Michael Jackson briefly came out of the woodwork this weekend to celebrate friend Christian Audigier’s 50th birthday in Los Angeles. The party was attended by some major showbiz heavyweights, including Britney Spears. That’s right, Britney and Michael were in the same room, and the universe did NOT implode. That’s a lot of potential crazy within 100 yards, easily enough to knock the earth off its axis.

Despite the potential hazards to humanity, the party went off without a hitch, with celebrities like Fergie, Pam Anderson, and Snoop Dogg also in attendance. However everyone was disappointed in the King of Pop, who failed to perform at the event – choosing to mutter a few words into a microphone and then exit hastily.

The crowd went wild as Michael Jackson strode purposefully on stage and picked up a microphone. Was this the moment he was going to break into song and end his years of silence? Er, no. The fallen star just muttered a few words… then slunk back into his self-imposed obscurity.

The huge anti-climax came at an exclusive showbiz party in Los Angeles to mark fashion designer Christian Audigier’s 50th birthday. A-list guests – including Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson – went into a frenzy as Audigier introduced the “King of Pop”. But all they got as Jacko, 49, stepped onto the platform was a whispered, “Hello”. He added politely: “Christian is the King of Fashion” before turning on his heels and trouping off.

An insider said: “Everyone went mad when he grabbed the microphone. The mood was electric. But sadly there was no impromptu gig. It was a shame because he looked in pretty good shape. He was obviously just putting in an appearance for his old pal Christian.”

[From the Mirror]

The Daily Mail notes that Britney was at the party, escorted by her father Jaime Spears and agent Jason Trawick. Fergie performed and Pamela Anderson gave a speech… which I’m guessing was super inspiring. But she did manage to flash the crowd – and nothing inspires like Pam Anderson’s ladybits. I didn’t realize that Britney’s dad was monitoring her so closely that he was actually her date to events. Hopefully he doesn’t go all Joe Simpson on her.

Michael Jackson disappointing isn’t really anything exciting, in and of itself. He’s not exactly the sort to surprise everyone and whip out a performance. Though apparently he did whip off his face mask for a while – and really, that’s about all we can hope for from the guy.

Here’s Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush, Christian Audigier and family, Fergie, Alessandra Ambrosio, Pamela Anderson at Audigier’s birthday party at the Petersen Automotive museum in Los Angeles on Friday. Images thanks to WENN.