Chris Brown Pleads Not Guilty in Rihanna Beating Case

This won't be the OJ Simpson trial, but it will have a celebrity element that will make it nearly as intriguing, if not quite as long. Chris Brown's legal team entered its official Not Guilty plea in court yesterday and the singer is now going to stand trial on two felony counts of making criminal threats and assault likely to cause great bodily injury.

Rihanna's camp had been hoping for some kind of plea arrangement that would have expedited or eliminated further court proceedings and would have spared the star from having to testify. But now that the case is going to court, Rihanna may be required to testify and her attorney has confirmed that she will do so if required.

If convicted on both counts, Brown's sentence could range from probation to a jail sentence of up to five years. Given the fact that a plea deal was not reached, one must assume that the prosecution has enough evidence to have demanded that Brown serve at least some jail time, which his legal team surely did not want to agree to. Rather than plea to a deal that would have involved jail time, Brown's legal team is now taking the calculated risk that, even if found guilty, Brown's sentence may be equal to or lighter than that which the prosecution was offering. Of course, the real hope from the perspective of Brown's legal team is that he is found not guilty and can start to rebuild his image via some crafty public relations maneuvering.

A guilty verdict and/or jail time would likely leave Brown's career in some state of jeopardy, although there is a large element of the music-loving community that would still embrace him - and perhaps even more so - if he ends up serving time.