Assistant Testifies Against R. Kelly

A former personal assistant to R. Kelly became the latest person to take the stand and say she believes the R&B superstar appeared in a sex tape at the center of his child pornography trial.

Lindsey Perryman, who worked for Kelly and his family on and off from around 2000 to 2007, identified Kelly and the alleged victim in the graphic 27-minute videotape.

"I didn't want to think it was them," a sometimes anxious-looking Perryman said Tuesday, with the 41-year-old Kelly sitting at the defense table just yards away.

Kelly is charged with 14 counts of child pornography for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl. He has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Kelly's attorneys have said he is not on the tape, even noting that the singer has a mole on his back and the man on the tape does not. The alleged victim, now 23, also has denied she is on the tape — putting the onus on prosecutors to call witnesses who can testify it is her.

Perryman told jurors she saw the tape for the first time in December 2007, after prosecutors approached her. That first time she wasn't sure it was Kelly and the alleged victim, but she became "110 percent" certain after viewing it again, she said.

"The image I saw looked exactly like Mr. Kelly," she said, adding she was "shocked" and "disturbed" by the video.

Perryman said she saw the alleged victim numerous times, including when she would come to Kelly's Chicago music studio. She recognized the girl as the one in the video by her cheekbones, as well as by the "distinctive" way she moved her mouth, smiled and talked, she told jurors.
Prosecutors claim the tape was made between Jan. 1, 1998, and Nov. 1, 2000, and that the young female in the tape was born in September 1984.

Several other prosecution witnesses also testified Tuesday that the female participant on the videotape was the same person prosecutors say was as young as 13 at the time.

Some sounded more convinced than others.

Benny Edwards Jr., who once sang in a youth group with his relative, the alleged victim, said he couldn't be sure if either figure was Kelly or the alleged victim.

Tjada Burnett, a family friend of the alleged victim, was more certain, saying she recognized the female by her "cheeks, her nose, her facial structure," and said she could have been about 12 or 13 years old at the time the tape was made.

Within hours of their opening statements last week, prosecutors entered the VHS tape into the record as "People's Exhibit No. 1" and played it in open court. Also last week, several witnesses, including a relative of the alleged victim, testified that they recognized her in the videotape.

Although Kelly won a Grammy in 1997 for the gospellike song "I Believe I Can Fly," his biggest hits are raunchy ballads like "Ignition" and his current single, "Hair Braider." He is scheduled to release a new album in July.

DMX X-es Out Rape Judgment

A technicality got him on, and a technicality got Rapper DMX off. No pun intended.

A Maryland judge has voided a $1.5 million judgment the rapper was ordered to pony up to his baby mama who—follow along—sued DMX for defamation after he claimed she raped him during his sleep, resulting in their a child born in 2004.

During a January hearing, Monique Wayne was awarded a $1.5 million judgment, not due to the strength of her case, but because the rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, failed to show up for the hearing.

Last week, however, the tables turned once more, with Judge Thomas Smith ruling that the rapper was never properly served with court papers in the case and was not at fault for his no-show, thereby nullifying his need to shell out the settlement.

It works out better this way anyway. Now he can put that money toward the masses of therapy the poor kid's gonna need.

Could Winehouse Be On A New Path?

Amy Winehouse will perform at this summer's Glastonbury Festival.

She will play the festival's main Pyramid Stage on June 28, just before headliner Jay-Z, it was announced Wednesday.

Organizers said the late addition of Winehouse to the lineup wasn't the result of issues in the singer's turbulent personal life.

Winehouse, 24, was arrested and questioned by police earlier this month about video footage that appeared to show her inhaling fumes from a crack pipe. Police later said she wouldn't be charged.

The Grammy-winning singer, best known for her breakthrough hit "Rehab," is also scheduled to play Britain's Bestival, T in the Park and V Festivals this summer.

Janet Jackson Announces Tour

Though going out on tour means connecting with fans, it can also mean long hours, high stress, and sleepless nights. Janet Jackson says she's looking forward to all of it.

"I love all of that, all of that pressure, I really do," Jackson told The Associated Press on Monday as she gears up for a nationwide tour to kick off in September.

The tour, which opens in Vancouver, British Columbia on September 20 and includes dates in New York and Washington, is Jackson's first in seven years. But the singer, who just turned 42 last week, said she hadn't planned on waiting for so long.

