2015 Kennedy Center Honors | Entertainment News, Photos, and Videos

Sara Bareilles hits the stage to perform during a tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter Carole King during the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors, which aired on Tuesday (December 29).

The 36-year-old singer performed the classic song “You’ve Got a Friend” for a joyous Carole.

Janelle Monae performed “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and “One Fine Day,” James Taylor sang “Up on the Roof,” and Aretha Franklin stopped the show with “Natural Woman.”

The stars of Broadway’s Beautiful the Musical – Chilina Kennedy and Scott J. Campbell – narrated the tribute and also sang “So Far Away.”

Make sure to watch Aretha‘s amazing performance of “Natural Woman” when you finish this video!

Aretha Franklin belts out a song while on stage for the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors, which aired on Tuesday (December 29).

The legendary singer performed the song “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman” in a tribute to singer-songwriter Carole King, who was one of the evening’s five honorees.

“Natural Woman” is one of the many hit songs that Carole wrote for other artists. She looked ecstatic to see Aretha sing it for her!

When Aretha walked out on stage, she still had her clutch in hand and she placed it on the piano before accompanying herself on the keys. She eventually got a standing ovation in the middle of the song for her amazing performance, which you can watch below.

See more photos from the Carole King tribute in the photo gallery!

CeCe Winans hits the stage for an amazing performance during the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors, which aired on Tuesday (December 29).

The singer performed the classic song “Blessed Assurance” as a tribute to the legendary actress Cicely Tyson. Other stars who were involved in the tribute included Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, and Tyler Perry.

“I love you @IAmCicelyTyson 😍 Congratulations on your deserved and overdue #KCHonors XOXOXOXOX It was such a privilege to be there for you,” Kerry wrote on Twitter the night the show aired.

Watch the performance below!

Miranda Lambert hits the stage to belt out the song “Desperado” during the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors, which aired on Tuesday night (December 29).

The 32-year-old country singer performed a tribute to The Eagles, who were originally supposed to be honored this year, but chose to delay their honor as one of the members was sick.

Miranda was still asked to perform one of the band’s songs anyways and it was an amazing performance!

In other Miranda news, she reportedly has a new boyfriend who gives her “butterflies” when she thinks about him.

Gina Rodriguez opens the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors special by giving a touching tribute to the legendary Rita Moreno and her speech is bound to make you cry.

The 31-year-old Jane the Virgin actress opens up about how her mother introduced her to Rita‘s work when she was a child and asked why no one on television looked like her. She now plays the actress’ granddaughter on the hit CW series.

“I met you on screen and I just loved you,” Gina said. “Your bright smile, your fierce persona, that independent voice that burst through every performance and every interview. I just wanted to be just like Rita.”

“You gave me hope, you gave me a reason to fight and to speak up you gave me a voice and how can I thank you? I’m not sure how but I can tell you this: when you followed your dreams Rita, you gave me the allowance to follow mine,” she added. “You are my icon, my living legend and what matters most is my friend. Rita this is my love letter to you.”

With just a few hours left until the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors special airs, let’s take some time to meet the five legendary artists being honored tonight.

Here are the five stars who will get tributes:

• Rita Moreno – Actress and singer who is one of the 12 people to have earned an EGOT – an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. She is best known for her work in the film West Side Story, the Broadway play The Ritz, and her new role on Jane the Virgin.
• George Lucas – Renowned filmmaker and National Medal of Arts winner who created the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. He founded Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic, two of the most groundbreaking film companies. His wife Mellody Hobson will make a special tribute to him tonight!
• Seiji Ozawa – Grammy Award and Emmy Award-winning conductor known for advocating for modern composers.
• Carole King – Four-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has written some of music’s biggest hits like “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and “Natural Woman,” as well as her own hits like “You’ve Got a Friend” and “Beautiful.”
• Cicely Tyson – Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning, and Tony-winning actress who is best known for her work in the television movie The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, the miniseries Roots, the movie The Help, and Broadway plays such as The Trip to Bountiful.

Make sure to check out the full list of presenters and performers for the special and tune in at 9/8c on CBS!

The 2015 Kennedy Center Honors special will be airing on CBS tonight so let’s take a moment to recap who will be appearing to pay tribute to the stars!

The honorees this year are Star Wars creator George Lucas, EGOT winner and actress Rita Moreno, legendary actress Cicely Tyson, singer-songwriter Carole King, and renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa.

You can expect some amazing performances from stars like Miranda Lambert, Sara Bareilles, and Aretha Franklin, as well as tributes from Kerry Washington, Gina Rodriguez, Steven Spielberg, Viola Davis, and more.

Make sure to tune in for the special tonight at 9/8c on CBS!

Click inside for the list of Kennedy Center Honors performers and presenters… More Here! »