Christina Aguilera performs at halftime Sunday during the NBA All-Star Game at the Thomas & Mack Center. Photo by K.M. Cannon. The Western Conference All-Star dancers perform during a break in Sunday's game. Photo by Craig L. Moran. Danny Gans, center, along with backup singers, performs the national anthem before Sunday's opening tip at the Thomas & Mack Center. Photo by Craig L. Moran. Basketball fans stand as Danny Gans sings the national anthem Sunday. Photo by John Gurzinski. Siegfried Fischbacher, right, and Roy Horn attend the NBA All-Star Game at the Thomas & Mack. "Welcome to Las Vegas," announced Siegfried at the beginning of Sunday's show. "For one night only, what happens in Las Vegas is broadcast around the world." Photo by K.M. Cannon.

It was as evocative of Las Vegas as acres of buffets and money-hungry slot machines, full bellies and empty pockets.

The NBA All-Star Game normally tips its hat to its host city when it comes to selecting entertainers for the event. At last year's game in Houston for example, native pop vocal troupe Destiny's Child sang the national anthem.

But when the festivities came to Las Vegas, the show became all about Sin City, right from the onset.

"Welcome to Las Vegas," announced Siegfried Fischbacher, of Siegfried and Roy fame, at the beginning of the show. "For one night only, what happens in Las Vegas is broadcast around the world."

And what the world saw was old-school Vegas colliding with a new era of headliners like a pair of rams locking gilded horns.

Wayne Newton got the evening started with a medley of hits during the player introductions, launching into "Viva Las Vegas" flanked by a bevy of "Folies Bergere" showgirls in flowing aqua gowns and towering pink headdresses.

Preternaturally tan, looking as if he's spent a couple of weeks roasting beneath a heat lamp, Newton smiled wide and purred into his gold microphone like a kitten getting its belly rubbed.

Newton's voice isn't all that commanding any more, but he gets by on the nonstop charisma of a really good used car salesman.

He strapped on a guitar for "Great Balls of Fire," though he didn't seem to really play it much, and donned a violin for "I Feel Good." Then came "Danke Schoen," of course, though the throbbing beat occasionally drowned out Newton's voice.

Shortly thereafter, fellow Vegas mainstay Danny Gans was enlisted to sing the national anthem.

A proficient, occasionally milquetoast performer, Gans sang competently, surrounded by four backup singers.

But his rendition lacked fireworks -- it was more of a layup than a slam dunk -- and was a rare low-key moment on this night.

Also prone to understatement these days is Toni Braxton, who performed at halftime.

Braxton's voice has settled into a deep, low simmer, and she never seems to be exerting herself much as she glides through her tunes.

Strutting about in a sparkly sheer dress, looking like a disco ball incarnate, Braxton's voice was frequently lost in the mix and bounced around the cavernous arena haphazardly.

Braxton's a classy singer, but she also seems a little aloof and disconnected at times, and this night was no exception.

Following Braxton -- after a brief performance by Cirque du Soleil in which chiseled dudes batted around furry batons -- was Christina Aguilera, a roaring campfire compared to the smoldering ember that is Braxton.

Aguilera is a great singer. This is her best attribute, and at times, her worst. She doesn't just hit the high notes, she puts them in a headlock and then digs her fingernails in, as if she's holding on for dear life.

During her performance at halftime, Aguilera punctuated her tunes with so much extraneous bellowing, she occasionally sounded as if she was being sawed in half.

Roaring through her hit "Ain't No Other Man," Aguilera strutted down a glittery stairway in a fedora and a black pantsuit.

She vamped it up, donning a sailor's hat for "Candy Man," swishing her hips as if they were spring loaded.

"We drink champagne and dance all night," she wailed during the song.

Of course you do, dear. After all, this is Las Vegas.