 The long wait is over. Whether justice has been served or denied depends on whose side of the fence you belong. Whether R. Kelly was the man in the sex tape at the center of his child pornography trial, or not did no longer matter. Because the jury wasn't convinced that the female in the graphic video was the 13-year-old girl who prosecutors said she was.
“You want to be 100 percent sure it's Kelly and (the alleged victim),” one juror said. “What we had wasn't enough.”
On friday morning, just a few hours before the verdict, the panelists remained split: seven for acquittal and five for conviction during an early vote. Not one of the five jurors who spoke after the verdict wanted to be identified.
It was a six-year pre-trial delay that came down to an agonizing 10 minutes for R. Kelly, who clutched the hands of the lawyers flanking him while a court official slowly read the verdict for each of the 14 counts. Kelly kept his head down and eyes shut tight, barely moving, until tears began streaming down his face even before the official got to the end of the verdict. Kelly kept whispering, “Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.” Had he been convicted, Kelly would have to face up to 15 years in prison.
For those who are not in know, R.Kelly won the Grammy Award in 1997 for the song “I Believe I Can Fly” and his biggest hits are raunchy ballads like “Ignition.” According to Kelly's publicist, Allan Mayer, Kelly always knew that “when all the facts came out in court, he would be cleared of these terrible charges. ... all he wants to do is move forward and put it behind him.”
The evidence labeled as “People's Exhibit No. 1” on the first day of testimony was the video of a man having sex with a young female, who is naked for most of the recording. While she is often blank-faced, the man speaks to her in a hushed voice, and she calls him “Daddy.” In one scene, the man urinates on her.
Both Kelly and the now 23-year-old alleged victim had denied they were on the videotape. She never testified, nor did her parents, which several jurors cited as a weakness in the prosecution's case.
One of the jurors said he thought the woman's body appeared too developed for 13. Another one said that the prosecutors left too many questions unanswered.
Due to the lack or absence of the alleged victim's testimony, prosecutors had to rely in part on a witness, Lisa Van Allen, who said she engaged in three-way sex with Kelly and the girl. The woman claimed she sought hundreds of thousands of dollars from Kelly in exchange for her silence, thus getting labeled by defense lawyers as extortionist.
While the man on the tape didn't have a large mole on his back, as Kelly does, jurors said the mole argument rarely came up in deliberations and played no role in their verdict.
Puzzling the jury even more was that three relatives of the alleged victim testified they did not recognize her as the female on the tape, while other relatives said that it was her.
According to Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Shauna Boliker, she believed the female on the tape was a victim, not a prostitute as the defense had contended.
“This shows the world how difficult this crime is to prosecute,” she said. “It also takes the soul of the victim, the heart of the victim.”
 Who’s stopping Britney Spears? She already has a Grammy under her belt. But this blonde pop star is about to add an Emmy to her mantle.
The troubled singer-turned-sitcom guest star doesn’t have the prized golden statue in her hands just yet, but at least, she’s one step closer to it. Or is it only wishful thinking… According to OK! Magazine, Brit has been included on the official ballot as a possible nominee to receive an Emmy Award for her two guest appearances on CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother.”
Brit is in good company, as she is one of the 41 actresses on the list for possible nominees which also include Sarah Silverman for “Monk,” Mary-Kate Olsen for “Weeds,” Alyssa Milano for “My Name is Earl” and “Scrubs” star Sarah Chalke, for guest-starring as Britney’s boss on “How I Met Your Mother.”
But here’s the cliffhanger: the long list of 41 actresses will be whittled to a short list of final nominees before the Emmy Awards ceremony in September. Keep your fingers, and toes, crossed Brit fanatics. You don’t want her to be cut again just like what happened to her in Pussycat Dolls new music video.
AccessHollywood.com previously reported that Brit filmed a cameo in Burbank last week for the Pussycat Dolls return single, ‘When I Grow Up.’ She drove a car for her cameo part.
According to MTV News Web site, the station that will premiere the video for the Dolls, Spears is not in the video. Neither a rep from the Dolls or for the “Oops, I Did It Again” singer was available for comment about the missing cameo.
