RIHANNA: WRONG TO GO BACK TO CHRIS BROWN

NEW YORK (AP) -- What Chris Brown did to Rihanna was wrong. But Rihanna says going back to him after he beat her was also wrong. In an interview on ABC, Rihanna says she regrets making up with Brown after he beat up on her the night before the Grammys in February. And she says she wants to be a role model to other young women who find themselves on the wrong side of a fist by their lovers. As she put it: "Don't react off of love." Rihanna says she found it "embarrassing" to return to Brown after the beating, but now realizes "that's not what I want to teach people." The clips shown on "Good Morning America" represent Rihanna's first TV interview since the beating. She is also promoting a new album.

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RIHANNA: LEFT BROWN TO HELP OTHERS

NEW YORK (AP) -- Rihanna says one of the reasons she didn't stay with Chris Brown after returning to him -- was that she didn't want to set a bad example for other young women. She tells ABC's "Good Morning America" that she realized after going back to Brown that she was sending the wrong message. She calls returning to Brown a "selfish decision for love" that could end up in some other girl "getting killed." She says she didn't want to be "held responsible" for some girl returning to someone who hit her. Rihanna says she "didn't realize how much of an impact" she had on girls' lives. Now, Rihanna says, she has had what she calls "a wake-up call." More of the interview will air today -- and even more tonight on the news magazine "20/20." Meanwhile, Brown will tell his side of the story on MTV today.

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GABOURNEY SIDIBE: IMPRESSED BY OPRAH

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- People who check out the movie "Precious" will not forget their first look at Gabourney Sidibe -- the newcomer who takes on the title role in the Lee Daniels film. But Sidibe says she can barely remember when she first laid eyes on one of the major bankrollers of the film, Oprah Winfrey. Sidibe say she lapsed into what she calls "hysterical blindness" when she met Winfrey. She says she has since "forgotten everything about" their encounter because Oprah is "such a big deal to her."

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MARIAH CAREY: TAKES A STAR TURN IN "PRECIOUS"

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Remember Mariah Carey's other attempts at acting? While there may be some fans who still sparkle at her work in "Glitter," most agree the film was a bust, both artistically and at the box office. Carey takes a huge step forward to redeem herself when she takes on the role of a social worker in "Precious." Director Lee Daniels gets Carey to go with a frumpy look and as a result, she pulls off the role in a way few thought possible. Carey says she felt comfortable enough with Daniels to do that. She says there are people in the movie industry who "are like geniuses" -- and she sees Daniels that way. So, Carey says, she was able to relax and let herself go under his guidance.

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MO'NIQUE: A DISTURBING, YET REWARDING ROLE

NEW YORK (AP) -- She plays a character that you'll probably hate. But Mo'Nique says she loved being in "Precious" -- the new movie in which she plays Mary Jones, mother of a young black woman who is raped and impregnated twice by her stepfather. She calls the role both "rewarding" and "challenging." Rewarding because Lee Daniels hired her for the role along with newcomer Gabourney Sidibe . Mo'Nique says there's "no other director that would have given two fat, black women the opportunity." She also says it was a challenge because the role is so dark and she loves to laugh. Mo'Nique says the movie made her look at life and people differently.

On the Net:

Precious movie site: http://www.weareallprecious.com

MARY J. BLIGE: ON "PRECIOUS" SOUNDTRACK

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) -- She isn't in the movie. But Mary J. Blige is a big part of the film "Precious." She is co-producer of the soundtrack to the film and the first single from it is titled "I Can See In Color." The song is currently available online. Other stars on the soundtrack include Queen Latifah, Mahalia Jackson and Grace Hightower.

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BEYONCE: ISLAMIC CONSERVATIVES DIS BEYONCE'S PLANNED SHOW

CAIRO (AP) -- There are a lot of words you can use to describe a Beyonce show. But an "insolent sex party?" That's how Islamic conservatives are characterizing what she will do when she performs in Egypt. Beyonce is to play in Cairo as part of her overseas tour in support of her album "I Am ... ." Some conservatives are upset at the posters being used to call attention to the show. In them, Beyonce wears a skimpy flame-covered outfit and is seen holding on to a set of motorcycle handlebars extending from her hips. Meanwhile on the streets below, most women wear the traditional Muslim headscarves. Some lawmakers say that by allowing the concert, the government is encouraging debauchery. One says by backing the show, lawmakers are "disturbing social peace and stability."

