Terrence Howard gave a statement last week supporting Chris brown, before quickly retracting it and claiming that he was unaware of the details of the situation. Terrence faced legal action in October 2008 for assaulting Tex Allen, and it has just come out that he was arrested for assaulting his estranged wife in 2001. Howard broke a door down and punched his wife in the face twice, and according to police records he even admitted it when the cops came. The Smoking Gun has uncovered the records of the incident:

The actor, who co-starred in “Iron Man” and was nominated in 2006 for an Academy Award for his role in “Hustle & Flow,” was arrested by Pennsylvania cops in September 2001 for assaulting his estranged wife. According to a Whitemarsh Police Department report, after Howard and Lori McCommas argued on the phone, the actor warned, “Don’t disrespect me by hanging up on me or I’ll come over and hurt you.” McCommas then “hung up and contacted 911 fearing Howard was serious.” While McCommas was speaking with a police dispatcher, Howard “showed up at the victim’s residence and began breaking the door down.” McCommas ran to the rear of the house and into the backyard. Howard then “broke the front door down and ran through the screen door in the kitchen. Howard then grabbed the victim’s left arm and punched her twice with a closed fist in the left side of the face.” The attack was broken up by Howard’s brother, who responded to McCommas’s house after he “saw Howard storm out of their house to go to the victim’s house.” When a Whitemarsh cop responded to the scene, Howard admitted, “I broke the door down and hit my wife.” A second officer noted there was “fresh damage to the front door and marks on the victim’s face and arm from being struck.” Police evidence photos show the damage Howard did to the doors in McCommas’s residence. After being charged with a variety of crimes (simple assault, terroristic threats, harassment and stalking), Howard subsequently pleaded guilty in 2002 to disorderly conduct.

Terrence originally said about Chris Brown and Rihanna that “It’s just life, man. Chris is a great guy. He’ll be all right. And Rihanna knows he loves her. She’ll be all right. Just everybody’s got to get out of their way.” He later retracted the statement, saying he had no idea what the incident was when he was initially asked to comment. I believed it when Terrence claimed that he had been unaware of the fight, but given his personal history maybe it would have been better to decline to comment.

Rihanna has yet to make an official statement, and Chris Brown’s statement/apology was vague. The only part of the story we know for sure is that there was a fight and Rihanna was injured, but the extent of the injuries, the cause of the fight and if it was the first time they fought is in question.

Terrence Howard is shown at the Golden Globes on 1/11/09 and at the Gotham Awards on 12/2/08. Credit: PRPhotos

Chris Brown has finally wised up a teeny, tiny bit and retained the services of a professional PR firm. Brown stupidly had his friends and family defending his actions and character last week, after he was arrested for severely assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna. He also made a few unfortunate comments on his Facebook page, which he of course now denies.

Brown has hired Sitrick & Company, who have a long history of helping celebs try to manage PR nightmares. There’s probably not much they can do to improve Brown’s situation, except speaking on his behalf. Which is still better than Chris speaking for himself.

Embattled R&B singer Chris Brown has hired the Los Angeles based crisis management PR firm of Sitrick & Company, as he attempts to counter a wave of bad press following his alleged altercation with his ex-girlfriend, pop star Rihanna, RadarOnline.com has learned.

Sitrick is considered an expert in navigating celebs through negative publicity because of unseemly situations stars may find themselves in. Chris Brown’s statement on Sunday was issued on behalf of Sitrick & Company, the first time the company has ever issued anything involving Brown. RadarOnline.com contacted p.r. brass at Sitrick, but was told they could not comment on when Brown retained them.

Michael Sitrick, whom reportedly charges $695 an hour, is well known for handling high profiles celebs when they find themselves on the wrong side of the headlines. From Halle Berry’s alleged hit-and-run mishap, Rush Limbaugh’s oxy-contin scandal to Kim Basinger’s bankruptcy, Sitrick’s client roster reads like a dossier of by-gone scandals.

