This article was written by Maggy Donaldson in AFP:

Hollywood's finest joined politicos including President Joe Biden for a rare night of Washington glitz Sunday, celebrating the newest Kennedy Center honorees, including George Clooney and U2.

Soul legend Gladys Knight, along with Cuban-born American composer Tania Leon and contemporary Christian pop artist Amy Grant rounded out the 45th annual class receiving the highest US arts honor, after the elite group of stars enjoyed a special weekend in the American capital honoring their illustrious careers.

During the glamorous main event at the Kennedy Center -- Washington's performing arts complex that serves as a living monument to slain president John F. Kennedy -- the inductees were honored with seats in the opera house's presidential box.

They joined the president and first lady as well as the vice president and second gentleman, along with other politicians including Nancy Pelosi and her husband, who was making a public appearance weeks after he was violently attacked and hospitalized when an intruder looking for the congresswoman broke into their California home.

Clooney -- accompanied by his human rights lawyer wife Amal Clooney, who stunned in a glittering silver gown -- told journalists on the red carpet that the event, which he had grown up watching on television in small-town Kentucky, was "exciting."

Speaking at the traditional State Department dinner one night prior, Clooney, 61, joked that during his extensive travel, both as an artist and as a humanitarian, he was told one universal truth: "You sucked at Batman."

The self-deprecating celebrity has an impressive list of films to his name, as an actor and as director and producer -- "Michael Clayton," "Syriana" and "Ocean's Eleven" among them.

"You must be someone pretty special in the arts, Mr. Clooney," joked Sesame Street children's TV icon Big Bird, a fellow Kennedy Center inductee.

Julia Roberts donned a ballroom gown adorned with images of Clooney, her longtime friend and frequent collaborator, whom she called "the best combination of a gentleman and playmate."

"Not only is he handsome, and talented in all mediums he chooses to tackle, he is profoundly present and attentive to the world around him," Roberts said of the actor.

Roberts, along with Matt Damon, Richard Kind and Don Cheadle both razzed and praised Clooney before the beloved actor's father Nick delivered a touching speech of his own.