Clooney, U2 among honorees at glitzy Washington gala

George Clooney and Gladys Knight were among an elite circle of stars to ­receive honours in the presence of President Joe Biden.

Gladys Knight gets a big hello from Jill and Joe Biden at Washinton’s Kennedy Centre on Sunday night. Picture: AFP

Actor George Clooney and soul legend Gladys Knight were among an elite circle of stars to ­receive honours at Washington’s Kennedy Centre on Sunday night in the presence of President Joe Biden.

Hollywood A-listers and Washington politicos also feted Irish rockers U2, Cuban-born US composer Tania Leon and contemporary Christian pop artist Amy Grant at the annual gala, a rare night of red-carpet glamour in the US capital.

Mr Biden was joined by wife Jill, Vice-President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas ­Emhoff in the opera house’s presidential box for the glittering celebration of one of the country’s highest arts awards, now in its 45th year.

Last winter, Mr Biden returned presidential tradition to the high-wattage awards program – the first time a sitting president had appeared at the event in five years.

Donald Trump opted out during his presidency, after several of the honoured artists threatened to boycott the gala in his first year in office if the bombastic, divisive Republican were present.

Sunday’s event delivered a slate of star-studded tributes to those who were inducted at the Kennedy Centre, Washington’s performing arts complex that serves as a living monument to slain president John F. Kennedy.

It comes on the heels of another highlight of the capital’s holiday social season, a lavish state dinner hosted by the Bidens in honour of visiting French leader Emmanuel Macron. Before Sunday evening’s red carpet, the honorees and their families ­attended a private White House reception with the Bidens and other distinguished guests.

Amal and George Clooney on the red carpet on Sunday night. Picture: AFP

It followed a State Department dinner for the honoured artists on Saturday. And the weekend’s main event included performances from fellow stars paying homage to this year’s inductees, a show set for broadcast on December 28 on US television network CBS.

Clooney, the revered actor and humanitarian who broke out in the 1990s on television series ER, was among the red-carpet favourites along with wife Amal, a human rights lawyer.

The 61-year-old Oscar winner is known for films including The Descendants, Syriana and the Ocean’s Eleven series, and also has a number of directing and producing credits to his name.

“Growing up in a small town in Kentucky I could never have ­imagined that some day I’d be the one sitting in the balcony at the Kennedy Centre Honours,” he said in a statement. “To be mentioned in the same breath with the rest of these incredible artists is an honour.”

Midnight Train to Georgia singer Knight, 78, echoed the sentiment, saying she was “humbled beyond words to be included among this prestigious group of individuals, both past and present”.

“The Kennedy Centre’s commitment to the arts is unparalleled and I am so very grateful for this moment,” said the artist dubbed “The Empress of Soul”.

U2, the rock band that has sold more than 170 million albums worldwide, accepted the award after winning 22 Grammys and putting out powerful tracks including I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For and Sunday Bloody Sunday.

Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy award-winning Leon, 79, has ­already won most recognitions available to her for her pioneering, sweeping compositions and chamber works.

She arrived in the US at age 24 as a refugee, a budding pianist who went on to shape the sound of American classical music, blending traditional elements with modern infusions of the Cuban folk rhythms of her youth.

And Grant, 62, is the first Christian music artist to ever go platinum, and has earned six Grammy Awards.

She is the first contemporary Christian star the Kennedy Centre has ever inducted, and said “never in my wildest dreams” did she envision receiving the honour. “Through the years, I’ve watched so many of my heroes serenaded by colleagues and fellow artists, always moved by the ability of music and film to bring us together and to see the best in each other,” Grant said in a statement. “Thank you for widening the circle to include all of us.”

AFP