Chris Brown has released a short video today addressing his fans and offering up his apologies for his assault on his ex-girlfriend Rihanna back in February. As y’all should know by now, Brown worked out a plea agreement where he will serve out a sentence of probation instead of going to prison for physically assaulting Rihanna. This new video is meant for Chris to talk directly to fans and apologize for his criminal behavior:

The video really speaks for itself. He reveals that he wanted to apologize sooner but decided not to on the advice of his lawyers. While I’m impressed that he does not offer any excuses for his criminal actions, he is still on my shitlist. I don’t know that I will ever be able to see Chris Brown the way I used to see him before this incident but, at the very least, he is finally offering up the apology that many people have been waiting for for some time. After the jump, check out the video in full and judge for yourselves if this mea culpa is good enough …

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Just hours after news broke of the death of Michael Jackson last Thursday, a tribute song titled Better on the Other Side (featuring The Game, Chris Brown, Sean P. Diddy Combs et al.) was leaked to the Internets in honor of the late King of Pop. Today, we get our first look at the accompanying music video. Be Warned: some of the lyrics may be offensive to some viewers:

Only a day after Michael Jackson’s untimely death, a few artists have come together to record a tribute song in remembrance of the late, great pop star. When Los Angeles based DJ Skee told his good friend, The Game, about the passing of Michael, the rapper was shocked. But once it sunk in, he locked himself in the studio and came out with “Better On The Other Side.” “After I called Game and told him the news, he put this tribute together and produced this amazing record,” DJ Skee tweeted Friday morning (June 26). “Yesterday I told Game about MJ’s death and he didn’t believe it.” The new song, which leaked Friday (June 26), featuring Game spitting alongside Chris Brown, Diddy, Polow Da Don, Mario Winans, Usher and Boyz II Men, while DJ Khalil produced the track.

I have to say, for the song being put together so hasitly after MJ’s death it’s not a bad song at all. I got to hear it last week but I think I like it better with a music video. The images of fans mourning MJ’s death makes it feel more poignant. It’s a very nice tribute, wouldn’t you agree?

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So … we all prolly know by now that Chris Brown managed to work out a plea bargain in court yesterday that resulted in his conviction on felony assault against his ex-girlfriend Rihanna (who was also in court yesterday, apparently ready to tell her side of the story to the court). His punishment? 5 years probation and 180 days of “hard labor” cleaning up the streets of his home State of Virginia. I understand that this is a typical sentence for first time offenders of assault … which kinda sickens me. The court system is basically saying that you can assault a person of your choosing and only face probation and street cleaning as punishment. But I digress. Here are photos of both Chris Brown and Rihanna in court yesterday and a full rundown of the day’s events:

With Rihanna set to break her silence in her assault case, Chris Brown reached a plea agreement that spared him jail time, it was announced Monday. Brown, 20, will be sentenced to five years probation and 180 days of community labor to be served in Virginia. He will also complete a year of domestic violence classes, and pay fines. In exchange, he pleaded guilty to felony assault by means likely to cause great bodily injury. “Mr. Brown, I think it’s commendable that you took responsibility for your conduct,” said Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg. Brown also was ordered to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna – except at industry events, when it’s 10 yards – despite a request from Rihanna’s lawyer for a less-restrictive order. For now, Brown was also ordered not to have any contact with her, which includes by phone, email or text. “He’s very thankful to all the people who’ve been very supportive,” said Brown’s attorney, Mark Geragos. “This is a kid who’s never been in trouble before, who wants to move past this and make sure that the message gets out that these kinds of things, of domestic violence, are not acceptable. And that he has accepted responsibility and continues to do so and embraces this as an opportunity for him to get his life back on track and his career back on track.” If he violates probation, Brown will face four years in prison. His formal sentencing is set for Aug. 5, when the court will drop a second charge of making criminal threats. Noting that Brown pleaded to a felony, Schnegg said, “I want Mr. Brown to be treated the same as any other defendant who would come into this court. That means something like Caltrans [trash pickup] or graffiti removal.” Brown had been charged with two felony counts – assault and making criminal threats – in the alleged fight that left Rihanna bruised and bloodied. The plea deal was reached shortly before Rihanna, 21, was to testify under subpoena in a preliminary hearing. Brown, wearing gray suit, off-white tie, and matching handkerchief in his front pocket, entered the courtroom shortly after 1:30 p.m. About 10 of his friends and family, including his mother, were seated in the audience.

