Justino Díaz, and folk music icon Joni Mitchell.</p><p>The main event, held at the main opera house at the Kennedy Center, was in many ways a return to some of the pre-pandemic glamour that has been missing from the nation's capital for nearly two years.</p><p>The Bidens, who have long spoke of their commitment to the arts, received a standing ovation from attendees.</p><p>The comedian David Letterman opened the event by expressing to the audience his happiness at a presence from the White House.</p><p>"Tonight, it is quite nice, very nice, to see the presidential box once again being occupied," he said, eliciting cheers from the crowd.</p><p>He then quipped: "The same with the Oval Office."</p><div type="image" title="Kennedy Center Honorees 2021" height="681" width="1024" msid="88129012" hostid="261"></div><p>Former President Donald Trump, who had a famously frosty relationship with the arts and <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword> community after taking office in 2017, shunned the event during his first three years in office after several of the 2017 honorees threatened to boycott a White House reception if he took part in the program.</p><p>And last year, with health-related protocol surrounding COVID-19, the 2020 honorees had their events postponed until earlier this year. Those recipients included the choreographer and actress Debbie Allen, singer-songwriter Joan Baez, country music star Garth Brooks, the violinist Midori, and legendary actor Dick Van Dyke.</p><p>This year, the theater was fully occupied and there were no social-distancing restrictions, but attendees had to present proof of vaccination and recent negative COVID-19 tests.</p><p>Before the start of the Kennedy Center event, Biden also brought back another tradition — hosting the honorees at a White House reception.</p><p>"We welcome everyone back," the president said to roughly 150 people in the East Room.</p><p>Guests at the reception included Vice President <keyword id="11939049" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kamala-harris" source="Orion">Kamala Harris</keyword>, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, diplomat Caroline Kennedy, the actor Steve Martin, and the musician Herbie Hancock.</p><p>"Our nation is stronger, more dynamic and more vibrant because of you," Biden relayed to the honorees.</p><p>The ceremony will be broadcast on CBS on December 22.</p>

David Letterman said it's 'very nice to see the presidential box once again being occupied' with Biden's return to Kennedy Center Honors

<ul class="summary-list"><li>George Clooney was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors for his lifetime achievements on Saturday.</li><li>The actor was on hand to help his wife as her dress appeared to get tangled on the red carpet.</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/george-clooney-worth-how-he-spends-makes-money">George Clooney</a> saved his wife Amal Clooney from a potential wardrobe malfunction as they walked the red carpet for the 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors gala dinner.</p><p>As the couple posed for photographers at the star-studded event which took place in Washington, DC, on Saturday, the <a href="https://www.insider.com/julia-roberts-george-clooney-jokes-too-far-ticket-to-paradise-2022-10">"Ticket to Paradise" star</a> stopped to adjust the back of his wife's gown which had become tangled at the back.</p><p>Clooney, 61, was photographed bending down to unfold the train of the floorlength scarlet red dress while Amal, 41, smiled awkwardly at the cameras. In another photo, he is seen with his hands outstretched in admiration of his handiwork as Amal gazed over her shoulder at her husband.</p><div type="image" title="George Clooney reacts after fixing the dress of his wife, Amal Clooney, at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors gala dinner on December 3, 2022." height="3541" width="4721" msid="96002528" hostid="261" sizebytes="480854"></div><p>The legal professional's gown was designed by Valentino, according to <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/amal-clooney-kennedy-centre-honours-gowns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vogue</a>, and featured an off-the-shoulder neckline and fitted silhouette in addition to the long sweeping train. Amal accessorized the look with a matching red clutch and heels.</p><p>Her husband, meanwhile, wore a smart black tuxedo with a black bow tie for the occasion.</p><p>Speaking to <a href="https://extratv.com/2022/12/04/george-clooney-on-if-his-kids-think-hes-cool-and-his-kennedy-center-honor/">Extra</a> on the red carpet, Amal shared that George doesn't just fix her dresses, but also fixes practically everything for their <a href="https://www.insider.com/george-clooney-activist-work-inspired-by-family-kids-2021-11">5-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander.</a></p><p>Asked what his young children think of him, George responded: "They're 5, so right now, I am golden."</p><p>Amal added: "They say: 'Papa can fix everything but the weather…' He can solve all of their problems and is the funniest person they have met."</p><p>The couple, who have <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-george-and-amal-clooney-met-fell-in-love-2017-9">been married since 2014</a>, were in attendance at the annual awards ceremony to see the "Gravity" actor honored for his lifetime achievements.</p><p>Every year since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have taken place in December to celebrate five honorees and their lifetime of contributions to American culture.</p><p>Speaking to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bidens-attend-kennedy-center-honors-gladys-knight-george/story?id=94432866" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a>, Clooney said: "Growing up in a small town in Kentucky I could never have imagined that someday I'd be the one sitting in the balcony at the Kennedy Center Honors.</p><p>"To be mentioned in the same breath with the rest of these incredible artists is an honor. This is a genuinely exciting surprise for the whole Clooney family."</p><p>Those honored on the evening also included singer-songwriter Amy Grant, musician Gladys Knight, composer, conductor, and educator Tania León, and U2, which is comprised of band members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.</p>

