David Letterman is among this year's Kennedy Center Honorees, CBS announced Wednesday. The late-night veteran will be feted alongside actor Dustin Hoffman, bluesman Buddy Guy, ballet dancer Natalia Makarova and rock group Led Zeppelin at the 35th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, at the gala, broadcast on CBS on Dec. 26. "With their extraordinary talent, creativity and tenacity, the seven 2012 Kennedy Center Honorees have contributed significantly to the cultural life of our nation and the world," said Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein. He praised Letterman as "one of the most influential personalities in the history of television, entertaining an entire generation of late-night viewers with his unconventional wit and charm." Letterman joins a short and rarefied list of comedians who've received the honor, including Carol Burnett, Steve Martin, Bob Hope and Johnny Carson.

Dylan: Nation ruined by stigma of slavery Bob Dylan says the stigma of slavery ruined the United States and he doubts the country can get rid of the shame because it was "founded on the backs of slaves." The veteran musician tells Rolling Stone that in the United States "people [are] at each other's throats just because they are of a different color," adding that "it will hold any nation back." He also says blacks know that some whites "didn't want to give up slavery." Dylan, 71, said, "If slavery had been given up in a more peaceful way, America would be far ahead today." When asked whether President Obama was helping to shift a change, Dylan said: "I don't have any opinion on that. You have to change your heart if you want to change." The magazine's new issue hits newsstands Friday.

HE WANTS TWO: Britain's Prince William revealed that he wants to have two children with his wife, Kate, as crowds turned out in Singapore on the second day of the couple's visit to mark Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee. The revelation came during a chat with bystanders. Another bystander asked him what superhero power he'd like to have. He said: "I think invisibility." Kate agreed, saying she would also pick invisibility so that the prince "could not sneak up on her."

RECOVERING: Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates, 64, revealed that she has battled cancer for a second time. She told People magazine that nine years after surviving ovarian cancer, she had a double mastectomy after being told several week ago that she had breast cancer. She said didn't have to have radiation or chemotherapy.