Doesn't it feel like the whole world wants to hold Rihanna's hand today? Well except for Chris Brown, who is still finding new ways to smack a girl down from afar. After her tearful chat with Diane Sawyer this morning where Rihanna admitted she went back to Chris again and again and talked about how ashamed she was of herself for not being strong enough to leave an abusive relationship, women (and sensitive men) across the globe just wanted to be on that couch saying, "Girl we understand!" All of that Rihanna good-will must have been too much for Chris to handle since he will try to strip away some of her sympathy thunder tomorrow night when he vents in his own sit down with MTV News, a couple of hours before Rihanna's interview with 20/20 is scheduled to air. Is Brown doing damage control or is he just being a jerk? Our experts weigh in after the jump.
Chris already had his time to tell his side of the story. He did a series of interviews over the summer, including his admission of guilt and blanket apology on Larry King. Rihanna kept quiet then so why can't Chris let her have her moment now?
"Rihanna has a new album coming out and if these interviews go well they could really help put her career back on the right track," says Career Coach Tracey Steinberg. "If Chris Brown had always acted like a gentleman, he wouldn't be in this situation. If he wanted to do the gentlemanly thing now, he would let her have these moments."
In the pre-taped interview with MTV News' Sway tomorrow night, Brown says he is just trying to move on. "My thoughts basically now is just, 'Ok, How do we get past it?," Brown says. "How do you, Chris, go from point A to point B? How do you learn from your mistake, turn it into a positive and help other people with this situation and at the end of the day become the person that you want to be?"
Folks in the entertainment industry say they understand what Brown is trying to do and at the end of the day, artists need to do what they have to do to sell records.
"He has an album coming out and is getting ready to go on tour, he wants to make sure his and Rihanna's fans hear what he has to say and plug his agenda at the same time," explains public relations guru Rebecca Brooks, President of The Brooks Group.
So we can't expect either of these stars to slink out of the spotlight because it would just be bad business. Rihanna's "Rated R" will be released Nov. 20, while Brown follows with "Graffiti" on Dec. 8. Business or not, does it make what Chris is doing right?
"To release your album the same time as your ex girl that you beat is releasing hers on top of announcing you tour the day she drops her first single is not fooling anyone," says Pop Wrap's Ryan Brockington. "And don't even get me started on his dumb ass CD cover, where he is sportin' a pair of black tight pants that were probably left in his car by Rihanna when she ran for her life. On top of which he is holding a guitar ready to beat down a slew of animated goblins. Are you playing a game of 'How much crap can I pull over on the world Chris'?"
