Chris Brown knows he needs to issue a sincere mea culpa for beating and biting Rihanna black, blue and bloody in February, especially following her interview on 20/20 in which she described his vacant, soul-less eyes while he beat the crap out of her. ABC has given Brown a forum despite repeatedly cancelling appearances by semi-controversial singer Adam Lambert. It’s like it’s ok to let abusive creeps speak out but they can’t deal with musicians who might have sexually suggestive homo-erotic elements in their performances. I don’t get why they just don’t ask Lambert to tone it down, but maybe he refuses to.

Anyway, getting back to Brown, I had the chance to watch some clips of his interview with Robin Roberts, which aired on GMA this morning. (I can’t embed the video, but you can view it on GMA’s website.) The full interview will be on 20/20 on Friday. Brown seems more contrite then he did in his really lame Larry King interview in which he called the media’s response to the attack “out of proportion” and focused primarily on how he felt after the incident, as if he were the victim, not Rihanna. Now he’s saying the right things, sort-of. I mean he’s still focusing on how it affects him, and he still looks angry but he does seem to have changed a little and to have grasped the gravity of what he did. He still seems defensive and talks about the incident in vague terms, but again I got the impression that he’s changed his tune somewhat. Is it enough to warrant a career resurgence? Hell no.

I never ever had problems with anger. No domestic violence with anyone in my past… I look at it… like, how could I be that person.

I was wrong for what I did and I would definitely say it was not something I look past or look over… something that was really, really touchy.

And like I said I’m really, really sorry for what went down and what happened.

On if he gets the severity of what happened.
Of course. 100%. I think what it is when people see me smiling and kind of nonchalantly giving answers… I’m human, really I’m like really hurting inside and… it really kind of is like devastating me.

On if he can understand Rihanna’s “scar inside” comment on abuse
Yes, absolutely. I can see what damage it does mentally more than physical.

On if he still loves Rihanna
I have love for her.

[Transcribed from Chris Brown’s interview on GMA, aired 11/3/09]

Ok, I think Chris is starting to get it. I don’t think he fully gets it but I also don’t believe he could have been properly coached to give those responses without feeling and understanding what he was saying. Even if someone sat him down and told him to say those things and sound contrite you can see the light dawning in his eyes that he realizes he was wrong. He might not do it again. We can only hope.

It’s also worth noting that he’s started to fulfill his community service requirements and has been praised by the judge for his progress. He’s also completed over seven sessions in domestic violence counseling. His counselor probably got through to him. Now if he records a PSA for domestic violence admitting that he’s an abuser, that’s when I think public opinion might turn around.