Thanks to an off-the-cuff comment by Keyshia Cole, word first got out in August that R. Kelly was planning to tour later this year - a tour that his reps denied at the time, as his criminal trial on charges of child pornography was scheduled to start the next month. Now that the trial has been postponed indefinitely, Kelly's show is about to go on. Cole misspoke when she first tipped off MTV News about the embattled R&B singer's planned outing, saying, "We're actually going on tour together in October." Turns out, she should have said November: Kelly's 37-date trek kicks off November 14 in Columbus, Georgia, and wraps up January 12 in Hampton, Virginia. It was not clear at press time whether Cole will be joining Kelly for the tour, but Capitol Records has confirmed that R&B crooner J. Holiday will be an opening act. Kelly's representative told MTV News that once it became clear the trial, originally scheduled to start September 17, was not going to happen "anytime soon," the singer had to make other plans. But there is one small catch: Kelly has yet to notify the court of those plans. For the past five years, whenever Kelly has wanted to travel outside the court's jurisdiction, he had to ask for permission - in the form of a letter to the state attorney's office - to give prosecutors time to object (which they often did). However, the Illinois attorney's office told MTV News on Wednesday (October 3) that Kelly has not yet sought permission to tour November through January. Kelly's representative said that if permission had not yet been sought, it soon will be: "He knows what the rules are." Kelly was charged with 21 counts of child pornography in 2002 (seven of which were later dropped) for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a girl prosecutors said was 14 years old at the time; he pleaded not guilty (see "R. Kelly: When the Gavel Drops"). A new date for the trial has yet to be determined. The next status hearing in the case is set for November 2. If Kelly is convicted of the charges, he faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Dates for R. Kelly's upcoming tour, according to Capitol Records:
Submit Your Comments About This Article:
|
MORE STUFF
Elvis Costello, Roots set for first Whistler fest
T.I. will do time on MTV
50 Cent Employee Arrested Again
MTS Centre, Winnipeg - May 26, 2008
Trina Introduces Pink Diamond Clothing, Launches Website
Romeo Gives Away Free Single As New Album Nears
Definitive Jux Artist Camu Tao Dies From Lung Cancer
Donda West Bill Introduced In California Legislature |
||||||||||








