Rihanna on the red carpet at the 2012 Grammy Awards

Not only has Rihanna seen some resistance among fans regarding her and Chris Brown’s reunion, but also now experts in the field of domestic violence have warned the singer to keep her distance from Mr. Breezy.

Although there’s speculation RiRi and Brown have collaborated on more than just two sexy songs, the public really doesn’t know what’s been going on with the exes. Are they doing it or not? That’s really the question.

Reps for both parties have insisted they are strictly ‘just friends’ and I hope that’s true, and that the shocking duets were made just for the sake of ratings. Well, apparently some domestic violence experts are feeling the same way, because they’re seeing the same things we are, particularly Brown’s repeated aggressive behavior. It’s like he hasn’t changed.

The executive director of National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Rita Smith, recently spoke out about Brown and his post Grammy rant, where he basically told anyone who criticized him to “F—k off” because he won a Grammy.

She said, “The response was fairly belligerent and didn’t really indicate that he had changed much in the several years since the assault.” She then added, “I think it’s possible they can be friends, and however they’re involved again, whether it’s as intimate partners or as good friends or as professional associates, I hope that he continues to treat her with respect.”

I’m all about people getting second chances, but it seems to me Chris Brown has had that ‘second chance’ over and over since the 2009 incident with Rihanna. He very well may be on chance #500, and I still don’t see much of a change for the better.

Daniel von Bargen attempts suicide but lives 

Seinfeld star Daniel von Bargen has shot himself in the head but is clinging to life as we speak.

After shooting himself “in the temple” with a .38 pistol, Daniel von Bargen, 51, lived through the incident and was left to call 911 on his own. Astonishingly enough he was coherent and able to talk to a dispatcher until paramedics arrived at the scene. As he spoke with the male dispatcher he said he could not see and he did not know how much he had been bleeding. TMZ posted the audio of Daniel calling 911 – in my opinion it is a real heartbreaker.

Von Bargen, who appeared on the sitcom, Seinfeld, is currently in critical condition. Hopefully he can recover, but sadly it doesn’t sound like he wants to. He told the dispatcher he was supposed to go to the hospital today to have numerous toes amputated due to diabetic complications. He added that he is simply “just tired.”

We will update you as this story unfolds.

Big Brother 14: Will you be attending a casting call? 

It’s that time of year again, Big Brother fiends, casting for Big Brother 14 begins SOON!

BigBrotherNetwork.com recently spoke with Robyn Kass, casting director for the hit CBS reality show, and Robyn dished about what we can expect for this season’s Big Brother 14 casting process.

In early March, Big Brother 14 is unveiling an all-new, user-friendly casting website where hopeful applicants can easily upload their casting videos and fill out applications online. A nice change from the 20-page (or whatever it was), MASSIVE application you used to have to print out and send in.

Robyn says that if you are considering applying for Big Brother season 14 you should wait until the new site is launched. She tweeted:

Hey #BB14 hopefuls, the new BB casting website will be up soon to apply on line. Until then, hold off on sending tapes in.#makingiteasier

So there you have it, folks. Now that Big Brother has made casting easier will YOU be applying to be a Season 14 houseguest?

P. Diddy launching REVOLT 

It was just a matter of time until Sean “P. Diddy” Combs came out with his own television channel, as the hip-hop mogul has his business hands in just about everything imaginable.

Combs apparently is set to launch a network with Comcast called Revolt in 2013. The channel will cover anything music-related, but will have a social media edge.

In a statement released, Combs describes Revolt as “the first channel created entirely from the ground up in this new era of social media.”

The network is planning on showing a combination of music videos, interviews, and live performances from artists and bands, and Combs summarizes their goal by saying, “We’re building this platform for artists to reach an extraordinary number of people in a completely different way. Revolt will be live, like all great moments in television history.”

I’m pretty sure anything that Diddy invests his money in will make money, but whether it lasts or not is the question. Personally, I think the more competition MTV has (although I love FUSE and VH1), the better. Bring it on P. Diddy!