George Clooney came to the rescue and saved wife Amal from a potential wardrobe malfunction on the Kennedy Center Honors red carpet

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Well-connected political figures and megadonors are commonly found on the performing arts center's board.</li><li>One <keyword id="616568" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kennedy-Center">Kennedy Center</keyword> appointee appears to have called for political violence, saying he was "disgusted with this lie that Biden has been chosen"</li><li>In total, Insider found more than 40 appointees across 14 federal boards who publicly embraced election fraud lies and alluded to political violence.  <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/federal-appointees-supported-trumps-election-lies-2021-8">Read the full investigation here</a>.</li></ul><p>Seats on the Kennedy Center's board of trustees have long been favored handouts to generous and loyal political supporters. The gig comes with few responsibilities, free premium seats for events at the legendary performance hall, and ample opportunity to rub elbows with some of the most powerful people in the world.</p><p>In more than a dozen instances, those plum positions have gone to individuals who helped spread baseless election fraud allegations championed by former president Trump; attempted to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, and even raised the specter of political violence in fiery public comments.</p><p>Insider found that the board currently includes 16 appointees who have vocally supported Trump's election fabrications, called for violence in response to the election results, or financially supported politicians who did. That's out of more than 40 federal appointees Insider discovered who had spread vote fraud lies, made calls for political violence, downplayed the January 6 <keyword id="1621083" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="insurrection">insurrection</keyword>, or gave to politicians who did.</p><ul><li><strong><keyword id="30129" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mike-Huckabee">Mike Huckabee</keyword>. </strong>The former Arkansas governor said flatly <a href="https://video.foxnews.com/v/6220630345001#sp=show-clips">on Fox News on the day of the insurrection</a> that "there is evidence" of vote fraud. Huckabee endorsed Republican lawmakers who pledged not to vote to certify the election results and disputed that Trump intended to overturn them. "If the funny business went on - that we have thousands of affidavits indicating, that we have videotape indicating, that you have expert testimony, if you have that and you don't investigate it, then you leave this cloud over Joe Biden and his election," Huckabee said on Fox. Huckabee did not respond to multiple requests for comment.</li><li><strong><keyword id="2484352" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Pam-Bondi">Pam Bondi</keyword></strong>. The former Florida attorney general and Trump administration aide made herself a key figure in the disgraced one-term president's failed efforts to push the false fraud narrative. "We've won Pennsylvania, and we want every vote to be counted in a fair way," <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2020/11/05/pam-bondi-throws-herself-into-trump-effort-to-stop-counting-votes/">Bondi said</a>, three days before the state's vote was called for Biden. "Here we GO!!!" she tweeted a few days later with a screenshot of a report that then-Attorney General William Barr had authorized federal prosecutors to pursue allegations of voting irregularities. Bondi did not respond to requests for comment.</li><li><strong><keyword id="32636" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jon-Voight">Jon Voight</keyword></strong>. In <a href="https://twitter.com/jonvoight/status/1326323889417322497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1326323889417322497%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeadline.com%2F2020%2F11%2Fjon-voight-baseless-election-fraud-twitter-leftists-evil-corrupt-satan-1234612769%2F9%2F">a bizarre video he posted to Twitter</a> in November, the "Midnight Cowboy" star <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/11/jon-voight-baseless-election-fraud-twitter-leftists-evil-corrupt-satan-1234612769/">promoted Trump's election-fraud fraud lies</a>, compared liberals to Satan, and said the country was facing its "greatest fight since the Civil War." Voight said: "My fellow Americans, I stand here with all the feelings I do, disgusted with this lie that Biden has been chosen. As if we all don't know the truth. And when one tries to deceive, we know that one can't get away with it, there will be a price to pay …. Let us fight this fight as if it is our last fight on Earth." Paraphrasing Muhammad Ali, Voight said, "It's not over until the last punch you have." A spokeswoman for Mr. Voight told Insider he was not available for comment.</li></ul><p>In addition, nearly a dozen right-wing megadonors and their spouses on the Kennedy Center's board of trustees have generously funded campaigns for candidates who aligned themselves with efforts to discredit the 2020 election results and <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/551683-hawley-defends-jan-6-fist-pump">even signaled sympathy</a> with the mob that overran the Capitol.</p><p>Asked for comment, a Kennedy Center spokesperson said, "For decades, across numerous administrations, we have had a bi-partisan board that works collaboratively and positively to advance the mission of the Kennedy Center. Despite differences in backgrounds and beliefs, they are all united in their support and in coming together to collaborate in the name of the Arts."</p><p>At the upcoming 44th annual Kennedy Center Honors, scheduled for December 5, board members will have an opportunity to hobnob with honorees Berry Gordy, Joni Mitchell, Lorne Michaels, and Bette Midler.</p><h2>READ OUR FULL STORY: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/federal-appointees-supported-trumps-election-lies-2021-8">Dozens of people who supported radical right-wing efforts to overturn the 2020 election currently sit on government boards running places like the Holocaust Memorial and the Kennedy Center</a></h2>

