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R. KELLY-AALIYAH MARRIAGE YIELDS INDICTMENT
NEW YORK (AP) — Back in 1994, when a 27-year-old R. Kelly married rising R&B star Aaliyah, it raised eyebrows since she was so young. Now that union has given rise to an indictment that claims Kelly bribed his way to the altar. A federal indictment in New York claims Kelly paid a municipal official to produce a fake ID for an unidentified female. The charging papers don’t say who it was. But a source close to the case says it was Aaliyah, who was 15 at the time. The ID was issued the day before the couple secretly married at a Chicago hotel. The union was annulled months later.
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096533-v-315:84-(Oscar Wells Gabriel, AP entertainment editor)-"I'm Oscar Wells Gabriel"-R. Kelly charged with paying bribe before marrying Aaliyah (6 Dec 2019)
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096535-c-210:00-(Oscar Wells Gabriel, AP entertainment editor)-"ID was secured"-R. Kelly charged with paying bribe before marrying Aaliyah (6 Dec 2019)
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R. KELLY / AALIYAH MARRIAGE SCANDAL REVIVED
NEW YORK (AP) — From 1994 until she died in a 2001 plane crash, Aaliyah never officially acknowledged being married to R. Kelly, who was 12 years her senior. But there’s been no shortage of talk about their relationship. Many pointed to the fact that Aaliyah’s debut album, produced by Kelly, was titled “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number.” Neither party would officially acknowledge the marriage, even after Vibe magazine published a copy of their marriage document. The union was annulled months later.
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096536-c-224:16-(Oscar Wells Gabriel, AP entertainment editor)-"and R. Kelly"-R. Kelly charged with paying bribe before marrying Aaliyah (6 Dec 2019)
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096537-c-212:64-(Oscar Wells Gabriel, AP entertainment editor)-"change their stories"-R. Kelly charged with paying bribe before marrying Aaliyah (6 Dec 2019)
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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE PUBLICLY APOLOGIZES TO JESSICA BIEL
NEW YORK (AP) — The last time Justin Timberlake made such a big public apology, he had exposed Janet Jackson’s breast during the Super Bowl halftime show. This time, the apology is for something more private. The singer says he’s sorry for holding hands with the co-star of his upcoming movie. In an Instagram post, Timberlake apologizes to his wife, actress Jessica Biel, for the gossip caused by his public display of affection to Alisha Wainwright. While he blamed a “wardrobe malfunction” for the Janet Jackson incident, Timberlake says his hand-holding was a “strong lapse in judgment” fueled by his drinking “way too much” that night. He also denies anything untoward has been going on with Wainwright.
CHRIS BROWN’S MONKEY BAN
LOS ANGELES (AP) — No more monkeying around for Chris Brown. A judge in Los Angeles has ordered the singer to cut ties with his former pet monkey, Fiji. He has also been ordered to pay for the animal’s upkeep — and to refrain from ever getting another monkey. This all started last year, when Brown put up an Instagram post of his daughter cuddling with Fiji. If Brown abides by the court rules, he will be released from charges of illegal animal ownership.
HARVEY WEINSTEIN - COURT
NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein hobbled into court in New York today for a pretrial hearing in his rape case with what his lawyer later described as a back ailment. A prosecutor asked a judge to increase his bail from $1 million to $5 million. She says the Oscar-winning producer violated his bail conditions by mishandling his electronic ankle monitor, leaving his whereabouts unrecorded for hours at a time. Defense attorney Donna Rotunno blamed technical glitches. The judge put off a decision until next week. Weinstein was in court to be apprised of impending changes to New York's bail system. He has pleaded not guilty.
TENOR DROPPED FROM TWO OPERAS
NEW YORK (AP) — Usually a curtain call after a live performance is a time for the audience to show its appreciation to the artist and vice versa. But what tenor Vittoro Grigolo did during a curtain call a few months ago has cost him two big-time opera gigs. The Royal Opera in London and The Met in New York have yanked Grigolo from productions after looking into what they call inappropriate and aggressive behavior after a Tokyo show on Sept. 18. Grigolo didn’t respond to an AP request for comment — and neither opera has revealed what he did.
PRESIDENT TRUMP - NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a somewhat awkward end to an historic day for President Donald Trump. Last night, he lit the National Christmas Tree. But the event was held hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lit the fuse to a series of events that could mean lights out for Trump’s presidency. Pelosi instructed Democratic chairmen to bring forward impeachment charges against Trump. He has denied doing anything to warrant being removed from office.
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096454-a-83:52-(President Donald Trump)-"very Merry Christmas"-Trump lights National Christmas Tree in holiday tradition (5 Dec 2019)
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096457-a-137:52-(President Donald Trump)-"miracle of Christmas"-Trump lights National Christmas Tree in holiday tradition (5 Dec 2019)
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096459-r-302:40-(Sound of The President's Own United States Marine Band)-"(music fades)"-Trump lights National Christmas Tree in holiday tradition (5 Dec 2019)
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FORMER TV NETWORK EXEC LEONARD GOLDBERG DIES
LOS ANGELES (AP) — If you like current TV shows like “Blue Bloods” or old-school series like “Mod Squad” or “Fantasy Island” — you have Leonard Goldberg to thank. He headed up ABC when many of the network’s biggest shows aired. He also was studio head at Twentieth Century Fox when it did hit movies like “Broadcast News,” “Big,” “Die Hard” and “Wall Street.” Goldberg has died. His family says he passed away Wednesday at a Los Angeles hospital after suffering injuries in a fall at home. He was 85.
by Oscar Wells Gabriel II
Follow Oscar Wells Gabriel II on Twitter at https://twitter.com/OWGabriel2
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