Feeling good energy from this pic: WIll Kopleman and Drew Barrymore

At the end of January we found out that Hollywood sweetheart Drew Barrymore and fiancé Will Kopelman adopted a puppy, and now word on the street is the happy couple may become parents to a baby of the human kind!

The lovebirds were photographed leaving a doctor’s office, while Barrymore was clutching what looked like a sonogram in her hand, leaving many to wonder if the two are now expecting.

If it is the case that they’re pregnant, it seems both parties would be super excited. A source close to them has told PEOPLE that they would like to become parents, commenting, “Drew is so motherly,” and, “Will would like to be a dad. Family is so important to him.”

Back in 2006, Drew Barrymore even admitted that she was starting to feel the “tick-tock”, referring to her biological longing to have children. She said, “Whether I have children or adopt, whatever form a family comes in, I would absolutely love to have it.”

Hey, I think some of us feel the ‘clock’ and some of us don’t, but if Drew and Will are indeed pregnant, I feel like they will make beautiful babies, and good parents. Drew seems like she’ll make a wonderful mother. She just seems very nurturing.

So far Barrymore’s rep has not commented, but we’ll keep you updated!

Was Aretha Franklin uninvited to Whitney Houston’s funeral? 

Although Aretha Franklin and her team claimed leg spasms were the reason for her cancelation at Whitney Houston’s funeral, the buzz around town is that Cissy Houston actually uninvited her.

We all know that Cissy is a spitfire, but would she lash out against the “Queen of Soul” for speaking about Whitney’s death. That’s the word.

Aretha made an appearance on the Today Show recently and during her interview she spoke of mothers preparing their children for the dangers of stardom. It seems Cissy Houston may have taken it personally.

Unfortunately the video of Aretha Franklin‘s Today Show interview has been removed from their website so we can’t share it with you, but we do know Aretha said this:

“Parents really have to talk to their children before they leave home. They have to make sure when they leave home, they have all the right things. She left home with all the right things, but she just kind of lost her way along the way.”

From that quote it certainly doesn’t seem as though Aretha was intending to speak poorly of Cissy’s parental skills, but knowing that Cissy is in a very fragile emotional state right now I can appreciate how that might sting a little.

Interestingly enough, Aretha and her legs were feeling fine Saturday night when she performed and also afterward as she spent the remainder of the evening with friends.

Looks like this one might be more than just a rumor…

 The 34-year-old Fiona Apple is all ‘growed up’ and looking just as beautiful as ever!

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Fiona Apple, and seven whole years since she’s released a full-length album, but the petite woman with the enormous jazzy, sexy voice is heading back on tour beginning in March.

The singer recently announced an upcoming appearance at this year’s SXSW festival on March 15th, and to follow the good news, she’s taken to her Facebook page to say she’ll be taking off on a short East Coast tour following the music fest.

I forgot how much I loved Fiona Apple, and how much of a feisty one she was/is. She was kind of like a jazzy version of a Riot grrrl back in the 90s. I remember watching her bizarre 1997 MTV Awards acceptance speech (click HERE to see it, but it’s NSFW), and thinking, “I like this chick and what’s she’s about!”

Fingers crossed that the brief tour will just be a taste of what’s to come later in 2012… hopefully her much anticipated, long-awaited album will finally surface and if she can add some more tour dates that will cover much more land, that should suffice for now. Your fans want you back Fiona!

Tickets go on sale for Flavorpill subscribers on Thursday (February 23) from 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. EST; the sale goes to the public at noon on Friday.

Check out Fiona Apple’s 2012 spring tour dates below, followed by an awesome performance of “Fast As You Can” from August 2011.

• March 19 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
• March 21 – Washington D.C. @ TBA
• March 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
• March 24 – Atlantic City, NJ @ TBA
• March 26 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
• March 27 – Boston, MA @ Royale Boston

Casting Call: Seattle Family for new reality show 

A new reality show created by British producers is currently looking to cast a Seattle family who is willing to trade places with one in Galway, Ireland for a week and have their experience filmed.

