A 1,600-gallon fish tank. Looney Toons murals. An underground log cabin. It can only be the former Lakeview mansion of R. Kelly and The Decider's Davie Wolinsky got a chance to tour it. If you have a spare couple of million dollars, look for the renovated mansion to go on sale sometime next year.
Rumors are spreading fast today about R&B singer R. Kelly. Media Take Out is citing unconfirmed reports of a police raid at Kelly's home in connection with a charge of statutory rape involving an alleged 17-year-old girlfriend. However, we put a call in to the Olympia Fields Police Dept. this morning and an OFPD spokeswoman told us, "All rumors are completely false information. There is no investigation into R. Kelly at the present time. We have been fielding calls for the past three days."
Who knew R. Kelly was even still married?! We offer Andrea Lee ex-Kelly our heartiest congratulations.
We enjoyed Josh Levin's take on Blago hiring R. Kelly's legal team to defend him a few days ago, and found ourselves re-reading his piece in the wake of today's astounding news. It led us to wonder if there might be some grainy footage out there of our dear governor pissing all over the Illinois constitution?
Between now and Wednesday, we're counting down the top 8 stories that captivated us in 2008.
Embattled R&B singer R. Kelly, who was acquitted of child pornography charges in June, has resurfaced for an interview about the trial. Noting that it was time to "move on," Kelly said, "I can't keep answering these questions. If you was charged with something and you was found innocent, then you can't be found guilty for being found innocent." Ah, the legal wisdom of pop stars. But he didn't stop there.
OUT has named what they deem to be the 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums of All Time, and we didn't see a single Chicagoan on the list How could they overlook R Kelly's "Trapped In The Closet" saga? We call foul!
In honor of R Kelly's new album leaking online, Slate has decided to compile all their coverage of his trial a few months ago and has posted it online. Relive the fond, fond memories.
The Trib is reporting, "R&B superstar R. Kelly has been acquitted on all counts at his child pornography trial, according to a court reporter's account displayed in a room set aside for the news media." Yeah, we can't believe it either. We guess the Wayans Defense has legs!
Was it a mole or an "artifact"? That's the question that was batted around in court yesterday as the case turned its focus to a blemish on the back of the individual in the alleged R. Kelly sex tape. Kelly has "a caterpillar-shaped mark" along his spine. While the back of the man alleged to be Kelly is only visible on the tape for less than one second, both the prosecution and the defense have now presented expert witnesses to back their own case. The prosecution witness showed a freeze frame of the video which seemed to show a blemish along the man's spine. The defense's expert, forensic video analyst Charles Palm, broke the half-second of footage into separate frames (sounds exciting!) and only in two of those frames is the blemish visible before disappearing. Palm claims the alleged blemishes are "artifacts that bled into the image" created as a result of the poor quality and multiple reproductions of the tape. When we think of them flashing back and forth between "blemish-frame" and "no-blemish-frame," we can't help but to envision Kevin Costner's scene in JFK: "Back and to the left" over and over. "Mole, no mole. Mole, no mole."
R Kelly's defense called private investigator Jack Palladino today, who said one of the prosecution's star witnesses once attempted to extort Kelly. [Trib]
Jim DeRogatis won't have to testify in R. Kelly's trial after all, Judge Gaughan ruled today after DeRo was questioned at a hearing this morning. Kelly's attorneys argued that DeRogatis has a personal agenda against Kelly, and that DeRo's reporter privilege doesn't apply here because no one is asking about interviews or sources.
Jim DeRogatis didn't show up for court today as Judge Gaughan had ordered, and according to a Trib source, it's because he never officially received a subpoena. Gaughan is threatening to issue a warrant for DeRo's arrest, even though Sun-Times lawyer Damon Dunn says not only did Dero never get a subpoena, but he's appealing the one he's supposed to get anyway.
