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Buzz is in the air at the Consulates. Who from Los Angeles, or for that matter, California, will be invited to what the Brits are describing as “the wedding of the decade.” It may well be the wedding of the century, when Prince William of Wales marries Kate Middleton, considering that the groom will be the future king of England. Wills, as he’s known, stated that he’ll wed after his 28th birthday, which is this month. Our guess is that Joan Rivers, a pal of Prince Charles, will make the invitation list. More about the wedding in another column.

Joan Rivers ripped the roof off of designer Donna Karan’s studio loft in downtown Manhattan with her roast of Sandy Gallin, who was celebrating his 70th birthday with a whopper of a party for 250 guests, which we’ll describe after this irresistible bow to Joan. She remains “indomitable,” as New York Magazine trumpeted on its cover about Jonathan Van Meter’s fascinating story. To know Joan is to share a brilliant mind and talent for performing and writing and for her extraordinary loyalties with friends.

At the Beverly Hills Courier, we look forward to publishing Joan’s spot-on book reviews about Warren Beatty, Tom Cruise, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Fred Astaire (“who knew he was Jewish,” she wrote after reading Peter Levinson’s biography, Puttin’ On the Ritz). Joan’s critiques are terrific, informing and impressing our readers. Good news that her film, A Piece of Work, was a smash at the Sundance Festival in January, and opens this month nationally. Advance notices are love letters.

“Age is so frustrating,” Joan told Jonathan Van Meter, “I make deals with God all the time to give me ten more years, and I’ll call it a deal.”

As for Birthday Boy Sandy, he’s managed Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Mariah Carey, Whoopi Goldberg. Produced films, television and Broadway shows, restores fatigued houses in privileged locations, redesigns, furnishes, and sells them for big bucks.

Among Sandy’s guests were Wendy and Leonard Goldberg, in Manhattan for a CBS board meeting, and they were floored with Donna’s garden on the second floor. “Never seen anything like it in New York.”

Adding to Wendy’s never-seen-before comment was Jolene Schlatter’s, who marveled at the young and best-looking staff hired by the caterer. “They were like Calvin Klein models, serving lamb chops and langoustines. Only Sandy would have such studs.” George Schlatter, meanwhile, howled at Hugh Jackman’s performance, when he tackled Sandy and began unbuttoning his shirt. “The New York papers got it wrong … they wrote that Sandy tried to take off Hugh’s shirt. What happened was much funnier.”

Others Who-Were-There included Wendi Deng and Rupert Murdoch, Jane and Terry Semel, David Geffen, Calvin Klein, CBS’ Julie Chen and Les Moonves, Michael Douglas, Renee Zellweger, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Langella, ICM’s Toni Howard with David Yarnell, Bette Midler, Richard Gere, literary agent superstar Mort Janklow with wife Lynda, Ron Perelman, Carolina Herrera, Tom Freston, Elaine Wynn, Vera Wang, Sandra Bernhardt, Alana Stewart, Ellen Barkin.

Barbra Streisand sang My Funny Valentine and Make Someone Happy, with David Foster accompanying on the grand piano – she turned down a request to encore Over the Rainbow, which Patti La Belle sang. Then, Hugh Jackman performed a number from his hit show about Peter Allen, The Boy From Oz. Conceded by the movers-and-shakers who have been everywhere and seen everything, this was one of those you-had-to-be-there hoedown in the Big Apple.

“I’m having a Sally Field you-like-me moment,” sighed Natalie Cole, looking better than Vogue models we know in her figure-hugging Oscar de la Renta gown. (Whoever her stylist is, he or she goes to the head of the class.) Natalie was swallowing a lump in her throat when Gladys Knight presented her with the 19th Ella Award, named for Ella Fitzgerald. The annual Society of Singers dinner at the Beverly Hilton was organized by that Energizer Bunny Jerry Sharell, president and CEO. Jerry’s assisted by Judy Varley and Wendy Garfinkel.

Natalie dueted with Kenny Babyface Edmonds on her and dad Nat King Cole’s signature song, Unforgettable, and then snapped into A Tisket, A Tasket, the song made famous in 1938 by her idol Ella Fitzgerald, before reminiscing about being a tot and sitting in Ella’s lap. About Tisket, which was Ella’s first hit, Natalie claims, “It’s the best nursery rhyme I know.”

Doris Day was honored in absentia with the Legend Award, and Billie Barnum was saluted with the Voice Award, and all night long the Beverly Hilton was alive with music, music, music. Dave Koz promenading through the dinner tables, playing Route 66 on his saxophone, and Louie Cruz Beltram pounding out Afro-Cuban music on drums and bongos. Filling the room with song were Macy Gray, Patti Austin, James Ingram, Nikki Yanofsky, Ledisi, and Gladys Knight, her rich voice setting the bar higher than Mount Everest. We sat with Gladys’s agent, CAA’s Bryan Tarpley, Gladys’s assistant Steve Walker, and Gladys and husband William McDowell, who live between Las Vegas and his native Ashville, North Carolina, where he has a farm that we were invited to visit. Wed for ten years, William says they met at La Costa in Carlsbad. “I was wearing my white tennis shorts,” he winked, “and that was it.”

Uncle Jerry, as the Energizer Bunny calls himself, noted that the performers footed their own travel expenses (“came on their own dime”) to honor Natalie, and when he asked the crowd if they would like the Society of Singers to continue these rarified musical evenings, the “yes” shouts were deafening.

Through the years, SOS honored Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Elton John, Celine Dion, Placido Domingo, Julie Andrews, Johnny Mathis, Tony Martin, Andy Williams, Lena Horne, Barry Manilow, Joe Williams, Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme.

Founded in 1984 by Ginny Mancini and Gilda Maiken Anderson, SOS is a non-profit charity dedicated to providing “a safety net in times of emergency and other misfortunes” for singers in crisis. Ginny adds that SOS “supports the future of vocalists with scholarships for aspiring singers attending universities nationwide.”

Uncle Jerry revealed that SOS has helped more than 3,500 professional singers. “I was humbled by your generosity in lending a hand when I was down with a broken leg and a bone infection, requiring a nurse on a daily basis and fighting for my life for a year and a half,” writes Little Jimmy Scott in the souvenir program. “And thank you so much for easing my stress by contributing one month’s mortgage when everything was going out to pay bills, and nothing was coming in while I was unable to perform. You are a blessing to me.”

Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov would have reveled in the SOS evening. We’ve never forgotten his diktat: “Music unlocks the frozen rivers of the heart.” As do good deeds.