After the judge addressed him, Brown left the courtroom and Rihanna, wearing a black dress and pearls, was brought in for the judge to explain the plea deal terms to the singer. The two were never in the courtroom at the same time. She stood before Judge Schnegg who told her that the court will consider reducing the stay-away order to the least-restrictive one after he’s sentenced. Rihanna’s only words in open court were: “Thank you, your honor,” before she was led out a special exit. According to a search warrant, Rihanna was assaulted during an argument that began when she read text messages from another woman on Brown’s phone as they driving in a Lamborghini in L.A. the morning before the pair were both scheduled to perform on the Grammy Awards. An enraged Brown allegedly tried to force her out of the car, hit her head against the passenger window, punched in her left eye and drove away while steering with one hand and continuing to punch her with the other, says the detective’s notes in the search warrant. As blood filled Rihanna’s mouth, Brown allegedly told her, “I’m going to beat the shit out of you when we get home. You wait and see!” Rihanna then pretended to call her assistant and left a fake message saying, “I am on my way home. Make sure the cops are there when I get there.” The police notes say that prompted Brown to reply: “You just did the stupidest thing ever. Now I’m really going to kill you.”

I guess I’m kinda disgusted that the ruling judge commended Chris Brown for “taking responsibility” for his actions. If he had truly taken responsibility, he would’ve turned himself into cops months ago, admitted his crimes and served a real punishment for assault. What really happened was that his hot shot lawyer managed to work out a deal where Brown only got a slap on the wrists for his felonious actions. I suppose at this point we are to hope that Brown has learned his lesson and will stay out of trubs for the rest of his life. Should he violate his probation in any way in the next 5 years, I believe he will be slapped with a more substantial punishment. In the end, I suppose we should be glad that all of this drama is over. My hope is that Rihanna can move forward from all of this in a healthy manner. Let’s not forget, she is the victim in all of this … whether she chooses to believe it or not.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

TMZ is now reporting that Chris Brown worked out a plea bargain agreement that “punishes” him with probation — for the FELONY assault of Rihanna:

Chris Brown has copped a plea in his assault case. He won’t do jail time. He’s also been ordered to completely stay clear from Rihanna. He’ll spend 180 days doing hard labor in Virginia which is where Brown lives – it’s equivalent to Caltrans or graffiti cleanup. He gets 5 years probation for FELONY assault — he pled guilty. He’ll get supervised probation. He’ll have to come back to court every three months. He must enroll in a domestic violence counseling program. The judge said she wanted to make sure that Chris Brown “was treated as any other person who comes through this court.” If Brown violates probation, he could get up to 4 years in prison.

Um … this sounds like a whole lotta bullshizz to me. Totally unsurprising and yet still gravely disappointing. No jail time at all for assaulting Rihanna … a fact that he legally confesses to by taking this plea agreement. Celebrity justice, y’all.

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TMZ is reporting that both Chris Brown and Rihanna have arrived at court and that a news camera has been allowed inside the courtroom when previously it was reported that NO cameras would be allowed. Earlier today, TMZ reported that Brown may have worked out a plea bargain that may be announced today. Considering that a camera has been allowed inside the courtroom, news of a plea bargain may turn out to be true:

Chris Brown just walked into the court in downtown Los Angeles, through a sea of media and law enforcement. Officially, his preliminary hearing is set to begin at 1:30 PT and Rihanna is supposed to testify. But Brown’s lawyer was in chambers this AM with the prosecutor and the judge. We’re hearing they may announce a deal when the case is called.

UPDATE: Rihanna’s lawyer is in court but she isn’t there. It smells like a plea deal.

UPDATE: BIG CHANGE. RIHANNA IS IN THE COURTHOUSE. THAT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE A PLEA BARGAIN. She’s wearing all black with sunglasses — looks like a pop star going to a funeral.

