2020

During his interview with Robin Roberts on '20/20,' R&B singer Chris Brown, who beat girlfriend Rihanna in February, said he wasn't aware of his anger management issues, forgot the crucial life lesson he learned while witnessing the alleged abuse of his mother by his stepfather and pointed out how his altercation with Rihanna has made him a changed man.

According to Brown, he was unaware of his inability to deal with anger, and never had domestic abuse problems before. "I never, ever had problems with anger," he said, "no domestic violence with any of my past."

Watch the video after the jump.

In an excerpt from an upcoming '20/20' interview with Robin Roberts which aired on 'Good Morning America,' singer Chris Brown apologized for beating Rihanna, insisted that he's being sincere and indicated he fully understands the severity of his actions.

"I was wrong for what I did," Brown said, who watched and reacted to clips of Rihanna's interview with Diane Sawyer last month. "I would definitely say that it's not something I look past or look over."

Watch the video after the jump.

Rest easy, shielders of the horrified eyes of America's children. There will be no more scandalous Adam Lambert-type live performances, at least not on ABC.

Reuters reports that, in response to Lambert's notorious number on Nov. 22's American Music Awards, ABC is reviewing its live performance policy and will force future live performers to sign contracts assuring the network that they won't spring any surprises during live broadcasts that ABC censors haven't vetted during rehearsals.

"We certainly don't want to suppress artistry at any level," Disney/ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney told Reuters on Monday, "but we also have to be very cognizant of who our audience is." Sweeney did not say what measures would be taken to enforce such no-spontaneity contracts. (Will they sue overly exuberant performers? Dock their pay? Hold their fees in escrow until the FCC decides whether or not to levy an indecency fine?)

Chris Brown will appear on '20/20' on Dec. 11 to discuss his assault of ex-girlfriend Rihanna in February. The R&B star will sit down with 'Good Morning America' anchor Robin Roberts, who recently interviewed Janet Jackson.

Earlier this month, Rihanna opened up about the assault on 'Good Morning America,' telling Diane Sawyer, "There are a lot of women who experienced what I did, but not in the public. So, it made it really difficult. I just felt, 'Oh my god, here goes my little bit of privacy.' It's something that nobody wants anybody to know."

Rihanna tells Diane Sawyer on '20/20' that the fight between her and then-boyfriend Chris Brown last February was ignited by a text message he received on the night the violence between the two took place.

Rihanna alleges the text message came from a former girlfriend of Brown's. "I caught him in a lie and he wouldn't tell the truth, so I wouldn't drop it," she said. "It escalated into him being violent toward me."

Watch the video after the jump.

You might think it's surprising that 20/20 anchor John Stossel is leaving ABC for Fox, but it's not really much of shock. It seems to me that there have been other high profile names that were once considered liberal firebrands -- Geraldo Rivera and Dennis Miller come to mind -- who've grown older and changed their stripes, finding a home at Fox.

Stossel, whom I recall as a staunch consumer reporter and a man who liked to tear down hypocrisy at every turn, has been a regular at ABC News for nearly three decades. Now, he's moving on to Fox Business Network where he'll have a weekly show, and Fox News where he'll make frequent guest appearances.

With all the press coverage given to Michael Jackson, you'd think a special about his life would trample the ratings of all the other networks. Apparently, that isn't the case as an ABC special about the life of Farrah Fawcett won in the ratings against a similar Michael Jackson retrospective on CBS.

I think it likely helped that Barbara Walters hosted the ABC special (which was a 20/20 special and therefore had more name value than a generic special), whereas the special on Jacko was simply a CBS documentary. I'm still amazed at the rapid turnaround time that the networks can produce specials like these. They have turned it into an art.

It is debatable over who was the bigger name, although both were icons on their time. Jackson seems to be getting more coverage because his death was more of a surprise than Farrah's. Either way, Thursday was a hell of a day.

Mark your calendars: On Sat., Sept. 5, ABC will officially debut its 2009 fall TV schedule, launching a full month's worth of series premieres ('Cougar Town'; 'The Middle'; 'Flash Foward'), along with the return of favorites like 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Desperate Housewives' and the much-anticipated 9th season of 'Dancing With the Stars.'

