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MUSIC BITS: Kelly sex tape cleared for court; Pharrell’s Vuitton deal in jeopardy?; Carey’s latest diet; Nelly’s star-studded bash; Sony given the Flip-off.
*Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan said Friday he would not overturn his June 8 ruling allowing the public in the courtroom to view the videotape of singer R. Kelly allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old girl. "The public are not some herd," Gaughan said according to the Chicago Defender. "These are the people who will stand up and say, 'This isn't fair.'" Kelly’s attorney R. Eugene Pincham had argued that the Illinois Juvenile Court Act bars the tape from being shown in open court, and even though the alleged victim on the tape is now 22, it would still apply. Assistant State Attorney Shauna Boliker said "even though the prosecution does not plan to call the girl as a witness, it believes she would be negatively affected by the court viewing the tape.'
*Pharrell Williams may have jeopardized his new Louis Vuitton campaign when he accidentally tried to kick Elton John’s husband David Furnish and Burberry designer Christopher Bailey from his VIP suite at a GQ magazine party in Milan. The producer reportedly told his bodyguards that there was "too much sausage" in the room, and to make way for more ladies to crowd in. A source tells the New York Daily News that the Vuitton people are calling around "taking the temperature" of the bad press he generated, and are mulling whether to pull the campaign. The newspaper cites “multiple sources” who claim Williams’ friend Naomi Campbell called him upon reading the reports and told him: "Two words: Donna Summer." It was a reference to the diva’s career taking a hit after she allegedly made homophobic remarks.
*British tabloids are reporting that Mariah Carey has gone on a new diet where she eats only purple food three days a week. According to The Sun, “Mimi” planned the diet with her nutritionist, who says purple foods such as red grapes and plums have anti-aging benefits that keep wrinkles at bay. "It sounds off-the-wall but it's a huge injection of healthy food in one go,” a source tells the paper. “Purple products are nature's best weapons in the battle against aging. Purple food can prevent breakdown of collagen and slow the wasting of muscles. There's a saying that 'a plum a day keeps a facelift away.’”
*Rap star Nelly hosted a black-tie event in his home town of St. Louis Sunday with a guest list that included Janet Jackson, Usher, Evander Holyfield, Jermaine Dupri and Chingy. Meanwhile, local NBA star Larry Hughes hosted a party on Friday that featured fellow pro stars Allen Iverson and LeBron James. Both events took place despite most black celebrities travelling to Houston for the three-day Essence Music Festival. "Nelly was invited to Essence. He's skipping that and bringing the party here instead," said Amit Dhawan, with Synergy Productions, the company promoting the corporate-sponsored event.
*Houston rapper Lil' Flip has said good riddance to his label Sony Music Group, which put out his previous album “U Gotta Feel Me” in 2004. His new disc, "I Need Mine," was scheduled for release last week but will now stay on the shelf until he finds a new label. Flip’s manager Sandy Lal explained to Billboard: "A label like Sony is not the place for an artist like Flip." Contrary to a published report, Lil' Flip has not signed with Asylum/Warner Bros. Lal said the artist is "very close" to signing a new deal but that "it could be done in an hour or it might take a month."
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