"I was supposed to go on tour with the last album," said Jackson, referring to the 2006 CD "20 Y.O." But the singer said her record label wanted her to wait for her latest CD, 'Discipline.' "We were actually in full-blown tour rehearsals at that point ... learning numbers, getting everything together, set designs," she said. "I had to kind of shut everything down and go into the studio."

Jackson's shows have always been heavy on choreography and glitzy sets. But she promised fans some surprises this time around.

"It will definitely be a big production but it will definitely also be something that I've never done before, that people have never seen from me before," she said.

While only a few dates have been announced for the Live Nation tour, Jackson expects to take the "Rock Witchu" tour (named, by the way, for a song on her new album, not for her brother Michael's famous hit) worldwide.

"It's been a while so I really want to make my rounds," she said. "I haven't been to "Australia in a very long time; I can't wait to go there. There are a lot of places where I really want to stop off at, and that's the idea, that's the goal with this tour.

Tickets go on sale June 7.

R Kelly Trial Update!!

A judge has denied a motion from news organizations seeking immediate access to sealed court records and transcripts in the R. Kelly child pornography trial.

Judge Vincent Gaughan (GAWN) also refused to lift a gag order forbidding attorneys to talk about the case.

The judge says he's not trying to inhibit the press. But he says the time isn't right to release the information and keeping it secret is the only way to guarantee a fair trial.

Kelly has pleaded not guilty to charges he videotaped himself having sex with an underage girl. Jury selection in the R&B singer's trial finished this week. Opening arguments begin Tuesday.

Michael Jackson A National Treasure?

Nah, But His Album 'Thriller' apperently is...

The best-selling pop album on planet Earth and a disc sent hurtling into deep space are among recordings the Library of Congress will preserve for their cultural significance.

Twenty-five selections were added to the National Recording Registry on Wednesday, part of the library's attempt to save America's aural history by archiving recordings deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

The inductees range from Michael Jackson's 1982 all-time-bestseller "Thriller" and jazz artist Herbie Hancock's 1973 fusion smash "Headhunters" to the 1977 record of Earth sounds that flew aboard the spacecraft Voyager in the event alien life forms encountered the craft. Other recordings added to the registry include works by Roy Orbison, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Kitty Wells and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

A collection of Navajo songs, Harry Truman's 1948 Democratic National Convention speech, radio broadcasts from Ronald Reagan before he became president, and the original cast recording of "My Fair Lady" also made the cut, as did broadcasts of New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia reading comics to children during a 1945 newspaper delivery strike.

A recording of the first trans-Atlantic broadcast — an orchestral performance transmitted from London and relayed to the U.S. East Coast in 1925 — also was included because it represented a technological breakthrough in broadcasting.

The Library of Congress chooses 25 recordings each year to add to its registry and preserve. Nominations come from a Library of Congress preservation board and online suggestions from the public. The selections for 2007 bring the registry's total to 250.

Awkward! Alanis Bares "Rock Bottom"

Sure, Alanis Morissette has an album coming out next month, but you have to wonder about the timing of this revelation: The Canadian pop singer says a recent breakup led to her to try "everything from pounding pillows to sharing with intimate friends" in order to get through "a personal unraveling of significant relationships in my life."

"The record chronicles the rock bottom finally being hit," she tells People.

Ouch. Be strong, Alanis. We've all been there.

Still, did you have to bare your "rock bottom" the same week a famous ex of yours, Ryan Reynolds, announced his engagement to hotastic Scarlett Johansson? (Who, yes, also has a new album of her own to push, BTW.) As much as we feel your pain, you oughta know that raining on your ex's parade just makes you look bitter. Next time, try saying, "I'm so happy for them"—even if you don't mean it.

Then you can go back to pounding the pillows.

MASHING MUSIC HEADLINES

FOXY STAYING OUTTA JAIL

Foxy Brown has managed to avoid going back to jail. The rapper was in court yesterday to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of menacing for hitting a woman in the face with her blackberry. She was sentenced to time already served in jail and wrote a letter saying she’s sorry. This is Brown’s last court date, so now she just has to stay out of trouble.

PARIS STILL SINGLE

Paris Hilton has been sporting a new diamond ring, which has inevitably stirred up marriage rumors. When asked if it was an engagement ring from boyfriend Benji Madden she said, “It’s just a present, he’s sweet.” Paris did say the couple want to stay together forever. They have been dating for four months so maybe for Paris that is a really long time.

