Filed at 7:37 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Barbra
Streisand got an awkward kiss on the cheek from the president, and yes, she
gave him a smooch back.
Streisand, a vocal critic of President George
W. Bush, was a guest Sunday at the White House just before one of
Washington's few A-list events: the Kennedy
Center Honors.
''Art transcends politics this weekend,'' the longtime Democrat said
beforehand. Still, she said it would have been ''lovely'' if she could have
received the award while President-elect Barack
Obama was in office.
The singer and actress was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, along
with actor Morgan
Freeman, country singer George Jones, dancer and choreographer Twyla
Tharp and musicians Pete
Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The
Who.
The honors recognize individuals who helped define American culture through
the performing arts, part of the living memorial to President John
F. Kennedy.
The hug and kiss between Bush and Babs -- who has previously said Bush's
election wins in 2000 and 2004 were stolen -- was replayed later on video at a
Kennedy Center gala. The crowd couldn't help but laugh.
Queen
Latifah opened the tribute to Streisand, saying she ''threw out the rule
book'' to chart her own career. ''She took to the stage like butter on a
bagel,'' Latifah added in a video tribute.
Idina
Menzel from Broadway's ''Rent'' and ''Wicked'' sang ''Don't Rain on My
Parade'' from Streisand's 1964 musical ''Funny Girl.'' She mixed in some new
lyrics -- ''Hey there, Ms. Streisand, I am your biggest fan.''
Beyonce
Knowles rose from the stage floor to sing ''The Way We Were.'' And the young
musical star Ne-Yo grooved to Streisand's 1965 hit ''Lover, Come Back to Me,''
with four male dancers.
''Barbra Streisand is the epitome of emotion in music,'' Ne-Yo said. ''You
feel every word, that's something that artists in my day and age don't really
pay attention to.''
Earlier, another set of stars paid tribute to The Who in front of a neon-lit
backdrop of the Union Jack, in honor of the British band.
''The full impact of it is still sinking in,'' Townshend said of the honor.
''It feels a bit iconic.''
Rock singer Rob Thomas sang ''Baba O'Riley,'' and the British flag pulled
away to reveal a choir of 150 New York policemen and firefighters singing the
''teenage wasteland'' chorus with Thomas under an American flag. They were
thanking The Who for being the first musical group to sign on for an emotional
Radio
City Music Hall benefit concert after 9/11.
Jones, who earned the nickname ''No Show Jones'' for performances he missed
during his wild drinking days, promised to show up this time. The 77-year-old
said ''I'm in a daze'' about being an honoree.
First lady Laura
Bush took the stage to salute Jones, saying ''there's no getting tired of a
singer like him.'' Jones is a favorite on the president's iPod, said Secretary
of State Condoleezza
Rice.
Garth
Brooks, Randy Travis and Alan Jackson gave Jones a tip of the hat with
performances of the country legend's work. And fellow country singer Shelby
Lynne sang ''Amazing Grace.''
Tickets to the gala sell for as much as $4,000. Last year, the event raised
$5 million to support Kennedy Center programs. The show will air Dec. 30 on
CBS.
The awards were presented Saturday night at a State Department dinner. Rice
addressed each honoree, beginning with Freeman, who once played the president in
the movie ''Deep Impact.''
''I know that when you played the African-American president of the United
States, most people thought that would happen when a comet hit,'' Rice said,
drawing laughs and cheers. ''But wonder of wonders, fiction has become
true.''
Freeman, 71, who starred this year in ''The Dark Knight,'' also made
headlines after suffering broken bones in a Mississippi car crash in August. The
Oscar-winning actor said he was still recovering from nerve damage in his left
hand and wore a glove to control the swelling.
Denzel
Washington and Clint
Eastwood testified to their success working with Freeman.
''You're a great good luck charm,'' said Eastwood, a 2000 honoree.
''Everything you touch is fine by me.''
For Tharp's presentation, actress Lily
Tomlin said Tharp sees dance everywhere she looks: ''This is a woman who saw
the Beach
Boys and made a ballet.''
Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser, who worked with Tharp at the American
Ballet Theater, said Tharp taught him ''the difference between making a
ballet and making art.''
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