Liza takes another walk down the aisle; half of Hollywood, it seems, on hand

<br>NEW YORK (AP) _ Guests at Liza Minnelli's fourth wedding said she danced at the altar Saturday as a bevy of celebrities helped her and producer David Gest celebrate their nuptials <br><br>Best

Sunday, March 17th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Guests at Liza Minnelli's fourth wedding said she danced at the altar Saturday as a bevy of celebrities helped her and producer David Gest celebrate their nuptials

Best man Michael Jackson carried the train of Minnelli's white, silk Bob Mackie dress until maid of honor Marisa Berenson remembered her duties, guests told reporters clustered outside the church.

Gossip columnist Liz Smith called it, ``the kissiest wedding I've ever seen.''

``They kissed the whole time,'' Smith said of Minnelli and the groom.

Other attendees said Minnelli danced at the altar after tying the knot.

The crowd outside Marble Collegiate Church screamed as the newlyweds slipped out a side door. A limousine waited to take them to a reception with an eclectic guest list reminiscent of Liza's days as a habitue of Studio 54.

``This is the closest we'll ever get to this kind of stuff,'' said Alyce Hoffman of Akron, Ohio.

The guest list featured such A-list stars as actors Anthony Hopkins and Michael Douglas, rocker Elton John and TV news personalities Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters.

Others arriving in limos, Rolls-Royces and even yellow cabs were celebrities such as David Hasselhoff, Phyllis Diller and Robert Goulet.

``This was one of the most thrilling weddings I've ever been to,'' actor Mickey Rooney told reporters and photographers as fans watched from across the street. Curious New Yorkers observed from rooftops and apartment windows.

Saturday's wedding extravaganza had promised more excess than Minnelli's first three combined.

``Liza's Nutty Nuptials,'' proclaimed a headline in the New York Post, home of gossip columnist Cindy Adams (one of the 15 dressed-in-black bridesmaids selected for the soiree).

The bride and groom were introduced by Jackson last year when Minnelli appeared in Gest's television production of ``Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special.''

Minnelli was wed previously to entertainer Peter Allen (1967-72), producer Jack Haley Jr. (1974-79), and stage manager/sculptor Mark Gero (1979-92).

Minnelli, who turned 56 on Tuesday, will honeymoon in Thailand. Afterward, the daughter of Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli will launch a European tour that kicks off with five shows in London.

For Minnelli, the wedding marks a personal comeback. Early last year, she nearly died after a battle with encephalitis. She was severely overweight and worried she might never sing again.

``She just keeps coming back,'' Hasselhoff told reporters Saturday.

The bride was expected to be 90 pounds lighter when she put on the long, custom-made gown. And she credited her future husband, 48, with getting her back into shape _ which has not always been easy for Minnelli, winner of an Academy Award, an Emmy, two Golden Globes and three Tony Awards.

``David inspired me,'' she said last month in London. ``I lost a lot of weight ... the thinner I stay the better I feel.''