Streisand, Freeman, Tharp Among Kennedy Center Fab Six

Her name is Barbra. She got her first Tony nomination 46 years ago and has sold nearly 71 million records since, more than any other female recording artist.

And now Barbra Streisand will receive one of the only artistic awards that has eluded her: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced yesterday that she will be one of six 2008 honorees. Sharing the tributes on Dec. 7 will be actor Morgan Freeman, choreographer Twyla Tharp, country crooner George Jones and two of the Who's original members -- Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.

"I'm thrilled and delighted," said Streisand, 66, speaking in that distinctive Brooklyn accent from her Malibu office. "This is a special recognition. It is also one of my favorite shows to watch because it is well-produced, and gives an extraordinary tribute to each honoree. And I love what President Kennedy said about the arts; they 'knew the midnight as well as the high noon and understood the ordeal as well as the triumph of the human spirit.' "

The Kennedy Center Honors, now in the 31st year, celebrate five or six artists who have made contributions to culture worldwide, but primarily showcase the impact of American performing arts. The Who, for instance, have long testified that their inspirations were American musicians.

"As a teenager growing up in the austerity of postwar England, it was the music I heard emanating from America that gave me a dream to hang my life on," said Daltrey, speaking from his home in England. "That dream was to make music and make it there."

When he and bandmate Townshend realized that dream, they "transformed the sights and sounds of rock-and-roll," said Stephen A. Schwarzman, the center's chairman, who applauded the six for their "extraordinary genius and tenacity."

"Morgan Freeman's name is synonymous with great screen acting and is one of the most respected performers in American cinema," Schwarzman said. "With his unique voice and extraordinary career endurance, singer George Jones has been instrumental in making country music a vital force in American life. Barbra Streisand's trailblazing career in music, theater, films and television is one of the most thrilling spectacles of our culture."

He called Tharp"an American original," one whose choreography "has indelibly enriched the vocabulary of modern dance, contemporary ballet and the Broadway musical." Some of her choreography has premiered at the center.

The Kennedy Center Honors gala performance will be taped to air later in December on CBS. The recipients are chosen by past honorees, the center's artists committee and the board.

Freeman, who is recovering from a serious car accident last month, said in a statement that he was "grateful for this recognition from a great institution, especially one which honors the memory of President Kennedy. The Kennedy Center reaches multitudes around the country with their programs, but this very special, annual event is a pinnacle."

The long career of Freeman, 71, covers film, theater and television. A native of Memphis, his professional work was first recognized in New York, where after a decade in the theater he received a Tony nomination for "The Mighty Gents." He is the only African American actor who has appeared in three Best Picture winners -- "Unforgiven," "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Million Dollar Baby," the latter of which earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Since 1963, the year she finished Barnard College, Tharp has created 123 dances. They have been performed by leading companies around the world and praised for both their postmodern rigor and urban humor. She has choreographed for five movies, written two bestsellers and won a Tony for "Movin' Out," based on the music of Billy Joel.