R&B artists Chris Brown and Rihanna were scheduled to perform at the Grammy Awards in February. When organizers announced that the couple, one of Hollywood's hottest, was off the program, a pall was cast over the show and possibly the rest of Brown's career. Word soon spread that the night before the Grammys, Brown and Rihanna had gotten into a heated argument. According to the police report, Brown hit Rihanna's head against the passenger window of their rented Lamborghini, punched her in the left eye and continued to assault her while driving the car. He also allegedly threatened to kill her. (Photos of a battered Rihanna later surfaced online.) Brown was charged with two felonies, and as part of a plea deal was sentenced to five years probation, a year of domestic violence counseling and six months of community service. A restraining order stipulates that Brown must stay 50 yards away from her. At music-industry events, he can't get closer than 10 yards. Rihanna said Brown was often abusive in their relationship. "That's not how I am as a person," Brown told Larry King in September. Brown hit the talk-show circuit, apologizing for his behavior and promoting his new single with the refrain "Let's crawl ... crawl .... crawl/ Back to love."
The Top 10 Everything of 2009
- Top 10 Albums
- Top 10 Animal Stories
- Top 10 Apologies
- Top 10 Art Exhibitions
- Top 10 Awkward Moments
- Top 10 Best Business Deals
- Top 10 Breakups
- Top 10 Buzzwords
- Top 10 Children's Books
- Top 10 Crime Stories
- Top 10 Editorial Cartoons
- Top 10 Facebook Stories
- Top 10 Fashion Faux Pas
- Top 10 Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Feuds
- Top 10 Fiction Books
- Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities
- Top 10 Gadgets
- Top 10 Green Ideas
- Top 10 Heroes
- Top 10 iPhone Apps
- Top 10 Late-Night Jokes
- Top 10 Magazine Covers
- Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs
- Top 10 Movie Performances
- Top 10 Movies
- Top 10 New Species
- Top 10 News Stories
- Top 10 Nonfiction Books
- Top 10 Oddball News Stories
- Top 10 Pariahs
- Top 10 Pictures of the Year
- Top 10 Plays and Musicals
- Top 10 Political Gaffes
- Top 10 Quotes
- Top 10 Religion Stories
- Top 10 Scandals
- Top 10 Scientific Discoveries
- Top 10 Songs
- Top 10 Sports Moments
- Top 10 T-Shirt-Worthy Slogans
- Top 10 TV Ads
- Top 10 TV Episodes
- Top 10 TV Series
- Top 10 Tweets
- Top 10 Underreported Stories
- Top 10 Untruths
- Top 10 Video Games
- Top 10 Viral Videos
- Top 10 Worst Biz Deals
TIME charts the highs and lows of the past year in 50 wide-ranging lists