THE 35TH ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS
CBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
David Letterman and Dustin Hoffman are two of the honorees at this year’s annual Kennedy Center Honors, which always arrives in the last weeks of the year – and just as invariably ends up as one of the year’s best entertainment specials. The artists honored in 2012 also include blues great Buddy Guy, ballerina Natalia Makarova, and rock group Led Zeppelin. The eclecticism is part of the charm here, as is the enthusiasm and talent of the people who honor the honorees. That roll call, this year, includes Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and Jimmy Kimmel saluting Letterman, Robert De Niro remarking about Hoffman, and the Foo Fighters, Kid Rock, Lenny Kravitz and Ann and Nancy Wilson tackling the music of Led Zeppelin. As always, one of December’s few true TV treats.