Rihanna rocks celeb-studded NBA All-Star game (omg!)

Singer Rihanna performs during half-time of the NBA All-Star basketball game in Los Angeles, February 20, 2011. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL ENTERTAINMENT)Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - With a celebrity-studded crowd looking on, Rihanna rocked the halftime show at the NBA All-Star game on her 23rd birthday.

She had some other big names helping her sing her hits Sunday, with Drake joining in on "What's My Name?" and working "happy birthday" into the lyrics. Dripping in gold chains, a red-clad Kanye West came out for "All of the Lights."

At halftime, the lights inside Staples Center went out and the video screens filled with water droplets, setting the stage for Rihanna to emerge from behind a wall singing "Umbrella."

While it was a working day for Rihanna, her fellow music stars relaxed in their seats while watching the 60th annual All-Star game.

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Justin Bieber Named MVP of 2011 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game

This kid really is everywhere, as you learned last night if you caught the NBA's sold-out All-Star Celebrity Game in Los Angeles.

Contributing eight points, two rebounds and four assists to his team (which lost), Justin Bieber ended up winning the title of Most Valuable Player by game's end, according to an NPR report, which describes the "vertically challenged" pop star "bouncing with every step" as he "scampered" to the screams of girls in the stands.

What was Bieber's secret to MVP glory? Recruiting his legion of loyal followers on Twitter to vote via text, and lock up the title for him. It certainly wasn't due to the 3-pointer he missed, a shot that would have tied the score with just 30 seconds left on the clock.

About his teammate, Rick Fox said, "He has the softest hair." The former Laker (and recent 'DWTS' dancer) reportedly patted Bieber on the head midway through the game.

Bieber's other Western Conference teammates included 'Chuck' star Zach Levi, Trey Songz, Romeo Miller and Lamar Odom's brother-in-law, Rob Kardashian. They were coached by Magic Johnson, with official assistance from Jimmy Kimmel and 'Modern Family' star Ty Burrell. Despite all that talent, the Eastern Conference won 54-49.

The roster of professionals on the court also included WNBA stars Tamika Catchings and Swin Cash.

During the game, Bieber summed it up: "I'm just running back and forth. I'm controlling this whole team. I'm just kidding."

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J. Cole, Wale NBA All-Star Weekend Show Features Drake, Melanie Fiona

NBA All-Star Weekend is officially under way in Los Angeles, and Wale and J. Cole helped to kick it off with a sold-out show at the House of Blues in West Hollywood on Friday night. The Roc Nation duo treated their fans, who had braved the uncharacteristically cold and damp Southern California weather, with an amazing performance as well as a surprise guest.

Drake hit the stage during J. Cole's set to perform their salacious smash hit "In the Morning." The crowd erupted as soon as the track began to play, but it got even louder once Drake hit the stage to seduce nearly every young lady in attendance with his romantic style.

"Baby, you wintertime cold/ The night is still young, drink that dinner wine slow/ I'm trying to make the goose bumps on your inner thigh show."

J. Cole and Drake released the video for the track this past week on Valentine's Day. It features behind-the-scenes footage from their Paris stop on Drake's Lights, Dreams and Nightmares European tour. When MTV News caught up with Cole before the show, he said that video was meant to be something really organic, even though it's becoming something much bigger.

"It was really a viral video. At the end of the day, it wasn't supposed to be a Hype Williams production or nothing. I wanted it to be really organic, just to document the tour. Just to document that moment in my life, or our lives, touring Europe for the first time."

Cole said this was his first All-Star weekend, and he loved the energy it brought to the town. He has been in L.A. for two weeks now, since the Grammy Awards as well as working on his project with Kendrick Lamar. He said he hopes to play in the All-Star celebrity game next year to fulfill his hoop dreams.

Another Canadian singer hopped on the stage as well. Fellow Roc Nation artist Melanie Fiona joined Cole and Wale onstage for their first-ever performance of Wale's "Beautiful Bliss."

Wale opened his show with his usual vigor. During his set, which included tracks from his More About Nothing mixtape and Attention Deficit, the crowd roared once his collaboration with Waka Flocka and Roscoe Dash came on. But by that time, he had already cleared a space for himself to dance and shake his dreads as the crowd helped him rap. As far as he was concerned, it was business as usual, making sure the crowd had an amazing time.

"We're used to this now. We've done a lot of sold-out shows together. I just think the significance of this is it being All-Star weekend," Wale said. "I think being a quote-unquote 'real' hip-hop show, that's what makes it special."

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Rihanna, Kanye West Bring 'All Of The Lights' To All-Star Game

Hometown hero Kobe Bryant may have blistered the Eastern Conference during the first half of Sunday night's (February 20) NBA All-Star Game, but it took Rihanna , Drake, and Kanye West to bring the Los Angeles crowd to their feet, with a rollicking performance during half-time of the gala sporting event.

Wearing a jet black ensemble and flanked on either side by string instrumentalists, RiRi opened the set with an orchestral arrangement of her hit "Umbrella," before segueing into the faster tempo of "Only Girl" and "Rude Boy."

