George Lucas, Cicely Tyson, Carole King and 2 others to be celebrated at Kennedy Center Honors

American Filmmaker, George Lucas
(Photo from Wikipedia)

WASHINGTON—Less than two weeks before the release of the new “Star Wars” movie, George Lucas is about to receive the nation’s highest award for lifetime achievement in the arts.

Lucas and four others will be celebrated at Sunday night’s Kennedy Center Honors. President Barack Obama will be a late arrival at the gala after delivering a national address at 8 p.m. The president and first lady Michelle Obama were also holding a White House reception for the honorees late Sunday afternoon.

Lucas created the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” movie franchises. This year’s other honorees are singer-songwriter Carole King, actress and singer Rita Moreno, conductor Seiji Ozawa and actress Cicely Tyson.

Stephen Colbert will host the gala for the second time. It will be broadcast Dec. 29 on CBS.