Want to know when to save the date? Check out ABC's full schedule, including show titles, times and dates, after the jump.

The announcement of an ABC News branded channel on YouTube yesterday is a little puzzling. First, if you go to the site, the info bar indicates that "ABC News" joined YouTube August 7, 2006. So, maybe they've been working feverishly for nearly three years on this, and they were finally ready to tell people about it.

The site will feature news from several ABC programs, like Good Morning America, 20/20, Nightline, ABC World News, and This Week with George Stephanopoulos. And, as a bonus, we get the "Quick Fix" segment, which ABC called "a daily dose of wit and occasionally wisdom" from ABC correspondents.

Dollhouse continues it's downward slide in the Friday ratings, with under 4 million viewers this past Friday. You know what irks me the most? That it was beaten severely in the ratings by a 20/20 special on Siegfried and Roy.

I can't believe that a decent show (not great, but decent... I'm still giving it time) was beaten by two flamboyant German-Americans who are currently best known by having one of them mauled by a tiger onstage. Did they show actual footage of that? If so, then I can understand why the special was such a ratings bonanza.

Granted, we're not at episode six yet, which Joss promises a boost in the storyline and less studio interference. Still, it's starting from a pretty low ebb. You know that cogitative point in which you're certain something is going to fail but it hasn't quite gotten there yet? That's how I feel about Dollhouse right now, despite watching it every week in hopes of the opposite.

'Lipstick Jungle'
(9PM, NBC)
In the penultimate episode of the show's second -- and potentially final -- season, designer Victory tries to come up with the perfect way to propose to Joe.

But her pals are in less romantic states, as Wendy finds out that hubby Shane is still considering going on tour with pop star Natasha Bedingfield (who guests), which would put a cramp in Wendy's personal and professional lives.

Nico, meanwhile, is still planning parenthood for her future, but her quest may be derailed by her ongoing struggle to get recognition at work and by her growing friendship with the boss -- very handsome boss -- Griffin.

'Dog Whisperer'
(9PM, NGC) 100th episode
It's a dog day evening on this special episode of 'Whisperer,' which finds Cesar inviting more than 100 of his past pooch guests and their owners to a party to celebrate his 100th episode.

Complete with red carpet (lined with fire hydrants), the soiree marks a successful dog run in which the trainer has rehabbed more than 300 dogs and 500 owners (in more than 100 cities), curing the canines of aggression, fear and out-of-control behavior and empowering their owners with skills to live happily with man's best friend.

And as a thank you for Cesar's animal magnetism, his party guests have a doggone good surprise for him: An appearance by his childhood hero, Lassie.

• At 8, ABC has the premiere of Dance Machine, followed by new episodes of Duel and 20/20.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• The CW has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• Also at 8: TCM has Cyd Charisse movies: Singin' in the Rain, The Band Wagon, and then Silk Stockings.
• At 8:30, Nickelodeon has a new The Mighty B!
• At 9, Sci-Fi has a new Doctor Who.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new Live at Gotham.
• History Channel has a new Shockwave at 10.
• There's a new episode of The Soup at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, PBS has a new Washington Week, then new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• The CW has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• There's a new iCarly on Nickelodeon at 8.
• At 8:30, Food Network has a new Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels.
• At 9, Sci-Fi has a new Doctor Who, then the summer finale of Battlestar Galactica.
• At 9:30, VH-1 has a new Best Week Ever.
• At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
• E! has a new episode of The Soup at 10.
• History Channel has a new Shockwave at 10.
• Travel Channel has a new Ecoluxe at 10.
• Also at 10: Comedy Central has a new Live at Gotham.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, The CW has a new Smackdown!
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, followed by new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• At 8:30, Food Network has a new Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels.
• HBO has a First Look at the new Incredible Hulk movie.
• At 9, NBC has a new, two hour Dateline.
• Sci-Fi has a new Doctor Who at 9, then a new Battlestar Galactica.
• There's a new Man vs. Wild on Discovery at 9.
• At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
• History Channel has a new Shockwave at 10.
• E! has a new episode of The Soup at 10.
• Also at 10: Comedy Central has a new Live at Gotham.

Check your local TV listings for more.