The 2011 Esquire Magazine “Sexiest Woman Alive” is (Drumroll, puhleeze)…Rihanna!

“The Good Girl Gone Bad” has been formally named Esquire’s “Hottie of the Year,” following in the footsteps of starlets like Kate Bekinsale, Halle Berry, and most recently Minka Kelly, who have all wore the “Sexiest Woman Alive” tag.

In an accompanying article with the mag, the Barbadian beauty, 23, speaks of putting the past in the rearview and becoming a fan of former boyfriend Chris Brown’s music, despite the brutal beating he gave her during that now infamous 2009 Grammy night brawl. The S&M” singer says that disliking her abusive ex was taking up too much of her time and notes that she’s “really excited to see the breakthrough he’s had in his career.” Chris is serving five years of probation after pleading guilty to assault for the attack on Rihanna, who says she’s impressed by Chris’s perseverance “even when the world seemed like it was against him.” Brown’s latest disc, F.A.M.E. (Forgiving All My Enemies), debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in March; it reached gold status and has multiple pop and R&B hits with songs like “Look at Me Now” and “Deuces.”

“It’s incredible to see how he pulled out of it the way he did. Even when the world seemed like it was against him, you know? I really like the music he’s putting out. I’m a fan of his stuff. I’ve always been a fan. Obviously, I had some resentment toward him for a while, for obvious reasons. But I’ve put that behind me. It was taking up too much of my time. It was too much anger. I’m really excited to see the breakthrough he’s had in his career. I would never wish anything horrible for him. Never. I never have.”

With Rihanna’s permission, in Feb. 2011 an Los Angeles judge lifted the “S&M” singer’s restraining order against Brown. Under the new conditions, the exes can have contact, provided that Brown doesn’t harass, annoy or molest Rihanna.

Are secret lovers Drake and Rihanna moving in together?

The rumored couple, who have been on-and-off since 2009, are taking their relationship to the next level by going half on a crib, National Enquirer snitches say.

Still jilted by her ordeal with ex-beau Chris Brown, Rihanna initially hesitated about getting involved with the “Miss Me” rapper. Drake, on the other hand, worked hard to help Rihanna work past those fears and recently invited her to move in with him.

“Now Drake has told her he loves her and that he wants her to move in with him. She’s telling pals that she’s decided to just go for it and give their romance a serious try,” a friend of the singer squealed to The Enquirer. “These days she’s all about Drake. Everyone is breathing a huge sigh of relief.”

Leggy islander Rihanna is the newly-minted Ambassador of Tourism in her native Barbados.

The proud Bajan beauty has secured a three-year marketing deal with officials at the Barbados Tourism Authority to promote her homeland as the ideal vacation destination, says spokesperson Richard L. Sealy.

“In the hearts of every Barbadian, Rihanna is known as the girl next door, but to the world she has become a musical sensation and social phenomenon. She is a great source of national pride to Barbados and we are thrilled to enter into this formal partnership to promote Barbados as a leading tourist destination.”

Rihanna couldn’t be more excited about the new venture.In a statement, the “Umbrella” singer says:
“Barbados is a place like no other and one of the reasons for this is the spirit and national pride of our people. I want each and every visitor to this beautiful island to experience what makes this destination different from all others and that is the spirit and warmth of my fellow Barbadians.”

The “Loud” singer will launch the partnership with a concert in Bridgetown in August.

Another new music video from Rihanna’s Loud album arrived on this week. The promo for “Man Down,” the fifth single from Loud, features the singer shooting a guy who abuses her. It was filmed in Jamaica in April.

Well — no good can come of this. Rihanna added bruising ex-boyfriend Chris Brown to the list of people she follows on Twitter on Friday, and shortly thereafter, Brown added Rihanna to his list in return – a move that has many fans of the “S&M” singer fans instantly concerned.

The Entetainment World was set on its ear when Chris was collared for battering RiRi in a Pre-Grammy brawl back in 2009. Brown escaped serious time behind bars when he was sentenced to probation and community serious. The island-born beauty, 23, had been prohibited from having contact with her R&B star ex until earlier this year, when a judge lifted the restraining order against Brown, permitting the “Deuces” heartthrob to attend industry-sponsored events where their paths might cross.

On Saturday, however, Rihanna was quick to fight back against her fans’ online hints that the estranged pair may on the road toward

“Its [expletive] twitter, not the alter!” she Tweeted to one on Saturday. “Calm down.”

Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife: Antoine Dodson’s back! The viral sensation, who was collared on drug charges last month, is hoping to elbow his way back into the limelight after releasing this mildly-disturbing video of him performing shirtless dance steps to the soundtrack of Rihanna’s “Skins.”

It’s amazing what the ego will do to inflate itself.

High-stepping pop princess Britney Spears is making her mark on the World of R&B. The “Hold It Against Me” hitmaker who will be hitting the road on tour with hip-hop femcee Nicki Minaj this summer has lent her famous voice to a remixed version of Rihanna’s “Too Hot for Radio” hot “S&M.”