Sitrick wrote in his book, “Spin: How to Turn The Power of the Press to Your Advantage,” ‘Correcting a problem is necessary, but alas, rarely sufficient; that is where the spin comes in.” Sitrick may attempt to spin the tragic events of that night, but the best p.r. professional probably won’t be able to save Chris Brown from the person that seems to be hurting him most, Chris Brown.

[From Radar]

Many celebs are speaking out, saying they don’t buy a word of Brown’s supposed apologies. Rosanne Barr shared a piece of her mind about the scandal, pointing out that Brown even uses the language typical of abusers.

Say what?
In a blistering new blog, comedienne Roseanne Barr lashes out at Chris Brown.

Roseanne writes:
“make me want to beat the crap out of him…he uses the language of the perpetrator just like every sleazy bastard who ever smacked his wife, kid mother or girlfriend around uses. you dirty bastard, I hope you go to prison for ten years. IT’S YOUR FAULT, A** HOLE! as for all the mealy mouthed hollywood and music scene chicks that can’t bring themselves to condemn a misogynistic bully, let me say this: your time as whores for propaganda is ending, bitches.”

[From Radar]

Us also asked ¾ of Hollywood to weigh in on the situation. Nearly everyone has an opinion, though several celebs chose to play it safe in their comments. Here are a few.

Gayle King said she wasn’t moved by Chris Brown apology, in which he said Sunday he is “saddened … over what transpired” with girlfriend Rihanna. “I can’t think of anything that makes me support anything that Chris Brown is saying at this time,” King tells Extra. “And my heart just aches for Rihanna.”

JAY-Z
“This is a real situation. You have to have compassion for others. Just imagine it being your sister or mom and then think about how we should talk about that. I just think we should all support her. She’s going through a tough time. You have to realize she’s a young girl, as well. She’s very young.”

UGLY BETTY’S MARK INDELICATO
“I don’t really know that much about it. I think that doing that to a woman is wrong in any way. It doesn’t matter who did it to you. But, you know, I don’t know that much about it, so I can’t really comment too much on it.”

MOLLY SIMS
“It’s so sad. I don’t think anybody knows the whole truth, but I guess the truth really doesn’t matter when [abuse] is the result. That should never happen, no matter what. And I love his music. That being said, I think [about] Rihanna: No girl, no woman, no mother, no sister, no friend, no one deserves that. Absolutely.”

MARK CURRY
“Women, throughout history, have been beaten and prostituted. Even today in movies and music, they’re portrayed as low-grade, so you know, he’s a youngster, and he can correct his ways. It’s just a tragedy – women and abuse.”

[From Us Weekly]

Rihanna is said to be appalled” “with Chris Brown’s half-hearted, self-serving apology. I was surprised that many celebrities decided to remain so neutral. I can understand making a “no comment.” But in Us Weekly’s article, Heidi Montag, Kellie Pickler, Carrie Underwood, Mary J. Blige, Ruben Studdard, Lindsay Lohan, and Nia Long all made some sort of ambivalent statements.

The comments ranged from things like, “They’re young, they can change,” to “I don’t know what happened, it’s between them,” to “they both have great careers and seem like nice people.” I tend to agree more with Rosanne (never did I think I’d use that sentence). I don’t need to know what happened, because there’s no excuse for how it ended.

Here’s Brown at the 2008 American Music Awards in November. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Nearly a week after the much talked about domestic abuse incident that left Rihanna with a black eye and split lip right before a scheduled Grammy performance, Chris Brown has issued a public apology. Brown doesn’t deny his part in the incident, but only says that a lot of the reports after the fact have been incorrect:

The following statement was issued Sunday by a spokesman on behalf of Chris Brown:

“Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired. I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God’s help, to emerging a better person.

“Much of what has been speculated or reported on blogs and/or reported in the media is wrong.