The show will be a part of a new series called, Twin Towns, where families in sister cities swap lives for a week. Unlike many drama filled, over-the-top, scripted reality shows, this one isn’t about humiliating or embarrassing yourself, and there are no competitions.

Basically both families will swap lives, undertaking each other’s regular everyday life, from jobs, to household chores, to taking care of the kids and pets.

Want YOUR Seattle family to be on the show and experience the trip of a lifetime? All expenses will be included, and filming is set to begin in April. If interested email: isobel@knickerbockerglory.tv

Good luck!

Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, and daughter Bobbi Kristina

I think everyone will agree that the saddest thing about Whitney Houston’s death is the way it has, and will, affect her family, in particular, her and Bobby Brown’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

As we reported yesterday, there were a ton of rumors floating around that Houston and Brown’s 18-year-old daughter indulged in a drug binge at a hotel following her mother’s funeral Saturday, and even though the family’s rep has denied any such claims, many relatives have expressed their concerns, hoping Bobbi will seek treatment, and now we know her dad is one of them.

“Bobby told family friends that he’s really worried about Bobbi Kristina, says a close source to Bobby Brown. “He knows that she is devastated about her mother dying and he doesn’t think that she is handling the situation well at all. Bobby is afraid of what is going to happen to Krissy if she doesn’t get some help — the last thing he wants is for another tragedy.”

The source adds, “Krissy has taken her mother’s death really hard, not surprisingly, and Bobby is terrified she’s going to do something stupid. He wants her in a treatment center, getting professional help to get her through the grieving process without falling back on alcohol or drugs to mask her pain.”

I think we all are coming to the same conclusion…the loss of one of the world’s most gifted singers was a horrible tragedy, but one that did not arise out of thin air. Unfortunately, it’s been known for years that Whitney Houston had been battling drug addiction, and even though Bobby Brown claims he’s now sober (going on seven years?), he also had issues with the abuse of drugs…so if you consider the “Nature vs. Nurture” theory, either way you look at it, Bobbi Kristina was and is affected.

Get the girl some help. We can’t help what has been, but we sure can help what is yet to be.

Adam Lambert and QUEEN team up 

When we reported earlier this month that American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert was chosen to be the new voice and frontman of the legendary rock band Queen, many of you voiced your opinions on the pick.

Some were for it and some against, and now guitarist Brian May has spoken out about the band’s decision.

QUEEN just announced that they will be headlining this summer’s Sonisphere festival with Lambert, alongside an impressive bill that includes Kiss, Faith No More, Incubus, The Darkness, Evanescence, and Refused.

May talked a bit about the band’s upcoming performance at the UK music fest and how he thinks fans will react. He said, “Judging by my incoming mail, this decision will make a lot of people very happy. It’s a worthy challenge for us, and I’m sure Adam would meet with Freddie’s approval! And what better place to revisit, and walk those emotional paths than Knebworth? It will be a rush.”

As for Adam Lambert, he has said that his intentions are not to try and replace the late and great Freddie Mercury, but rather just pay his respects to his memory by singing the best he can.

He said, “I’m completely in awe of the Queen phenomenon. The thought of sharing the stage for a full set is so beautifully surreal. I’m honored to be able to pay my respects to Freddie’s memory. He’s a personal hero of mine and I am deeply grateful for the chance to sing such powerful music for fans of this legendary band. I know the evening will be a huge milestone for me, and with the support of Brian, Roger and the rest of the band, I know magic will be on display.”

I truly dig the idea of Glambert fronting this band. As a fan of his since watching season 8 of American Idol, I think he has the voice to pull it off. Yeah, he has some attitude but I think his confidence and flair will be a necessity to making these live performances great.

Just for fun, the following clip was what really made me fall in love with Lambert. His rendition of Tears For Fears’ “Mad World” on American Idol was killer. If you haven’t seen it, check it out below.

(BTW, for some reason the ‘cleaner’ version of the song did not allow for video embedding, so this one is a bit unclear.)