Chris Brown snubbed by awards

CHRIS BROWN was banned from an awards ceremony after Jay-Z threatened a no-show if he performed.

Organisers of Sunday's BET (Black Entertainment Television) Awards wanted the R&B singer to appear at the ceremony, which was hastily transformed into a tribute to Michael Jackson.

But Jay-Z - real name Shawn Carter - felt it was too soon after Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting ex-girlfriend Rihanna earlier this month for him to appear.

So he threatened not to show up unless Brown was axed.

A source said: "Jay-Z wasn't having it. He threatened to pull out of the show if Chris was involved, so BET dropped Chris."

It was also reported that civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton also pressured organizers to get rid of Brown.

The source said: "Al made such a fuss to the BET executives that they pulled Chris.

"Jay is a big name in the BET community, and he was very vocal about his displeasure with Chris attending the ceremony. He didn't want Chris anywhere near the awards so close to the court's ruling."

Brown, who was sentenced to five years probation and six months of community service for the attack on the Umbrella star, was said to be angry about the decision.

A friend said: "He's furious. BET asked him to perform and waited until the last minute to tell him it was off. He's pretty shocked and outraged right now."

But a representative for Brown said: "He was never confirmed to perform."