U.S. President Barack Obama hosted the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony for Billy Joel, Shirley MacLaine, Carlos Santana and more in Washington, D.C. The U.S. capital's prestigious awards ceremony honors stars of the stage, screen and concert hall in its annual celebration of the arts. During a performance of Joel's song "Goodnight Saigon," a group of Vietnam veterans came on stage to sing along as Garth Brooks crooned the words "And we would all go down together."

Speaking of Garth Brooks, the country music legend announced on Good Morning America that he is going on a world tour in 2014. Brooks was on the U.S. morning talk show to promote his new album and a DVD of his one-man show in Las Vegas.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association named "Gravity" and "Her" as the year's best films and in the latest of a series of early awards shows leading up to Hollywood's biggest prize, the Oscars. The critics declared ties in three top categories, including best picture, best actres