Advocates of Trump's 'Big Lie' hold more than a dozen seats on the Kennedy Center's board of trustees

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Julia Roberts honored her friend George Clooney by wearing a gown covered in pictures of the actor.</li><li>Roberts wore the Moschino gown to the Kennedy Center Honors event in Washington, DC, on Sunday.</li></ul><p>Julia Roberts wore her heart on her sleeve Sunday when she donned a gown covered in photos of her longtime friend <a href="https://www.insider.com/george-clooney-fixes-wife-amal-dress-on-red-carpet-2022-12">George Clooney</a> to the Kennedy Center Honors event in Washington, DC.</p><p>The dress was custom-designed for her by Moschino creative director Jeremy Scott, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClxSBb1Lgs3/">according to an Instagram post from the actress' stylist Elizabeth Stewart</a>. The frock featured images of the actor throughout his career, such as his role in "ER" and his polka-dot cover for W Magazine's December 2013 art issue, in varying gold frames.</p><p>Roberts paired the red-carpet look with a cropped black blazer and silver jewelry.</p><div type="image" title="Julia Roberts arrives at the Kennedy Center Honors in a black Moschino gown covered in images of actor George Clooney." height="4668" width="3112" msid="96010970" hostid="261" sizebytes="596844"></div><p>Roberts appeared to wear a different outfit to a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/12/04/remarks-by-president-biden-at-the-2022-kennedy-center-honorees-reception/">reception for the Kennedy Center honorees held by President Joe Biden</a> earlier in the evening; photos taken Sunday show the actress wearing a sleek black outfit with shiny lapels in the East Room of the White House prior to the ceremony.</p><div type="image" title="Julia Roberts and Matt Damon in the White House" height="3840" width="5760" msid="96010972" hostid="261" sizebytes="660208"></div><p>Stewart and representatives for Roberts did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.</p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/george-clooney-amal-best-looks-2021-11">Clooney</a> was honored at Sunday's event alongside musician Gladys Knight, singer-songwriter Amy Grant, composer Tania León, and U2 band members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. at the event. The actor was recognized for his extensive acting career and his philanthropic work.</p><p>Roberts and Clooney are longtime friends, with Clooney <a href="https://people.com/movies/julia-roberts-and-george-clooney-money-monster-costars-on-their-bond/">telling People in 2016</a> that they first met on the set of the 2001 heist film "Ocean's Eleven." Most recently, the pair costarred in "Ticket to Paradise," a 2022 romantic comedy about a divorced couple who team up to sabotage their daughter's wedding.</p><div type="image" title="George Clooney and Julia Roberts during the Critics' Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, on January 9, 2006." height="2186" width="3000" msid="96010974" hostid="261" sizebytes="172290"></div><p>The famous pals are known to <a href="https://www.insider.com/julia-roberts-george-clooney-jokes-too-far-ticket-to-paradise-2022-10">poke fun at each other</a> on set and play pranks on each other. In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a1J9jt75G8">October interview with Good Day Chicago's Jake Hamilton</a>, Roberts revealed she had Clooney <a href="https://www.insider.com/george-clooney-saved-in-julia-roberts-phone-as-batman-2022-10">saved in her phone as "Batman."</a></p><p>"It's very hard for me to be just straight nice because she'll get me later," Clooney said of Roberts in a speech at the <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/george-clooney-honored-julia-roberts-bafta-britannia-awards-article-1.1512331" rel=" nofollow">2013 BAFTA Britannia Awards,</a> according to the <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/george-clooney-honored-julia-roberts-bafta-britannia-awards-article-1.1512331">New York Daily News</a>. "But (she is) just an amazing mother, an amazing wife and a great, great friend."</p>

Julia Roberts showed up to an event honoring George Clooney in a dress that had the actor's face all over it

