Chris Brown receives 'extremely favorable' report

LOS ANGELES — Chris Brown has received an "extremely favorable" report from probation officials overseeing his felony assault case, a judge said Thursday.

Brown appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom to offer a judge his first progress report since being sentenced for beating ex-girlfriend Rihanna earlier this year. He talked and laughed with his lawyer before the hearing, which took less than 10 minutes.

(enlarge photo) FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2009 file photo, Chris Brown arrives at the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)

The R&B singer is serving five years of probation and must attend domestic violence counseling and perform six months of community labor in Virginia.

Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos, says Brown has already done 100 hours of community labor in Richmond, Va.

Los Angeles Patricia Schnegg said Brown has also paid all of his court-ordered fees and fines.

Both Brown and Rihanna are trying to put the beating behind them by focusing on their careers. Rihanna has a popular new single titled "Russian Roulette." Brown is due to release his third album on Dec. 8.

Brown is due back in court for another progress report on Feb. 18. Schnegg told Brown that once he completes his community service and counseling sessions, she won't require him to come back to court every three months.

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