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Dwindling Dollars, Jackson's Disappearing Act Mar APLA Fund-Raising Extravaganza

Two million dollars isn't chump change. And certainly Nathan Lane, Warren Beatty, Brendan Fraser, Rupert Everett and Gucci's Tom Ford sparkled brightly in the celestial atmosphere created by DreamWorks SKG co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin at AIDS Project Los Angeles' Commit-ment to Life XI on May 27.

But the empty seats at the Universal Studios Amphitheatre and scarcity of top name talent at the event, which honored Levin, Ford and singer Janet Jackson, attested to the difficulty of throwing a major fund-raising event at a time when many feel the AIDS crisis is over.

And then there was the problem of Jackson's if-you-blinked-you-missed-it appearance. Beloved for her multiplatinum album "The Velvet Rope," in which she remembered friends who died of AIDS, it was hoped that Jackson might perform as had other CTL honorees like Neil Diamond. Instead, the diminutive singer--wearing a floppy, gray hat that almost completely obscured her face--spent longer getting to the stage than she spent on it.

"It's truly an honor to be here tonight," Jackson whispered. "I'll never stop doing all I can possibly do. I'm so honored, I'm just really speechless." With that she walked off.

For a few seconds the audience sat silently, anticipating a flash of lights, the bang of drums and guitars and smoke rolling out as the backdrop lifted to reveal Miss Jackson striking a pose with a coterie of back up singers and dancers. But the seconds stretched into awkwardness until finally Ziggy Marley led others onstage, urging the audience to "Get up, stand up for your rights." That ended the show, about an hour and a half after its late start.

Last year, CTL raised $3.2 million honoring comedians Jim Carrey and Rosie O'Donnell and top corporate executives Joe Roth and Ron Burkle. Because it was the 10th anniversary, CTL founder Elizabeth Taylor showed up as did, among others, Jodie Foster, Sandra Bullock, Barry Diller, and Merv Griffin, whose production company annually produces the event.

This year's poignancy came from Time Warner's Levin who, forsaking a teleprompter, explained that he wasn't just a "suit from New York," but rather cared personally about the AIDS crisis. He talked about how CNN has done reports on failing drug therapies and "how we're right back to ground zero with people we thought we were saving." He closed with a quote from Albert Camus, hoping that the evening would produce a "gentle string of life and hope."

--Karen Ocamb