“While I would like to be able to talk about this more, until the legal issues are resolved, this is all I can say except that I have not written any messages or made any posts to Facebook, on blogs or any place else.

“Those posts or writings under my name are frauds,” the statement concludes.

At least Chris didn’t write that crap on Facebook about seeing Rihanna’s true colors and had the sense to wait until he had a more thoughtful response. It seems like too little too late, though. All the stories about how the fight happened – that Chris may have received a booty call text message, that Rihanna may have caught him talking to another famous woman, only served to complicate the story. It almost doesn’t matter how the fight came about if the result was that Rihanna was left bloodied, bruised and unconscious.

Jay-Z has urged people to support his protege Rihanna, and the way he worded his statement shows that he condemns Brown’s actions, even though he never mentions him at all:

Jay-Z struck a serious note Saturday when asked for his words of support for Rihanna.

“This is a real situation,” he said in Phoenix at the Sprite Green presents the Third Annual Two Kings dinner with Jay-Z and Lebron James, as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend.

“You have to have compassion for others. Just imagine it being your sister or mom and then think about how we should talk about that,” the hip-hop mogul, 39, continued.

“I just think we should all support her. She’s going through a tough time. You have to realize she’s a young girl, as well. She’s very young.”

[From People]

Rihanna does have a lot of support, but Chris, not so much. At least he’s apologized now, but that’s the type of thing he might not ever be able to make right. Many people have pointed out that if accused child molesters like R. Kelly and Micheal Jackson can recover, so can Brown. It can be argued that R. Kelly and Jackson never quite redeemed themselves to the public, though, and that their careers weren’t the same after the allegations.

Chris Brown is shown on 2/7/09 before Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party. Credit: PRPhotos

Carrie Underwood – who I used to kinda sorta like – made some very stupid comments about the Rihanna/Chris Brown situation. Perhaps she wasn’t thinking before she spoke and didn’t realize the implications her comments could have. But they were insensitive and insulting nonetheless. Underwood told Us Weekly that the pair were fine when they left Clive Davis’ Grammy party. And then she urged everyone to withhold judgment.

Carrie Underwood saw Chris Brown and Rihanna at Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy Gala in Beverly Hills on Saturday – hours before Brown allegedly assaulted his girlfriend.

“They were fine at the Grammy party,” Underwood told Usmagazine.com Thursday at the American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

“I don’t think anybody actually knows what happened,” she added. “I have no advice because, thank goodness, I’ve never been in any kind of abusive situation.”

She told Us she wishes people “would stop” spreading rumors about what led to the incident.

“You hear a new one every five minutes, and some of them are getting kind of ridiculous,” she said. “I really hope everyone will lay off and just let everybody who’s involved figure out everything first.”

[From OMG]

Here’s the problematic statement: “I don’t think anybody actually knows what happened.” We do know the basic fact that Rihanna was beaten senseless. She was bitten multiple times. She was choked into unconsciousness. She has black eyes and a split lip. This was a violent, rage-filled act. We know that happened. What Underwood is saying is that we don’t know what happened prior to that, as though there could be an explanation that would justify it. There is absolutely nothing that could have happened that excuses or explains domestic assault. And it’s not Rihanna’s job – or any woman’s job – to live her life walking on eggshells so she doesn’t provoke a beating from her boyfriend.

People magazine is even reporting on what Rihanna will have to do to heal from this terrible experience. And People is extraordinarily careful with what they print – but even they’re not going to placate Chris Brown and act like this is anything other than what it is: hateful, evil, and criminal.

As Rihanna recovers from Sunday morning’s alleged beating by her boyfriend, Chris Brown, the singer will need to tend to more than her bruises. According to experts, a victim must surround herself with people who will not make her feel responsible for what happened. “Friends, family, people who will give you good and positive information and not ask questions like, ‘So, what were you doing?’ ” explains Rita Smith, executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Adds Sheryl Cates, CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline: “I’d say to Rihanna, ‘You did not cause this.’ ”

As her physical wounds heal, Rihanna could still suffer sleeping problems, a change in eating patterns and a lack of concentration, says Smith. “She could also experience an exaggerated startle response,” says Smith. “Somebody raising their hand to say hi near her might bring a reaction.

