Saturday is not generally the night for great celeb fests or memorable evenings. But this Saturday was the exception when two charities with little in common got together and blew the roof off the Marriott Marquis hotel.

Whitney Houston’s charitable foundation for children wound up intermingling their annual fund-raising event with the American Cinema Awards, a group out of the West Coast led by singer Michael McDonald and organizer David Gest. It was the be-all to end-all, as they used to say. It featured a guest appearance by Michael Jackson, a duet between Whitney and Marc Anthony, McDonald singing with Petula Clark and Whitney dedicating "I Learned From the Best" to Arista Records chief Clive Davis. There was even a rousing encore from Bobby Brown, Whitney’s controversial husband.

Whitney herself, resplendent in a sheer beaded Dolce and Gabbana gown, emceed the three-hour presentation with such aplomb that her own mother, famed singer Cissy Houston, was kvelling. She belted out "The Greatest Love of All" with Latin heart-throb Anthony, then left him to the stage for a number of his own. But Whitney was never far away.

As each act came and went and awards were passed out in the unusually well-paced evening, Whitney was in control like I’ve never seen her. Brown, in a white suit, cheered her on from their long family table which included mom Cissy, brothers Gary and Michael, sister-in-law Donna, publicist Lynn Volkman and stunningly sleek, attractive Robyn Crawford, Whitney’s best friend, confidante and major domo.

It was the rest of the crowd that was so unbelievable, because Gest had combined the strangest of bedfellows: black soul singers and old guard white Hollywood stars. And there were plenty of them, including honoree Anthony Quinn, Angie Dickinson, Hayley Mills, Gregory Peck with wife Veronique, Barbara Eden and Patrick Swayze with wife Lisa Niemi. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin put in an appearance, too.

On Whitney’s list: Top soul sensation Brian McKnight, who also performed, as well as Valerie Simpson and Nick Ashford, songwriter/producer Rodney Jerkins and singer Gloria Lynne.

Sort of straddling the middle of this group — a little soul meets Tinseltown — were famed singers Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. of the Fifth Dimension, and Freda Payne, bedecked in mink and looking foxy, bringing "Band of Gold" to mind like it was yesterday. McCoo and Davis, whose voices sound younger now than they did 30 years ago on The Ed Sullivan Show, brought the audience to its feet with "Aquarius" and "Up, Up and Away."

As record producer Michael Maudlin (who’s also the father of hip hop producer Jermaine Dupri) said, "Real voices never go away. They just get better and better."

And the real voices were there: What to say about Petula Clark knocking out a perfect "Downtown" after singing a duet with McDonald, who also wowed the crowd using Whitney’s band on "What a Fool Believes?"

A favorite moment: Patrick Swayze introducing himself to McDonald outside the ballroom. "I’ve been such a huge fan of yours all my life," Patrick told the white-haired singer, who came with his kids and his mom. "Would you be interested in writing a song for this movie I’m doing?" he asked, then went on to describe the script as if he were not a huge Hollywood star but some kid starting out. While McDonald quickly scribbled his number down for Swayze, I asked his mom if she was musical at all. "I can’t carry a tune in a basket," she quipped. "But his father is a beautiful Irish tenor."

Angie Dickinson, an icon of the '60s and '70s, came to present an award and told me she’d passed up an episode of "The X-Files" to be at the show. "And I haven’t worked in over a year," she joked. I asked her what she thought of the resurgence in ex-husband Burt Bacharach’s popularity. "Well, it’s great," she said. "I have to tell you I fell in love half with him and half with his music." When I told her I thought she was actually what had made him cool all those years ago, she replied, "So do I! And that’s all I’m saying!"

Who else was there? A clutch of soap stars, who came to see Tonja Davidson, formerly with One Life to Live, get an award. Erika Slezak, Patricia Mauceri and Robin Strasser — who recently quit the show after 20 plus years — all gave her warm applause. Ruth Warrick worked the room a bit, proving that her appearance at the HBO premiere of RKO 281 a few weeks back was not a hologram. She’s real! And she’s digging the scene.

But it was the appearance of Jackson that really rocked the room, especially when he showed up announced and plopped down at Whitney and Bobby’s table. No mask, no gloves, no hat, nothing too weird. Just Michael, looking pale white with a little stubble, very lanky and taller than I would have guessed. He had minimal security, too, either that or they were the most unobtrusive security guards in history. Or HIStory. After hanging with the main entourage, Michael moved to a center table and stayed for most of the show. When he finally left, wearing sunglasses, he narrowly missed the arrival of Steven Seagal, dressed in one of those silk shmattes you see him in these days. He was very Zen, a little spacey, but otherwise friendly. He shook Swayze’s hand and made the rounds.

Meantime, Whitney took the mike from McCoo and Davis and closed the show with two numbers. She dedicated "I Learned From the Best," her next single, to Davis, her mentor and embattled record company chief. It was pretty clear among those in her camp, by the way, that they think BMG Music will do right by Davis this week. I have to say, if it doesn’t work out that way, the Houston camp will probably act very decisively. They really consider Davis a member of the extended family.

Whitney’s final number, "I Will Always Love You," was dedicated to the organizer, Gest, and to Michael Jackson, who apparently grew up with Gest in Encino, Calif., and has remained his close friend all this time. Who knew? By the time the lights went up, the stars were taking pictures with each other and for each other. Flashblubs popped, and there was a lot of hugging, handshaking and card exchanging. Michael was long gone into the night, but it was the kind of jaw-dropping, once-in-a-lifetime night you couldn’t have planned and will always resonate.

I’ll say this for Whitney and her tight group of family and friends: They’ve weathered a lot of publicity storms and come out on top. The singer herself has blossomed into a mature, together woman who can effortlessly go back and forth between introducing guest stars and hitting impossibly rich or high notes.

Bobby Brown, who’s had the worst press of any singer in the '90s, seems like he’s finally found his groove. He told me, "I’m working on a new album which will be out next spring." What did he do when Whitney was on tour in Europe all fall? "Basically I worked and took care of the kids," he said. But when it came time to shake the house down, Brown was a star in his own right performing "My Prerogative" with his old, bold energy intact.

Hey, send a check to Whitney’s foundation. Donna Houston tells me they’re having a Christmas party for homeless kids next week. Write to them for information: Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, Inc., 2160 N Central Rd, Fort Lee, NJ 07024.