Rihanna: I Told Myself I'd Never Date Anyone Like My Father

Diane Sawyer, Rihanna ABC/ Ida Mae Astute

Even if she had never met Chris Brown, Rihanna knew how domestic abuse could turn into a vicious cycle.

"I always anticipated it happening. At night I wouldn't want to sleep, because I was too afraid it would happen," the singer said in the portion of her ABC News interview that aired on 20/20 tonight, referring to her father hitting her mother when she was a child growing up in Barbados.

"She never went to the hospital, but he broke her nose.," Rihanna continued. "She would never go to the hospital...Domestic violence is not somebody that people want anbody to know, so she would just hide it in the house. I always said to myself, 'I'm never going to date somebody like my dad, never.'

"I always said that."

And yet she not only dated someone who hit her, she went back to him after the fact.

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Rihanna: I Still Love Chris Brown

Despite all that's happened, Rihanna doesn't hate Chris Brown.

In fact, she still loves him.

"I don't hate him at all," she tells Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. "I actually love and care about him and I'm concerned about him doing well. I want him to do well, have a great career, have a great life and grow up, and just take this as something that you had to go through to grow up and learn."

She may wish him the best, but neither this morning nor yesterday morning did she mention the words forgiveness, reconciliation or rekindle, although those are topics supposedly set to be tackled on tonight's 20/20 special.

The singer did, however, explain some of what happened in the car that fateful February night.

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Rihanna: "Embarrassed," "Strong" and Admitting "Love Is So Blind"

Diane Sawyer, Rihanna ABC/ Ida Mae Astute

"Eff love."

That's Rihanna's firm advice to women of any age facing domestic violence.

The first of the pop star's televised interview with Diane Sawyer aired this morning on Good Morning America. The 21-year-old sat poised and beautiful as she explained how she went back to Chris Brown after he beat her last February, how she managed to break free from him and how she feels about it now.

Rihanna declares she's "strong" but is ashamed at how the whole relationship went down.

"I fell in love with that person—that's embarrassing," she says. "That's embarrassing that that's the type of person that I feel in love with, so far in love, so unconditional I went back."

Sawyer noted that, on average, woman will take a beating seven times before leaving. The 21-year-old's response was chilling.

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Podcast: Why Didn't Rihanna Speak Out Sooner?

More from Ask the Answer Bitch
Rihanna INFphoto.com

Rihanna finally spoke out about domestic violence this week. What took her so long?
—via the Answer B!tch mailbox

She has broken her silence! All over the place! In Glamour! And then tomorrow and Friday on Good Morning America and 20/20! And it only took eight months.

Before we get into it, let me be clear: Nobody deserves what happened to Rihanna. Nobody. But then now, months after her boyfriend beat her to a pulp, for the first time does this very visible role model actually say anything about it.

She tells Glamour: "I want to give as much insight as I can to young women, because I feel like I represent a voice that really isn't heard. Now I can help speak for those women."

Great, but why now, you ask? Maybe because her album is coming out? Because now she wants my money?

Considering how much good can be done by Rihanna speaking up, and how much harm may have been done by her silence, that is not OK. Hear exactly why in my all-new podcast! Hit play above to listen.

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Rihanna on Chris Brown Aftermath: "I Woke Up as Britney Spears"

Rihanna Jun Sato/WireImage.com

Apparently, it's time.

Since Rihanna's horrific altercation with then-boyfriend Chris Brown in February, the "Umbrella" singer may not have kept a low profile, but she certainly has not been talking.

Until now. Today marks the first we're hearing from her on the situation, whether in snippets from her interviews with Diane Sawyer and Glamour magazine, or in her music video for "Russian Roulette," her first single from Rated R.

The star is set to appear on Good Morning America on Thursday and Friday mornings and 20/20 Friday night, but her first quote has just been released.

"This happened to me…it can happen to anyone," she tells Sawyer. "He was definitely my first big love."

Of that fateful night, the 21-year-old tells Glamour, "I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears. That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day."

Eight months later, and she's already looking on the bright side of the whole scandal.

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This Is Not It: Stars Trying to Be Michael Jackson

Chris Brown, Miley Cyrus Jason Kempin/Getty Images; Ray Garbo / WENN.com

What's with all the Michael Jackson imitators, people?

We don't mean those smooth criminals posing for pictures out in front of Hollywood's Kodak Theater. Those guys have made a commitment. A wrong-headed one, perhaps, but still. It's what they do.

From the looks of things, however, Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus started feeling a little too inspired by This Is It's release this week and began copping some Michael magic—along with their crotches.

What do you think: Sham or Shamone?

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Get more Michael Jackson sparkly gloved love in our This Is It premiere gallery!

