Scorsese and Spielberg bow down to 'pioneer' George Lucas at the Kennedy Center Honors as Obama dives out of Oval Office, into his tux and across town to arrive only just a little bit late...

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The Kennedy Center Honors paid tribute to George Lucas, Carole King, Seiji Ozawa, Cicely Tyson and Rita Moreno
Stars who came to honor the award recipients include Usher, Kerry Washington, Aretha Franklin, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Miranda Lambert
'He's a pathfinder and a pioneer like Edison and Bell and Tesla and Jobs,' Spielberg said of Star Wars creator George Lucas
The event will air on December 29 on CBS

By Associated Press and Kiri Blakeley For Dailymail.com

Published: 00:51 EST, 7 December 2015 | Updated: 11:05 EST, 7 December 2015

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President Obama may have given one of the more serious and urgent speeches of his presidency tonight, but within half an hour, he was in his tux and enjoying the music and spectacle of the Kennedy Center Honors, which paid tribute to five of the most illustrious artists of our time.

The president, who turned up at the awards after giving a rare Oval Office speech vowing to destroy terrorist group ISIS, was there to help pay tribute to Honorees Carole King, George Lucas, Seiji Ozawa, Cicely Tyson and Rita Moreno.

Obama attended the White House reception with the Honorees and other celebrities as scheduled at 5pm, but his 8pm address cut into the time he could spend at the Kennedy Center. Obama quickly changed from his suit and blue tie into his tux and was rushed to the center at approximately 8:30pm.

President Barack Obama followed his rare Oval Office speech by attending the Kennedy Center Honors - Michelle was on time and wearing a dazzling sleeveless black dress with blue overlay

Obama and Michelle clap while next to them singer Carole King joins in - King is the subject of a Broadway hit musical 'Beautiful' and one of the most successful singer-songwriters of all time - Obama said her multi-platinum album Tapestry was one of his favorites

Glamorous Michelle Obama seems to be giving the president an amused look while they host the Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center on December 6 - the president had zipped over from the Oval Office, where he gave a speech on anti-terrorist efforts

The POTUS and the FLOTUS wave to the illustrious crowd at the Kennedy Center which honored five of the world's best known artists

The 2015 Kennedy Center Honors paid tribute to artists (from left) actress Cicely Tyson, conductor Seiji Ozawa, actress and singer Rita Moreno, filmmaker George Lucas and singer-songwriter Carole King

There, the president and First Lady Michelle Obama received a standing ovation as they sat with the Honorees.

As the tribute to Lucas began at Sunday night's gala honoring him and four others for contributing to American culture through the arts, the crowd was asked to welcome Carrie Fisher. But the star of the original Star Wars trilogy and the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens didn't appear in person. Instead, one of Lucas' beloved creations, the feisty droid R2-D2, rolled onstage and projected her image.

Fisher said she wanted to be there in person to honor Lucas, 'but since you invented video voicemail, I didn't have to.'

He's a pathfinder and a pioneer like Edison and Bell and Tesla and Jobs,' Spielberg said of his good friend. 'George Lucas' Star Wars absolutely changed films forever.'

Rita Moreno, a native of Puerto Rico who started dancing at age 9, became the first Latina to win an Academy Award when she was honored for her performance as Anita in West Side Story. She was honored for her diverse and boundary-pushing career, including memorable stints on children's television.

Moreno is one of a handful of artists to win an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony. At an earlier White House ceremony for the honorees, Obama said she pushed back against Hollywood typecasting.

Singer-songwriter Carole King (left) is responsible for some of the biggest hits in music, including (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and I Feel the Earth Move -- Obama said that King's album Tapestry was one of the first he ever bought. Director Martin Scorsese is the brains behind some of Hollywood's best known films including Raging Bull and Goodfellas. Scorsese was there to help honor his pal George Lucas, who is of course famous for inventing the mega-successful space opera Star Wars and all of its offspring

All smiles: Director Martin Scorsese has a chat with R&B singer Usher at the Kennedy Center Honors Reception at the White House before the ceremony

R&B star Usher says an excited hello to George Lucas' wife, Mellody Hobson, at the gala event at the White House

Boogie down: Rita Moreno has a little fun with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry following the Artist's Dinner honoring the Kennedy Center Honorees - Moreno was the first Latina to win an Academy Award, for her performance as Anita in West Side Story

Kerry greets Seiji Ozawa at the reception - Ozawa, who was born in China to Japanese parents, began conducting as a teenager in Japan after World War II. He went on to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 29 years. Violinist Itzhak Perlman and soprano Renee Fleming paid tribute to him during Sunday's honors, which also included a performance by past honoree Yo-Yo Ma. Looking on are Moreno (left) and King (middle)

Who's over there? Kerry seems to be making a point while chatting to Kennedy Center Honoree Cicely Tyson and wife Teresa Heinz-Kerry following the State Department Dinner for the Honorees -Tyson, who has been nominated for 12 Emmy Awards, winning three, is also a celebrated star on stage - at 90, she currently is on Broadway with James Earl Jones in The Gin Game (fun fact, Jones voiced Lucas' Darth Vader in Star Wars)

She's still a leading lady of her era, a trailblazer with courage to break through barriers and forge new paths, Obama said.

