R. Kelly indicted on 10 counts of criminal sexual abuse

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By Sara Sidner and Steve Almasy/cnn
Musician R. Kelly has been indicted on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse — a class 2 felony — involving four alleged victims, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said Friday. He is scheduled to appear in court Saturday for a bail hearing.
Musician R. Kelly, who has been associated with accusations of abusing young women for more than two decades, has been indicted, two sources with knowledge of the development tell CNN.
Cook County, Illinois, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx will announce charges against Kelly at a news conference at 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET), according to a release from her office. CNN is working to obtain the indictment.
A warrant has been issued for Kelly’s arrest, Chicago police say. The charges handed up in an indictment from a grand jury span from 1998 to 2010, the Chicago Sun-Times said.
The minors involved in the case were between 13 and 16, prosecutors allege, according to the Sun-Times.
A grand jury was convened in Cook County earlier this month in connection with new allegations against Kelly, two sources close to the case told CNN.
That came on the heels of attorney Michael Avenatti announcing he had handed over to the State’s Attorney’s Office a videotape that he said showed Kelly having sex with an underage girl.
Steve Greenberg, an attorney for Kelly, told CNN earlier this month he had not been notified of a grand jury. After being asked about the new tape, he said separately he and his colleagues were unaware of any new information involving Kelly.
CNN has seen the VHS tape that appears to show Kelly having sex with a girl who refers to her body parts as 14 years old.
The newly unearthed footage, which lasts 42 minutes and 45 seconds, is clear and explicit.
What is on the video mirrors some of the alleged acts for which Kelly was arrested in a child pornography case in 2002 when he was 35 and then acquitted six years later.
Kelly has been associated with accusations of abuse, manipulation and inappropriate encounters with girls and young women.
He has been sued by multiple women accusing him of having sex with them when they were underage. He has strongly denied the accusations, and most cases, with the exception of the trial where he was acquitted, have been settled out of court.
And while he is one of the most successful R&B acts in history, there has been a growing movement against him, including the #MuteRKelly campaign to stop his music being played.
R. Kelly scandal: A timeline

R. Kelly scandal: A timeline
In July 2017, BuzzFeed published an explosive article outlining allegations that Kelly was holding a group of adult women against their will as part of what some of their parents said was a “cult.”
Joycelyn Savage, one of the young women, denied those claims and asked her parents, via a video shared with TMZ, to stop speaking out about her relationship with Kelly.
In January, the release of a docuseries called “Surviving R. Kelly” on Lifetime television helped boost the public campaign against him.
In that series, women said they were kept in abusive sexual relationships.

 

CNN’s Lisa Respers France and Brad Parks contributed to this report.

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December 6th 2015 11PM Kennedy Center

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Aretha Franklin, Performing in the Kennedy Center Opera House December 6, 2015

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The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a massive building on the Potomac River containing nine theaters.

By Gavin Edwards\ New York Times

 

In her final decade, Aretha Franklin’s two best-loved performances both took place in Washington. In 2009, she graced Barack Obama’s inauguration with a gorgeous “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” while wearing a hat so remarkable it ended up on display in the Smithsonian on Dec. 6, 2015, she sang an unforgettable rendition of her own anthem of rebirth, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” in tribute to the song’s co-writer, Carole King, who was receiving the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement alongside Rita Moreno, Cicely Tyson and other luminaries.

The 1967 single is sensual and spiritual; after 48 years, Ms. Franklin felt it more deeply than ever. It was a showstopper at the Kennedy Center — and on internet browsers everywhere. Soon after, Elton John told The Times that he had been watching the “Natural Woman” clip over and over. “I will definitely, when I’m 75, be having a fur coat like that, and coming in with a clutch bag, too,” Mr. John promised. “And throwing my coat off. And in a fishtail dress.”

We spoke with performers, guests and others who were at the Kennedy Center that night about their memories of Ms. Franklin’s soaring performance. These are edited excerpts from the conversations.