UPDATE: Even though Rihanna’s there it still does feel like plea bargain

UPDATE: HUGE … THEY’VE JUST ALLOWED A CAMERA IN THE COURTROOM. OUR SOURCES SAY IF A CAMERA WAS LET IN THAT MEANS THERE ALMOST CERTAINLY IS A PLEA BARGAIN

HMMM … when TMZ starts writing in all CAPS, you can be sure they’re all riled up about somethin’. I’ll update this post with news once we know for sure if Chris Brown got a plea bargain or not. Keep in mind that just because a deal may have been struck that doesn’t necessarily mean that he won’t get any jail time. A plea bargain just means that both sides agree to a deal to close the criminal case … he may have copped to a deal that only involves a small amount of jail time. Stay tuned …

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Yesterday we learned that Chris Brown’s attorney, Mark Geragos, filed an appeal with the California Supreme Court (the highest court in the State) to ask that Brown’s court hearing on Monday June 22 be delayed so that Garagos could have more time to prepare. A similar request was asked of a lower California court but it was already denied. On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court also denied Geragos’s request for a delay … meaning that Chris Brown and all interested parties (including the alleged assault victim, Rihanna, who has been subpoenaed to appear at the hearing) will be in court on Monday to begin the proceedings of his criminal trial:

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a request to delay an upcoming hearing in the case of R&B singer Chris Brown, who is accused of assaulting his former girlfriend, pop star Rihanna. Brown’s Los Angeles-based attorney Mark Geragos sought to delay a hearing set for Monday, but that hearing will now go on as scheduled with Brown, whose hit records include “Kiss Kiss” and “Run It,” expected to appear, according to court records. At the hearing, evidence is expected to be presented against Brown, who is accused of having assaulted and made criminal threats to “Umbrella” singer Rihanna in February following a Los Angeles party on the eve of the music industry’s Grammy awards. Geragos was seeking information about a police probe into a photo of Rihanna, looking bruised and bloody, that was taken by Los Angeles detectives after the alleged assault and later leaked to the media. A lower court judge had denied Geragos’ request saying it was too soon to seek information about the leak, and the state Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld that ruling, according to a posting of the decision on the court’s website. Brown has pleaded not guilty in the case. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted. An attorney for Rihanna, has said that if requested she will testify against her former boyfriend at Monday’s hearing.

And that, my friends, is that. Barring any outrageous incidents between now and Monday, Chris Brown will be hauled into court to begin facing the music for his alleged assault of Rihanna. It should be clarified that none of Geragos’s legal wrangling is any proof of Brown’s guilt but it does make it seem as if they would do anything to keep from having the trial get underway. I suppose one might imagine that a totally innocent person would welcome the chance to prove their innocence in a court of law … but, for whatever reason, Brown’s legal team thinks it is best to delay, delay, delay. Again, anything could happen before Monday to cause a hearing delay (illness, alien invasion, Armageddon) but … my guess is that the hearing will go on as scheduled … much to Chris Brown’s chagrin.

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Chris Brown’s attorney, Mark Garagos, filed a motion with the California Supreme Court yesterday asking the high court to delay the start of Brown’s criminal trial proceedings which are scheduled to get underway this coming Monday. Garagos first asked the LA District Court for this court hearing delay but he was brutally rebuffed … so Garagos decided to appeal to a higher power. As yet, the California Supreme Court has not ruled on this motion … but you know that Brown must be shakin’ in his sneakers that his day of reckoning is growing ever closer:

An attorney for R&B singer Chris Brown has asked the California Supreme Court to delay the assault case against the pop star until it can rule on the lawyer’s attempt to get information from police. Court records showed on Tuesday that the court has not ruled on the request by attorney Mark Geragos, who is defending the 20-year-old Brown against a charge that in February he beat former girlfriend Rihanna, who is also a pop star. Geragos’ appeal with the California Supreme Court seeks to delay a Los Angeles Superior Court hearing set for Monday. Geragos is seeking the delay while he asks the California Supreme Court to rule on his request for information from Los Angeles police. Geragos wants details on a police probe of a photo leak that showed Rihanna looking bruised and bloodied. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg last month denied Geragos’ request for information about the photo leak, saying it was too early in the case to deal with that. Rihanna, 21, has been called to appear at the Los Angeles court hearing set for Monday and if asked to testify, her attorney has said she will do so. Brown would also be present.

While it is true that all attorneys do everything they can to delay court appearances for as long as possible in order to prepare the best case possible for their clients, you can kinda smell the desperation coming from the Brown camp. I’m absolutely certain that Brown does NOT want to see the inside of a courtroom again — especially if it means that he may be forced to eventually see the inside of a jail cell as a result of that court appearance. I’m sure Brown’s team was hoping that the case would be dismissed or settled by now … but, thus far, that has not been the case. I find it highly unlikely that the California Supreme Court will rule to delay Monday’s court hearing but … I suppose you just never know. If the SC denies Garagos’s motion then all the interested parties (including the alleged victim Rihanna) should be in court on Monday. After all these months since the alleged assault took place … the case may finally getting underway.

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