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Posts Tagged “R. Kelly”
The R. Kelly trial is over, but it still has some juice: Lisa "3-Way Basketball Court Booty Call" Van Allen told prosecutors that one of R. Kelly's associates suggested she should be "murked" (which she took to mean killed but, knowing Kelly, may have had something to do with merkins), while another paid $100,000 for yet another tape of the singer finding nothing wrong with a little underage bump n' grind. Even if these allegations are true (and they're certainly not outlandish), it's surprising that the prosecution would call a "star witness" who claims to have successfully blackmailed and stolen from Kelly in the past. But then, hindsight is 20-20. [E! Online]
true stories, what... miracles, what
Judging from "Hairbraider" and "Body Body," some people might assume that R. Kelly will continue to dish out the same odes to freaknasty he's given us in the years following his initial arrest for child pornography. But Billboard correspondent Gail Mitchell likes to see the urine jar as being half full. "It will be interesting to see what he comes back with," she told MTV, "because I'm sure he's had time to do some introspection. And out of adversity, artists sometimes come through with something they didn't know they had in them before, like Marvin Gaye with What's Going On. " Actually, Gaye followed What's Going On by cheating on his wife with an underage girl, inspiring such hits as "Let's Get It On" and "You Sure Like To Ball." So maybe he's not the best example.
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R. Kelly May Trade "12 Play: Fourth Quarter" For "U Saved Me From Prison"
Judging from "Hairbraider" and "Body Body," some people might assume that R. Kelly will continue to dish out the same odes to freaknasty he's given us in the years following his initial arrest for child pornography. But Billboard correspondent Gail Mitchell likes to see the urine jar as being half full. "It will be interesting to see what he comes back with," she told MTV, "because I'm sure he's had time to do some introspection. And out of adversity, artists sometimes come through with something they didn't know they had in them before, like Marvin Gaye with What's Going On. " Actually, Gaye followed What's Going On by cheating on his wife with an underage girl, inspiring such hits as "Let's Get It On" and "You Sure Like To Ball." So maybe he's not the best example.
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what have you sung for us lately?
Janet Jackson has some ambitious plans for her upcoming tour. "My true goal is to try at least do every single that I've ever had. So, I've got to figure out a way to fit this in two hours, and yet give them enough of each song so that they don't feel hungry for more of that song in particular." Wow! If we generously qualify "single" as songs with American-released videos (and ignore some airplay-charting B-sides), that's still more than 30 tracks. Seeing as how she's probably too proud to just ignore everything she's done since the wardrobe malfunction, I've got five post-Rhythm Nation 1814 (the singles on that and Control are unfuckwithable) songs that she might think about just yelling the title of in the middle of a medley.
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Five Singles Janet Jackson Shouldn't Bother Relearning For Her Tour
Janet Jackson has some ambitious plans for her upcoming tour. "My true goal is to try at least do every single that I've ever had. So, I've got to figure out a way to fit this in two hours, and yet give them enough of each song so that they don't feel hungry for more of that song in particular." Wow! If we generously qualify "single" as songs with American-released videos (and ignore some airplay-charting B-sides), that's still more than 30 tracks. Seeing as how she's probably too proud to just ignore everything she's done since the wardrobe malfunction, I've got five post-Rhythm Nation 1814 (the singles on that and Control are unfuckwithable) songs that she might think about just yelling the title of in the middle of a medley.
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R. Kelly attorney Sam Adam Jr. has publicly apologized to Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana for dragging her name into the Gary Coleman and X-rated-snowman-filled closing arguments of his client's trial last week. "This wasn't a gardener or the man down the street or a janitor," Adam's argument went. "This was a 13-year-old girl having sex with a superstar, and she doesn't tell anyone? She doesn't let it slip to her best friend? Never? Not anyone? You can't keep a 13-year-old's mouth closed over Hannah Montana tickets, but this?" Classy! Adam has since taken to MTV to tell Miley/Hannah "sorry," saying that he didn't mean to drag her into the worst of both worlds and that he only brought her into his spiel because she's "the biggest thing out—no offense, Robert." (Yes, he really did append that apology. Talk about digging a hole!) [MTV via The Kelly Chronicles]
trapped no more
While post-trial commentary has sweated R. Kelly's fame, the Little Man defense, and other colorful parts of the recently concluded circus, jurors in the six-years-in-the-running child pornography trial claim that the reasonable doubt (or "grayness," as one juror described it) that resulted in their "not guilty" verdict revolved around the identity of the girl in the video, not as to whether Chuck and Keith had grafted Kelly's head onto another fellow's watersports so Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards and her minions could tarnish Kells' good name. Had the alleged victim or her parents corroborated her identity in the video, or had three family members not testified for the defense, the case may have had a very different outcome, mole or no mole.