 

RICKEY MINOR, musical director of the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony The producers were interested in Aretha — her doing “Natural Woman” was kind of a no-brainer — and I knew that she attended the Kennedy Center Honors every year, sitting in the audience to celebrate the honorees.

 

DEBORAH F. RUTTER, president of the Kennedy Center Aretha received her Kennedy Center Honor in 1994, at a time when most Honors recipients were at or nearing the end of their careers. That she continued performing and producing new work for the next two decades is a testament to a talent that transcends age and time.

GLENN WEISS, executive producer and director of the Honors ceremony There was a big back and forth before Aretha agreed to perform, but the song was such a huge iconic thing in her life. I think it was important for her to be there.

CHILINA KENNEDY, who has played Carole King in the Broadway musical “Beautiful” and appeared in the Kennedy Center Honors tribute I’d heard the story of how Carole and Gerry [Goffin] had written the song for Aretha: they were walking down Broadway and [producer] Jerry Wexler pulled up in his limo and rolled down the window and said, “Hey, I want you guys to write a song called ‘Natural Woman.’”

MINOR With Aretha, you need to be bendable and not breakable. It was going to be just her with the orchestra, but she made a call and said, “Hey, I have a way that I do this song with my background singers.” Everyone needs what they need to be comfortable.

WEISS She always walks onstage with her purse. When we were in rehearsals, she walks out and puts it on the piano. When she walks downstage, she picks it up and puts it on the floor. The show ends with everyone in the tribute downstage singing “I Feel the Earth Move.” In rehearsal, there’s a line of people in street clothes — her, James Taylor, Sara Bareilles, Janelle Monáe — and this one bag sitting in the middle of the stage. When we finished the song, James Taylor leaned over to pick up the bag and hand it to her, being a gentleman, and reflexively she almost pushed him away.

WEISS Traditionally the honorees go to the White House for a reception, and then they go back to the Kennedy Center, the president comes, and the show starts. Unfortunately, that weekend the San Bernardino shooting happened. We were told by the White House that the president is addressing the nation at 8 o’clock, and we’re scheduled to start at 7:30. The night was a bit of a roller coaster and maybe a little emotional, but the president came to us at intermission.

MINOR I always welcome everybody before the show and thank them for coming, because I probably won’t see them after the show. I knocked on Aretha’s door — she’ll make you wait, you won’t just walk in there. There were a lot of people in there — hair and makeup, she was getting ready — but she was in a great mood.

KENNEDY For the 11 o’clock number of the Carole King section, I introduced her, said, “Aretha Franklin!” and people freaked out.

MINOR The honorees don’t know who’s performing for them.

KENNEDY Carole was losing her mind, Obama was losing his mind, everyone was going wild. I was standing in the wings with James Taylor, who was just as excited to see what was going to happen.

JAMES TAYLOR To me, Aretha is the ultimate — not that it’s a competition. She didn’t open her mouth unless what came out was brilliant.

KENNEDY Out she walks with her fur coat and her purse; she whacks the purse on the piano and sits down. They cut this part out of the segment that went to air, but she did a few scales, taking her time getting ready, and then all of a sudden she hits that first note, “Looking out on the morning,” and it was the most unbelievable performance I had ever seen.

MINOR Carole just kept saying, “Oh my God, oh my God,” and holding her head. She had never seen Aretha play piano and sing her song. Lots of people don’t know that Aretha plays piano, but if you want to get her true sound, you need her playing. Vocally she knows where she’s going, so she can lead herself into that on piano. She’s got more movement in certain places than most pianists would. That teaches her rhythm section to get out of the way, to support her and not dictate how the song goes.

WEISS It’s a roomful of people who have seen a lot of artists over the years, but not a lot of people have seen Aretha sitting down at a piano.

KENNEDY I couldn’t believe what was coming out of her mouth. She got up from the piano, walked downstage, and dropped her fur coat in the middle of the stage.

RITA MORENO, Kennedy Center honoree: The moment she “casually” dropped her massive mink coat onto the stage was one for the ages.

