Scene City: Gala for Elton John AIDS Foundation

On Oct. 12, an article about Wyclef Jean and the financial mismanagement of his charity, Yéle, was on the front page of this newspaper. Earlier this week, an op-ed column in The Los Angeles Times said that Lance Armstrong was using his foundation, Livestrong, as a “force-field to ward off doping accusations.”

So forgive Sir Elton John if he sounded a little cocky on Monday night at the annual gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, at Cipriani Wall Street, as famous attendees like Matt Lauer, Brooke Shields, RuPaul and Courtney Love came out in force.

How could he not feel a little vindication, after raising over $275 million in the last 20 years with nary a whiff of scandal?

“In the ’70s and ’80s, I ran a football club in England and I had done a lot of benefits for other people,” Sir Elton said. “I saw the hotel rooms and the planes. I’m not stupid. I thought, ‘How are they going to have any money left over?’ ”

“We kept it small, we kept our eye on the ball,” he added. “My mantra was, ‘Do not waste money.’ ”

But he still seems to know how to hold a party with ample eye candy. During the cocktail hour, the hall seemed to be filled with about half the members from the Equinox gym at West 12th Street and Greenwich Avenue. A hop, skip and a jump away, Alan Cumming worked the red carpet in an orange plaid suit.

“I thought, there aren’t many occasions where you could wear this and feel you wouldn’t be outdoing the host,” he said, shrugging.

When Anderson Cooper took to the stage at around 8:30 p.m. to fulfill his duties as host, he professed to being bowled over at the prospect of a Stevie Nicks performance.

“How excited are you?” he asked the audience. “I’ve got my big hat, I’ve got my wind machine, I’ve got my white bird.”

Around 9:30, Jamie Niven of Sotheby’s held a live auction. Lily Safra, the Brazilian-Monegasque philanthropist, snapped up a pair of Warhol cow prints for $44,000. Ms. Shields, in a sparkly white gown from Angel Sanchez, snatched a portrait session with Jean-Philippe Delhomme for $20,000.

Lunch with Mr. Cooper went for $44,000, a Matthew Brandt photograph for $42,000 and a vacation package in Tuscany for $38,000. (The night raised $2 million, according to organizers.)

Finally, around 10 p.m., the lights dimmed and Ms. Nicks performed 40 minutes of her greatest hits, including “Stand Back,” “Landslide” and “Dreams.”

By the time she got around to the encore, “Edge of Seventeen,” the entire room was on its feet. Lance Bass was singing along. Donna Karan was doing a little shoulder-bob thing. Even Christine C. Quinn took a break from running for mayor to get down.

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