Chris Brown Arrested for Criminal Threats; Rihanna and Brown No-Shows at the Grammy Awards

When he should have been either performing or watching others perform and receive awards Sunday night at the Grammy Awards, R&B artist Chris Brown was being sought, arrested and released by the Los Angeles police, according to TMZ. Charged with one count of felony criminal threats, the singer was released before midnight after posting $50,000 bail.

There are many reasons to watch the Grammy Awards: Seeing all the celebrities, watching everyone preen in style or disastrous fashion failures, listening to the music (of course), seeing how those strange mixed-genre pairings are going to pan out in a live performance (which is not very well most of the time).

But it is usually the promise of seeing one's favorite artists perform that draws the television viewing audience. At the 51^st Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday (February 8) evening, tuning in to see either Chris Brown or Rihanna met with complete disappointment.

Chris Brown and Rihanna were no-shows at the Grammys. Both had cancelled at the last minute. In fact, while the Grammys were being presented, the local news in this writer's city kept the audience informed that police were looking for Chris Brown in connection with a domestic violence issue.

TMZ had earlier reported that the Los Angeles police were investigating an incident involving Chris Brown and an unidentified female. About 12:30 Sunday morning, police responded to a 911 call and noted that a woman with visible injuries identified Chris Brown as her attacker. She told them that an argument had turned violent. Chris Brown was not at the scene when the police arrived.

Grammy officials later reported that neither Chris Brown nor Rihanna would be walking the red carpet or performing at the Grammy Awards ceremonies.

According to the Associated Press, Chris Brown and long-time girlfriend Rihanna attended the annual pre-Grammy party thrown by music mogul Clive Davis. Rihanna's publicists are keeping quiet about the incident, as are Brown's. Brown was not charged with hurting the woman in question. A police spokesperson said that Brown, who turned himself in to police later, could face additional domestic violence charges if further investigation gives the district attorney enough evidence.

Chris Brown had been nominated for two R&B Grammy awards. He failed to win either. Strangely enough, the award nomination for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance was for the song "Take You Down."

One question: Did he get to watch any of the Grammy Awards?

******

Sources:

TMZ.com

Associated Press

"51st Annual Grammy Awards," CBS Television