Fashion Police: Chris Brown Still Trying to Be Michael Jackson

Chris Brown Jason Kempin/Getty Images
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Chris Brown had his first comeback show last night at a Power 105.1 concert in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Required note: his first since assaulting Rihanna.)

To kick off his Fan Appreciation Tour, the R&B singer decided to dress up like his idol, Michael Jackson. Or maybe it's more like Chris dressing up as Kanye dressing up as M.J. Either way, it's perfect timing since he couldn't make it to a This Is It premiere, and we know how much C. Brown loves M.J. covers.

But you know, sometimes we just get so worked up, we lose perspective. Compared to what happened later in the show—ripping off his shirt and humping the stage—maybe we should just let him carry on with his cheap impression of Michael.

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Chris Brown Debuts Music Video, Twitters About Rihanna

Chris Brown premiered the highly unanticipated video for his first single, "I Can Transform Ya," today.

There's not much to the video. He just stands in front of a white background singing about how great he can make some lucky lady's life ("I can change your life, make it so new/ Make you never want to go back to the old you"), and sometimes he’ll bust out a nunchuck trick. (Special shout-out to MTV for choosing the perfect "I Ain't a Monster" screenshot above.)

The whole Transformers thing is so strange in timing it makes us think he recorded it as a theme song for the summer blockbuster but Michael Bay was all, "Thanks for the input, Chris, but I think we're going to go with someone who's done a little less Rihanna assaulting. Linkin Park, you're in."

And that brings us to what people will always remember about Chris' career: Rihanna. In an effort to combat this, it appears he's using Twitter to show how much he's grown as a person since his assault conviction. Yesterday, in addition to announcing the Dec. 15 release date of this album Graffitihe also posted this video:

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Stuff Your Stockings With Chris Brown's New Album

Chris Brown Fame Pictures

"OFFICIAL ALBUM DATE: DECEMBER 15... GRAFFITI... NOW BLOG ABOUT THIS..LOL."

Aye aye, Chris Brown.

The comebacking R&B star revealed via Twitter Monday that his third studio album and first since 2007—let alone his first since his February arrest for assaulting Rihanna—is due out Dec. 15.

Graffiti will include the up-tempo "I Will Transform Ya," featuring Lil Wayne and Swizz Beats, and the wistful slow tune "Crawl."

Figuring he better be thanking those who have stood by him, Brown has planned a month-long fan-appreciation tour, which kicks off Nov. 14 in Houston.

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Chris Brown Takes Stab at Public Absolution, Rewrites History With New Single

Well, what are the chances? Just two days after Rihanna debuted her new single, chronic one-upper (among other things) Chris Brown has rolled out a new song of his own.

And while those looking to link Rihanna's "Russian Roulette" to her Brown beatdown did so courtesy of tenuous lyrical metaphors and heavy speculation, Brown isn't making his listeners work quite so hard with "Crawl."

Interestingly, while RiRi came out fighting, draping herself in barbed wire and peppering her dark tune with gunshots, Brown—still deep in character and career rehabilitation—went the Celine Dion route, releasing a slow jam that paints him as nothing more than a hopeful man who just so happens to be unlucky-in-love.

Well, in his defense, you try finding something that rhymes with "girlfriend-beater."

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Chris Brown Picks Hell of a Day to Announce New Tour

Chris Brown, Michael Jackson, Memorial Kevin Mazur/MJ Memorial/Getty Images

So, we're checking out the new Rihanna single and... Wait, what? Chris Brown's going on tour? Say, that is news!

Just hours after his ex released her first solo single since being assaulted by Brown in February, Brown announced plans for a Fan Appreciation Tour to—just as it sounds—thank the folks who have stood by him in the wake of his arrest and subsequent guilty plea.

The month-long jaunt kicks off Nov. 14 at the House of Blues in Houston and will touch down in similar capacity venues in 19 cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston.

Small theaters were chosen to encourage a "fans only" atmosphere, according to tour organizers.

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Hollywood Acts Like It Won Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

Barack Obama, Twitter twitter.com/BarackObama

Mr. President, you've just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. What are you going to do next?

Twitter, of course!

"Humbled," was all Barack Obama wrote on his account, but the post has been RT'ed so much throughout the Twitterverse that the word is near the top of the trending topics.

Needless to say, several celebs have chimed in with re-tweets and reactions positive and negative.

High School Musical's Corbin Bleu adds to his RT, "One of the reasons why I admire him." Modern Family's Jesse Tyler writes, "Love it! Congrats Obombs!!!!!" Dollhouse's Eliza Dushku links to CNN's story and says, "Incredible!"

"OBAMA is the greatest," types Chris Brown.

Then there was one of our favorite tweeps, Kirstie Alley, who was dubious of the choice...

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The Big Picture

Made in the Shades Jennifer Garner goes low-key glam in basic black while running errands in L.A.

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