Not even the Dolls studio gave an explanation why Spears was edited from the video when they taped “FNMTV” – a new MTV show hosted by Pete Wentz — on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
“When I Grow Up” lyrically finds a woman recounting how her dream of fame included wishes to “see the world,” “drive nice cars,” have groupies” “be on TV,” “be on magazines” and “be in movies,” before advising the listener to “be careful what you wish for ‘cause you just might get it.” The video will premiere on “FNMTV” Friday evening.
Speaking of ‘growing up’, life has been a tempestuous whirlwind for Brit’s younger sis, Jamie Lyn Spears, ever since she announced her pregnancy. And here comes a looming disaster: Unconfirmed rumors are circulating like a giant twister that her wedding to future daddy Casey Aldridge may no longer push thru.
Sources said that the preggy star of Zoey 101 may have put the rein on plans to marry Aldridge on account of their constant bickering and inability to get along.
“Jamie Lynn and Casey have been fighting non-stop about everything, from what to name the baby to what to eat for dinner. And now she’s called off their wedding plans,” the source told the press.
Another insider claims that Jamie Lynn’s father Jamie has put his overseeing of Britney on hold to be with her at the Spears family estate in Kentwood, Louisiana. “Jamie Lynn, Jamie and her mom are all staying at Serenity right now. They’ve been busy decorating the baby nursery.”
 What’s this I hear that Katherine Heigl will not be an Emmy contender this year? That she actually pulled her name from the roster of contenders? The nerve that she even blames the show’s scripts for being poorly written? Who does she think she is?
The truth is, I admire this “Grey’s Anatomy” star for her classic, unobtrusive beauty. In fact, I was so happy for her when she won Best Actress in last year’s Emmy.
But when I read in an article that she doesn’t want to steal the Emmy spotlight from another performer if her name will still be in the ballot is being downright presumptuous! Again, who do you think you are, girl…err… what’s your name again? Grrrr…..
One of her reasons is that she did not feel that she was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination… What duh??? Hey, girl… if you’re a real trooper, you would have given justice to the material no matter how mediocre it was!
She also said that her withdrawal from the contest is to be deemed as an effort to preserve the integrity of the academy organization. Really now? The previous award must have done something wrong with your head for it to swell that big!
I don’t care if she isn’t the first star to pull their name from Emmy consideration. Just because Isaah Washington, another member of “Grey’s” cast chose not to submit his name in the jury panel last April doesn’t mean anybody can just do such an uncalled gesture.
It will be remembered that Heigl also slammed the material for a project she starred in last summer. When “Knocked Up” became a box-office success, she made a comment on Vanity fair that the movie was a “little sexist. When the write-up hit the newsstands, she backtracked from her statement all of a sudden. Weird girl. But in fairness to her, let’s listen to her defense:
“I was responding to previous reviews about the movie the interviewer brought to my attention. My motive was to encourage other women like myself to not take that element of the movie too seriously and to remember that it’s a broad comedy.
“Although I stand behind my opinion, I’m disheartened that it has become the focus of my experience with the movie. The truth is, it was the best filming experience of my career. Every person that was a part of making “Knocked Up” helped to encourage, support and inspire me. I never intended for anyone to think otherwise.”
Hmmm…. Speaking of retraction, Paul Newman’s friend and business partner, A.E. Hotchner, is denying a report, which quoted him telling the Associated Press that the actor was battling cancer and was currently undergoing treatment.
Hotchner told the press that he saw Newman last week who seemed fine. He said he has no knowledge of any diagnosis or doctors.
In addition to starting Newman’s Own salad dressing company, Newman and Hotchner founded The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which gives more than 1,000 children with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions the chance to go to summer camp every year.
It’s funny what the media can do, and have to resort to, in order to get a scoop way ahead of its rival. Think Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie twin-birth news hullabaloo! Unfortunately, when this early bird who thinks it catches a worm turns out to be a bluff, expect a run-around or a pandemonium to break loose.
