WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama on Thursday paid tribute to actor Mel Brooks, chef Jose Andres, NPR interviewer Terry Gross and others at a White House ceremony celebrating “creators who give every piece of themselves to their craft.”
The three were among two dozen artists, writers, playwrights and performers awarded the 2015 National Medals of Arts and Humanities. Obama touted the group, which also included author Sandra Cisneros, composer Philip Glass and singer Audra McDonald, as figures at the top of their fields and contributors to a national conversation.
“We believe that arts and the humanities are in many ways reflective of our national soul. They’re central to who we are as Americans – dreamers, storyteller, innovators and visionaries,” he said.
The annual event is typically a serious affair, held under the glittering chandeliers of the East Room. But it took a quick comic turn this year when Obama paid tribute to Brooks by quoting the comic director’s instructions to his writers on the boundary-pushing film, “Blazing Saddles.”
“Write anything you want because we’ll never be heard from again. We will all be arrested for this movie,” Obama said, laughing.