MINOR I was playing bass right behind her. When she dropped that jacket, I almost dropped my bass. It was so in the moment — I don’t think she planned it.

 

ARETHA FRANKLIN (speaking with vogue.com in 2016) I wasn’t sure about the air factor onstage, and air can mess with the voice from time to time. And I didn’t want to have that problem that evening. It’s been a long time since I’ve done Kennedy Center, and I wanted to have a peerless performance. Once I determined that the air was all right while I was singing, I said, “Let’s get out of this coat! I’m feeling it. Let’s go!”

WEISS Of all the television I’ve done, and there’s been a lot, this was one of the most viral clips. I was in the TV truck, in the loading dock behind the stage, watching the monitors for the 14 cameras. Not only was I seeing what was going on, but I’m seeing reactions in the crowd, and I’m making choices of what’s going to go on the air. There was such electricity in the room — part of it might be because of how moved Carole King was. During that show, a lot of the audience will look to see how the honoree responds. When something like this happens, all your plans go out the window and you’re capturing the live moments: the audience gets up on their feet and the president is wiping a tear from his eye.

TAYLOR She was in excellent form and in excellent voice. She was also funny and wry and with it — I thought she would be with us another 10 years.

MORENO She brought a prodigious talent, musicality, and down stompin’ woman’s sass to all she does.

CICELY TYSON, Kennedy Center honoree She had the most beautiful face. You could see her emotions in her face as well as hear them in her voice. It was no surprise when the audience stood up — you can’t sit and listen to her and not be moved. After she finished, she came off the stage and she had a huge bouquet of flowers. She walked up the aisle and an audience member joked, “Are those for me?” She said, “I’m sorry, they’re for my lady,” and she brought them right to me and put them in my arms.

KENNEDY She was up in the stratosphere with those riffs, but every cell of her being seemed to be in the music. There was nothing else, just her and the song. That’s what we try to do as artists — we try to get to where she was that night.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page C4 of the New York edition with the headline: When ‘A Natural Woman’ Blew the Roof Off.

Fashion Week Throwdown: Nicki Minaj Says Fight With Cardi B Was ‘Mortifying and Humiliating’

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 Nicki Minaj, Cardi B

The hip-hop star addressed the incident on her Queen Radio show: “I could not believe how … we made ourselves look.”

 

By: Shirley Halperin\Variety

 

Nicki Minaj took to the airwaves on Monday afternoon to address her fight with Cardi B at a Fashion Week event in New York City on Friday. Speaking on Beats 1’s Queen Radio, which can be heard on Apple Music, Minaj said she found the incident “mortifying and humiliating” especially considering it took place in front of “upper echelon people who have their lives together.”

Responding to the claim that Minaj had made disparaging remarks about Cardi’s newborn daughter, Minaj said, “It’s all lies,” adding, “I would never ridicule anyone’s child. [It’s] so sad for someone to pin that on somebody. … I would never talk about anyone’s child or parenting. … These lies are ridiculous.”

Using her real name (Onika Tanya Maraj), Minaj added: “It’s crazy for me that people always need to make Onika the bad guy. … I was wearing a Vauthier gown off the mother f—in’ runway and I could not believe how humiliating it all felt — how we made ourselves look.”

Addressing Cardi directly, Minaj lambasted: “You came into my f—in culture. I never had to bang a DJ to play my songs. You call black women roaches. Real bitches never attack a woman. You’re angry and you’re sad. This is not funny. Get this woman some f—in help. This woman’s at the highest point in her career and she’s throwing shoes?

Later in the broadcast, the topic of Minaj’s previous feud with Remy Ma came up and the rapper offered that, while she doesn’t always have an opportunity to defend herself, it sometimes gets worked out in her music, or “on wax.”

The star-studded Fashion Week party where the incident took place on Friday was billed as the Harper’s Bazaar Icon bash.

In one of several videos posted to Twitter, Cardi B  wearing a red dress, can be seen lunging towards Minaj before throwing a shoe at the rapper as their security teams rush to break it up.

