R. Kelly trial blog May 14: No progress on jurors

6:31 PM EDT, May 14, 2008

R. Kelly (center) arrives at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building on Wednesday for the fourth day of his child pornography trial. (Tribune photo by Michael Tercha / May 14, 2008)

The jury counts stands at 8--4 whites and 4 blacks--as the third day of questioning in the R. Kelly child pornography case ended without any new picks.

However, two prospective jurors, a recent college grad and a man vaguely familiar with the singer's career, are likely to make the panel. Both are white.

Among those dismissed Wednesday were a man who considered Kelly a pedophile and a woman who described the Grammy winner as "not very smart."

Kelly, who rarely appears to pay attention to the questioning, looked up and cast a wounded glance toward the woman. It's the most emotion he has shown since jury selection began.

"Anyone who would become accused or be in that position of doing that supposedly with a child, isn't very smart," she said. "He needs help."

Stacy St. Clair

Wednesday, May 14, 5:28 PM: R. Kelly: The Movie

If you've been paying close attention to Kelly's daily arrivals at the courthouse, you probably have noticed the guy with the video camera filming the entourage.

You, like us, probably wondered to yourself, "what's up with that?"

Well, we've got the scoop.

The camera dude is on Kelly's payroll, according to a source close to the Kelly camp. His sole mission: To capture all of the singer's public appearances for posterity. Whenever Kelly appears in public, be it at a concert or a court date, it's this guy's job to make sure it's caught on film.

Now, you might think that fighting child porn charges would make a guy a little camera shy. But Kelly is not like most people.

"I'm the Ali of today. I'm the Marvin Gaye of today. I'm the Bob Marley of today. I'm the Martin Luther King, or all the other greats that have come before us. And a lot of people are starting to realize that now," Kelly was quoted as saying last year in a hip-hop magazine.

Our source says that a documentary about the singer's life is a possibility. Sometime soon, "The R. Kelly Story" might make its way to a theater near you--parental guidance suggested, we're sure.

Kayce T. Ataiyero

Wednesday, May 14, 1:48 PM: Grooving to a silent beat

Jury selection could be inspiring R. Kelly's next big hit.

The prolific songwriter has been jotting notes on yellow index cards throughout much of the questioning this morning. He keeps his cards and pen underneath the table so jurors don't notice.

Rather than pass the notes to attorneys, Kelly sticks the cards back into his suit pocket when he's done.

During some jurors' interviews, Kelly has been observed bopping his head in a manner that suggests he's grooving to a beat that only he can hear.