Chris Brown, movie star?There's no doubt R&B star Chris Brown has made some questionable choices since his violent breakup from Rihanna in 2009, yet no matter what the man does, his legions of fans are there to support him.When he stalked off the set of "Good Morning America" this spring -- punching his hand through some glass on the way out -- people blamed Robin Roberts for catching him off-guard with her line of questioning. His tearful tribute to Michael Jackson at the 2010 BET awards may have had critics questioning his sincerity, but his devotees believed his heart was in the right place. Even the artist's Twitter feud last December with rapper Raz-B, which devolved into homophobic slurs and violent words, was seen by Brown and his fans as just another case of "haters hating." It seems that in Chris' mind -- and those of his followers who helped his recent album "F.A.M.E." to the top of the charts -- he can do no wrong.
Brown's latest project, though, has me completely baffled: According to his rep, Brown will be starring in a romantic comedy adaptation of Steve Harvey's best-seller, "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man." Harvey's Oprah-certified advice book from 2009 takes women deep into the mind of the male psyche to help us women-folk understand that guys only want three things from them: support, loyalty and sex. (Or as Steve likes to call it, "The cookie.") The movie version follows a psychiatrist (Kevin Hart) as he attempts to untangle his patients' messy relationships.
I'm not exactly sure how this film was pitched to Chris ... maybe as an attempt for him to reform his image as a lover, not a fighter. But if I were his agent, I'd probably advise him to stay away from anything involving the words "romance" and "comedy," since his name is still bound to conjure up the opposite sentiments in many people's minds. As for those who still love Brown and will defend him to their dying breaths, they'll love him no matter what he does. It seems completely unnecessary for him to branch out into the world of acting in comedies based on self-help books ("He's Just Not That Into You," anyone?), since it's doubtful to change anyone's opinion of him as a singer or a human being.
Though perhaps he'll turn in an amazing performance, and we'll have Chris Brown cameos to look forward to during the next award-season cycle.
It's been only four months since Chris Brown stormed off the set of "Good Morning America" (breaking a glass window on his way out) after Robin Roberts pressed him on being arrested for assaulting his then girlfriend, Rihanna. That hot temper of his certainly didn’t win him any new fans, and even his supporters were criticized for coming to his defense. Despite all the awards the man is able to win for his music, he is P.R. poison.
“He got really ticked off when things didn’t go his way during the game, saying, ‘That’s gay!’ and ‘You’re a f*gg*t a**!’ to the other players,” an eyewitness tells Star exclusively.
When another player didn’t pass him the ball, the 22-year-old Forever singer, perhaps best known for beating up Rihanna, fired off more slurs, calling him a “f*gg*t” and saying it was a “gay” move.
Add just one more log to the pyre of Brown's public image. He's made homophobic slurs before (in 2010 on Twitter), he hit Rihanna, he has a notoriously bad temper … isn't this just another checkmark next to his name?
Well, yes and no. Again, this was Brown playing a game of basketball with his friends. He said some ugly words, ones that are unfortunately used in pickup games (and elsewhere!) all over the country. (Not that this excuses it.) The part where Radar was shocked to learn that Chris' bodyguards stopped people from taking photos or video of the game (even if they were members of the club!) seems to be a little part of the underlying problem here … why wouldn't a gym ban photographs and video-taking from its rooms?
Not that I'm trying to deflect the blame. Brown has openly sought publicity – on "Good Morning America," on Twitter, and with his tour -- and then proceeded to have very public meltdowns during each. The difference in this situation, and maybe it's a small one, is that Brown was playing a private basketball game in a gym. No matter if he's a terrible homophobe or not ... if someone was following you around 24/7 and capturing everything you said and did in private, would you be able to claim that you hadn't made one offensive comment that entire time?
Feel free to judge Chris Brown: He seems like a real dick. But you can probably save the moralizing for another occasion, like when he starts ranting on a public platform again. I'm sure it won't take too long for that to happen.
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