Am I the only person who can’t tell the difference between Sally Field and Linda Ronstadt?
That will be tested in December, when both receive Kennedy Center Honors. It’s a great honor – we’re talking Bernstein and Basie and Bacall, Sinatra and Aretha and all the others – and (via CBS) one of the best shows on TV.
And this year, Field(shown here, from a while back) and Ronstadt will both be honored, alongside conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, the entire “Sesame Street” show and the vibrant group Earth, Wind & Fire.
All are steeply talented, but I have to admit that I have a special fondness for Field and Ronstadt because … well, they’re just so darn cute.
For the record, they are a tad different. Ronstadt, 73 years old and 5-foot-3, is four months older and a half-inch taller than Field.
And both come from inventive stock. Field’s brother, Rick, is a brilliant physicist and mathematician who has co-authored papers with the world’s best minds. And Ronstadt … well, her grandfather created the flexible plastic ice-cube tray.
I still use ice-cube trays, which puts Ronstadt above even Michael Nesmith … the Monkee whose mom invented White-Out and sold it to Gillette for $50 million.
Oh yes, there are other things, including Field’s great performances (including two Academy Awards) and Ronstadt’s classic records. Also, did I mention how cute they are?