Tinseltown starstruck by royals
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at the Bafta Brits
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By Gordon Rayner
Monday Jul 11 2011
IT may be decades before they are at the head of the British monarchy, but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge reigned supreme as the king and queen of Hollywood yesterday.
Tinseltown fielded its own version of royalty in the form of Barbra Streisand, Nicole Kidman and Tom Hanks at a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) dinner in Los Angeles, but they were, for once, utterly eclipsed by the real thing.
"If you brought Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe back to life, America wouldn't be more excited than they are by the Cambridges," said Stephen Fry, one of the 300 guests at the event.
Jennifer Lopez, reputedly the world's biggest diva, lined up patiently with the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Jack Black for the chance of a brief chat with the duke and duchess. And there was no doubting who was more starstruck.
"I just got off the phone from my mum and she said, 'It's so good you're going!'" said Kidman. "I think they're amazing, they're lovely. They just make you smile."
Jason Bateman, star of the television series 'Arrested Development', described the royal couple as "the ultimate movie stars" and said: "We're just faking it and getting paid for it. They're the real deal."
Sensing an eagerness verging on desperation among the waiting celebrities, Duncan Kenworthy, the academy's vice president, urged them to "be cool" and not to rush the royal couple when they came in. The duke and duchess, however, appeared to have their own priorities, making a beeline for James Gandolfini, star of hit television series 'The Sopranos' and spending several minutes chatting to him before taking their places for dinner. (© Daily Telegraph, London)
- Gordon Rayner
Irish Independent
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