The MC and DJ lacked the ability to fill the dead air with entertaining witticisms or dance-able music while a generally respectful and patient audience waited for MJ to appear which she finally did just after midnight. After paying $100 and upwards for a ticket, even though for a truly worthy charity, one expects a certain degree of production professionalism. In comparison to another charity event I attended last Thursday evening at a popular club where the crowd and ticket price were a mere fraction of One X One's, the entertainment value of last night's event was at the low end of the scale. The warm-up appearances included Eva Avila who performed 3 of her hits, while not at her vocal best, regardless, seemed under-appreciated for the level of success she has had. By the time MJ appeared, the crowd, which had been on their feet for up to four hours (many in heels), were either too weary or too intoxicated to get excited. As for MJ's performance, her vocals, while no doubt a powerhouse of range and passion, were often forced and at those times, harsh. All of the evenings performances sounded over-amped and this may account for the over-arching vocals. Between numbers, while attempting to connect with her audience, she came off preachy and analytical. Yes, there was an underlying importance to the evening of giving and caring for the less fortunate, but with her delayed appearance, the opportunity to appeal to this crowd had been lost. From where I was standing, their only interest appeared to be in manipulating and manoeuvering themselves in front of people who had been holding position for hours. So much for the brotherly love message.