“This is a normal response to being a victim of violence. Those things will lessen and go away, but they’ll be around for a while,” adds Smith. Joining a support group or speaking with a counselor involved in a domestic violence program can aid in healing, says Sue Else, president of the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

“Feeling like there is safety net around you is going to help that,” says Else. “Feeling like you’re not in this alone – that you didn’t do anything to cause it.”

[From People]

This is good information for anyone who has been or is currently a victim of domestic violence. Rihanna is fortunate in that she is not financially dependent on Brown, so in that one respect it is easier for her to leave him. Many women are not so lucky. Hopefully she has good people around to support her – she’s certainly got the vast majority of the public support. Her career is just going to get better – whereas Chris Brown is going to learn a very powerful lesson. Hopefully he will learn it through the legal system – but if not he’ll learn a lesser one through the court of public opinion – and nonexistent CD sales.

If you are being abused, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or visit their website at www.ndvh.org.

Here’s Carrie Underwood at Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy Gala on February 7th. Images thanks to WENN.

I almost don’t want to cover this, because I don’t want to believe that there are people in this world who think like this. Chris Brown’s cousin told Extra! that he must have been provoked since he wasn’t “brought up to beat on a woman.” It’s clear that he was raised in an environment in which that type of thing is tolerated, though, if his own cousin would say something so offensive:

Earlier today, Brown’s stepdad spoke out denying that he had ever been abusive to Brown’s mother–something the singer vehemently disagreed with in a 2007 interview. And now, the R&B singer’s cousin has stepped forward, making a controversial claim to Extra.

In a new interview airing tonight, Phylicia Thompson says of her cousin, “Chris was not brought up to beat on a woman. So it had to be something to provoke him for Chris to do it.”

Thompson continues, “He wouldn’t have done it just to be having fun…But what happens behind closed doors, nobody ever knows.”

[From OK! Magazine]

There are all sorts of stories about why Chris and Rihanna got in a fight, with many focusing on a potential booty-call text message that Chris received. It makes absolutely no difference to me what they were arguing about if the result of that argument is that Rihanna was choked into an unconsciousness, beaten about the face and bitten, and left there.

There is almost no excuse apart from extreme self defense that can justify that type of barbaric act. No one ever “has that coming,” no one can ever justify nearly killing someone else, and no one can ever “provoke” someone into strangling them and beating them black and blue unless they are being attacked and defending themselves, and it seems incredibly unlikely that was the case. These were two people that were in a relationship and one, the woman, ended up left there passed out with a split lip, black eyes, and bite marks. It’s hard to imagine any type of scenario in which Brown would fear for his life and inflict that kind of damage, but it’s easy to see how he might justify it in his twisted logic if his family is defending him by assuming he was provoked. He came from an environment in which he saw abuse against women and somehow thinks they have it coming. Instead of being a real man and breaking that chain of abuse he went on to continue it, and he should lose any chance at a career in the public spotlight if that’s indeed what happened. It’s looking more like that’s the case given the way he’s responded to it – by blaming the victim.

For those of you who think there is ever a scenario in a relationship where this is ok, I am so very sorry for you. You should never have to witness that type of thing at any stage of your life, particularly as a child, and you should never feel that you have to accept brutality in a relationship for any reason.

Chris Brown is shown on 2/6/09 at a pre-Grammy party

Just when you think Chris Brown cannot possibly make himself look any worse, he finds another way to look like an incredibly big asshole. Instead of being semi-smart and hiring a PR rep to navigate the huge mess he’s made for himself, Brown has been having his buddies talk to the press. And if that’s not enough, he’s started posting passive-aggressive crap on his private Facebook page too.