Sources confirmed to Variety that it was, in fact, the two hip-hop artists involved in the melee, which happened just as the red carpet shuttered.

Cardi B  was later photographed with a large bruise above her right eye as she left the party. The back of her dress was also torn.

Minaj, who was unharmed in the encounter, was quickly escorted downstairs by Minaj’s security team.

Insiders confirm to Variety that Cardi B ’s bump on her forehead was the result of an elbow from one of Minaj’s security guards.

 

Want insight on your favorite Show? Try You Tube

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A lifetime has passed since someone shot JR Ewing on Dallas.  If you wanted to talk about it, you could hope someone an AM radio would talk about it.   What it if were lesser shows like Knott’s Landing or another nighttime drama… You were out of luck .

Today with the advent of the net via social media you can instantaneously chat about the show. via twitter, or facebook and more.

There is a small industry growing on You Tube where ordinary individuals review their favorite shows.


Reviewing, is a second, third and fifth job for some of the reviewers and the reviews are often longer than the shows themselves.  Many of these talented men and women review several shows.     One of my favorite reviewers  is Roxanne Markham (It’s Rox).  Most of her reviews take place in her SUV’ during her lunch hour.  Like many reviewers she is passionate, what makes her special is her sense of humor.

CityFella

 

 

#MeToo is succeeding where others failed — to mute R. Kelly

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By: Brandon Griggs/CNN

R. Kelly is still singing, but in the #MeToo era his voice is getting more and more muffled.

As the R&B singer prepares for a scheduled concert Friday night in North Carolina amid persistent allegations of sexual misconduct, his career is under siege on multiple fronts.
— Streaming service Spotify is removing Kelly’s music from all its playlists and algorithmic recommendations, such as Discover Weekly. His songs will remain on Spotify, but the service will no longer promote them to its 70 million subscribers.
“We don’t censor content because of an artist’s or creator’s behavior, but we want our editorial decisions — what we choose to program — to reflect our values,” Spotify said in a statement Thursday. “When an artist or creator does something that is especially harmful or hateful, it may affect the ways we work with or support that artist or creator.”
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What We Know About R. Kelly’s Two-Decade Trail of Sexual Abuse Accusations

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— Protesters are trying to get his Greensboro, North Carolina, show canceled. Nine local groups sent a letter this week to the Greensboro Coliseum, urging promoters to “do the right thing” and cancel the show. The effort comes a week after a scheduled concert by Kelly in Chicago was canceled — something Kelly himself blamed on “rumors” in a video he posted on social media.
A handful of North Carolina groups have vowed to protest the Greensboro show in person if it’s not canceled. A spokesman for the Greensboro Coliseum declined to comment.
— A growing chorus of celebrities are urging the entertainment industry to cut ties with him. They include singer John Legend, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, actress Viola Davis and rapper Vince Staples. There’s even a hashtag, #MuteRKelly, around the informal online movement.
Through it all, Kelly remains defiant. But how much longer can his career survive?
R. Kelly performs at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on February 21.

R. Kelly performs at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on February 21.

What he’s accused of

Kelly, 51, one of the biggest R&B stars of the 1990s, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement sent to CNN on Thursday, his management team said, “He is innocent of the false and hurtful accusations in the ongoing smear campaign against him, waged by enemies seeking a payoff. He never has been convicted of a crime, nor does he have any pending criminal charges against him.”
But the singer’s reputation has long been tainted by accusations of sexual criminality.
  • In 2002, he was indicted on child pornography charges for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with an unidentified underage girl. The case went to trial in 2008 and Kelly was acquitted.
  • An explosive Buzzfeed article last July claimed the singer was holding a group of adult women against their will as part of what some of their parents said was a “cult.” Kelly would not comment, but his attorney dismissed the “debunked” allegations in an email to Buzzfeed. One of the women later denied publicly that she was being “brainwashed” by Kelly and said “I’m totally fine.”
  • And a BBC documentary released in March featured an interview with a woman who claimed to be a former girlfriend of Kelly and described a “sex dungeon” in which the singer forced her and other women to perform sex acts. The BBC says Kelly’s reps declined to comment.
For years Kelly has weathered the allegations and continued to record and tour. But the recent #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, ignited by allegations of sexual violence against Harvey Weinstein and other powerful entertainment figures, have increased pressure to hold him accountable for his alleged crimes.
After last month’s guilty verdict in Bill Cosby’s assault trial, some social media users are saying the singer should be prosecutors’ next celebrity target.
R. Kelly during the 2013 BET Awards