Cicely Tyson, a longtime star of stage and screen, has said the honor validated her decision to turn down many roles as she tried to find meaningful work as a black woman. At age 90, she's currently starring on Broadway alongside James Earl Jones in The Gin Game.

King was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame nearly 30 years ago for her broad influence on pop music, which helped shape the sounds of the 1960s and 70s. Her compositions include The Loco-Motion, 'One Fine Day and I'm into Something Good.

Obama said King's first solo album, Tapestry, was one of the first albums he ever bought; it's also one of the highest-selling albums of any genre.

In the world of American music, Carole is royalty, Obama said.

This marks the 38th year of the Kennedy Center Honors, and the event has new producers for the first time. Stephen Colbert of CBS' "The Late Show" hosted the gala for the second consecutive year. It will be broadcast December 29 on CBS.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive holding hands and smiling at the reception in the East Room of the White House

You already had your turn, Steven: Director Steven Spielberg (right) says a friendly hello to fellow legendary director Martin Scorsese and his daughter, Francesca. Spielberg, who was honored in 2006, was there to pay honor to George Lucas, his friend, and the brainchild behind one of his biggest movie hits, the Indiana Jones franchise

Filmmaker George Lucas, left, smiles and seems to be flattered over President Obama's kind words about him during the ceremony - The Force Awakens, which opens at Decmeber 18, is the seventh movie in Lucas' Star Wars franchise - It is expected to be one of the highest grossing films of all time

George Lucas, who created the Star Wars franchise and executive producing the Indiana Jones trilogy and many other movies as well as founding American Zoetrope with Francis Ford Coppola, and Lucasfilm, and Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light & Magic, enters the reception for the Kennedy Center Honors

Fresh off the announcement of her divorce from singer Blake Shelton, country music star Miranda Lambert arrives at the honors reception

Steven Colbert (left), who took over for David Letterman, emceed the awards ceremony; while House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California arrives the formal reception held before the event

The 2015 Kennedy Center Honorees, from left, Seiji Ozawa, Rita Moreno, Carole King, George Lucas and Cicely Tyson pose for a group photo following the State Department Dinner on December 5

Hitmaker Usher cuts a dashing figure as he points at someone while attending the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors Reception at the White House

'The Kennedy Center Honors recognizes the extraordinary and unparalleled talents of individuals whose impact and genius have left an indelible mark on civilization,” said Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein in a statement. 'Quite simply, our Honorees represent the voices, soundtracks, and stories of our personal lives and memories.

The music of the Eagles has endured as the quintessential American rock 'n' roll sound for generations; Carole King’s heartfelt lyrics and tunes are woven throughout the tapestry of American music; George Lucas’ films have enriched our world with stories of epic adventure; Rita Moreno’s iconic spitfire roles are embedded in the heart of American culture; Seiji Ozawa’s artistic leadership as a conductor has set a new standard for orchestras around the world; and Cicely Tyson’s range of strong female roles on stage and screen have broken boundaries for women of color.'

The Eagles will appear at next year's awards ceremony instead - they had to postpone due to Glenn Frey's health problems.

Kerry Washington, who stars in the hit show Scandal, attended the Artist's Dinner for the recipients, held the night before the main event

Actress Kerry Washington arrives with her husband retired NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha and excited waved to a friend while at the State Dinner held the night before the main event

While walking the red carpet and posing for pictures at the Kennedy Center Honors, both Kerry Washington, left, and Miranda Lambert, right wore different dresses

Aretha Franklin, left, and Clive Davis attend the 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors at The Kennedy Center Hall of States - Franklin is famous for singing one of Carole King's most well loved songs, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

Actress Rosie Perez is seen at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors reception in the East Room of the White House - she helped honor Rita Moreno - She sang Fever with the overzealous Animal of The Muppets on drums - a performance Moreno originated, winning an Emmy. Perez said Moreno paved the way for other Latino actors - 'She celebrated her heritage but did not stereotype it,' she said