Rihanna was joined on stage for her fourth song when collaborator and rumored former paramour Drake jumped up from the audience to sing the duo's hit "What's My Name."

The rapper might have even scored the most points of the night by managing to work "Happy Birthday" into the song's lyrics for Rihanna, who was celebrating turning 23-years-old. 

But with apologies to Drake (and Chris Paul), the assist of the evening came from Kanye West, who made a surprise appearance at the Staples Center to join Rihanna in singing the pair's new single, "All Of The Lights," just one day after the release of the song's video.

Backed by three large video screens that flashed disorienting, bright colors at lightning speeds, the performance was almost a recreation of the video, in fact, particularly the section inspired by Gaspar Noe's 2009 French film "Enter the Void."

As with any All-Star game, though, all the stars weren't on stage. While Rihanna, Drake, and Kanye performed, Jay-Z, Sean Combs, and MVP of the celebrity All-Star game Justin Bieber among others sat courtside.

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Justin Bieber Named MVP Of 2011 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game

As his quest for world domination continues, Justin Bieber took to the basketball court on Friday evening to co-headline the 2011 BBVA NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in Los Angeles. And even though his team lost, the teen sensation won the coveted title of MVP at the end of the star-studded game.

Bieber did his best to play alongside fellow celebrity participants including Romeo, Common, Rob Kardashian, Trey Songz, actor Michael Rapaport and Nick Cannon. Basketball stars Scottie Pippen, Bill Walton, Rick Fox, Jalen Rose, Mitch Richmond, Chris Mullin and Swin Cash rounded out the game players. While NBA luminary Bill Walton coached the Eastern Conference, Magic Johnson served as instructor for the Western Conference.

With the star talent covering the court, the East and West teams delivered steady competition against one another. But once the third quarter kicked in, the East Conference began dominating the scoreboard with a 41-33 lead. Bieber proved his basketball skills to his West team with a stat line that included eight points, two rebounds and four assists. But in the end, the Eastern Conference took the game by storm with a final score of 54-49 (Western).

Despite his team's loss, the Biebster won over the play-by-play sports commentators, who praised the teen star when he scored. "Justin Bieber! He could be thinking about that MVP award. He has game," one announcer said.

And as predicted, the celebrity all-star showdown ended with ESPN's Heather Cox awarding the Most Valuable Player trophy to the teen sensation. "We're just here. We're having a good time. We went out there and beat them," Bieber joked. "It was all because of my boy Magic over here."

Earlier in the game, Bieber rounded up his legion of Twitter followers to vote for him as Most Valuable Player during the star-studded game, tweeting, "Everyone text 'bieber' to 69622 for me to be MVP in the all-star celeb game. I'm going in!!! Haha."

Not only were his Beliebers able to snatch the title for the pop star, they also showed their support for the 16-year-old singer by creating yet another trending topic on Twitter called "BIEBER ALERT."

Did you watch Justin play during the 2011 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game? Tell us in the comments below!

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Nicki Minaj Rips Through L.A. Club Set During NBA All-Star Weekend

Hip-hop's Barbie took her multi-colored wigs to Hollywood last night just in time to kick off the 2011 NBA All-Star weekend.

Nicki Minaj, flanked by her sideman/homey SB, took the stage at club Exchange in downtown Los Angeles, just a few blocks from the Staples Center, where the All-Star festivities are taking place throughout the weekend.

Not long after entering the massive venue, which was filled with a sea of Barbie fans, the Queens native made a beeline for the DJ booth and swiftly grabbed the mic from DJ Biz Markie, following a set by fellow rapper Rick Ross. Ross had just finished tearing through his own hits including club anthems "B.M.F," "9 Piece," "Aston Martin Music" and "Hustlin'." But after Rozay, the Los Angeles audience got who they were waiting for.

"Where my New York people at?" Nicki asked her fans as she stepped to the stage. From there, Nicki went into her latest single, "Moment for Life," which features Young Money capo Drake. "I fly with the stars in the skies/ I am no longer trying to survive/ I believe that life is a prize/ But to live doesn't mean you're alive," Nicki rapped as the audience sang and bounced along.

But the best was yet to come.

After cutting her song short during the Drake verse, the "legendary Biz Markie," as Ross referred to the iconic MC, cued up Nicki's controversial record "Roman's Revenge" to the female MC's surprise, sending the crowd into a rage.

"I am not Jasmine, I am Aladdin/ So far ahead, these bums is laggin'/ See me in that new thing, bums is gaggin'/ I'm startin' to feel like a dungeon dragon/ Raah, raah, like a dungeon dragon," an amped Nicki rapped.

Midway through her first verse on "Roman," the MC stepped away from the stage and disappeared into the night for the final time.

There's been no word if Nicki's abrupt ending was planned or not, but regardless, fans went home happy, comfortable with every penny spent to catch a glimpse of rap's most-wanted girl.

For the remainder of the weekend, Nicki is slated to appear at a host of events including a grand finale at the same location on Sunday night featuring manager Diddy.

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