Posted by Maura Johnston on 03/09/2011 at 2:30 PM News

The Popdust Files: chris brown, ludacris, rihanna

Chris Brown has declared that he’s over apologizing for the February 2009 fight with his ex-girlfriend Rihanna that sent him on a cycle of saying sorry and acting out and using the word “hater” way too much in an interview (not yet published in full) with the New York Post offshoot Page Six Magazine. “I’m in a positive place,” he says of his current pre-album-release state, although he’s quick to note that people like Pharrell and Pitbull stuck by him while things were rough, and now that he’s rescaled the pop charts people who were lukewarm about him are coming calling again.

But then there is this quote:

“You can’t blame people for how they want to be portrayed or if they don’t want to be associated with somebody who had a particular mishap.”

Oh dear. “Mishap” is what you might call a curious word choice there—at the very least it implies some sort of lack of remorse that goes beyond Brown’s “I’m through with saying sorry” stance. For further clarification, let’s consult with the authorities at Merriam-Webster:

Definition of MISHAP
1: an unfortunate accident
2: bad luck : misfortune

Examples of MISHAP

1. We experienced the usual mishaps of a family vacation.
2. The ceremony proceeded without mishap.
3. The fire was a tragic mishap that could have been prevented.

First Known Use of MISHAP
14th century

Related to MISHAP
Synonyms: casualty, mischance, accident
Antonyms: fortune, luck, serendipity

Note the common terms there. “Accident.” “Luck.” To further illustrate, Chris, let’s use the word in a couple of ways that apply to your current situation:

• Timbaland leaking a track of yours on Monday while ego-retweeting mentions of himself? That’s a mishap.
• Your album F.A.M.E. leaking in full yesterday, with the deluxe edition’s bonus tracks and everything, even though it wasn’t supposed to be out for another two weeks? That’s also a mishap, and a sign that you probably need to lock your stuff down a little more tightly.
• The idea that someone thought Ludacris’ opening gambit on the F.A.M.E. track “Wet The Bed”—”Hear the sound of your body drip, drip, drip / As I kiss both ..lips, lips”—was sexy at all isn’t a mishap per se, but it certainly is a mis-something.
• Entering into a fight with another person? Not a mishap—unless they happened to be walking by you while you were taking a swing at someone else.

Here’s hoping your new post-mad self will take this bit of editing to heart! Because really, malapropisms like this just set you up for being flayed by the gossip blogs even more, and at the end of the day, who wants that cycle to keep going?