The China Mail - Queen Latifah, Billy Crystal among honorees at glam Washington gala

The annual Kennedy Center Honors see entertainment A-listers descend on Washington -- a city known more for buttoned-up business casual than black tie -- to celebrate their icons.

The 2023 class included the beloved comic and actor Crystal as well as rap pioneer Queen Latifah, soul legend Dionne Warwick, star soprano Renee Fleming and the sole surviving Bee Gee, Barry Gibb.

The inductees were seated aside President Joe Biden and his wife Jill to receive the highest American arts award.

"You can't campaign for this. It's unexpected," Gibb -- who penned hundreds of songs over his career including smashes "Stayin' Alive" and "Nights On Broadway" -- told journalists on the red carpet.

The concert gala closed with a tribute to Gibb as well as his late brothers, as the Oscar-winning performer Ariana DeBose performed a hip-shaking medley of Bee Gees classics accompanied by a troupe of dancers in shimmering halter-neck jumpsuits.

"It's very emotional," Gibb said, adding the presence of his brothers, Robin and Maurice, was palpable as he accepted the award. "There's something going on in the air, and you just feel it."

The Grammy-winning rapper Latifah was the first woman in hip-hop to receive the accolade, decades after she released her debut album "All Hail The Queen."

Kerry Washington along with Missy Elliott were among the peers who inducted the 53-year-old Latifah, just a month after the "Ladies First" singer herself introduced Elliott into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Sigourney Weaver and Christine Baranski turned out to celebrate the globally renowned soprano Fleming, the opera phenom who's played a large role in popularizing the form to wider audiences.

She's graced the world's top stages but Fleming, 64, said "the thing that scares me is sitting in the box."

"It's all joy, but it's also overwhelming," she told journalists, floating across the carpet in a shimmering purple gown.

Warwick, 82, was all smiles in the box, as proteges including Chloe Bailey -- who delivered a rendition of the soul classic "Walk On By" -- performed in her honor.

Calling it a "privilege" to accept the award, Warwick told attendees of a State Department ceremony earlier this weekend that they were just as lucky as her.

"The 62 years I've given to you is now being recognized," she said with a knowing smirk.

- Hollywood divided -

The gala that sees Washington's political elite rub shoulders with the cream of the cultural crop this year comes as distress and anger deepen over the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, just back after another trip to the region, was among those swaying to the hits of Queen Latifah and other honorees in the house's mezzanine.

The Israel-Hamas conflict has proven divisive in the arts world, with some high-profile figures including Susan Sarandon facing backlash and career damage for speaking out in favor of Palestinian rights.

But attendees generally avoided the topic at Sunday's gala, which is a fundraiser for the performing arts center that serves as a living monument to slain president John F. Kennedy.

"We make a point of talking to all of our performers and saying this is an apolitical evening, this is not a time when we're here to be advocating for one thing or another," Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter told journalists.

- Artistic 'soul' -

That sentiment rang true for Crystal, 75, who said the night was "about appreciation for the soul of our artistic community."

Peers including Robert De Niro, Rob Reiner, Whoopi Goldberg and Meg Ryan turned out to honor Crystal, a comedian beloved for his work in film and television.

Ryan -- who co-starred opposite Crystal in the classic rom-com "When Harry Met Sally" -- honored her fellow star from a set mirroring Katz's Deli, the restaurant where the pair performed their iconic scene that sees Sally act out sexual climax to prove a point.

"The scene came really naturally," quipped Ryan. "I have Billy to thank for that."

"I've actually never met anyone who made faking an orgasm easier."

She wasn't the only performer dropping one-liners, as De Niro, himself 80, mocked the 81-year-old Biden's age.

"You're six years away from being the perfect age to be elected president," De Niro told Crystal, as the audience burst into applause.

Z.Huang--ThChM