The following will appear in The Weekender, which hits newsstands this Wednesday.
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Chris Brown waited a week to speak out regarding his alleged attack on Rihanna. The R&B crooner filled his two-paragraph statement with remorse, but left out the assumed victim’s name.

“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,” said Brown, who also debunked reports that he commented on the incident to a Facebook page or any other blog.

No word from Rihanna, although her father, Ronald Fenty, did speak with the media – confirming that Brown hit his daughter and affirming that she’ll be okay, despite brusing.“At some point, she will speak out. I hope she will stand up for women all over the world,” Fenty told People Magazine.Meanwhile, the spectacle surrounding the incident continues to grow as Los Angeles authorities gather evidence and decide what exactly Brown will be prosecuted for. As of press time, only the original charge of suspicion of making felony criminal threats stood.

Another interesting twist of life possibly imitating art emerged this week, when a track sung by Mario Barrett and allegedly featuring Rihanna hit the net. “Emergency Room” details the actions that led to a woman finding out her man’s cheating ways, and her response.
“You gon’ be in the emergency room… I’m fighting with myself, I can’t hurt you even though you hurt me,” sings the woman on the hook – who sounds eerily similar to RiRi.

At least according to Mario and the author of the track, it is not Rihanna singing. Priscilla Renea wrote “Emergency Room”, with Rihanna and Akon in mind. Mario heard the song, snagged it and re-recorded the verses, leaving the part-to-be-sung-by-Rihanna on the hook. Both Barrett and Renea insist that the Barbatos-born singer hasn’t even been presented with the song, let alone graced it with her vocals.

“The record was far from done,” Barrett wrote in a statement to Vibe. “I’m still proud of the record but want to make sure that the truth is out there.”

IT’S NOT ALL SUNSHINE FOR WE THE KINGS

If you recall the last time I spoke with We The Kings, there was no sunshine – rather a hail storm on Montage Mountain during Warped Tour.

The conditions during our interview last week inside The Crocodile Rock Café in Allentown were a bit more favorable, sans the leaky ceiling. Nonetheless, the boys from Bradenton, Florida spilled about their not-so-rock star Super Bowl experience.“We were actually flying during the Super Bowl, it was kinda miserable,” bassist Hunter Thomsen told me. The conflict forced the group to forgo tickets to the big game, played an hour from their house. Plus, the guys missed their favorite show, The Office. I held off any, “Boom, Roasted,” lines – because it’s no fun being in the dark on those things.

That’s what she said.
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