Idolator

Jury selection in R. Kelly's long-delayed child pornography trial begins today, and as you might expect, the Chicago media are all over it, having waited for years to cover a story that hits a sweet spot (celebrity name recognition, damnable allegations, and strange/disturbing subplots) that's usually the province of trials in the Los Angeles metro area. After the jump, a roundup of various bits of news related to R., the trial, and late-night basketball games in a Chicago suburb.

• A woman who was at one time in love with R. Kelly was allegedly paid an undisclosed amount by one of the singer's aides to hand over a tape of a sexual encounter between her, Kells, and an underage girl. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• The Tribune is liveblogging the whole trial as best they can. One detail: Two men who played on the singer's contribution to the Ali soundtrack by holding up a sign that said "R. Kelly World's Greatest Pedophile." Clever? [Chicago Tribune]
• Kells' normal Thursday-night basketball game in the south Chicago suburb of Markham was marked by him angrily hurling a basketball at a reporter who'd stopped by to watch the game/come up with metaphors for future stories about the trial. Also, a former opponent of the singer's claims that he insists on playing point guard and that he "hogs the ball and shoots all the time." [Chicago Sun-Times]
• What's the best way to maximize pageviews from a big news event that will bring more people to your newspaper's Web site than ever? A photo gallery! [Chicago Tribune]