Ya Heard: Now what for Chrianna?

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."

— Paul Boese

And just like that; it's a wrap! The Chrianna scandal that captivated us all earlier this year came to a conclusion. On Monday, Chris Brown agreed to a plea deal that will allow him to avoid jail time as a result of beating his former R&B girlfriend Rihanna in early February. The conditions of the deal include five years probation as well as 180 days of community service that he will serve right here in VA.

While the legalities of this incident are now over, the questions now lye in what lasting affects this will have for the young stars as they move forward. Back in February I laid down a full-proof plan that would ensure a successful comeback for the woman-beating Brown. I wasn’t implying that I agreed with his actions by any means, but I felt that America would be open to giving the kid a second chance if he played his cards right. Well instead of following any advice and shedding a few tears on Oprah's couch and being completely remorseful in front of paparazzi cameras, the guy decided to party like a rock star for the last four months.

Instead of turning the negative into a positive, the Virginia-born Brown is now being seen as an arrogant coward. I'm not sure if his team decided that parading him around Miami and Los Angeles was the best course of action, but it became very obvious that Brown was not quite the adorable 19-year old we thought he was. This was especially true after we seen the bruised and battered Rihanna photos. Instead of showing remorse for his actions, the kid pretty much shunned media interviews and continued to live his life as if nothing were wrong.

If only he had given the people what they wanted, he would have ensured himself a very lucrative career in entertainment. 'What did the people want' you ask? They wanted tears, shame, and a chance to point their fingers at a rising celebrity. Not too much to ask right? Again, this is no reflection on my personal opinion; it is a fact that we are a forgiving society given that the 'proper course' is taken.

It's hard to tell where Brown's career will go from here given that he didn't show much remorse for actions. Yeah, maybe he'll do the Oprah thing now that the case is done, but I think the time for all of that passed a long time ago. The thing that we'll all remember most is him laughing and jet-skiing in the first photos following the assault.

Rihanna, on the other hand, has done exactly what she was supposed to do in this situation by leaving Brown and the relationship altogether. Her personal life will undoubtedly benefit the most from that action, but her professional career is already enjoying the benefits. It took a few weeks to make her move, but eventually she realized that it was time for her to move on and away from her abusive boyfriend. Rihanna did what20so many abused individuals have failed to do under those types of circumstances and now she is the darling of media cameras and her career is sure to prosper for a long time to come.

America is willing to forgive almost anything if responsibility is taken for a wrong done; unfortunately for Chris, he may not have done enough to receive that 'social pardon'…'Til next week, Peace!!!