Word has it that Life Time Fitness at the Grand Hotel lost out on one part of Kris Humphries' "pre-nup party" because it didn't want to pay a $30,000 appearance fee.

While the official line is that Saturday's 9 p.m. party at restaurant Seven is for Humphries' local friends, an excellent source called me Wednesday to ask if I knew of Humphries' Minneapolis ENGAGEMENT PARTY for his August nups with reality TV star Kim Kardashian. There are still other whispers that the pride of Chaska and New Jersey Nets player is finally getting around to putting big money where his philanthropic mouth is and having a fundraiser for his foundation.

Either somebody's extremely disorganized or there's a huge misinformation campaign afoot.

Now, I strongly prefer the engagement party talk because that means downtown should be crawling with KARDASHIANS, most importantly Kim, and, dare I hope, Mombo herself, Kris Jenner?

Then my well-placed Life Time Fitness source burst that bubble by telling me that Humphries' people canceled a dinner at the Grand using, brace yourself, this peculiar sentence: Kim is not supposed to be around his family right now.

The Grand Hotel dinner was scuttled, I'm told, when Life Time was not interested in comping the meal or paying a $30,000 appearance fee.

No one at Seven returned calls Wednesday.

K-ray imagesHow will you ever forget where you were when Kim Kardashian kissed an X-ray image of her own derriere?

For the sake of reality TV, KK unnecessarily exposed her good health to radiation to disprove tabloid reports that her big butt is not a silicone add-on that recently exploded.

CNN's Anderson Cooper could not resist mentioning this weighty issue in one of his "RidicuList" reports. Among the phrases "AC 360" deployed for the segment: "The straw that broke the camel's back ..." "It's all about the bunn-jamins ..." "Would she be willing to put the 'ass' back in classy ..." and "Would an X-ray really help us get to the bottom of this world crisis?"

David Letterman's commentary: "And then she had her head X-rayed -- nothing there either."

Max and FriendsThat's one interesting post-performance ritual drummer Max Weinberg engaged in Tuesday night following his last show at the Dakota.

Weinberg went into the kitchen and began washing his hands and arms, surgical scrub-style. Then I noticed that he was shirtless, scrubbing his shoulders and upper back. I looked around for ABC's John Quiñones, wandering if "What Would You Do?" was doing a "Punk'd" episode. I left, so I can't say whether Weinberg went the full Gaga and stripped down to his underwear like that pop nut lady.

Weinberg, who is a gorgeous man, brought a band of all-stars with him to the Dakota: Chicago's singer-guitarist-organist Bill Champlin and his talented pianist son Will Champlin; smooth-jazz chart topper and "American Idol" featured sax soloist Mindi Abair; Bobby Watson, the bass player for Rufus featuring Chaka Khan; Steve Madeo, trumpeter extraordinaire for Stevie Wonder and the Rolling Stones, and the inestimable sax player Tom Saviano.

Saviano co-produced my pal Shaun LaBelle's CD "Desert Nights," from which his new single, "It's Not Over," featuring Stokley Williams, is being released.

LaBelle introduced me to his longtime friends Madeo and Saviano for my startribune.com/video. There's a funny, if a little sadistic, Madeo story about a trick he once played on Wonder at a swimming pool.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. Attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen on Fox 9 Thursday mornings.