COLDPLAY ANNOUNCES TOUR DATES

Hot off the release of their new downloadable single, Coldplay has announced the dates for their upcoming tour. The North American leg of the Viva La Vida tour kicks of June 29 in Philadelphia, tickets go on sale soon so check out Coldplay.com for details.

Winehouse Arrested Again!!! WTF

Amy Winehouse has been arrested on suspicion of drugs possession, police and her spokesman said Wednesday.

Winehouse's spokesman, Chris Goodman, said the arrest is connected to a video that is alleged to show the troubled singer taking drugs at a party in her home in north London.

Britain's The Sun tabloid in January published still images from a video that it claimed showed Winehouse inhaling fumes from a small pipe. The images were said to have been filmed during a party at her London home.

London's Metropolitan Police said a 24-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of drugs possession. Goodman confirmed his client was in police custody.

"Amy Winehouse voluntarily attended a London police station today by appointment. She was arrested in order to be interviewed and is cooperating fully with inquiries," Goodman said in a statement.

"The interview relates to a video handed to police earlier this year," he said.




Winehouse is famous for her hit "Rehab." She has had a turbulent private life. Last month she was cautioned by police for assault after she slapped a man during a night out. That means no charges were filed, but the incident was placed on her record.

Shortly after The Sun published still photographs of the video, Amy Winehouse entered a London rehabilitation center.

Miley Cyrus Doesn't Address Photos

Miley Cyrus returned to the stage for a concert in Orlando, Fla., but did not say anything about the recent controversy over her Vanity Fair portrait.

The 15-year-old star of Hannah Montana performed several songs at the Saturday concert that will be included in the Disney Channel Games series on the Disney Channel.

Cyrus didn't attend Friday's red-carpet party for the games at Disney's Epcot Center, where she would have faced questions from the media.

Miley Cyrus has said she was embarrassed by the photo, which shows her wrapped in a sheet with her back exposed.

She spotted a sign in the crowd Saturday that said "Miley I'm praying for you," and she responded: "I can't be more appreciative of that."

Saturday's concert also featured performances by the Jonas Brothers and the Cheetah Girls.

GTA 4 Music Successful As Game?

With the highly anticipated video game "Grand Theft Auto 4" hot on streets, the game's soundtrack taps some big names in hip-hop and R&B in hopes of making the music as successful as the game itself.

The controversial game, which was originally scheduled to hit stores last October, finally arrived on shelves on Tuesday (April 29) to both fan fare and critical acclaim. The game is quickly on track to be the highest rated video game of all time and first-week sales are predicted to reach up to $400 million.

"Grand Theft Auto 4" is also slated to have the largest soundtrack of any game before it. It will also be the first game that allows players to tag songs in the soundtrack for subsequent purchase online through Amazon. The soundtrack, which took over a year and a half to compile, hopes to further escalate the game's appeal to a wide range of consumers.

The game will feature separate radio stations organized by genre, with songs by quite a few hip-hop and R&B stars including Kanye West, R Kelly, Busta Rhymes and Ne-Yo. DJ Green Lantern is also set to host one of the stations, producing an entire channel with all-original songs made exclusively for the game, rather than licensing existing tracks.

"We've really paid attention to what goes on in New York City and I think we really captured the music of the entire city, from different ethnic and social groups to different tastes of music," says Ivan Pavlovich, music supervisor of Rock Star Games.

While the exact numbers are unknown, the budget for the soundtrack could have exceeded $2 million, according to Rueters.

"Grand Theft Auto 4" is out now on Rock Star Games.

Ludacris: Building An Empire

Rapper Ludacris is set to release his sixth album, "Theater of the Mind," in September, a project he terms appropriately "theatrical."

He has been working on the Def Jam Records set while shooting "Max Payne," the big screen adaptation of the popular Rockstar video game.

Calling the album a collection of his experiences up to this point, Ludacris told Billboard.com that "Theater" will be film-worthy. Though he hasn't yet chosen a first single, he said a track should come out by June or July.

One track is called "Let's Stay Together," produced by DJ Paul of the Oscar-winning rap combo Three 6 Mafia.

His last album, 2006's "Release Therapy," sold 1.2 million units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and won the Grammy for best rap album.

Ludacris is squeezing in studio time between "Max Payne" film shoots in Toronto. He plays NYPD Deputy Police Chief Jim Bravura in the film, which co-stars Mark Wahlberg. He will be in theaters October 31 with Guy Ritchie's "RocknRolla," which stars Thandie Newton and Jeremy Piven.

"It's about how the Russian mob came to Europe and took over," said Ludacris.