McCartney, Winfrey among Kennedy honorees

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Five standouts of the stage, screen and studio will receive the 33rd annual Kennedy Center honors, the performing arts center in Washington said Tuesday.

Country great Merle Haggard, Broadway composer-lyricist Jerry Herman, choreographer and director Bill T. Jones, singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and television producer, host and actress Oprah Winfrey will receive their honors from the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Dec. 5, the center said in a release.

"The Kennedy Center celebrates five individuals who have spent their lives enriching, inspiring and elevating the cultural vibrancy of our nation and the world," Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein said.

Kennedy Center Honors medallions will be presented Dec. 4, the night before the gala, during a State Department dinner hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the center said. The Honors Gala will be televised Dec. 28 on CBS.

Recipients recognized for their lifetime contributions to U.S. culture through the performing arts are selected by the center's board of trustees, focusing primarily on excellence, the center said.