Elton John bows out of BBC appearance

Elton John decided not to come to the taping of the BBC show Have I Got News for You at the last minute, pleading he was too tired, according to the British tabloid The Sun. The quiz show features two teams of two people, so the absence left producers scrambling at the last minute for a replacement, which they were unable to find. The show will go out showing an empty seat where the singer was supposed to have been. The flamboyant performer should consider himself fortunate, however; according to the BBC version of this story, when Labour Party leader Roy Hattersley failed to show up for his taping, viewers saw a tub of lard occupying the politicians chair.