R. Kelly during the 2013 BET Awards

What Kelly says

Last month, the #TimesUp movement called on various entertainment businesses, including RCA Records, Spotify and Apple Music, to stop doing business with the singer.
In response Kelly’s manager issued a statement, saying the entertainer “supports the pro-women goals of the Time’s Up movement” and calling the allegations against him an “attempted public lynching of a black man who has made extraordinary contributions to our culture.”
On Thursday, Kelly’s management team condemned Spotify’s decision to downplay the singer’s music.
“Spotify is adopting a new ‘Hate Content & Hateful Conduct‘ policy. R. Kelly never has been accused of hate, and the lyrics he writes express love and desire,” it said.
“Spotify has the right to promote whatever music it chooses, and in this case its actions are without merit. It is acting based on false and unproven allegations. It is bowing to social-media fads and picking sides in a fame-seeking dispute over matters that have nothing to do with serving customers.
“Meanwhile, though, Spotify promotes numerous other artists who are convicted felons, others who have been arrested on charges of domestic violence and artists who sing lyrics that are violent and anti-women in nature. Mr. Kelly falls into none of these categories…”

What happens next

However, people in the entertainment industry appear to be distancing themselves from the singer. Recent media reports say Kelly’s lawyer, publicist, and longtime assistant have all severed ties with the R&B singer. Kelly’s current manager did not respond to a request for comment.
Now Kelly is facing headwinds as a live performer. A handful of his concerts were canceled last summer after the Buzzfeed article surfaced. Kelly’s Facebook page lists only one upcoming concert — the Greensboro show.
And protesters there say they are ready.
“The coliseum needs to hold the artist accountable and know they are hosting a sexual predator who has committed acts consisting of statutory rape and the sexual conditioning of young African American girls,” said the letter by the nine local groups, including North Carolina Black Women’s Roundtable, NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina, North Carolina Women United and the YWCA of Greensboro.
“We hope the Greensboro Coliseum will do the right thing by canceling the concert, followed by establishing justice-centered policies and procedures to help plan any future events,” they added. “However, if the Greensboro Coliseum decides to stand on the wrong side of this issue, we will be standing outside the venue to protest his appearance.”

 

CNN’s Lisa Respers France contributed to this story.

make kenye west BLACK again

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You can actually purchase this hat online.  There are “Make Kanye Great Again” Tee shirts. 

That’s America!  

I love that tweet. ” Make Kanye Black Again”

Kenya is a proud black man.

Kanye West is an American Citizen first and performer second.  As a citizen, he is free to join any political party he chooses.    However as a citizen and a performer, he risks alienating his fan base.

His support of President Trump is curious.  Many years ago Mr West called then President George W. Bush  racist, due  on his lack of support for the Katrina victims in New Orleans.  When President Trump and his father has a long history of discrimination against blacks and other minorities and there lies the outrage.

I agree with Chance the Rapper, when he says “Black people don’t have to be Democrats “  I think some of his fans  might forgive Kanye should he chooses to become a Republican.

The outrage is the support of an individual who’s has supported white supremacists, reportedly called African Nations shithole nations and systematically dismantling existing programs that effect  LGBT communities and People of Color.

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve never been a fan of Kanye West his talent is undeniable, I struggle with his narcissism , much like the narcissism of our President. However while I don’t agree with his admiration of Donald Trump, I admire his courage.   A few years ago I admired the courage of the Dixie Chicks.  You remember the Dixie Chicks.  Google um.

Who knows, Pandora?  Kanye West

CityFella