No red carpet for Elton John; no Cheryl Tiegs for Dan Buettner

The news was whispered into her ear. "Elton's asking for me!" Tani Austin announced. She slipped behind the partition and off the red carpet at her Starkey Hearing Foundation annual gala Sunday.

When Elton John calls, the woman trying to give the world's children access to hearing aids goes. John "wanted a moment with her to give her a hug and say hello before the event got started," PR woman Patty Gibbs explained Monday. "Then she went to the meet-and-greet for some of the key sponsors," Gibbs added.

John is working his way into a permanent place on a bad list. Not only does he refuse to walk the red carpet, again, but now the diva also deprived us of the sight of charming Tani greeting her guests. The only reason I wanted video of Elton was for the readers. A photog for the event told me that Elton does not seem to like having his photo taken, which is one of the things that happens on the red carpet. No intelligence yet on why Billy Crystal and Gladys Knight ducked red carpet arrivals. Crystal also declined to do an interview with People magazine.

I was quite a bit more delighted to see Sally and George Pillsbury. This was their first appearance at the gala; in previous years they've had schedule conflicts. "Couldn't pass by seeing Tony Bennett," said Sally Pillsbury with a twinkle in her eyes. Before going up the escalators to mingle, George Pillsbury stopped by WCCO-AM's Michele Tafoya to check on a baseball score.

One of the smattering of locals awaiting the limos outside St. Paul's RiverCentre pressed a sign against the window near the media cage that read: "Bring Elton John outside."

A Buzz Aldrin fan held up a boxed product with the word "Astronaut" on it, no doubt looking for an autograph. Aldrin was as cute as the fans, as you can see at startribune.com/video, when asked whether aliens brought him to the gala: "No. Northwest. No, I'm sorry, Delta."

Marcus makes nice Marcus Fitzgerald ominously waved me over for a little chat. Despite the intense look in his eyes, he was making an attempt at PR on behalf of his dad, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., and his big brother, Larry Fitzgerald Jr.

Jr. was on his best behavior at the Starkey gala, maybe because this wasn't his event and there were lots of people watching. I should have known something was up the minute Jr. answered my question about how many diapers he has changed. "A few," Jr. said.

"Are we going to keep it positive, C.J.?" asked Marcus. While that was something of a barbed olive branch, Marcus gets points for trying. Sr. and Jr., the fabulous Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, have not been repressing their wrath over my reports about what has been in court papers related to Jr.'s son, Devin Nazario Fitzgerald, and Devin's mom, Angela Nazario, whose head Jr. allegedly pushed into some granite during a 2008 disagreement.

Marcus underscored the fact that we had no issues this day: "Not at all." Let's keep it that way. I can be positive as long as Jr. is as good in private as he was at the gala.

Brad the dad Coach Brad Childress admitted, "I cried a few tears" at his daughter Cara's wedding over the weekend.

My first stupid question to Childress, who was at the gala with his wife, Dru-Ann Childress, and two priests, was, of course, about Brett Favre.

How's Brett's golf game? "Wouldn't know," said Childress. Continuing with some of the ridiculous gossip being promoted by sports fans, I told Childress I thought he had been with Favre while shopping for condos on golf courses. "I have a little bit more to do than that," he said, laughing.

Like a daughter getting married? "Our first and only daughter," said Childress.

Sugarman's no sweetie Childress played more ball than Vikings trainer Eric Sugarman. How's Brett's shoulder? "I don't know what you're talking about," said Sugarman. Brett Favre, have you ever heard of him? "Brett Favre, no, uh-uh." At that point Sugarman's pants should have erupted into flames.

Dan yes, Cheryl no Dan Buettner arrived at the Starkey event suspiciously supermodel-less.

When asked where Cheryl Tiegs was, he made a joke about the woman from Starkey escorting him down the red carpet being "close enough" to a supermodel. Then he said, "She's in California." Consider this a disingenuous Hmmm from me, as Buettner should know that I know the answer to some questions I ask. (This gossip, if true, saddens me.)

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com.