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With only five party-planning days left 'til Hollywood Christmas, there is still so very much to be done to ensure the ensuing after-parties are sufficiently grossly overdone and insensitive to much of everything else going on in the world. To the rescue comes Oscar fete-giver non-pareil Elton John, who will be throwing out every stop short of a solid Godiva climbing-wall erupting in nougat on the half-hour to siphon A-list guests away from his arch Oscar party rival, the Vanity Fair shindig:

Elton...has lined up music genius John Legend to treat VIP guests to tracks from his hit album Get Lifted at the Pacific Design Center. [...]


"I am so thrilled that he won three Grammys last week and even more thrilled that he will be playing at our Oscars party."

Our insider tells us: "Vanity Fair and Elton always throw the hottest parties but this year the competition is stiffer than ever. [...]

We have it on good authority that the chosen few will also walk off with goodie-bags filled with jewellery, perfume and exclusive hair products.

While the rivalry between Sir Elton and Graydon Carter is entertaining, this year things have gotten somewhat out of hand, with reports that the two plan on settling their differences at the Governor's Ball buffet table, with a winner-takes-all match of naked truffle-oil wrestling.