MICHAEL JACKSON: TOPS ALBUM CHART

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Michael Jackson has another hit on his hands. "This Is It" tops the album charts, with sales of 373,000 copies. It's the sixth time he's had a record hit number one on the charts -- and it's his biggest sales week since "HIStory" dropped in 1995.

RIHANNA/EMINEM/LADY GAGA: PERFORMING AT AMAs

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Rihanna, Jay-Z and Eminem are among the acts signed on to perform at the American Music Awards. The producers say other artists who will be on the show include Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Shakira and Adam Lambert. The show is to be held at the Nokia Theatre on November 22 -- and broadcast live on ABC.

On the Net:

American Music Awards site: http://www.ama.abc.com

MORGAN FREEMAN: ACTOR SETTLES SUIT STEMMING FROM CAR WRECK

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Morgan Freeman and the woman riding him during a car wreck last year have ended their legal beef. Court records show Freeman and Demaris Meyer have settled a lawsuit over the accident in which the car went off a road near the actor's home on the Mississippi Delta. Meyer claimed Freeman was negligent at the wheel of the car that belonged to her. The details of the settlement weren't disclosed in court records posted in Jackson, Mississippi yesterday. And while Freeman's attorney wouldn't discuss terms of the deal, he says the Oscar-winning actor is "glad it's over with."

WANDA SYKES/GEORGE LOPEZ: MAKING THE LATE-NIGHT ROUNDS

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- For the first time since the late 1990s, the U.S. will have a full-time black late-night host. It happens tomorrow night, when Wanda Sykes takes over her new weekly show on Fox. She'll be joined the following Monday by George Lopez, who will host a four-night-a-week show on TBS. Add to the mix Mo'Nique, who has a show on BET. About a decade ago, Magic Johnson and Keenan Ivory Wayans failed in efforts to launch a successful show. Before that, Arsenio Hall had a late-night show that ran from 1989-1994. Analysts say the new hosts should attract more minorities to the late-night scene, a time slot that often lacks diversity.

VANESSA WILLIAMS: PARENTS LAID A FOUNDATION

NEW YORK (AP) -- Vanessa Williams says when it came to the arts, her parents always had her back. And because of that, says it's no surprise that both she and her brother have become actors. Williams says her parents urged her to take dance lessons and let her learn to play the piano and French horn. She says she never felt she had to seek "revenge for people that never believed in me." She says not only did her folks have faith in her, they made sure she had the training to back her up. These days, Williams stars in "Ugly Betty," which airs tonight on ABC.

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OPRAH WINFREY: DROPPING BEBE WINANS FROM SHOW

NEW YORK (AP) -- Oprah Winfrey is saying bye-bye to BeBe. She says gospel singer BeBe Winans won't be seen on the show again until the domestic violence charges against him are resolved. Winans had taped appearances on Winfrey's "karaoke challenge" and was on as recently as last Friday. But after the show, some bloggers wondered whether Oprah was being a hypocrite by having him on. Winans is charged with misdemeanor domestic assault for an incident last winter when he allegedly pushed his ex-wife to the ground. Back when the Chris Brown-Rihanna case first broke, Winfrey spoke out harshly against Brown and publicly urged Rihanna to ditch her then-boyfriend in a show she declared was dedicated to all the Rihannas out there. Brown was later quoted as saying he resented Winfrey's becoming involved in the story.

MARVIN GAYE: LOOKING BACK

UNDATED (AP) -- On this date in 1984, Marvin Gaye's father received five years' probation for shooting the singer. Marvin Gay Senior shot his son on April 1, 1984 at the family's home in Los Angeles. The elder Gay had pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the death of his son, who was said to have "tragically provoked" his father.