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R. Kelly Jury Just Glad To Never See The Tape Again
While post-trial commentary has sweated R. Kelly's fame, the Little Man defense, and other colorful parts of the recently concluded circus, jurors in the six-years-in-the-running child pornography trial claim that the reasonable doubt (or "grayness," as one juror described it) that resulted in their "not guilty" verdict revolved around the identity of the girl in the video, not as to whether Chuck and Keith had grafted Kelly's head onto another fellow's watersports so Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards and her minions could tarnish Kells' good name. Had the alleged victim or her parents corroborated her identity in the video, or had three family members not testified for the defense, the case may have had a very different outcome, mole or no mole.
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the last word
From time to time, we like to round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. Recent events, however, have caused us to canvass the Internet for initial reactions to the acquittal of R. Kelly, which came down earlier today:
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The R. Kelly Verdict: A Nation Reacts
From time to time, we like to round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. Recent events, however, have caused us to canvass the Internet for initial reactions to the acquittal of R. Kelly, which came down earlier today:
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breaking
MSNBC has just reported that R. Kelly has been found not guilty on all of the 14 counts that were leveled against him in his child pornography trial. [AP]
Breaking: R. Kelly Is Not Guilty
MSNBC has just reported that R. Kelly has been found not guilty on all of the 14 counts that were leveled against him in his child pornography trial. [AP]
It's been about 24 hours since they started deliberations, but jurors in the R. Kelly trial are apparently already reaching their boiling point: One juror nearly got kicked off the trial because he yelled at a waiter and smashed a bottle on his table after waiting half an hour to be served at a restaurant, while another passed a note to presiding judge Vincent Gaughan this morning that simply read, "How can I be removed and go home? I really need to." Gaughan is going to rule on the matter after lunch, which we hope for the sake of everyone involved is served as speedily as possible. [The Kelly Chronicles]
at least he didn't yell 'attica!'
The trial is over and the jury is deliberating, but we can still marvel at the reasons defense attorney Sam Adam, Jr. gave for finding R. Kelly not guilty. The tape might be CGI? Heard it. Questionable witnesses? Yup, we remember. "That's what this is about - money, money, money!" Gotcha. "[If you find Kelly guilty,] you are going to have to call (the alleged victim) 14 times individually and collectively a whore." Wait, what? "My momma told me when we were kids, 'if you ain't got something nice to say about someone, don't say it about her.'" Hold on, dude. "How are you 14 times going to call her a whore?" Dude, back the fuck up. Are you really saying that we shouldn't hold a man accountable for having sex with and urinating on an underage girl because it would mean tarnishing her good name? After that, I'm surprised the jury didn't come back after five minutes with a verdict of "eat a dick."
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R. Kelly's Closing Argument: "Please Respect The Underage Girl I Urinated On"
The trial is over and the jury is deliberating, but we can still marvel at the reasons defense attorney Sam Adam, Jr. gave for finding R. Kelly not guilty. The tape might be CGI? Heard it. Questionable witnesses? Yup, we remember. "That's what this is about - money, money, money!" Gotcha. "[If you find Kelly guilty,] you are going to have to call (the alleged victim) 14 times individually and collectively a whore." Wait, what? "My momma told me when we were kids, 'if you ain't got something nice to say about someone, don't say it about her.'" Hold on, dude. "How are you 14 times going to call her a whore?" Dude, back the fuck up. Are you really saying that we shouldn't hold a man accountable for having sex with and urinating on an underage girl because it would mean tarnishing her good name? After that, I'm surprised the jury didn't come back after five minutes with a verdict of "eat a dick."