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hollywood legend <keyword id="1677759" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cicely-Tyson">Cicely Tyson</keyword> has died at age 96, according to multiple outlets. </li><li>Tyson's career in theater, film, and television spanned more than 70 years. </li></ul><p>Famed Hollywood actress Cicely Tyson has died at age 96, according to a statement from her manager. </p><p>"I have managed Miss Tyson's career for over 40 years, and each year was a privilege and blessing," Tyson's <a href="https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/cicely-tyson-dead-dies-1234895188/">manager Larry Thompson said in a statement to Variety</a>. "Cicely thought of her new memoir as a Christmas tree decorated with all the ornaments of her personal and professional life. Today she placed the last ornament, a Star, on top of the tree."</p><p>Tyson published a memoir, titled "Just as I Am," at the beginning of 2021. A rare acting icon with a career that spanned more than 70 years, Tyson will be remembered as one of the Hollywood greats.</p><h2>From modeling to a theater career in the 1950s and '60s</h2><div type="image" title="Cicely Tyson AP Images 1" height="1499" width="1999" msid="80543625" hostid="261"></div><p>Cicely Tyson was born in New York City on December 19, 1924. Her parents had immigrated to the United States from Nevis, one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. Tyson's mother, Theodosia, cleaned houses in the Bronx while her father worked as a carpenter and painter. </p><p>"If you're raised in poverty, you know what it is to want a piece of bread," Tyson told The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/01/archives/cicely-the-looker-from-sounder-cicely-the-looker.html">in a 1972 interview.</a> "When I was 9 years old, I was selling shopping bags on the street. I know what it is to be with out. My parents did every thing they could to make things meet, but they were still on welfare."</p><p>After graduating high school, Tyson first worked as a secretary at a Red Cross office in New York City. But one day she quit her job and decided to pursue a modeling career. </p><p>But modeling was a short-lived gig for Tyson, too. Soon she decided it was time to pursue acting, and she bounced from a Harlem theater production to a 1961 Off-Broadway show titled "The Blacks." That production costarred  James Earl Jones ("Star Wars," "Coming to America," "The Lion King"), and Louis Gossett, Jr. ("An Officer and a Gentleman," "Watchmen") and more, and led to Tyson's first acting award: the Vernon Rice Award in 1962. </p><p>In both "The Blacks" and her subsequent theater gig, "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl," Tyson played sex workers. Though the roles were earning her awards, Tyson said no to the next part she was offered that involved prostitution because she didn't want to be typecast. </p><h2>Tyson's launched a prolific TV and movie career in the '60s</h2><div type="image" title="Cicely Tyson AP Images 2" height="1499" width="1999" msid="80543629" hostid="261"></div><p>In 1963, Tyson was cast as a series regular on a TV show called "East Side, West Side," where she played a secretary. It was one of the first times a Black actor had landed a regular role on television. </p><p>Then came her role in the 1972 movie "Sounder," in which Tyson played the matriarch in a family of Black sharecroppers. In an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/01/archives/cicely-the-looker-from-sounder-cicely-the-looker.html">interview with the New York Times</a>, Tyson made it clear that she wanted to prioritize roles that showed the full lived experiences of Black Americans.</p><p>"Okay, so we have prostitutes and pimps and con men and pushers, the way they show in those movies, but we also have mothers and fathers and doctors and lawyers and teachers and politicians," Tyson said. "A Black doctor was responsible for the first open heart surgery, and a black guy developed traffic lights, and little is known about that."