Etc...

Hey, look down there

In farming regions across the US, it's harvest season. So, not surprisingly, Brad Leaders was busy in his cornfield near Napoleon, Ohio, the other day. But instead of gathering ears, he was uprooting stalks. And when he was finished a pattern could be seen - at least from the air: a seven-acre-wide heart that enclosed the words, "Michelle, will you marry me?" Ah, but he wasn't doing this for himself. Columbus resident Corey Cook had hired him for the exercise so his girlfriend, Michelle See, would notice it as their small plane flew over Leaders's farm en route to a destination in neighboring Indiana. Cook had an engagement ring ready in case she said "yes." She did.

Instead of the usual five people, six have been selected to receive this year's Kennedy Center Honors, including one married couple: Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, who met while making their Broadway debuts in "Jeb" 58 years ago. Their award won't be unprecedented: Husband-wife thespians Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy were Kennedy honorees in 1986. The current class was selected by a 103-person committee of fellow artists and will be feted at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington Dec. 5. The recipients, with biographical details, including their birthplaces:

Warren Beatty: actor, director, producer, writer. Produced and starred in "Bonnie and Clyde." (Richmond, Va.)
Ossie Davis: Broadway leading man, producer, director, writer. (Cogdell, Ga.)
Ruby Dee: actor, writer. Lead role in "A Raisin in the Sun" on Broadway. (Cleveland)
Elton John: singer, composer of "Daniel" and "Candle in the Wind." (London)
Joan Sutherland: opera singer. Her album "The Art of the Prima Donna" is a soprano landmark. (Sydney, Australia)
John Williams: composer/conductor. "Star Wars" soundtrack is among many Hollywood hits. (Long Island, N.Y.)
- www.kennedy-center.org/ www.eonline.com