“I will never stop performing. Not so long as I am physically able and as long as people want to see me!”

That was Cher at the opening of the new Beverly Hills restaurant, Luau. The Oscar-winning actress and entertainer deluxe is apparently finished with thoughts of semi-retirement and extended “farewell” tours. She has been having a great time in Las Vegas, and clearly intends to let the good times roll. Her concerts, as opposed to Madonna’s, are not pulsating, punishing efforts to push her body to the max. (Awesome as Madonna’s power is, you really want her to relax at some point!)

Cher moves with reasonable agility — she was never a great dancer — sings a lot, with that powerful, unique voice, and gives her fans hit after recognizable hit. There’s a lot of beading and bangles involved. Old-fashioned glamour, baby — Cher’s still got it. And she does it all without breaking a sweat. Her shows are … joyful.

The opening at the Luau attracted the likes of Orlando Bloom, Elizabeth Hurley, Chelsea Handler, Garry Shandling, Nicollette Sheridan and David Spade. The statuesque “Desperate Housewives” vixen and the slight Spade surprised the crowd with their intimacy. Well, that’s one way for Nicollette to forget her studly ex, Michael Bolton — take a 180-degree turn!

But it was Cher, the one and only, who attracted the most attention. She is shy by nature and rarely seen on the scene. Our L.A. gad-about, Hal Lifson bravely approached and engaged the often wary Cher in a bit of chat.

Along with repping the spectacular, newly remodeled Riviera Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, Hal is a well-known historian of all things 1960s, and he immediately asked Cher about those early days of her career with Sonny Bono.

“Oh, I loved that time, even though I wasn’t a very good singer. [We disagree!] But that was the best time, musically. I loved that period. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Stones, of course. And you know who I really loved? The Hollies. Do you remember them?” (Of course Hal remembers the Hollies. He went on to entertain Cher with a list of all their hits!)

The star also revealed that she is doing a new album of all her favorite ’60s songs. “I am really excited about re-interpreting some of that music. It was a pivotal time in history and in my life personally.”

And there’s even a screen project on the burner, though Cher was reluctant to talk about it. Movie deals tend more often than not to vanish in pre-production mulling and meandering, scheduling and financing. But it is time to see Cher back in the movies. Her last was Franco Zeffirelli’s “Tea With Mussolini” and she was just great in that.

Funny thing. The other night while surfing the TV channels, I came across the episode of “Will & Grace” where Cher makes an appearance. Sean Hayes, who played the dizzy Cher-fan, refuses to believe it is really Cher. “I don’t need tips from a drag queen on how to ‘do’ Cher.” He says dismissively, and then gives an over-the-top impersonation. “Are you kidding me with this?” says the eternally deadpan Cher. Finally, she calls on her big “Moonstruck” scene with Nic Cage, and gives Sean a resounding smack in the face. “Snap out of it!” she barks and makes her exit. Sean faints.

Cher! It’s on the record. She promises she’ll never leave us. Long may she belt out “If I Could Turn Back Time.”