</p><p>"We have contributed a great deal to this country, but what's being projected is a very negative image, and not necessarily a projec tion of the truth," she continued. "I stopped going to see those blaxploitation films ... I just couldn't stand them."</p><div type="image" title="cicely tyson" height="900" width="1200" msid="80543633" hostid="261"></div><p>In that interview, The Times reporter mentions that Oscar buzz had begun for her role in "Sounder." </p><p>"It would be nice," she says, smiling, "but I'm realistic. If happens, I'll be very surprised. Hattie McDaniel won for a supporting role in 'Gone With the Wind,' but she's the only Black woman who's ever won."</p><p>Tyson was indeed nominated for her performance as Rebecca in "Sounder." But that year Liza Minellelli won best actress for "Cabaret," and Tyson had to wait until she was 94 years old to receive an honorary Oscar at the 2018 Academy Awards.</p><p>In 1974, Tyson landed the role of the title character in "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," a TV series based on the novel by Ernest J. Gains. She won two Emmy Awards for her performance, and was just getting started.</p><h2>Tyson's status as Hollywood legend grew as her career continued with 1977's 'Roots,' and eventually modern TV dramas like 'How to Get Away with Murder'</h2><div type="image" title="viola davis emmys cicely tyson" height="1132" width="1509" msid="80548912" hostid="261"></div><p>Tyson had a supporting role as Binta in the groundbreaking 1977 television miniseries "Roots." The series was nominated for 37 total Emmys and won nine. "Roots" was also awarded a Peabody award and still holds a record for <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2016/05/roots-miniseries-ratings-were-off-the-charts.html">one of the most-watched series finale in TV history</a>.</p><p>Tyson herself won another Emmy for her performance in the TV movie "Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All," which premiered in 1994. Her film credits included "Fried Green Tomatoes" (1991) and "The Help" (2011).</p><p>But the 2010s, Tyson still had a prolific acting career. She appeared in Netflix's first major drama series, "House of Cards," as well as the Shonda Rhimes-created ABC show "How to Get Away With Murder," a guest role for which she was Emmy-nominated five more times. </p><p>In 2015, Tyson became a Kennedy Center honoree. The next year, former President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. </p><p>"In her long and extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson has not only succeeded as an actor, she has shaped the course of history," Obama said at the ceremony.</p><h2>Tyson published her memoir just days before her <keyword id="6355784" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="death">death</keyword></h2><div type="image" title="Cicely Tyson Getty Images" height="1331" width="1774" msid="80548917" hostid="261"></div><p>Tyson's memoir, "Just as I Am," was published on January 26, 2021, just two days before she died. In the book, Tyson discussed her marriage to jazz legend Miles Davis. She spoke with the revelations about that relationship and its tumults, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/11/magazine/cicely-tyson-interview.html">in a January interview with The New York Times.</a></p><p>"I got to know the soul of a man who is as gentle as a lamb," Tyson said. "He covered it up with this ruthless attitude because he was so shy. Shy, you hear me? And in trying to be the kind of tough person that people thought he was, he ruined his life."</p><p>Tyson was also asked, given her age and the memoir's publication, whether death was something that scared her. </p><p>"I'm not scared of death," <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/11/magazine/cicely-tyson-interview.html">Tyson said</a>. "I don't know what it is. How could I be afraid of something I don't know anything about?"</p><p>"I take it a day at a time [...] and I'm grateful for every day that God gives me," Tyson continued.</p><p>Tyson's memoir is available <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/just-as-i-am-cicely-tyson?variant=32126582095906">online and in bookstores now</a>. </p>

