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Ron Howard Gets Medaled
Big week for Opie.
On Tuesday, a whopping 21.6 million viewers tuned in to watch CBS' Andy Griffith Show Reunion, featuring appearances by Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, Jim Nabors and Opie himself, Ron Howard, back in their old Mayberry digs.
Then, the following day, the actor turned Oscar-winning filmmaker was in the Oval Office where he picked up a National Medal of Arts from President Bush and the first lady.
Also on hand to claim the prestigious hardware were country crooner George Strait, blues god Buddy Guy, conductor Leonard Slatkin, renowned children's author Beverly Cleary, Tony-winning director-choreographer, Tommy Tune, dancer Suzanne Farrell, the producers of the music program Austin City Limits and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Established by Congress in 1984, the National Medal of Arts is handed out every year by the National Endowment for the Arts to those who have made significant contributions to American culture. Past winners have included Smokey Robinson, Ray Charles, Angela Lansbury, Barbra Streisand, Betty Carter and Tito Puente.
Also doled out were the more recent vintage National Humanities Medals, which typically honors scholars and writers, as well as artists.
Recipients of the latter include Oscar winner Hal Holbrook, author John Updike, children's television advocate Joan Ganz Cooney, oceanographer Robert Ballard and essayist and editor Joseph Epstein.
Howard, of course, got his start as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. He followed that by playing Richie Cunningham on Happy Days and starring in George Lucas' American Graffiti before making the switch to movie director, where he scored box-office hits with Splash, Cocoon, Parenthood, Backdraft, Apollo 13, and Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He earned a Best Director Academy Award for his 2001 picture, A Beautiful Mind, which was also named Best Picture.
Bush also paid tribute to fellow Texan Strait, who has 31 number one hits under his belt and recorded some two dozen studio albums since bursting onto the country music scene in the early '80s.
"I'm deeply honored to be named as a recipient of the President's National Medal of Arts," said Straight. "To think that my career has taken me from the honkytonks of South Texas to the White House is really remarkable. I'm also extremely flattered to be named alongside the other nominees."
The nimble fretwork of Louisiana-born Guy, who cut his teeth backing Muddy Waters, has influenced the guitar hero-likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Clapton, in a more than four-decade career. And when he's not touring (which is constantly), he's performing at his blues club in Chicago, Buddy Guy's Legends.
Tune, another Texan (they don't pick favorites in the West Wing), has snagged nine Tony Awards and has starred, choreographed and directed some of Broadway's most acclaimed productions including Grand Hotel, Will Rogers Follies and Nine and recently headlined Las Vegas' MGM Grand EFX show.
Beverly Cleary is best known for her famous children's books featuring such loveable characters as Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby and Ralph S. Mouse.
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