Rihanna had amazing plans for her big 21st birthday bash. According to In Touch, the February 20th party was going to have more than 200 guests and a circus theme. That was before Chris Brown attacked her, which has resulted in all sorts of let-downs for Rihanna since then.

Rihanna had big plans for her 21st birthday – a carnival-themed bash in New York City complete with performers, a lavish spread and more than 200 guests. But sadly, those plans have changed. In seclusion after reportedly suffering a severe beating at the hands of her boyfriend, Chris Brown, Rihanna has canceled the party, along with several upcoming concert dates.

[From In Touch, March 2, 2009, print ed.]

What’d she do instead? Well, it wasn’t anything like sitting at home alone, but it didn’t compare to a carnival birthday party.

There still might be drama with Chris Brown, but Life & Style can exclusively report that Rihanna celebrated her 21st birthday in style: going to a movie with friends and then partying the night away! “Rihanna, accompanied by some pals, first went to an early showing of Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail in Santa Monica” an eyewitness tells Life & Style. “She looked beautiful. She was wearing glasses, so you couldn’t see her eyes, but she looked fine to me. “After the movie, Rihanna hit up the Hollywood Hills for a birthday party in her honor.

“People were scrambling at her feet to make sure her every wish was granted. There was birthday cake, champagne, you name it!” a party guest tells Life & Style. And how did the songstress handle all the attention? “She was a bit shy at first and kept her glasses on most of the night. But once she saw her old crew and got used to being out, she really got into it. She was even dancing!” the party guest reveals. “You could tell she was happy to be out. She needed it.” The party wrapped up with her friends serenading her with “Happy Birthday.” “That definitely made her smile!” the party guest says. “She’s healing and it will take time, but she still looked beautiful.”

[From Life & Style Weekly]

It sounds like Rihanna still had fun, but it obviously wasn’t the birthday party she had planned. It’d be a pretty amazing party for most of us, but in terms of Hollywood events it sounds average. And there is nothing wrong with that at all, it’s just sad that Rihanna didn’t get to have the once-in-a-lifetime event she had planned.

Celebitchy pointed out how significant it was that Rihanna had to cancel her Grammy performance. That’s the biggest event there is for a musician, and to have to miss it is a big deal. There were also rumors that she’d been scheduled to perform at the Oscars and had to cancel, though that was never confirmed.

So how are things going for Chris Brown? Not too well, not that most people are shedding a tear for him. Brown is scared for his life, has been receiving a lot of threats, and is surrounded by security.

As Rihanna celebrated her 21st birthday in LA on February 20 with friends, Chris Brown remained in seclusion surrounded by the bodyguards he has hired to protect him. “Chris is scared,” says an insider. “Not only did he probably lose his career and his girlfriend, but he’s also fearing for his security and his life.” Chris, 19, who was arrested on February 8 for making criminal threats, has good reason to watch his back. After reports that he allegedly hurt Rihanna during an argument in a parked car, there have been calls for bans on his music as well as those who have vowed to seek revenge. “Chris is a marked man,” a music insider says. “He faces criminal charges and possible jail time, but he’s going to have to deal with Rihanna’s legion of fans and her close-knit friends in the industry.” And the leak of a police photo on February 19 of a bruised and bloodied Rihanna only made things worse. “That photo was the last straw,” the music insider says. “The threats started pouring in the moment that appeared online.”

[From In Touch Weekly]

Obviously I don’t have any empathy for Chris Brown and his threats. He deserves every consequence imaginable for what he did, and I hope he gets them. He had a lot of talent. It’s too bad he chose to behave in such a monstrous, unconscionable way, because he could have had a decent career. Instinct tells me that Rihanna is only going to get bigger and bigger – if that’s possible – and no one’s going to remember Brown as anything other than the guy who assaulted her.

Here’s Rihanna on tour in Australia, Nov 4-10, 2008. Images thanks to Fame.