Acting legend Cicely Tyson dead at 96

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/524220e469bedd3e1d8b456b-2400" alt="Barack Obama Bill Clinton" data-mce-source="AP"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton paid tribute to musician Chuck Berry, who died Saturday at his home in Missouri at the age of 90.</p><p>"Chuck Berry rolled over everyone who came before him - and turned up everyone who came after," Obama <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/843490091519623169">tweeted</a> from his personal Twitter account. "We'll miss you, Chuck. Be good."</p><p>The 44th president got in a few references to some of Berry's biggest tunes - "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Johnny B. Goode."</p><p>"Hillary and I loved Chuck Berry for as long as we can remember. The man was inseparable from his music - both were utterly original and distinctly American," said a <a href="https://www.clintonfoundation.org/press-releases/statement-president-clinton-and-secretary-clinton-passing-chuck-berry">statement</a> released by Bill Clinton through the Clinton Foundation. "And along the way he changed our country and the history of popular music."</p><p>It continued: "Chuck played at both my inaugurations and at the White House for my 25th Georgetown reunion, and he never slowed down, which is why his legend grew every time he stepped on stage. His life was a treasure and a triumph, and he'll never be forgotten. Our hearts go out to his family and his countless friends and fans."</p><p>Here is Berry with Clinton receiving a Kennedy Center Award in 2000:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58ceb4fed349f9cb778b496c-1627/undefined" alt="Bill Clinton Chuck Berry" data-mce-source="REUTERS/William Philpott" data-mce-caption="U.S. President Bill Clinton shakes hands with Kennedy Center Award honoree Chuck Berry during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington December 3, 2000."><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/William Philpott</span></p><p class="caption">U.S. President Bill Clinton shakes hands with Kennedy Center Award honoree Chuck Berry during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington December 3, 2000.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/health-care-trumpcare-trump-obamacare-medicaid-medical-universal-2017-3">Animated map shows which states are the biggest winners and losers from 'Trumpcare'</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="xrd3VjYTE65nHDmvlJuMzjHmQa5cC62X" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'xrd3VjYTE65nHDmvlJuMzjHmQa5cC62X',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Former presidents Obama and Clinton pay tribute to rock and roll legend Chuck Berry

