Chris Brown pleads not guilty

Chris Brown pleaded not guilty to two felony counts at his arraignment in a Los Angeles courtroom last night.

Brown was charged with assault and making criminal threats to his then girlfriend Rihanna on February 8 ahead of the Grammy Awards, which both stars missed.

After Brown entered his plea, the judge said that the singer's preliminary hearing would be delayed from April 15 to April 29, with the defence being given more time to work out a plea bargain, Rolling Stone reports.

Rihanna's lawyer Donald Etra said that his client hoped that the case would not go to trial and that a settlement with the court would be reached instead.

"She wants this to be over quickly," he said at a press conference.

Yesterday, it emerged that US radio stations had playlisted a new song that is critical of Brown.