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R. Kelly's legal woes just never end: Henry Vaughn, aka "Uncle Henry Love," claims that R. Kelly stole his "stepping" dance from him. He also says he gave Kelly the moves to make him look more mature. So which is it, Uncle Henry Love? Did you give them or did he steal them? Also, Kelly released Happy People almost four years ago! Why are you complaining about the step thing now, Uncle Henry Love? Don't you think he's got enough to deal with? [SOHH]
do not forget your dying piper
Despite the CGI shenanigans and shady witnesses, there really isn't much for R. Kelly's jury to deliberate. "It's not a complicated case," law professor Leonard Cavise told the Chicago Sun-Times. "You either think it's her and it's him [on the tape], or you're done." The prosecution, which opened its closing arguments this morning, must convince members of the jury that they are indeed watching R. Kelly get wet and wild with an underage girl. The defense, on the other hand, has to make the jury believe that nobody knows what the hell is on the tape, or how it got there. So how do their cases stack up?
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Closing Arguments Begin In R. Kelly Trial: A Look Back
Despite the CGI shenanigans and shady witnesses, there really isn't much for R. Kelly's jury to deliberate. "It's not a complicated case," law professor Leonard Cavise told the Chicago Sun-Times. "You either think it's her and it's him [on the tape], or you're done." The prosecution, which opened its closing arguments this morning, must convince members of the jury that they are indeed watching R. Kelly get wet and wild with an underage girl. The defense, on the other hand, has to make the jury believe that nobody knows what the hell is on the tape, or how it got there. So how do their cases stack up?
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trapped in the courtroom
After much discussion from witnesses regarding the possibility that the R. Kelly sex tape was a computer-generated forgery, it has now come forward that the prosecution gave the defense an exceptionally poor DVD reproduction of the original tape, which was used during its questioning of expert witness Charles Palm. While Palm claims his testimony was based on the original, high-quality tape, defense attorneys claim the jury may believe they were acting in "poor faith" when they used the prosecution's cheap copy during Palm's testimony. No one's currently asking for a mistrial (maybe they're saving this complaint for an appeal), but it's at least clear that the jury will have to be told the reason for the varying quality of the tape they saw, which may further confuse a jury that's already had to put up with some twisted shit. During deliberation, however, the jury will be given a VCR so they can watch the original sex tape, despite the defense's worry that they might break it or something.
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R. Kelly Trial Deals With Sex Tape Minutiae, Possible Mistrial?
After much discussion from witnesses regarding the possibility that the R. Kelly sex tape was a computer-generated forgery, it has now come forward that the prosecution gave the defense an exceptionally poor DVD reproduction of the original tape, which was used during its questioning of expert witness Charles Palm. While Palm claims his testimony was based on the original, high-quality tape, defense attorneys claim the jury may believe they were acting in "poor faith" when they used the prosecution's cheap copy during Palm's testimony. No one's currently asking for a mistrial (maybe they're saving this complaint for an appeal), but it's at least clear that the jury will have to be told the reason for the varying quality of the tape they saw, which may further confuse a jury that's already had to put up with some twisted shit. During deliberation, however, the jury will be given a VCR so they can watch the original sex tape, despite the defense's worry that they might break it or something.
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habeas body, body
It may seem rather confident of R. Kelly to drop a new song, the sprightly tribute to The-Dream and/or T-Pain "Body Body," as his defense wraps up its case, but 12-Play: Fourth Quarter does have some serious finality to it. (I suppose if a mistrial is declared, he can put out 12-Play: Overtime.) But before we can find out what twelve Chicagoans think about Lisa Van Allen and the Little Man defense, the prosecution will call its video expert to refute that whole freaky-deaky headless madness the defense offered, and an Atlanta prosecutor to swear that Van Allen's fiance Yul Brown did not cut a deal on his own criminal case in exchange for his girlfriend's testimony in this case.
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R. Kelly Drops Jaunty Jingle As His Defense Rests
It may seem rather confident of R. Kelly to drop a new song, the sprightly tribute to The-Dream and/or T-Pain "Body Body," as his defense wraps up its case, but 12-Play: Fourth Quarter does have some serious finality to it. (I suppose if a mistrial is declared, he can put out 12-Play: Overtime.) But before we can find out what twelve Chicagoans think about Lisa Van Allen and the Little Man defense, the prosecution will call its video expert to refute that whole freaky-deaky headless madness the defense offered, and an Atlanta prosecutor to swear that Van Allen's fiance Yul Brown did not cut a deal on his own criminal case in exchange for his girlfriend's testimony in this case.