Rihanna broke the news on her Twitter feed Sunday.

“I got a SEXY collabo comin your way supa dupa soon OH YEAH! By popular demand…. Its BRITNEY BITCH!!” the Grammy winner Tweeted. “One of the biggest worldwide popstars! U gangsta. EPIC.”

Britney replied: “Rihanna You’re such a tease! I like it, like it…You think they’re ready Ri Ri? You ain’t so bad yourself honey…”

Guess Brit’s forgiven RiRi for cracking up laughing during her disastrous performance at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards!

The R&B World has been plagued by reports of Jay-Z and Rihanna “getting it in” for years — much to the chagrin of Mrs. Knowles-Carter, we’re sure. While those rumors haven’t resurfaced, we hear the sexy songstresses are now going head-to-head over their main man in a different way.

Beyonce is expected to sign with her husband’s Roc Nation Management Firm after dumping her father as her manager last month. Despite this, Jay-Z’s close relationship with his Caribbean-born protege is driving a wedge between him and his bootylicious bride, well-placed insiders told Australia’s NW Magazine this week.

“Beyoncé feels Jay spends a lot of time mentoring Rihanna. Ri gets a lot of sexy songs, which would be guaranteed hits for Bey, but I think she feels she doesn’t even get a look-in because Jay doesn’t want people looking at his wife in that way.”

Her still-untitled new album is due in June.

Rihanna opens up about sexting, bad boys, and her attraction to the dark side in the new issue of Rolling Stone Magazine.

As it turns out, her actual bedroom antics aren’t that far off the lyrics to her controversial song “S&M,” the snger has revealed.

“Being submissive in the bedroom is really fun. You get to be a little lady, to have somebody be macho and in charge of (you). That’s fun to me…I like to be spanked,” the 23-year-old stunner tells the mag. “I like to be spanked. Being tied up is fun. I like to keep it spontaneous. Sometimes whips and chains can be overly planned – you gotta stop, get the whip from the drawer downstairs. . . . I’d rather have him use his hands.”

Rihanna on Childhood Trauma at the Eyes of Her Estranged Father, Ronald: “He slapped me so hard. I ran home with his handprint on me. I couldn’t believe it. My mother saw my face, how traumatized I was.”

On Skype Sex: “When you’re not with the person you want to be intimate with, a picture is the next best thing. Well, Skype is safer. But a picture lasts a long time. When you’re alone, and those horny moments come up, pictures can be very handy.”

On Being a Masochist: “I do think I’m a bit of a masochist,” she says. “It’s not something I’m proud of, and it’s not something I noticed until recently. I think it’s common for people who witness abuse in their household. They can never smell how beautiful a rose is unless they get pricked by a thorn…When I think about it, I really do take some pleasure in the negativity. I don’t want to say turned on by it – but I’m turned on by it.”

She also talks about what happened with her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown: “I put my guard up so hard. I didn’t want people to see me cry. I didn’t want people to feel bad for me. It was a very vulnerable time in my life, and I refused to let that be the image. I wanted them to see me as, ‘I’m fine, I’m tough.’ I put that up until it felt real.”

When asked about recently allowing a judge to ease the terms of the five-year restraining order against her ex, the singer says it felt like the right thing to do, even if it meant being criticized for it. Brown was convicted of assaulting the pop star in 2009 and, as part of his punishment, he was ordered to stay away from his former lover at all times. The restriction meant he could not attend parties or award shows while Rihanna was present.

“You can never please people,” Rihanna tells the magazine. “One minute I’m being too hard, and the next minute I’m a fool because I’m not being hard enough.”

Rihanna was quick to point out that even though she and Brown are now allowed to actually interact with each other, she’s certainly in no rush to do so.

“It doesn’t mean we’re gonna make up, or even talk again. It just means I didn’t want to object to the judge,” she says. “We don’t have to talk again ever in my life. I just didn’t want to make it more difficult for him professionally. What he did to me was a personal thing. It had nothing to do with his career. Saying he has to be a hundred feet away from me, he can’t perform at awards shows, that definitely made it difficult for him. That was the only thing it was going to change, so I didn’t care.”

The “Only Girl in the World” is going to be the only girl attending her concerts!

Poor Rihanna is having a really hard time selling tickets to her US summer tour. Having recently completed the Australian leg of her last tour, the flame-haired songstress is bringing her talents back to The States. Much to her chagrin, however, her Loud show has been plagued by poor sales. Even tapping “Fuck You” hitmaker Cee-Lo Green as a headliner hasn’t helped and RiRi’s been advised by her manager Jay Brown to cancel some shows.

According to The Post, less than 4,000 tickets have been sold to Rihanna’s Beantown opener on July 24, but she needs to sell at least 15,000 to break even.

“It’s been a big disappointment,” a source told The New York Post’s Page Six Column Tuesday, adding that Rihanna has yet to amass the fanbase needed to sell-out arenas. “The ticket sales in big US cities like Boston are so bad, they will barely cover basics like the lighting and other arena costs. Tour managers are begging local radio stations to do giveaways.”