“Entertainment Tonight” prematurely announced the birth of the twin babies of two of the most beautiful and famous celebrities in the world. The TV show has been getting all the flak from different quarters while Pitt’s manager and other news organizations had declared it untrue.
Friday night’s broadcast of ET said that “a source who says she was inside the delivery room tells us yes, the babies were born and yes, mother and babies are doing fine.”
The first to report that the story was untrue was People magazine followed by the US Weekly after checking their sources.
Although the controversial story was removed from the “Entertainment Tonight” web site, someone from the show said Monday that the story had not been retracted. The representative, who would not comment on the record, did not confirm whether the show had checked back with the original source after Pitt's manager denied the births.
Even the show's veteran executive producer, Linda Bell Blue, did not return a call seeking comment on Monday.
The unfounded and pre-mature report of the babies' birth was even magnified when Associated Press reported that “Entertainment Tonight” had said the twins had arrived. Since the Associated Press could not immediately confirm or debunk the report, its editors talked with an “Entertainment Tonight” spokeswoman about the source.
According to Lou Ferrara, managing editor of Associated Press who supervises entertainment coverage, “we felt confident that they had the story nailed down.” The Associated Press also felt that “Entertainment Tonight” had a solid reputation in the world of celebrity news.
As the day went on, the news shifted, with other celebrity publications reporting anonymous denials, and then AP quoting Pitt's manager, Cynthia Pett-Dante, saying it was not true.
“The incident has damaged the Associated Press’ relationship with ‘Entertainment Tonight’,” Ferrara said.
“If you have the story, stand up and shout it from the mountaintops,” he said. “If you've got it wrong, you've got to shout it from the mountaintops that you've got it wrong.”
“Access Hollywood,” a rival magazine bluntly told viewers that its competition had blown it.
“As news and information move at a lightning pace, it's all the more reason to be right first than first wrong,” said Rob Silverstein, “Access Hollywood” executive producer.
According to the mother herself, actress Angelina Jolie, the babies are not due until August. Sarah Ivens, editor in chief of OK! Magazine said she grew more comfortable over the weekend that the “Entertainment Tonight” story was wrong because of other clues. There were no news of flowers being delivered to hospitals, or grandparents flying in, she said, and Pitt was seen attending a sporting event over the weekend — an unlikely spot for a new father of premature twins.
Paid Advertisment:   Hollywood’s brightest stars converged at Universal City in California to witness the 2008 MTV Movie Awards. Stalking the gold carpet to separate the best luminaries from dull ones was “Project Runway” champ Christian Siriano.
Anne Hathaway was no doubt one of the most gorgeous celebrities that walked on the gold carpet. Wearing a ruffled, asymmetrical, shimmering black mini, Anne glided in her remarkable Brian Atwood shoes. Megan Fox of “Transformers” glowed in a lively pink ensemble complete with a corset, billowing skirt and black ruffles. Not to be outdone was Lindsay Lohan garbed in a royal-purple strapless mini-dress with tiered layers, cinched at the waist with a black vinyl belt.
Paris Hilton, escorted by her beau, Good Charlotte's Benji Madden, was stunning in an A-line, white strapless number with a balloon hem. The glam dress was embellished with black lace set against the crisp white dress. Meanwhile, the trendsetter star of “Sex And The City” Sarah Jessica Parker looked gorgeous in a fitted, L'Wren Scott sparkling mini with long sleeves and a high neck. Matching her fantastic outfit were off-white boots and a bright-pink clutch with diamond detailing.
The crowd loved Tila Tequila draped in a copper-tan gown with a plunging neckline and a velvet-detail strap in the back. A leopard-print sequin clutch and Manolo Blahniks completed her number. Pussycat Dolls mastermind Robin Antin wore a gold, copper and nude flapper-inspired backless mini that wowed not only the male population in the audience.
Lauren Conrad and Audrina Patridge, stars of “Hills,” both hit the carpet dressed in blue: Audrina in a tight-fit, deep-blue cocktail flasher with a plunging V-neck, paired with a metallic clutch; LC was fantastic in her asymmetrical blue dress cinched at the bottom sides.
