Kennedy Center Honors: On the Red Carpet, Inside Star-Studded Gala

The Kennedy Center Honors is the nation’s highest award for those who have made lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts -- whether in music, dance, theater, opera, motion pictures or television. This year’s honorees are Dustin Hoffman, Buddy Guy, Natalia Makarova, David Letterman, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

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The 2012 Kennedy Center Honorees and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, second from left, wait for former President Bill Clinton, left, to join them for a group photo after the State Department Dinner for the Kennedy Center Honors gala Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 at the State Department in Washington. The 2012 Kennedy Center Honorees are, from left, John Paul Jones, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Page, Natalia Makarova, Robert Plant, Dustin Hoffman, and ... more
The 2012 Kennedy Center Honorees and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, second from left, wait for former President Bill Clinton, left, to join them for a group photo after the State Department Dinner for the Kennedy Center Honors gala Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 at the State Department in Washington. The 2012 Kennedy Center Honorees are, from left, John Paul Jones, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Page, Natalia Makarova, Robert Plant, Dustin Hoffman, and David Letterman. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf) less