Celebrities in L.A. call Will, Kate the new JFK, Jackie O

Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, arrive for the BAFTA Brits to Watch dinner July 9.

Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, arrive for the BAFTA Brits to Watch dinner July 9.

Bret Hartman/AP

Katie Daubs Staff Reporter

LOS ANGELES Downtown here Saturday evening, Will and Kate brought America back to Camelot.

As Oscar winners gushed, the couple was compared several times to the late American President John F. Kennedy and his glamorous wife, Jackie O.

They havent had this since Camelot, Cat Deeley said before Will and Kate arrived to a crowd screaming in unison a dull, high pitched noise.

Kate wore a stunning lilac Alexander McQueen gown, and nobody really noticed what Will was wearing, as these things tend to go. They glided along the red carpet and did a small walkabout before entering the theatre.

An hour before the Duke and Duchess arrived, young Brits trying to make it in Hollywood gave grateful sound bites to reporters, and then the A-listers showed up: Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez.

They make me smile, I love them, Kidman said to media on the red carpet. Ive just got off the phone with my mom, and she said, Its so good youre going!

Just goes to show how much star power this couple has. The woman who has access to Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban on a regular basis was aflutter, the same way all the friends and family of Canadians who met the couple had been.

Many stars made the point that Will and Kates wedding was an uplifting moment for the world.

If you brought Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe back to life, Americans would not be more excited than they are by the presence of the Cambridges, said British actor Stephen Fry on his way into the theatre.

Jason Bateman, a film star best known for his role in critically acclaimed television series Arrested Development was quite thoughtful about Will and Kates presence.

Actors and actresses have always been enamoured with people on top of their fields, he said. One of the good things about being famous is you get to meet someone you admire on a level, as a peer.

Bateman said he was honoured to get the BAFTA invitation.

And, before leaving the red carpet, he gave a nice summing up: Were just faking and getting paid for it. Theyre the real deal.

According to pool reporters covering the event inside, Will and Kate walked up to the table with Tom Hanks and James Gandolfini, and shook hands with Gandolfini, who had the smug look of a Soprano afterward.

PRINCE WILLIAMS BAFTA SPEECH

As President of BAFTA, I am immensely proud of the success Brits have had in the fiercely competitive world of film, television and video games. Their creative and hi-tech achievements have contributed greatly to our national wealth, not to mention our personal pleasure.

Tonight I celebrate them: but I particularly celebrate the fact that, hard on their heels, comes another wave of enormously talented Brits, whom you have the chance to meet this evening. They deserve equal success and, with your help, will surely achieve it.

Please give them the opportunities you have always extended to some of the brightest and best that Britain has to offer. When American and British creative talent gets together, magic happens. Let's continue the winning formula.

Catherine and I have been hugely looking forward to tonight's event with its exciting cast, British and American. I believe great things will result.


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