It was like all those boldfaced names in my columns coming to life.

That was the feeling, as I watched and listened and soaked in that tribute for yours truly, this past Sunday at the Waikiki nei Showroom at the Royal Hawaiian Center.

It was a gathering of stars. On stage, in the seating gallery, on screen.

It attracted friends, performers and hundreds of readers (some I met for the first time), who've been along on my journey via the newspaper these past 44 1/2 years.

So I retire ... and I get this biggie, because my longtime friend Cha Thompson called a few peers and wanted to do something to mark the milestone. Feel still undeserving, but it was funderful.

From a simple feast around her kitchen table (big, but too small  for the folks who wanted to say aloha), the idea surged into a showroom extravaganza requiring scores of committee folks and volunteers and musicians and technicians and ticket-sellers ...

You get the idea.

So yes, I'm stoked - filled with  exhilaration and gratitude, a memory that will never be forgotten. And just because I'm pau hana.

From a numbers standpoint, 700 attended the event, sat through a marvelous no-intermission mini-marathon of four hours-plus, and got their money's worth — and more.

At least $32,000 was raised, well over the $14,000 goal, plus a charitable on-the-spot donation from Carole Kai ($5,000), with one Island businessman anonymously donating $2,000 for the cause without expecting credit.

So Helping Hands and The Advertiser Christmas Fund are happy campers — charity and kokua was the bottom line.

More than 80 stars/acts appeared, in person or digitally, including a live iChat with magician David Copperfield, who was doing a gig in El Paso, but paused long enough to share his aloha.

If you're old enough, you'll recall that before he became David Copperfield, the wizard of ah's who could make the Statue of Liberty disappear and survive the implosion of a building and teleport folks from a showroom to a far-off destination, he was a kid with a can-do attitude who launched his trek to fame at the Pagoda restaurant's C'est Si Bon club back when we were all young and ambitious.

Copperfield's ascent had parallels in the Island galaxy, as many of the folks involved in the biz of show began as struggling artists with a zeal to perform.

That they returned to share aloha via song, hula, 'ukulele-strumming and comedy was a humbling and truly touching element.

It made me feel that you're only as good as the audience you serve, and there was plenty of validation that these incredibly talented people are every bit of the success they alluded as they  reflected on the end of my 44 1/2-year tenure.

That's a lifetime of memories compacted into a frisky and formidable show that surely lifted spirits in this spell of a dour economy, job loss, foreclosure and an uncertain and cloudy future.

Personally, there were some teary moments:

• Loretta Ables Sayre's backstage aloha, involving her co-stars from "South Pacific" via video — a validation that Island stars can  reach for the moon and find their place in the show-biz universe. Met them all last summer during a visit. She somebody — forever.

• The surprise reunion of The Fabulous Krush, with still-in-charge Edwin Ramones, joined by Hal Bradbury; when he sang "Waialua Sky," the moisty eyes turned to genuine tears ... of happiness and reflection. Jessie Gamiao, Freddy Von Paraz (on loan from the Society of Seven Las Vegas) and two kinfolk of Bucci Canencia, his brother and his cousin. All about 'ohana and roots.

• A "Les Misérables" medley, my all-time-favorite musical (seen it more than 20 times, here and elsewhere), courtesy Diamond Head Theatre, with Tricia Marciel ("I Had a Dream"), Shawna Masuda ("On My Own") and Layton "Elika" Santos ("Do You Hear the People Sing"). My heart was filled with love, with watery eyes.

• Dean Pitchford ... singing? For the scriptwriter-composer, it was a departure of style. Let's hear it for this local-boy Oscar winnah!

"The entertainers brought back many wonderful memories from our days of our youth and we simply sat back and soaked it all in," Karen Maeda, a retired University of Hawai'i secretary, said in an e-mail. "It was the 'Show of Stars' of Hawai'i, and just as Wayne was overwhelmed, we were overjoyed with it all. I hope somebody made a video out of this!"

And from Claire Sato, retired librarian: "It was such a blast to be so royally entertained. I had the greatest time ... "

One visitor told Cha Thompson that she should take this show on the road.

Indeed, the wealth of talent (The Brothers Cazimero slipping in a wedge of "A Chorus Line" alongside the Hawaiiana — and dropping names like Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho), the range of musical memories (Marlene Sai doing "Waikiki," Karen Keawehawaii singing with Cha dancing), even a sample of sexy fun (Tony Young from Manoa Valley Theatre's "Rocky Horror Show") and tita-ness to da max (Melveen Leed) had delighted the house.

Add Amy Hanaialaii, Jake Shimabukuro and Taimane Gardner, Frank DeLima and Augie T. (and Rey), Carole Kai and Kevin I doing shtick,  and Jordan Segundo, Rolando Sanchez, Danny Kaleikini, SOS LV, Danny Couch, Afatia, the Reccas, Jeff Rasmussen, Cathy Foy, Ken Makuakane, Kanoe Miller, Honolulu Theatre for Youth's "Rap's Hawaii" trio and the Steve Jones Trio. And wow, Shari Lynn should be on Broadway, don't you think? And wasn't gentleman Jim Nabors special? Gollee.

Jimmy Borges concocted those special lyrics for the opening and closing numbers — hey Jeremiah, take this talent on the road!

The emcee, of course, was Al Waterson, who had a script but a quick wit to improv when needed.

The collectible T-shirts (the image was "borrowed" for the program cover) was the brainchild of Frannie Kirk of Outrigger Entertainment, and that meant  $500 more for charity.

And that's the biz of show that I loved for 44 years ... and still loving it now. Mahalo plenty, to all of you ...