QUICK TAKES - May 6, 2009

Rihanna has shelved plans for a concert this month in Dubai because the timing was “inappropriate,” a Middle East concert promoter said Tuesday.

Yassin Matbouly, managing director of Vibe Entertainment Management Agency, said the Dubai-based promoter got “nothing in writing” from Rihanna’s agents but was made to understand from managers negotiating the May 28 gig in the Persian Gulf sheikdom that it won’t work out.

The development came shortly after the pop star made a comeback on the red carpet in New York, arriving late Monday at the annual Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum gala.

The Dubai concert was to have been Rihanna’s first singing performance since her then-boyfriend Chris Brown allegedly beat her up in February.