Disgraced R&B star Chris Brown has made his first statement following his alleged beating of superstar girlfriend Rihanna – he posted an update on his private Facebook page reading: “You’ll begin to see her true colors. Believe it!”

And it seems that the troubled singer has confirmed his split from the Barbadian beauty by changing his relationship status to ‘single’. Brown’s comment appears to suggest Rihanna, 20, is partly to blame for the alleged attack which left her with heavy bruising, scratches and bite marks.

In his profile picture, Brown is seen hugging a mystery brunette while smiling and pulling her leg across his body. The private page – listed under his full name Christopher Maurice Brown – has been exposed by mediatake-out.com.

It is separate to his public Facebook and MySpace pages used by his fans and lists his contact details as Jive Records, in New York. Neither Brown, 19, nor Rihanna have been seen publicly since the alleged punch up in a Los Angeles street following a pre-Grammy party on Sunday night.

The Umbrella singer has made no statement, although legions of concerned fans have flooded her MySpace page with messages of support.

[From The New York Post]

We’ll begin to see her true colors? What I’m guessing this means is that Rihanna did something that made Chris mad. And I think that’s safe to assume, because it’s unlikely – though not impossible – that he just randomly started beating on her. But it doesn’t matter what she did, what she said – nothing. There is no excuse for domestic violence. I’m assuming in Brown’s mind, whatever made him so angry is still justification for him beating the shit out of his girlfriend. Trying to put any blame on her makes it clear that, despite his friends’ claims that he “feels bad,” it’s clearly bullshit.

Brown’s sister also said, “He’s always been a good boy. Never violent… He’s doing good… He’s coping… He’s doing as to be expected.” One problem: no one gives a shit how he’s doing.

Just keep digging yourself deeper Chris. You’re losing your endorsements, your fans, and your famous friends. No one agrees with you and no one will stand up for you. Who knows what’ll happen legally – but your career is through.

Here’s Chris Brown in Dublin on January 31st. Images thanks to Bauer-Griffin.

Terrence Howard and T.I. came out separately in support of Chris Brown in the wake of reports that he beat his girlfriend, singer Rihanna, to the point of leaving her unconscious with a split lip and black eye. Both are now saying that they made those statements before they knew the supposed facts of the case and are retracting comments favorable to Brown, which may haven been interpreted as being dismissive of how serious the allegations are:

When asked by paparazzi last night if he had any comment on the Chris Brown incident with Rihanna, the actor said, “It’s just life, man. Chris is a great guy. He’ll be all right. And Rihanna knows he loves her. She’ll be all right. Just everybody’s got to get out of their way.”

But now, Howard is insisting he didn’t know about the allegations made against Brown when he made his remarks.

“When they asked me about Chris Brown the other day, I was in no way aware of what he had been accused of,” Howard said in a statement. “Had I known, I would have never had said something so insensitive.”
Howard is the second high-profile celeb in as many days to retract remarks they made about Brown and Rihanna.

Rapper T.I. issued a statement yesterday regretting comments he made the night before on Last Call With Carson Daly. T.I. said he “made a mistake of commenting before understanding the situation.”
T.I. told Daly that he had spoken to Brown since the alleged incident occurred early Sunday morning. “I told him, ‘This too shall pass.’ We’re celebrities, we’re entertainers, but we’re still human—all of us,” he said. “Don’t expect us not to make mistakes because we will.”

[From E! Online]

I believe them. Not everyone follows celebrity gossip as closely as we do, and they may have only heard brief reports and assumed that something else happened before more details came out. T.I. knows Brown and probably doesn’t consider him capable of something as barbaric as strangling and biting someone.

It’s possible these advance details we’ve been hearing, supposedly leaked from inside the LAPD, are incorrect and that the situation is different than we’ve been told. It’s best for celebrities to err on the safe side, though, and not to say they’re supportive of someone who was supposedly capable of doing that. It makes your heart sink to even think about that situation and you hope Rihanna is ok. If Chris did that to her, he needs to be prosecuted. A British source is reporting that Rihanna needs plastic surgery. I’ve seen that same paper routinely make up and embellish stories and am hoping that one is complete BS.

