have benefited from the economic progress that he helped to spark. his contributions have molded public opinion and policy and he continues to engage with the most pressing economic questions of the. some great economic mobility. meryl streep. [applause] an unmatched ability to bring a character to life.

and the chance to see the world through someone else's eyes. whether portraying a famous chef, fashion editor, holocaust survivor, or prime minister, she conveys character stories with entity and dignity. offscreen, she brings the same humanity to the advocacy for women, education, and the arts. it is the full range of human experience one story at a time. [applause] marlo thomas.

[applause] for over half a century, marlo thomas has been challenging conventions and defying expectations. she broke barriers and television with her iconic role and looked to voices of women. we are all free to be you and me. one of the top children cancer hospitals in the nation. deeds, and words, characters, she taught us to be true to ourselves and leader lives with confidence and compassion.

stevie wonder. [applause] one of the world's most gifted singer songwriters, stephen morris known to the world as stevie wonder craft stores -- stories about love and loss and a musical style entirely his own. he is celebrated for his exuberant creativity, virtuosity on multiple instruments and his mastery of a wide range of has gained result him millions of fans and 25 grammy awards.

beyond his music, he hasn't cracked the world through his advocacy and his championing of people with disabilities. creating music in the key of life, stevie wonder has brought greater harmony to our nation. [applause] [laughter] >> what an extra near a group. it lets give them all a big round of applause. [applause]

the incredible performances, the incredible innovation, the incredible ideas. the incredible expressions of the human spirit. not only have they made the world better, but they make us a little bit better every single day. we are truly grateful for them and on behalf of michelle and myself, please enjoy the reception. god bless you all. [applause]

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

♪ >> and on c-span2, book tv in prime time with authors that have appeared on afterwards.

first, ben carson on his book, one nation. what we can do to save america's future. kerry armstrong discusses fields of blood. and james mcpherson talks about his book, embattled rubble. jefferson davis as commander in chief. >> here are some of our featured programs this holiday weekend on the c-span networks. saturday night, supreme court justice elena kagan at princeton university. fact checker author glenn kessler on his end of the year biggest pinocchio's of 2014 awards. on c-span2, saturday night at 10, senior editor on the long-standing battle of supreme court activism and judicial restraint.

and sunday, book critic jonathan yardley that recently retired after 33 years with the washington post. tv,on american history historians and authors discuss president lincoln's 1864 reelection campaign. and sunday afternoon at 4:00, trial by fire. chronicles the 84th infantry division during the battle of the bulge. find our complete television schedule at c-span.org and let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. us, or send us a tweet. join the c-span conversation and follow us on twitter. our q&a program is 10 years old now. to mark this decade of compelling conversation, we are featuring one interview from each year over this holiday season.