Fans witnessed sweet and true-blue Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers was sweet as could be to her fans at the Mall of America, but don't be so sure that Dr. Phil or Will Ferrell can expect the same treatment from her, not even if they arrive drenched in her jewelry.

After showcasing her line of jewelry in a fashion show Saturday, Rivers made real connections with her fans, looking them in the eyes, making sure to touch their hands in photos and handwriting what looked like another chapter into many books she autographed.

She has two new books. One is about her favorite medical pastime, "Men Are Stupid ... And They Like Big Boobs: A Woman's Guide to Beauty Through Plastic Surgery," and the other is a mystery, "Murder at the Academy Awards." She was also being followed around by a documentary crew, whose members must be having a blast because Rivers remains a biting comedian who never bites her tongue.

When asked about the most insulting thing that has ever been said to her, Rivers said it was something that Ferrell did while she was working a red carpet. He "broke into a conversation I was having on camera with Mike Nichols, turned and talked to him, totally ignored me. It was such an arrogant, hostile, unmannerly thing to do that it's really stayed with me, these four years." Rivers has no intention of discussing the matter with Ferrell because she never plans to speak with him "ever again."

I got a clue about Rivers' true feelings for Dr. Phil when she walked by a huge photo of him and his wife, Robin, in the mall's administrative offices. Tapping against the glass of the photo taken at the MOA, Rivers said, "Terrible man," and walked away.

When I asked Rivers what her beef with Dr. Phil was, the word "arrogant" came up again. Rivers said that she rented the same boat that Dr. Phil had rented previously and that all of the crew complained about how he treated them.

Rivers' voice was more raspy than usual because she has been working nonstop, but you could still understand all of the naughty words she said. While helping wardrobe consultant Sara Rogers (sararogers.com) with the color commentary at the fashion show, Rivers didn't quite go blue, but MOA veep Maureen Bausch could see into the future: "Monday I know I'm going to get phone calls, but it'll be worth it!"

One more thing: Rivers' face looks a lot scarier on the latest installment of NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" than it does in real life. "I'm not photogenic. You can't help the way you go through the camera," said Rivers, who had a lot of funny things to say at startribune.com/video.

Pure Rivers Fox 9's "Man About Town," Todd Walker, was stunned early Saturday morning when Rivers noted the availability of "scrotum lifts" during their live TV interview.

"Nothing's dragging," Walker said wryly on Monday about this ripe-for-YouTube moment. During a commercial break, Walker said, Rivers was talking about a reality show she's working on featuring billionaires. He said he knew one of the couples. Time-share billionaire David Siegel and his wife, Jacqueline, whom we met in Orlando at the opening of Steve Schussler's T-Rex restaurant. Rivers couldn't believe Walker knew them, so he dialed up Jacqueline.

Real story surfaces On Monday, the once-loquacious Charles Carlson wasn't talking much.

The reason can be found in a Minnesota Daily blockbuster of a story during which the student newspaper apparently confronted Carlson with a series of untrue statements he has made about his background: tinyurl.com/bked53. Not surprisingly, Carlson also told the Daily that he was dropping plans to run against Minneapolis City Council Member Cam Gordon.

Carlson did return my call. When I started asking questions -- is that English accent genuine? -- he refused to answer and said he was posting a statement on his website. His website will have to go some distance to outdo the Daily's story.

Last week, I received some strange responses from him when I asked him for the phone number of his dad, who Carlson has said was politically connected all the way up to the Clintons. Carlson eventually e-mailed me the number, but I told him that his answers had raised my suspicions. I also had heard that the Daily was working on the story about Carlson. It's a beauty.