'Kennedy Center Honors' review: Evening of surprises

The other great thing about the Kennedy Center Honors is that it may be the only lifetime achievement award show that needs a spoiler alert, since all those paying tribute are a surprise to everyone in attendance, including the honorees themselves.

Perhaps the more unexpected appearance was Levittown native Bill O'Reilly, who honored Hancock.

"I know," the host of Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" said, reacting to the audible gasps at the Kennedy Center when his name was announced as a speaker. "I was surprised, too."

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Like the tribute to Joel, which ranged from Panic! At the Disco's Brendon Urie doing "Big Shot" to Garth Brooks doing a medley of "Only the Good Die Young," "Allentown" and "Goodnight Saigon," Hancock's tribute was also remarkably eclectic, from Snoop Dogg to a stunning collection of jazz greats that included Wayne Shorter and Terence Blanchard.

Another unexpected choice was having Sonia Sotomayor pay tribute to opera singer Arroyo, who the Supreme Court justice called "my kind of diva." The great Harry Belafonte jokingly used Santana as an example of how Mexican immigrants were taking away American jobs, adding that if it wasn't for Santana, calypso could have made a big comeback. "We should've built a bigger fence," Belafonte joked, though his tribute quickly turned serious as he told Santana, "Your music teaches us to be happy."