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Kennedy Center Honors On CBS 5

WASHINGTON DC (CBS SF) Meryl Streep and Neil Diamond are among the stars who received 2011 Kennedy Center Honors earlier this month. Viewers will soon get an inside glimpse into the annual gala, which celebrates contributions to the arts.

The event, which was taped on Dec. 4 in Washington, will air Tuesday at 9pm PST on CBS 5.

PHOTOS: The 34th Kennedy Center Honors

Also honored at the 2011 event are singer Barbara Cook, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and saxophonist Sonny Rollins.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will make appearances in the two-hour special. Among the celebrities making appearances at the 34th annual ceremony are Robert De Niro, Stephen Colbert, Herbie Hancock, Patti LuPone, Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland and Smokey Robinson.

Host Caroline Kennedy opened the gala, citing her father, President John F. Kennedy. "Forty-nine years ago, my father said, 'There is little of more importance to the future of our country and of civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist ... if art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him,'" she said.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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