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55a6a773371d22ce178b67a6-2742-2057/rtxcj0b.jpg" alt="obama cosby" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Jason Reed" data-mce-caption="U.S. President Barack Obama (C) leads entertainers including Bill Cosby (L) and James Taylor (R) on stage in a rendition of happy birthday for U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (not pictured) during a musical tribute to mark Kennedy's 77th birthday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, March 8, 2009. " /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jason Reed</span></p><p class="caption">U.S. President Barack Obama (C) leads entertainers including Bill Cosby (L) and James Taylor (R) on stage in a rendition of happy birthday for U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (not pictured) during a musical tribute to mark Kennedy's 77th birthday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, March 8, 2009. </p></div><p></p></div></div>President Barack Obama on Wednesday made a veiled condemnation of comedian Bill Cosby.</p><p>In a press conference on Wednesday, Obama said that though he wouldn't weigh in specifically on Cosby because of pending legal matters, he criticized Cosby's admission that he gave a woman who he wanted to have sex with a sedative. </p><p>"If you give a woman or a man for that matter without his or her knowledge a drug, and then have sex with that person without consent, that's rape," Obama said. "This country, any civilized country should have no tolerance for rape."</p><p>Pressure has been building in the last few months for Obama to revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom that President George W. Bush bestowed on Cosby in 2002. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/08/bill-cosby-medal-of-freed_n_7756362.html">Anti-sexual violence advocacy groups have been circulating a petition</a> to push Obama to remove Cosby from the list of honorees. The Medal is the highest civilian honor that an American can achieve.</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Obama didn't say whether he was considering revoking the honor, as there's no precedent for rescinding a the medal of freedom.</span></p><p><span>Though he has never been charged with a crime, more</span><span> 30 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault.</span></p><p>Earlier this month, The Associated Press reported that Cosby admitted under oath to giving a woman Quaalude's, a sedative, to a woman that he wanted to have sex with.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-about-russia-compared-other-countries-putin-2015-7">11 facts that show how different Russia is from the rest of the world</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RtbDU1bDra7DfSubgs0WuD4Pg0DTxjxx" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'RtbDU1bDra7DfSubgs0WuD4Pg0DTxjxx',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Obama on Bill Cosby: 'Any civilized country should have no tolerance for rape'

<p><div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52bd018b69bedd63048492be-341-256/john-kerry-snoop-dogg.png?maxX=480" border="0" alt="john kerry snoop dogg" width="480" /><p class="source"><a href="http://instagram.com/p/iZstshv9Ha/">Instagram/snoopdogg</a></p></div></div>You don't often get to see a famed rapper meeting with America's top diplomat, but today is your lucky day.</p>
<p>Calvin Broadus, better known as <keyword id="24691" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="snoop-dogg">Snoop Dogg</keyword> (or Snoop Lion), had a private moment with none other than Secretary of State <keyword id="112421" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="John-Kerry">John Kerry</keyword> at the <keyword id="6356037" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="white-house">White House</keyword> on Dec. 9, and now we've got video - complete with a fist bump at the end - to prove it.</p>
<p>It was pretty loud at the event so the audio is a bit hard to make out, but you can see John and his wife Teresa Heinz-Kerry, along with Snoop. Here's how he announced it on Twitter:</p>
<p><div class="image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52bcffa069bedd38048492bb-511-184/screen shot 2013-12-26 at 8.17.31 pm.png" border="0" alt="snoop dogg meeting john kerry tweet" /><p class="source"><a href="https://twitter.com/snoopdogg">Snoop Dogg/Twitter</a></p></div></div></div></p>
<p>From Foreign Policy: </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">The video was taken at one of the formal receptions the Obama administration threw in early December to <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/12/08/kennedy-center-honorees-saluted-at-star-studded-gala/3909471/">celebrate</a> this year's Kennedy Center Honorees: opera singer Martina Arroyo, pianist and singer Billy Joel, keyboardist and composer Herbie Hancock, actress Shirley MacLaine and songwriter Carlos Santana.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">During the awards ceremony, Santana, a Mexican-American, had the line of the night when he joked that the "last time I felt like this is when I crossed the border and they gave me a wad of tickets to Disneyland and I rode the rides over and over again."</p>
<p>Now watch, from Snoop Dogg's Instagram:</p>
<p><iframe width="612" height="710" frameborder="0" src="//instagram.com/p/iZstshv9Ha/embed/"></iframe></p>
<p>Soon after Snoop announced the video to his followers, the <keyword id="170490" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="State-Department">State Department</keyword> sent out this tweet, which a spokeswoman told Foreign Policy was a joke showing they both had something in common:</p>
<p><div class="image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/52bd00da69beddd0068492b8-510-322/screen shot 2013-12-26 at 8.23.32 pm.png" border="0" alt="state dept snoop tweet" /><p class="source"><a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept/statuses/416375558210322432">State Dept/Twitter</a></p></div></div></div></p>

