In his first interview since being acquitted of child pornography charges, R. Kelly dismissed allegations that he ever preyed on young girls, saying in an interview: “I don’t like anyone illegal.” In the interview with Black Entertainment Television, Kelly said he was relieved when the trial was over, and that his upcoming album would feature less of the sexually charged material that has come to define his multiplatinum career.
“I’m really trying to make this album ... a little bit different,’’ he said in an interview that aired on BET on Tuesday.
“Take a little bit of the edge off, you know? And you know, clean up a few lyrics if I can, you know?’’ Kelly, 40, was acquitted in Chicago in June of multiple child pornography charges. The verdict ended a six-year saga that began when a videotape surfaced of a man looking like Kelly having sex with a girl believed to be as young as 13. Kelly denied he was the man in the videotape, and the girl in the video never testified.
Kelly spoke to the network for about a half-hour last week.
Though the interview did not specifically address the child pornography charges, Kelly was asked about the perception that he is attracted to young girls (Kelly was married to the late singer Aaliyah when she was 15, but the marriage was quickly annulled).
When asked if he liked teenage girls, Kelly replied: “When you say teenage, how — how old are we talkin’ ... 19?” “I have some 19-year-old friends,’’ he added. “But I don’t like anybody illegal, if that’s what we’re talking about, underage.’’ Kelly said he was worried that he might be convicted.
“But at the same time I was very prayerful,’’ he said. “Verdict day ... I couldn’t describe it and I wouldn’t wish it on — if I had a worst enemy, which I don’t.’’ When the not guilty verdicts were announced, Kelly said he felt relieved that he would be able to see his three children — two daughters and a son — once again.
“I couldn’t wait to get home to hug them and hold them,’’ he said.
Despite the charges Kelly faced, he still managed to maintain a successful career, notching several platinum albums and hits during that period. His new album, 12 Play 4th Quarter, is scheduled for the fall.
British pop star George Michael has been cautioned by police after being arrested in a public toilet in London in possession of drugs, police said late Saturday.
“A 45-year-old man was arrested on Sept. 19 on suspicion of possession of drugs in the Hampstead Heath area,” a Metropolitan Police spokesman said.
The singer was taken to a police station and given the caution for possessing class A and class C drugs, police said.
Under British law, class A drugs can include crack cocaine.
Michael, 45, has admitted using drugs in the past.
In 2006, he was found slumped over the wheel of his car and last year he was given a two-year driving ban after pleading guilty to driving while unfit through drugs.
Michael has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, with seven US number one singles, 11 number one singles in Britain and six number one albums.
Last month he wrapped up his first tour for 15 years with concerts in London and Copenhagen and said they were his last ever arena and stadium shows.
On the tour, he wore a police uniform to perform his number one hit Outside which refers to his arrest in 1998 when he made lewd advances to an undercover male police officer in a public toilet in Beverly Hills, California.
Actor Ryan O’Neal and his son, Redmond, were arrested and charged with possessing methamphetamine on Wednesday following a search of their home, officials said. They were taken into custody at their home in Malibu after a predawn check by officers, said Sergeant Diane Hecht, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Actress Katie Holmes won praise for her debut on Broadway on Thursday night, where she was cheered on by actor husband Tom Cruise and shouted at by anti-Scientology protesters outside the theater. The drama started before the curtains went up in the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater with a group of about 20 protesters, some masked, chanting “Scientology is a cult” and “Free Katie,” according to the New York Daily News.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Last week the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that the budget cuts voted for by the China-aligned parties in the legislature, are intended to force the DPP to hike electricity rates. The public would then blame it for the rate hike. It’s fairly clear that the first part of that is correct. Slashing the budget of state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) is a move intended to cause discontent with the DPP when electricity rates go up. Taipower’s debt, NT$422.9 billion (US$12.78 billion), is one of the numerous permanent crises created by the nation’s construction-industrial state and the developmentalist mentality it
Experts say that the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modeling suggesting thousands could be dead. Automatic assessments from the US Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake northwest of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people. Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number killed had
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