American culture celebrated

Meryl Streep may have gotten her next film assignment, Neil Diamond thanked the namesake of his famous tune Sweet Caroline, and a tux-clad Elmo honoured his friend, Yo-Yo Ma. They were among several luminaries from Broadway, jazz and classical music to receive the Kennedy Centre Honours on Sunday night for their influence on American culture through the arts.

Caroline Kennedy, who hosts the annual show as part of a living memorial to her assassinated father, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, acknowledged her personal connection to one honoree.

In a nod to Diamond, she said he was "a Brooklyn lad with a gift of melody who grew into a solitary man, ‘reaching out, touching me'".

That was enough to draw big laughs from the crowd of celebrities and politicians recalling that Diamond's Sweet Caroline was named for her.