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.
China’s military launched a record number of warplane incursions around Taiwan last year as it builds its ability to launch full-scale invasion, something a former chief of Taiwan’s armed forces said Beijing could be capable of within a decade. Analysts said China’s relentless harassment had taken a toll on Taiwan’s resources, but had failed to convince them to capitulate, largely because the threat of invasion was still an empty one, for now. Xi Jinping’s (習近平) determination to annex Taiwan under what the president terms “reunification” is no secret. He has publicly and stridently promised to bring it under Communist party (CCP) control,
In Taiwan’s politics the party chair is an extremely influential position. Typically this person is the presumed presidential candidate or serving president. In the last presidential election, two of the three candidates were also leaders of their party. Only one party chair race had been planned for this year, but with the Jan. 1 resignation by the currently indicted Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) two parties are now in play. If a challenger to acting Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) appears we will examine that race in more depth. Currently their election is set for Feb. 15. EXTREMELY
They increasingly own everything from access to space to how we get news on Earth and now outgoing President Joe Biden warns America’s new breed of Donald Trump-allied oligarchs could gobble up US democracy itself. Biden used his farewell speech to the nation to deliver a shockingly dark message: that a nation which has always revered its entrepreneurs may now be at their mercy. “An oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms,” Biden said. He named no names, but his targets were clear: men like Elon Musk
On Sept. 27 last year, three climate activists were arrested for throwing soup over Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh at London’s National Gallery. The Just Stop Oil protest landed on international front pages. But will the action help further the activists’ cause to end fossil fuels? Scientists are beginning to find answers to this question. The number of protests more than tripled between 2006 and 2020 and researchers are working out which tactics are most likely to change public opinion, influence voting behavior, change policy or even overthrow political regimes. “We are experiencing the largest wave of protests in documented history,” says
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