Rihanna

Chris Brown's high-powered lawyer, Mark Geragos, plans to ask the court to dismiss the assault and criminal threats case against his client because of leaks.

Geragos told reporters that the leaks in the Rihanna case "form the basis for a motion to dismiss the case in regard to outrageous governmental misconduct."

Whether he's successful remains to be seen, but in any case, a court date is set for Brown today in Los Angeles for his February 8 altercation with Rihanna.

The singer will not appear before the judge.

Geragos will be present on behalf of the singer. Sources say Brown signed a waiver, although it remains unclear exactly what said waiver entails.

Brown appeared in court earlier this to enter a not guilty plea on charges that he beat and threatened to kill Rihanna in a violent altercation that left the Barbados native, and his girlfriend at the time, bruised, bitten and unconscious.

Following the not guilty plea, Brown's team and the L.A. County District Attorney's office were said to be working on a plea deal. That was weeks ago.

Several reports now suggest a deal is closer, if not imminent.

According to legal experts, Mark Geragos (above) is expected to ask for more time in the case to search for further evidence. If he is unable to secure additional time from the judge, a preliminary hearing date may be set in the case.

At the preliminary hearing, prosecutors presens the case before a judge explaining they have enough material to pursue a conviction. Geragos will counter that they do not, and the judge will decide if a criminal trial is warranted.

Regardless of the outcome, Rihanna and Chris Brown want no part of that, as it could result in information going public that both want to suppress.

Brown has sought a plea deal in which he does not serve jail time, but as the felonies he's charged with carry almost five years, that's a hard sell.

"I would imagine all parties would be interested in resolving the case so as to avoid the public airing of dirty laundry at a trial," said Shawn Chapman Holley, who has represented The Game and Lindsay Lohan but is not involved here.

"If the D.A. makes a 'tough' offer, this makes it a difficult choice for the defendant," the attorney added.

"For example, if they offer a deal that still carries significant jail time, the defendant might want to take his chances at trial. Doing so, however, exposes a high-profile defendant to unwanted negative publicity."

UPDATE: Judge Patricia Schnegg set a preliminary hearing for May 28 - the result of Geragos pushing for as late a date as possible to allow him adequate time to respond to the investigation into how Rihanna's police photo was released.

Geragos says he will still move to have Brown's case dismissed should the haunting photo's appearance prove to be the result of a police transgression.

Jewelers who lent Rihanna approximately $1.4 million worth of accessories the night of the alleged Chris Brown smackdown apparently want it back.

Since late March, Rihanna has been trying to recover the borrowed jewelry from the LAPD, who took the items into evidence in their investigation.

"Since there appears to be no evidentiary value to the continued holding of this jewelry, we respectfully ask the court to order the return of this property to [Rihanna] without further delay," her lawyer Donald Etra wrote in a court request.

The items: two yellow metal hoop earrings with white stones; one yellow metal ring with white and green stones; two yellow metal rings with white stones.

A source adds that Rihanna also borrowed a Gucci dress for the February 7 Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party she attended, which also has not been returned.

Etra stated in the court documents that the owners of the jewelry were going to hold Rihanna liable if the accessories weren't returned, with the total cost and damages related to their late return as more than $1.4 million.

According to the court papers, the LAPD detective on the case referred Etra to the prosecutor on the case, who apparently has not responded to his requests.

"At this stage [of the Chris Brown case], we're not even sure what evidence is going to be entered into the case," DA spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.

"For now, we don't have any further comment on this matter."

The LAPD also declined to comment. Brown, who has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges, assault and criminal threats, has a court date Wednesday.

As Chris Brown readies for another court date next week, his "alleged" victim, Rihanna, is getting back to business, says her producer, Brian Kennedy Seals.

The "Umbrella" singer has been channeling her inner feelings and writing songs about "different situations in her life, just things that inspire her."

"She's ready, ready to make hits," Seals said, adding that they've already worked on three songs together, including an up-tempo number and a ballad.

As for the lyrics, "We're not quite there yet," says One Republic's Ryan Tedder, who is also working with Rihanna, 21, as a writer and producer.

