The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Wednesday that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, groundbreaking actresses Rita Moreno and Cicely Tyson, singer Carole King, rock band the Eagles and acclaimed music director Seiji Ozawa will receive this year’s Kennedy Center Honors.

The diverse group includes six honorees this year. In the past, the Kennedy Center has honored five each year. Organizers said they didn’t want to pass up the chance to honor any of these artists with the national award for influencing American culture through the arts.

The Kennedy Center Honors culminates in a gala performance Dec. 6 in Washington, featuring top entertainers. The show will be broadcast Dec. 29 on CBS.

Bryan apologizes for drug comments

Country star Luke Bryan said he misspoke when he differentiated himself from outlaw country musicians like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings by saying he doesn’t do drugs.

Bryan, the reigning Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year, apologized for how the comments appeared in an article on the online magazine, HITS Daily Double.

“I’m not an outlaw country singer,” he said in a July 9 article. “I don’t do cocaine and run around. So I’m not going to sing outlaw country. I like to hunt, fish, ride around on my farm, build a big bonfire and drink some beers – and that’s what I sing about. It’s what I know. I don’t know about laying in the gutter, strung out on drugs.”

He posted on Twitter the next day that he never meant to disparage other artists.

“It’s not my style,” he wrote. “I consider Willie, Waylon and Merle musical heroes.”

Bryan told the Associated Press on Tuesday that he wasn’t clear when talking about the wide variety of musicians within the genre.

“You have to take things and learn from them, but at the end of the day, I was really speaking from where I draw my fuel and inspiration for music,” Bryan said.

The birthday bunch

Actor-singer Ruben Blades is 67. Rock composer-musician Stewart Copeland is 63. Dancer Michael Flatley is 57. Actress Phoebe Cates is 52. Actor-comedian Will Ferrell is 48. Actor Corey Feldman is 44.