• "There's nothing I believe more than this, that laughter adds time to one's life," Norman Lear told an audience gathered to honor him and four other television comedy greats. "I believe that as much as I believe my mother loved me," the writer-producer added. "She said she did. But I wasn't sure." The 97-year-old Lear, who made his name -- and TV history -- with groundbreaking sitcoms like All in the Family and The Jeffersons, was among the honorees at Thursday's Paley Center for Media ceremony in Beverly Hills, Calif. Carl Reiner, 97; Bob Newhart, 90; Carol Burnett, 86, and Lily Tomlin, 80, each won over the room with their humor and memories. Newhart, star of two hit sitcoms, was introduced by Conan O'Brien, who said Newhart made his stellar comedy look effortless. Burnett recalled a network executive dismissing the idea that a woman could host a variety show. Her long-running The Carol Burnett Show earned armloads of Emmy Awards. Carl Reiner was honored for his work including The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Tomlin for shows including Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and Grace and Frankie. Lear was introduced by black-ish star Anthony Anderson, who said Lear's work forced audiences to confront difficult issues while shedding light on common bonds. The night's last word went to Lear. "Bless you all, thank you all. To be continued," he said, smiling.
• President Donald Trump on Thursday honored an Oscar-winning actor, a bluegrass-country singer, a conservative think tank and others with two of the most prestigious national awards in the arts and humanities. It was first time during his nearly 3-year-old presidency that Trump has awarded the National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal. Honorees included Jon Voight, one of the few Hollywood actors who is an outspoken backer of Trump. Other recipients of the National Medal of Arts were Alison Krauss, a Grammy-winning bluegrass-country musician; Sharon Percy Rockefeller, the CEO of Washington's flagship public television and radio stations; and the musicians of the U.S. military. The White House ceremony marked a rare warm moment between artists and Trump. The president has had a chilly relationship with a broad swath of Hollywood and the arts world, which at times has shunned Trump over immigration policies, Supreme Court picks, abortion rights and other issues.
A Section on 11/23/2019