Casual numbers all: Ellen Page was a runaway for best shoes of the night with her black-and-white checkered high-top sneakers. Ben Barnes from “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” was dashing in a military-inspired jacket with khaki and black detailing. Shimmering with blings, T.I. strolled the carpet in a blue button-down shirt and jeans. And Seth Rogen dressed up jeans with a black jacket and gray T-shirt.
Stepping it up a nothch higher was Ben Stiller in a black jacket with notch lapels on top of a black button-down shirt, black pants and a blue striped tie. Dapper and clean was fashion icon Diddy in a jacket with interesting shawl-type lapels. Competing for attention was L.A. Lakers player Lamar Odom in a lavish gray suit with white pinstripes and hound's-tooth print accented with maroon suede.
Broadway's “Legally Blonde,” Laura Bell Bundy, wore a sequin, racer-back cocktail dress in deep navy blue. With her were the women from the upcoming MTV show “Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods,” in bright-pink wraps.
Siriano’s “Most Fierce Award” went Lucy Walsh, from MTV's “Rock the Cradle,” for her lush ruffles in deep purple, eggplant and blue dress, cinched at the waist with a black sequin belt. The fierce number was designed by no less than Siriano himself.
The Pussycat Dolls were deserving of their “Most Flawless” award as the entourage entered in an assortment of black minis and shorts, garnished with jewel details, ruffles and plenty of sass to go around.
Vintage-inspired outfits made it’s presence felt on the carpet with “Superbad” star Martha Maclsaac's blue, green and yellow strapless maxi-dress.
 Could it be his sparkling hazel eyes or is it the sly grin? Maybe it’s the scruffy look. No matter what it was, the edgy-but-mainstream appeal of this Midwest former bartender has definitely won America to deserve the title of ‘American Idol.’
David Cook broke down in tears after his final performance to beat the other David, 17-year old Archuleta from Murray, Utah. The face-off between the two Davids brought an estimated 31.7 million viewers to the Fox finale of "American Idol," a million more viewers that last year's showdown between Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis, Nielsen Media Research reported Thursday.
While Archuleta always received the most praises from the judges and live studio fans, Cook’s victory was an overwhelming landslide. Host Ryan Seacrest announced that he'd won by a margin of 12 million votes out of the record 97.5 million cast by viewers.
From the outset, both Cook and Archuleta never got a low vote. The ex-bartender kept dishing out soaring vocals while the younger crooner had been declared by judge Simon Cowell to have scored a knocked out performance time and time again.
While it seems that criticism may have made Cook's win a sweet revenge,it can’t be called an upset victory. A number of online outfits had already predicted that he would take home the top prize: a record contract and an SUV.
According to some show analysts, Cook's winning appeal may be found in a rustling in the show's recent ratings: Viewership for teenagers 12-to-17 for "Idol" was down this season, and the median age of an "Idol" viewer, once in the mid-30s, is now up to 42, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Since Cook was the first ‘rocker’ to take the title from a steady stream of pop- and R&B-type singers, maybe an older contingent helped push Cook way over the edge. Now that the upper age limit was raised from 24 to 28 in season four, many are wondering if another increase could be on the way soon.
Another reason could be that Cook was so genuinely humble, which is a contrast to Archuleta’s quietness, throughout the competition, even until the very end. Cook even told reporters that it was an honor to share the stage with the teenage singer whom he described to have more talent at 17 "than I know what to do with at 25."
Cook once more broke down on stage. His eyes were filled with tears when he stood back up.
Surprisingly, the biggest viewer erosion in season seven was right in Archuleta's voting bloc. Ratings fell 18 percent among women aged 18-34; and 12 percent among teenagers 12-17. Also apparently in Cook's favor: Viewership has risen among people aged 50 and over, and the median age of an ‘Idol’ viewer, once in the mid-30s, is now up to 42.
According to Cook: “I actually walked into this with no expectations, and I'm walking out of it with no expectations. This show is a springboard, but it's still a crapshoot.”
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