Chris Brown No Longer Kids' Choice

03/11/09 3:09pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Chris Brown has withdrawn his name from the Kids' Choice Awards ballot following the outcry over the charges stemming from his alleged pre-Grammy Awards attack on Rihanna.

Brown was nominated for favourite male singer and "Kiss Kiss" was up for favourite song. But after a petition began circulating to get his name removed from the ballot, Brown decided to take his name off.

Brown is said to have recently been in the studio with Rihanna (real name Robyn Fenty) to record a love duet. A "friend" of producer Polow Da Don (Ludacris, Will Smith) told the Los Angeles Times newspaper that Da Don wrote the song's lyrics for Rihanna prior to the Feb. 8 incident, but the singers agreed to turn it into a duet at his urging after the alleged skirmish. It was recorded in Los Angeles last month, according to the newspaper.

It's now rumoured that the three-page "booty call" text message that started the whole incident was from Tina Davis, Brown's 39-year-old manager, according to TMZ.

Davis helped launch Brown's career, and the two have apparently been the subject of romance rumours in the past. A police report indicates the fight started because Rihanna discovered a text Brown received "from a woman who [he] had a previous sexual relationship with."

This prompted Brown to allegedly become enraged and repeatedly punch Rihanna in the face, which left her clothes and face splattered with blood.

Brown has been charged with assault likely to cause great bodily injury and making criminal threats. He'll be arraigned on April 6 and faces up to nine years in prison if found guilty.

Rihanna was previously co-operating with the police investigation into the incident, but is said to have stopped doing so after she reconciled (and possibly married) Brown at Diddy's mansion earlier this month. But Rihanna's lawyer, Donald Etra, told The Associated Press the singer would testify against her boyfriend if subpoenaed since she'd be required to by law.

Akon (real name Aliaune Thiam) said he'd work with Brown despite the outcry.

"I wouldn't take anybody's personal issues or problems — I won't hold them accountable for that when it comes to work," the hip-hop artist told NME.com. "I think it's two separate things."

Diddy, who brought Brown and Rihanna to his mansion so they could reconcile, also defended his and Brown's actions when he recently appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Diddy explained that he can open his house to "whoever" he wants to before dancing with DeGeneres. Here's the video: