Betty White with her big birthday cake at the Tribute To America’s Golden Girl LAST SUNDAY evening at the historic Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, three hundred invitedonly guests joined “It” girl Betty White to celebrate her 90th birthday. With a guest of honor considered to be one of the most beloved persons on the planet, how does one fete her appropriately? Simply invite some of her best friends and show biz colleagues, play clips of her wideranging talent and let her end the festivities by thanking everyone for being her friend in song and dance.

Amy Poehler opened the show and immediately hailed White as an early comedic influence. But apparently from the White’s reply to Poehler’s fan letter when she was starting out, White wanted nothing to do with helping the blonde newbie. Poehler returned the compliment by poking fun at White’s age - all in fun, of course. From that moment on, the guest list was staggering with two other queens of comedy in attendance bringing the house to their feet as they appeared on stage in separate segments: Betty’s costars and longtime friends, Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Burnett. White played the perky, promiscuous “Happy Homemaker” Sue Ann Nivens on Moore’s show and guest-starred three times on Burnett’s. Cast members from those classic 1970s hits appearing included Ed Asner, Valerie Harper and Gavin MacLeod (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Vicki Lawrence from The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family with Burnett too. Moore talked about the casting of White after Harper left for the Rhoda spin-off and told the audience how the producers were looking for a Betty White-type when someone had the idea to actually cast Betty White. Burnett also covered White’s work on The Golden Girls as the dim-witted Rose Nylund, her other iconic TV character. Hot in Cleveland’s Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick paid high honors to their costar and teased White about there being many robot Betty Whites that brought joy, mystery and even romance to the world to the likes of George Clooney. White’s Hallmark Hall of Fame’s The Lost Valentine costar, Jennifer Love Hewiit, helped acknowledge White’s tireless work and devotion to animals. (White is nominated for two 2012 SAG Awards for her performances in Lost Valentine and in Hot in Cleveland.)

But it wasn’t only ladies night. John O’Hurley sang All I Care About Love from the musical Chicago, blowing the house away with high notes. William Shatner who claimed he got his ticket to fly to the event through priceline.com (for which he’s a commercial spokesperson) was outraged about all the products White has peddled in TV ads in her career, from Geritol to Snickers candy. But it was Zach Levi was most satisfied after he had the opportunity to propose to White and make out with her.

The evening has its fair share of endearing and funny pretaped segments by a bevy of stars, showering White with love and digs about her age and other assorted pokes. Tina Fey commented on White’s advice to her about doing nudity, Hugh Jackman about showering and making out with her on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Ellen DeGeneres demonstrating a motorized cart to get seniors around while making a toast. Chevy Chase, Brad Garrett, Morgan Freeman, Jay Leno, Joel McHale, Seth Meyers, Tracy Morgan, Carl Reiner and Ray Romano also appear.

White’s career was highlighted throughout, beginning with her work in radio in the 1940s and then at the dawn of television in which she easily made the transition, producing her own shows, winning an early Emmy Award for Life with Elizabeth (1950s) and many more for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, Just Men! (1983 game show she hosted) and her 2010 Facebook-campaign landing gig on Saturday Night Live, bringing her total to six trophies. The 90- minute special will feature many clips from her vast career but there’s not enough time to fully experience all that she has accomplished – that’s what DVDs and the Internet are for.

Betty White’s 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America’s Golden Girl airs the day before her birthday - January 16, 2012at 8pm on NBC. It’s MUST SEE TV!!!