Five Legends, One Night

Legendary Line-Up Presented For Kennedy Honors

(CBS)  Some of the world's greatest entertainers descended on Washington, D.C., Sunday night for the 28th annual Kennedy Center Honors.

This year, five of America's most influential and beloved artists were honored for their contributions to the performing arts: singer Tony Bennett, dancer and teacher Suzanne Farrell, actress Julie Harris, actor and director Robert Redford, and singer Tina Turner were all recipients of the Kennedy Center Honor.

The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen had a front row seat and you can have a front row seat, too, when the event airs Dec. 27 on CBS.

Chen reports that for one night every year it's Hollywood on the Potomac. The medals are bestowed by President Bush in a tradition started by former President John F. Kennedy.

First up was a tribute to Tony Bennett, a man whose voice has flown us to the moon, and Diana Krall performed "Fly Me To The Moon" to honor him.

Chen asked Bennett if he has a favorite song to perform.

"Believe it or not, it's my signature song, 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco,' because it's given me a license to sing all the great songs that I could sing," Bennett said.

Chen says Bennett's songs have filled our hearts like the way Suzanne Farrell moves has filled our souls. As George Ballanchine's muse, Farrell helped create a new form of dance, thrilling fans and enchanting millions.

"I just heard music and wanted to dance, wanted to be in a company, and wanted to make it my life," Farrell said.

Then there was Robert Redford — actor, director, producer and, for many fans, dreamboat. He told Chen that he is not exactly comfortable with the "dreamboat" label but he is flattered. "How can you not be?" he said. "That didn't exist when I was a kid. I had freckles and I had cowlicks in my hair."

Of course, looks aren't everything.

In tribute to Redford, actress Glenn Close told the Kennedy Center audience, "Bob is magnificently complex and unexpected, a dreamer and a CEO, a visionary with the heart and soul of an artist."

There was a tribute to Julie Harris, perhaps the most respected stage actress in America. To many actors, including Kevin Spacey, she is a hero. In his tribute to her, Spacey said, "For those of us who dedicate our lives to the stage, Julie Harris' story is a holy text."

In 2001, Harris suffered a stroke, but her passion for the stage still burns.

Another hero: Tina Turner, the queen of rock 'n' roll. Oprah Winfrey spoke in tribute to her, saying, "If there is an award for biggest known groupie of Tina Turner's, I would win that title."

"I'm proud of what I became, the person that I became," Turner told Chen. "And it was hard work. There was a lot of suffering. But I don't suffer now. I'm happy. And I'm always happy. I feel good, all the time. And, yeah, I'm proud of myself."