"She's someone who has a lot to say, so I'll let her lead whatever she wants to say."

As for how Rihanna is doing these days, Tedder says, "She's absolutely phenomenal. She's confident and strong and doing what she does."

What she's also been doing lately is spending time with friends - including Katy Perry, who she hung out with in her native Barbados this week.

Perry swung by the island nation on a promo stop for her current tour.

The two sexy pop stars, clad in bathing suits, rode on jet-skis (a favorite Chris Brown pastime, as we know), kicked it on some inflatable ocean rafts, then relaxed on a boat and sunbathed on a local beach. Sounds like a blast.

"It's nice to have good girlfriends. I pride myself on having cool chicks in my life, and [Rihanna]'s a cool chick," Perry said of her pal. "She's one of those unaffected people. [And we're both] of on this crazy roller coaster [of fame]."

She was hit hard by Chris Brown, but Rihanna isn't hitting the road anytime soon, despite a report circulated by E! Online that she was planning on kicking off a huge North American Tour this September with Ciara or Keyshia Cole.

"She wants strong women to join her," a source told E! of the singer, who was assaulted in February by Brown. "This is a 'women empowerment' type of tour."

Well, a source close to the singer says it's "not true" that she's going on tour this fall. Instead, she's keeping a low profile until Chris Brown's case is settled.

As he awaits his court date next week - and may or may not be passing time boinking Natalie Mejia - Rihanna kicked it on the high seas ... with Katy Perry!

The two are vacationing together in the R&B star's native Barbados ...

Who would you rather ...

More good news for Rihanna fans.

Days after her come back concert was announced, the singer was spotted at LAX airport in Los Angeles.

It appears as though she's truly moving on from Chris Brown and his fists of fury, as Rihanna packed her schedule this week with relaxing, enjoyable events. For example:

• Yesterday afternoon, she was spotted shopping at the BAPE store on Melrose.
• Later, she attended a Britney Spears concert at The Staples Center. 
• On Thursday, Rihanna partied at new Hollywood nightclub, Halo. She sat in the VIP area.

It's great to see Rihanna getting on with her life. She deserves it.

Click on the following photos of the star for larger, clearer images...

As Chris Brown moves on with his personal life, reportedly alongside singer Natalie Mejia, Rihanna is ready to move on professionally.

The singer's first, post-fight performance will take place on May 28 in Dubai.

“There will be over 25,000 tickets available,” Mary Rachelle Cherpak, a spokeswoman for Dubai Tourism, told E! News. “They will be going on sale in the next couple of days.”

The location of the concert is yet to be determined, but Cherpak says it will most likely be an outdoor venue because "normally they create a special stage in the desert for these events."

Rihanna, of course, had been scheduled to perform at the Grammy Awards on February 8. But she was forced to cancel after Brown repeatedly rammed his fists into her face.

Allegedly, of course.

With all the negative publicity surrounding her - even though she was the victim in the Chris Brown case - it's nice to see Rihanna getting back to living her life and reaching out to one of her fans and making a little girl's day.

Jasmina Anema, 6, is one of Rihanna's biggest fans. So when her musical idol walked into her hospital room at NYU Medical Center April 2 to visit her, as People magazine reports, the leukemia patient could hardly believe her eyes.

"She's really here!" Jasmina exclaimed when Rihanna came in and hugged her. "You are such a beautiful little girl," the singer told the ailing child.

High doses of chemotherapy often leave Jasmina tired, while a bone marrow donor registry works around the clock to try and find her a suitable match.

"But when Rihanna walked in the room, there was no sign of that at all," said her doctor. "Jasmina loves Rihanna. And Rihanna fell in love with Jasmina."

Indeed, the two girls became fast friends, spending more than three hours talking, playing and even indulging in a slumber party-like pillow fight.

Rihanna first learned about Jasmina's plight in early February, when she saw the moving video Jasmina's best friend, Isabelle Huurman, and her mother, Karen Detrick, made appealing for bone marrow donors to save Jasmina.

Follow the link to continue reading about RiRi's inspirational visit ...

The coast is clear.