Chris Brown is thought to be in Las Vegas with his buddies holed up at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Somehow he thought it was a great idea to wait out a huge scandal over beating the shit out of his famous girlfriend by heading to Vegas. From the way this story is worded, it’s possible that he’s not in Vegas as rumored, but it sounds like E! has solid information:

E! News has learned that Brown, who is being investigated by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office for allegedly beating up his R&B star girlfriend, Rihanna, is holed up at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Vegas. He’s staying in a suite on an upper floor of the hotel.

According to a Sin City source, “They had to kick out any paparazzi that were around and get him tons of security to sneak him in.”

“We cannot confirm that Chris is staying with us,” a Hard Rock spokesman tells E! “However, several of his friends are staying on [the] property.”

There has been much speculation as to the 19-year-old Brown’s whereabouts since he was seen leaving an L.A. jail Sunday night after being booked on suspicion of making criminal threats. He had been spotted at a West Hollywood hotel and there was an unconfirmed report he had flown to be with his family in Virginia.

His case was turned over to the D.A.’s office Tuesday morning; prosecutors have asked for further investigation into the incident before they decide whether to press charges.

[From E! Online]

Maybe Chris is getting some of his stay comped, because it would be incredibly foolish of him to waste money on a hotel suite when his endorsement deals are drying up, his scheduled appearances canceled, and his career pretty much kaput. It also isn’t the best PR move to head to the party capital when the whole world is talking about what a creep you are.

Meanwhile Chris’ stylist is telling everyone that the poor guy “feels bad” about the situation and that it didn’t happen quite the way we’ve been hearing:

Chris Brown, who has not been seen publicly since allegedly assaulting girlfriend Rihanna, is a “good kid” who “feels very bad” about what has happened, his friend and stylist tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“Chris is all right. He’s a good kid. He feels very bad that something like this has happened,” his longtime wardrobe stylist Mike B. tells PEOPLE.

Another friend echoes that sentiment, telling PEOPLE, “You can tell everybody that Chris really feels bad about the whole situation, about it coming out the way that it happened, the way he went about it, the way she went about it … it’s just a wack situation.”

As for what really happened, the friend says the story is “not as bad as everybody is trying to gas it up to be.”

[From People]

Chris should hire a PR person to help him through this mess. I’m not saying I want to see him come out on top by any means, but he’s just looking like even more of a jerk by having friends say he “feels bad,” and giving vague cliche statements that amount to “it’s not what you think.” It could be true that we don’t know what happened and the initial details are wrong, but he’s not looking innocent by the way he’s behaving. He didn’t even release a statement.

A New York radio station has arranged a protest for Friday on Long Island in which Rihanna fans will rip up Chris Brown posters and stomp on his CDs. Hope he enjoys his little break in Vegas. Once he comes out of hiding there will be plenty of people who want a word with him.

Chris Brown is shown cruising in his Ferrari in LA on 2/2/09 and partying in Ireland on 2/1/09. Credit: WENN

There are obviously a ton of rumors going around about what went down between Rihanna and Chris Brown. That’s bound to happen with something of this nature, especially because both parties have remained silent. And people are naturally curious – domestic assaults aren’t often reported with celebrities. Right now there’s a photograph circulating around the web showing Rihanna with a severely bruised cheek and what appears to be a bite mark on her neck. However TMZ has shown that it’s clearly been doctored. But that shows how much interest there is in this case.

According to Us Weekly, two of Rihanna’s friends spotted obvious bruises on her neck in December – implying that there has been a pattern of domestic abuse.

Chris Brown may have roughed up Rihanna before their early Sunday morning altercation, two friends reveal in the new issue of Us Weekly (out today).

