It was comeback night at the BET Awards.

Kanye West opened Sunday’s show in his first TV appearance since dissing Taylor Swift at last year’s MTV Video Music Awards. T.I. made a triumphant return to TV for his first performance since being released from prison in December. And 1980s hitmaker El DeBarge blazed back onto the stage to play old hits and the title track from his first new album in 16 years.

But most unexpected was Chris Brown, who offered an emotional tribute to Michael Jackson.

The embattled pop star has mostly kept a low profile since pleading guilty to felony assault for beating up Rihanna in February 2009. But here he was, center stage, mimicking Jackson’s signature dance moves with almost eerie accuracy. Introduced by Jermaine Jackson, Brown embodied the King of Pop, wearing his fedora and spangled glove and moonwalking across the stage to “Billie Jean.”
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Today Tiger Woods publicly apologized to his family and fans in front of millions and while most of us get to apologize privately celebrities hold press conferences and elaborate interviews.

Here is a glimpse at some other celebrities that have had to endure the sometimes painful and embarrassing spotlight. Read the full story

The artist: Chris Brown

The album: Graffiti (Jive)

The spin: If you listen to Chris Brown’s Graffiti in a vacuum, you will hear a solid, entertaining album, with a good balance of pillow talk, club grooves, heartfelt ballads and swagger anthems. The problem is, it’s not great enough to make you forget about the elephant in the room.

This is Brown’s first CD since his stunning fall from grace — the assault on former girlfriend, Rihanna. Before that happened, Brown was seen as THE heartthrob, a sexy musical dynamo with charm oozing through every groove. With his platinum-selling sophomore disc, Exclusive, he became the heir apparent to Usher, with such ballads as “With You” and airy, uptempo jams like Forever.

With Graffiti, Brown tries to pick up where he left off, but he can’t shake the cloud that hangs above him, and that cloud darkens the mood of even the best songs. On the cocky but alluring “Sing Like Me,” he boasts about the girls who can’t get enough of him, but when he sings, “when I put my hands on you, girl I’m gonna drive your body crazy,” you start thinking about what those hands have done in the past. Later, on the mechanical-sounding groove “Wait,” when guest Trey Songz brags that he can “hit it like a boxer,” it makes you cringe.

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The artist: Rihanna

The album: Rated R (Def Jam)

The spin: There is no way to review Rihanna’s new album Rated R without mentioning Chris Brown. After what happened earlier this year, their relationship is the proverbial elephant in the room.

The lead single “Russian Roulette” (“Know that I must pass this test / So just pull the trigger”) and its dark metaphor for love? The anthemic songs about how great she is on her own and the reflective ballads about lost love that every R&B album has? While she rarely explicitly mentions their relationship, almost everything about Rated R could be plausibly interpreted to be about Brown in some way.

It’s unfortunate, because Rated R should be judged on its own merits. Rihanna has become one of the most consistent hit-makers in pop music, and this album continues that trend. Five or six songs easily could be top 10 singles – from the Jeezy- and Slash-assisted club smashes (“Hard,” “Rockstar 101”) to the slower ballads (“Fire Bomb” and “Te Amo”) and songs that ably mix both styles (“Photographs” and “Wait Your Turn”).
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Chris Brown, whose moves back toward responsibility include help from a Kennedy family member and a club tour that’ll be making its way to Fort Lauderdale, released the first video from his new LP Graffiti on Tuesday.

“I Can Transform Ya” plays off the Transformers films/toys/cartoons and is built around a minimal groove laid down by the producing team Swizz Beatz. Lil Wayne plays a huge role in the song and video, which has an expensive sheen thanks to the glittering work of Joseph Kahn.

To me, the song plays off an “Iko-Iko”-styled vibe and by itself is a lot of fun, as is the video. Whether or not Brown can get past all the travails of the last few months, that’s completely another matter.

Thanks for the tip, MTV News!