Now that Chris Brown's court date has come and come, and his not guilty plea entered with a new hearing set for April 29, Rihanna saw that the time was right.

To return to the mainland, that is.

Rihanna was spotted at the airport on Tuesday in Barbados with her mother, Monica Fenty. She had been in her native country while Brown was being arraigned.

She's now back in the U.S., having boarded a flight to LAX. It's good to know if your boyfriend is arraigned on felony charges, you can always go home again.

Rihanna heads to the airport with mom Monica Fenty.

RiRi felt staying far away from Monday's proceedings was the best move, but her lawyer has made it clear she will do whatever is required of her by the D.A.

He also made clear that she would love to have nothing to do with this, and for it to just go away. Will that translate to the D.A. giving Brown a plea deal?

Yesterday, Rihanna's dad was singing a different tune, making public his belief that Brown should plead guilty, own up to it and seek mercy from the judge.

After hearing the news that Chris Brown formally pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, where he faced charges of allegedly pummeling Rihanna, Ronald Fenty, her father, said that Brown "needs to stop being in denial" about the attack.

"So what happened? Somebody else did this to Rihanna then?" Fenty said to Us Weekly. "I just would like justice, to see it go in the right direction."

The singer, 19, entered a not guilty plea on both of his felony charges of assault and making criminal threats to Rihanna, 21, on Monday afternoon.

"I don't want his career to be damaged - it’s damaged already," Fenty said.

"I think [Chris Brown] is a very talented guy, but everybody should have to pay. When you do the crime, you do the time. I don't want to see him locked up for a long time - I just want him to acknowledge and get some help."

If Chris Brown is not guilty, as he claims in court, of attacking and threatening to kill Rihanna February 8, Ronald Fenty wants to know who is responsible.

"Who did it - that’s the question now," he said.

"If he’s not guilty, who did it? He should say 'guilty' and let the court be leaning into him and try himself to the mercy of the court, see if he gets a fine."

The father of Rihanna, who's home in Barbados, added: "He’s going to go beyond that and it could go longer, it can be even worse for him in the long run."

We don't think it's a stretch to say that Brown is very much guilty of his role in the attack on Rihanna. The plea of not guilty is just a formality, buying time while his lawyers and the D.A. try to reach a deal to avoid a trial.

The last thing Chris Brown or Rihanna want is a protracted court scenario that drags this out for weeks. The question is if the D.A. will allow Brown not to serve time, or if he's willing to serve some to make this end sooner.

Follow the jump for a video of Chris Brown in court yesterday: A two-minute clip that shows his not guilty pleas to both felony charges ...

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Chris Brown entered a plea of not guilty to two felony charges - aggravated assault and making criminal threats - in court this afternoon at 3:26 p.m. PST.

With ex-girlfriend Rihanna, the victim in the "alleged" incident, nowhere in sight, Brown showed up at L.A. County criminal courthouse to officially face the music for "allegedly" pummeling her into oblivion back on February 8.

He is due back in court on April 29.

After hearing the counts against him, Brown was asked for his plea by the judge. The singer answered with a hushed, short "not guilty, your honor."

Brown's legal camp, headed by attorney Mark Geragos, has been working on a plea deal around the clock, with the goal of preventing him from having to serve jail time (he is looking at up to years and eight months if convicted).

As of now, though, there is no deal.

All in all, the star's arraignment was uneventful. What happened outside the courtroom, however, is another matter. Donald Etra, who is Rihanna's lawyer, spoke to reporters - and did so almost as if he were speaking on behalf of Brown.

Etra said Rihanna, who is chilling in Barbados and distancing herself from the case right now, would be pleased "if it [the case] were over quickly."

As in, if a plea bargain for Chris Brown were finalized ASAP. Asked what kind of deal she wants, Etra said the singer recognizes that it isn't up to her.

She has made it clear, both implicitly and explicitly, that she does not want to go to court, although Etra says Rihanna will cooperate if ordered to.

Geragos didn't speak to the press, but prosecutors would surely be far from thrilled if he did so while negotiations for a plea deal are ongoing. So it is all the more intriguing that Rihanna's lawyer answered all of the questions.

Stay tuned ...