Brown — who is currently being investigated by Los Angeles county prosecutors after Rihanna allegedly accused him of assaulting her the night before the Grammys — always had a “volatile” relationship with the singer, an insider tells Us.

A Rihanna confidant adds that bruises were clearly visible on the singer’s neck in early December. Alarmed, “I asked is everything was OK with her and Chris,” says the pal. “She told me, ‘We broke up again.’ I didn’t pursue the issue further.”

Meanwhile, Brown’s sister, Lytrell “Tootie” Bundy, says the singer, 19, is “doing good” in light of his latest altercation with Rihanna. “He’s coping,” she told Extra on Wednesday. “He’s doing … [as well] as to be expected.”

Rihanna is said to be cooperating with Los Angeles detectives as they launch a battery investigation.

[From Us Weekly]

Obviously the veracity of the claims rests entirely on the truthfulness of these two friends – and there’s no way to know how thoroughly Us Weekly investigated them. Brown has admitted to threatening to kill his stepfather when he was younger, and he witnessed his mother being abused by him – which was denied by his stepfather. Statistically speaking, the first time police are called over a domestic abuse incident is not the first time one occurs. There’s normally been a history of it. Again, these are generalizations. But I would not be surprised to hear of more allegations coming out in the future.

Here’s Rihanna at The Grove in Los Angeles with a friend on February 4th. Images thanks to WENN.

The more details that come out in the Chris Brown and Rihanna saga, the worse Brown looks. E! Online has supposed insider details of the investigation. According to their source, not only did Chris Brown threaten to kill Rihanna according to what she told to police, but he strangled her so hard so lost consciousness. He then took off and left her there. Cops that responded to the scene were so worried about Rihanna when they found her in the car that they drove her directly to the hospital instead of calling an ambulance. It’s a good thing someone called the police when they did.

[Rihanna and Chris Brown] began squabbling after leaving Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party late Saturday. Shortly after midnight, things blew up. Brown pulled his silver Lamborghini to the side of a street in L.A.’s Hancock Park neighborhood. That’s when, per the source, Rihanna grabbed the car keys and tossed them out the window, sending Brown into a rage.
He tried in vain to find the keys, then came back to the car, put his hands around her neck and, according to the insider, said, “I’m going to kill you!”

According to the source, the 20-year-old “Disturbia” singer told police that she lost consciousness, and when she awoke, Brown had fled.

According to the source, her right eye was blackened and badly swollen and she had hand prints on her arms. The responding officers were so concerned about her, they drove Rihanna to the hospital in their squad car instead of waiting for an ambulance.

Officers took two sets of photographs of the banged-up singer, one at the scene and the second after she was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment. Those photos were presumably among the evidence presented to the district attorney.

After being treated for her injuries, police escorted her down a rear elevator and into a waiting Mercedes, the source says.

[From E! Online]

It’s pretty safe to assume that Brown’s promising career is over at this point, and his endorsement deals are quickly dissolving. He was dropped from a Wrigley’s gum campaign earlier in the week, his Got Milk? deal has ended, and there are even radio stations refusing to play his music.

People has more details of Rihanna’s injuries, which were previously said to be “horrific,” and it sounds like that account was unfortunately true. She had a black eye, “a swollen split lip and two red and purple contusions on either side of her forehead,” according to a source quoted in People.

Rihanna is now safe with her family in Barbados. Her grandmother told a local newspaper that she is “fine” and that her nose isn’t broken.

OK! Magazine and the NY Daily News both have potential details of the incidents that led up to the fight, but whatever they were arguing about hardly seems relevant now in light of the abusive way it ended.

Brown has said in the past that he grew up in an abusive home, and that his stepfather was physically abusive to his mother, a charge his stepfather denies.

Both Rihanna and Chris have canceled scheduled upcoming appearances. It doesn’t sound like Brown will have many offers after the dust settles.

Rihanna and Chris Brown are shown performing on 12/13/08 and 12/16/08. Photo credit: WENN.