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A second witness in the R. Kelly trial, private investigator Nick Palladino, has claimed that prosecution witness Lisa Van Allen and her fiance Yul Brown tried to extort money from Kelly in exchange for not testifying. While they're not accused of asking outright for money, Palladino took their repeated references to a potential $300,000 book deal and "wanting to do what's best for their family," as well as requests for Palladino to tell Kelly of their situation, to mean that they wanted cash. Palladino also says he recorded the meeting, so the jury may be allowed to decide for themselves what implications Van Allen and Brown were trying to make. [Chicago Sun-Times]
family affair
Man, I feel sorry for the prosecution in the R. Kelly trial. They've got three family members of the victim who swear she's in the sex tape, while the defense has three that swear she isn't. And she swears she isn't. And the hairbraider with tales of freaky three-ways between Kells and the victim? The defense has a witness who claims her fiance said she'd change her testimony for $350,000. Can the defense witnesses be trusted? Does it matter? Not being able to get the alleged victim or half her family to admit she's on the tape seems like it could leave some reasonable doubt for a jury that didn't know the victim back when the trysts were allegedly videotaped. Meanwhile, The Sun-Times has published an interview between the excused-from-testifying Jim DeRogatis and Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards that occurred six years ago, around the time they both first saw the infamous tape. DeRo's queries are oddly riddled with multiple question marks, but Sparkle still does a good job painting a portrait of a total creep.
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Shady And Confused Witnesses Piss Reasonable Doubt All Over R. Kelly Trial
Man, I feel sorry for the prosecution in the R. Kelly trial. They've got three family members of the victim who swear she's in the sex tape, while the defense has three that swear she isn't. And she swears she isn't. And the hairbraider with tales of freaky three-ways between Kells and the victim? The defense has a witness who claims her fiance said she'd change her testimony for $350,000. Can the defense witnesses be trusted? Does it matter? Not being able to get the alleged victim or half her family to admit she's on the tape seems like it could leave some reasonable doubt for a jury that didn't know the victim back when the trysts were allegedly videotaped. Meanwhile, The Sun-Times has published an interview between the excused-from-testifying Jim DeRogatis and Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards that occurred six years ago, around the time they both first saw the infamous tape. DeRo's queries are oddly riddled with multiple question marks, but Sparkle still does a good job painting a portrait of a total creep.
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Update
Judge Vincent Gaughan ruled that Chicago Sun-Times music writer Jim DeRogatis will not have to testify in the R. Kelly trial because of the Fifth Amendment, which protects people from self-incrimination, after DeRogatis showed up in court this morning to be questioned by the judge. Sun-Times attorney Damon Dunn said that an overly zealous prosecutor could potentially take any testimony in which DeRogatis admits to watching or possessing the tape and use it as the grounds for a child pornography case, and that DeRogatis is still protected under the First Amendment, despite the court's earlier ruling. The matter of who slipped the tape to DeRogatis in the first place still remains a mystery. [The Kelly Chronicles]
Judge Vincent Gaughan ruled that Chicago Sun-Times music writer Jim DeRogatis will not have to testify in the R. Kelly trial because of the Fifth Amendment, which protects people from self-incrimination, after DeRogatis showed up in court this morning to be questioned by the judge. Sun-Times attorney Damon Dunn said that an overly zealous prosecutor could potentially take any testimony in which DeRogatis admits to watching or possessing the tape and use it as the grounds for a child pornography case, and that DeRogatis is still protected under the First Amendment, despite the court's earlier ruling. The matter of who slipped the tape to DeRogatis in the first place still remains a mystery. [The Kelly Chronicles]
The R. Kelly trial has officially gone from "life imitates videos" (Chuck and Rufus vs. Chuck and Keith) to "videos imitating life imitating videos" or something even more convoluted. Lisa Van Allen, the witness who claims to have had three-ways with R. Kelly and his alleged victim, can be seen braiding R. Kelly's hair in the video for "I Wish." The chorus of R. Kelly's current single? "Hairbraider, huh, I'm doin' my hairbraider! And she do my hair so good that I'm gonna tip her!" Guess you didn't tip her enough, Kells. [ONTD]