Chris Brown's 'Fan Appreciation tour' heads to Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 28. (AP)

Page2Live.com: Kennedy clan’s Anthony Shriver eases woman-beater Chris Brown into redemption

Chris Brown is hoping the last few months are behind him as his tour heads to South Florida.

Months after the singer assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna, then took a plea deal, Brown is back out on the road on what he’s calling his “Fan Appreciation tour”. The tour is making a stop at Revolution Live on Nov. 29. Tickets go on sale Saturday.

Brown would likely rather people remember him for “Forever”, which thanks to a highly watched viral YouTube video found its way into the wedding episode of NBC’s The Office.
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Chris Brown has publicly pleaded for Rihanna to give him another chance.

The 20-year-old singer – who assaulted his on/off girlfriend in February, and was recently sentenced to five years probation and six months community labor – has romantically reached out to the ‘Umbrella’ singer online. Read the full story

It was supposed to be a thriller. Now it just looks bad.

Jermaine Jackson promised some of the planet’s biggest stars would take the stage in front of a 17th-century palace in Vienna for what’s been billed as the major global tribute to Michael Jackson.

So far, though, he hasn’t delivered top acts like Madonna for the Sept. 26 outdoor concert. And two of the supposedly confirmed headliners announced this week — Mary J. Blige and Chris Brown — apparently are out.

Blige’s publicist says she has another commitment. A person close to the situation told The Associated Press in Los Angeles that Brown won’t perform either and a spokeswoman for Natalie Cole suggested she, too, is iffy.
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Chris Brown has pleaded guilty and publicly apologized for beating Rihanna, but after Wednesday afternoon, plenty more hard work lies ahead.

The 20-year-old R&B singer is scheduled to be sentenced to five years of probation and six months of community labor. A judge has said she wants Brown, who will likely be allowed to serve his probation in his home state of Virginia, to do work that is comparable to graffiti removal or roadside cleanup.

The “Run It!” singer pleaded guilty in late June to felony assault before a preliminary hearing in which Rihanna was likely to testify.

The former couple never faced each other at that hearing. As Brown left through one door, Rihanna entered the courtroom from a private entrance.

Donald Etra, Rihanna’s attorney, said Tuesday that the 21-year-old singer would not appear in court for Brown’s sentencing. Etra said he would ask Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg to rescind a restraining order that keeps the pair from talking or meeting one another.

Etra said he would ask that it be replaced by an order that prohibits Brown from harassing, annoying or molesting Rihanna.

Brown said in a public apology video posted on his Web site July 20 that he had repeatedly apologized to Rihanna for the attack. He called his conduct “inexcusable” and pledged to do better.

“I saw firsthand what uncontrolled rage can do,” he tells viewers. “I have sought and am continuing to seek help to ensure that what occurred in February can never happen again.”

Schnegg will consider a report by probation officials and has warned Brown that he will face substantial scrutiny. She told him in June that he’ll have to return to California every three months and attend domestic violence counseling.

Brown was arrested Feb. 8, hours after an early morning fight erupted between the singer and his then-girlfriend in a car in Los Angeles’ Hancock Park neighborhood. A search warrant affidavit filed by police described the brutal attack, stating that Brown beat, choked and bit Rihanna and tried to push her out of the car.

The beating occurred hours before the pair were scheduled to appear at the Grammy Awards, and both have been forced to cancel several high-profile appearances since then.

Brown’s career has suffered, with radio stations refusing to play his music and sponsors dropping him.

Chris Brown on Monday publicly apologized for the beating of Rihanna, saying in a two-minute video that he’s still seeking help and wants to live his life as a role model.

Brown released the video on his Web site apologizing to fans and saying he is sad and ashamed of his conduct. He also tells viewers that he has repeatedly apologized to Rihanna.

Brown was arrested Feb. 8, hours after he fought with his then-girlfriend in a rented sports car after a pre-Grammy party. According to a police affidavit, Brown tried to push the 21-year-old Barbados-born singer from the car and repeatedly hit her and choked her.
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