Here's The Video Of Snoop Dogg Meeting John Kerry In The White House

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/546dd9e2eab8ea3414e46795-1200-924/mike-nichols.jpg" border="0" alt="Mike Nichols"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Mike Theiler</span></p><p class="caption">TV News anchor Diane Sawyer (R) and her husband director Mike Nichols pose for photographers on the red carpet as they arrive at the U.S. State Department for a gala dinner for the 2011 Kennedy Center Honorees in Washington December 3, 2011. </p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Diane Sawyer's husband <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/11/mike-nichols/">Mike Nichols,</a> who earned the Oscar for Best Director for "The Graduate," has died. He was 83.</p>
<p><span>Nichols' death was announced in a statement by ABC News President James Goldston. </span></p>
<p><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/11/mike-nichols/"><span>Here is that memo, in full:</span></a></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Team-</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I am writing with the very sad news that Diane's husband, the incomparable Mike Nichols, passed away suddenly on Wednesday evening. He was 83.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">In a triumphant career that spanned over six decades, Mike created some of the most iconic works of American film, television and theater-an astonishing canon ranging from The Graduate, Working Girl, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf to Closer, Charlie Wilson's War, Annie, Spamalot, The Birdcage, and Angels in America. He was a true visionary, winning the highest honors in the arts for his work as a director, writer, producer and comic and was one of a tiny few to win the EGOT-an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">No one was more passionate about his craft than Mike. He had recently been immersed in a new project for HBO to adapt "Master Class," Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning play about opera legend Maria Callas. The project reunited him with Meryl Streep, one of his most frequent collaborators. She once said of Mike, "no explanation of our world could be complete and no account or image of it so rich, if we didn't have you," in hailing him as one of the essential artists of our time.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">One of the world's greatest playwrights, Tom Stoppard, said, "He is a giver. He's good at comfort and joy. He's good at improving the shining hour and brightening the dark one, and, of course, he's superlative fun…To me he is the best of America."</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Mike had a sparkling wit and a brilliant mind. Beloved by so many in film, television and Broadway, there was no greater joy in his life than his family, and of course our own Diane Sawyer. A true and beautiful love story, Mike and Diane were married for 26 years. He leaves behind three children-Daisy, Max and Jenny-and four wonderful grandchildren.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I know many of you will want to share your condolences with Diane. The family will hold a small, private service this week, and a memorial will be held at a later date. Until then, please join me in keeping Diane, Mike's children, grandchildren and their families in your thoughts.</p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>

You Searched For "kennedy center honoree" and got 9 results

David Letterman said it's 'very nice to see the presidential box once again being occupied' with Biden's return to Kennedy Center Honors

John L. Dorman

George Clooney came to the rescue and saved wife Amal from a potential wardrobe malfunction on the Kennedy Center Honors red carpet

Eve Crosbie

Advocates of Trump's 'Big Lie' hold more than a dozen seats on the Kennedy Center's board of trustees

Justin Rood

Julia Roberts showed up to an event honoring George Clooney in a dress that had the actor's face all over it

Gabi Stevenson

Acting legend Cicely Tyson dead at 96

Kim Renfro

Former presidents Obama and Clinton pay tribute to rock and roll legend Chuck Berry

Sonam Sheth

Obama on Bill Cosby: 'Any civilized country should have no tolerance for rape'

Maxwell Tani

Here's The Video Of Snoop Dogg Meeting John Kerry In The White House

Paul Szoldra

'The Graduate' Director Mike Nichols Has Died

Caroline Moss