He made the right choice...

Thank goodness...

Did Elton John Drop His Pants for Charity?

Sharon Stone sure knows how to get people to pay up.

She was a guest auctioneer at Elton John and David Furnish's Oscar gala benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation. And while coaxing one fella to bid $1 million for a 1971 Stingray Corvette donated by her family, Stone sneered, "Don't be a p--sy!"

Sir Elton joined Stone onstage to try to get even more money for it. "Elton and I will sing a duet," Stone joked.

Better yet, John announced, "I'll take my trousers off."

Also up for bid was a rare black-and-white print by the late photographer Helmut Newton. X-Men: The Last Stand director Brett Ratner bid first with $150,000. When bidding hit a high of $900,000, the auctioneer pleaded with Ratner to go for a million. "You have the money," the auctioneer said.

Ratner didn't bite.

Around 9:50, John started the night's performance with "The Bitch Is Back." Here's what else went down...

A maybe pregnant Minnie Driver moved closer to the stage, swaying back and forth with a male pal. If she's expecting, her Empire-waisted gown hid her bump well. (My gossip cohort Hollywood Party Girl reported earlier that when Driver was asked on the press line if she was going to be a mommy, she simply answered, "No comment.")

At about the same time, I saw conservative media baron Rupert Murdoch and his wife, Wendi Deng, checking out the Chopard jewels on display. One of the many gays at the bash told me, "God, I was so tempted to trip him."

John's performance continued with surprise duets, including Jack Shears of the Scissor Sisters and Mary J. Blige.

Sitting at the head table with Stone, designer Donna Karan was suddenly but playfully accosted by a man in a gold shirt and tight black pants. He jumped on a chair behind her and started dancing, and he ended up gyrating against the back of her head!

More stars, like Tom Wilkinson and Jeremy Piven, arrived around 10:30. And then came Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart. They were escorted to a spot not far from the stage, where they danced arm in arm to John and Blige singing "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues."

Heidi Klum was a late arrival, along with hubby Seal. She'd changed from the red John Galliano dress she wore to the show into a metallic minidress.

Then Prince made his entrance—with three women. They immediately took a seat on the couch, surrounded by four security guards.

The very last celeb I saw make it in was Best Actress winner Marion Cotillard. She and her friends were taken to the couch where Prince had been sitting and toasted with champagne. She had to have been in heaven, don't you think?

—Filed by Marc Malkin