The University of Chicago Medical Center will be opening a physicians' office downtown, which the Trib says is "another attempt to compete with Northwestern Memorial Hospital on its home turf." [Trib]
Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis will have to testify at R. Kelly's trial, Judge Gaughan ruled today. DeRo's lawyer says he's going to appeal.
We hope R. Kelly rested up over the long weekend, because it's looking to be another rough week for him in court. A witness is expected to testify tomorrow that she participated in a ménage-à -trois with R. Kelly and an underage girl (different than the one involved in the current trial). There have also been allegations that there's a sex tape of this alleged encounter. The impending testimony had been discussed in secret hearings back in April, along with several other pieces of evidence, to avoid any publicity that might taint the evidence.
R. Kelly's defense team wants to call rock critic Jim DeRogatis as a witness. Save DeRo! [Trib]
It's been a tough week for two of Chicago's most beleaguered boys. After an entertaining week of jury selection, the R. Kelly trial started in earnest with with the first day of testimony. Cautionary tale Drew Peterson was arrested on a felony weapons charge and there's trouble surrounding the reopening of the estate of his third (possibly murdered) wife, Kathleen Savio. Though both of these cases are scandalous in their own right, there are actually some parallels between the two alleged perpetrators. Both have a thing for younger women, both have hurt their own cause, and, of course, neither has been convicted of anything. Yet. After the jump, a quick update of what's been happening with each case.
Both sides presented opening arguments today in the ongoing media circus that is R. Kelly's kiddie porn trial. The jurors will be shown the now-infamous tape that shows two people engaging in sex acts; the prosecution says those people are R. Kelly and an underage girl, and the defense says it's not R. Kelly, nor has the prosecution correctly identified the girl on the tape.
Gaughan took a break from shenanigans and using the look-him-in-the-eye trick moms have used for centuries to uphold the gag order in the case, refusing to unseal records of pre-trial closed-door hearings. MTV News has a thoroguh description of all the jurors, including the one who says he's "too young" to remember the O.J. trial. Which makes us feel about a million years old. Time to go mix up some Metamucil, fire up an episode of and talk about wearing our onions on our belts.
Two things that blew our mind today from the Trib's "gavel to gavel" R. Kelly coverage:
R. Kelly's long-awaited child pornography trial is officially underway. Jury selection started Friday, resumed this morning and should take about a week, with around 150 potential jurors being screened down to 16 (the standard 12 plus 4 alternates). The judge and lawyers from both sides are questioning potential jurors, asking about impartiality and how much they already know about the case. Also, being a little weird:
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has launched a new campaign specifically aimed at physicians, who have a higher suicide rate than people in other professions. [NYT]
God, we love a good Mavis Beacon joke. [Lonely Sandwich]
The Illinois Supreme Court denied a request today to unseal the court proceedings in R. Kelly's child pornography trial. The Trib, Sun-Times, AP and WBEZ had joined forces (media powers: activate!) to petition the court to overrule the lower court's ruling to keep the court records private.
WBEZ joined the Trib, Sun-Times and Associated Press today in filing a petition to unseal R. Kelly's court proceedings. Kelly's trial is scheduled to start May 9, a mere six years after charges that he videotaped himself having sex with underage girls were filed against him.
Will watching the above video of xkcd genius Randall Munroe's talk at Google be the geekiest hour of your life? Maybe. But it's worth it. [via waxy]
The CPD wants you to be on the look out for people with maps, people taking pictures, and anyone who looks like he or she doesn't belong. No, not an anti-tourism initiative. An anti-terrorism one. [Via boingboing, which is kind of like saying "via the internet."]
Chavez elected after barely campaigning, and, of course, Obama beat the crap out of Keyes
Foodie Rant - Properly Sauced? Try Properly Ripped Off.
Oprah-geddon: Winfrey To Quit Show In 2011
Daley Blames - Who Else? - The Media For Oprah-geddon
NYT Preps For Chicago Edition
Chicago Gets Googled
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