Elizabeth Blair
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
In the buttoned-up 1950s, Brigitte Bardot was a revelation.
Blonde mane, lush lips, gorgeous figure, and sexually liberated.
Bardot grew up in Paris and studied ballet.
She worked with France's most famous directors, including Jean-Luc Godard.
She married four times and had several lovers, including singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg.
Bardot became an outspoken animal rights activist.
She was also accused of inciting racial hatred for her comments about Islam.
A Kennedy Center Honor is traditionally for artists who've made a major contribution to the performing arts.
It's considered to be a prestigious lifetime achievement award that in theory has cultural gravitas.
Past winners include people like Quincy Jones, Gladys Knight, George Clooney,
In the past, the selection process took several months and involved a lot of different stakeholders.
This year, it's really the President Trump show.
He said he was 98% responsible for selecting the honorees.
Something else that's different is that he will be hosting the event.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse claims that current Kennedy Center leadership is responsible for, quote, millions in lost revenue, luxury spending, and preferential treatment for Trump allies.
Documents posted on a Senate committee website appear to support those claims, including letting the soccer organization FIFA take over the center for three weeks rent-free.
In a letter, White House asked Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell to turn over documents related to the center's financial management, expenditures, donors, and contracts by December 4th.
Grenell wrote back to White House saying his letter is filled with partisan attacks and false accusations.