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Here comes the president!
No, not that one.
The actual president is MIA, as is the First Lady.
Such is their standard practice for nearlyevery de rigueur presidential engagement.
So, how does it feel to be the only commander-in-chief in the building?
Jackson throws his head back, laughs, and says, Its really exciting.Veryexciting.
Hamiltons already won everything under the sun.
(This prompted Miranda to ask, You just sawthat Elton John commercial, didnt you?
To which Lacamoire replied, Oh my God, I did.)
Its a group award.
Its a celebration of collaboration, which is the only way musicals get made, said Miranda.
Theres no lone genius behindanymusical, no matter what anyone tells you.
The show itself, hosted by past Kennedy Center honoree Gloria Estefan, is a lovefest.
Everyone gets a standing ovation for everything.
(Nancy Pelosi filled his seat.)
It was, of course, the justification for includingHamiltonin the proceedings in the first place.
I love you so much.
I hope you enjoy this song.
Dont judge me, she said, before tearing into Fancy.
(When Clarkson was done, she added, I hope I did it justice!
She sings it way better.
This is so much pressure.
Shorters performers included Esperanza Spalding, Herbie Hancock, and soprano Renee Fleming, who sang a soaring Aurora.
Paul Simon popped by to honor Glass, introducing Jon Batiste, who played a piano solo fromGlassworks.
Cher closed out the night, because obviously she did.
Multiple people complimented Cher simply by saying, YoureCher, as if no other descriptor could suffice.
She not only marches to the beat of her own drum honey, she is a one-woman band.
Adam Lambert turned Believe, Chers auto-tuned dance anthem, into a wrenching, slowed-down torch song.
I never really think about doing things for awards, truly.
And I never expected to win this award.
I just never thought I was the right person to win this award.
Because Im just a little bit out there.
Im a little bit Im the girl that rode the canon.
