R. Kelly Case Still Moving At A Snail's Pace

Nearly six years after the alleged sex tape first surfaced, the court proceedings in the R. Kelly continue to move at a snail's pace. The prosecutors originally sought to have testimony from one expert witness, Dr. Sharon Cooper, cover several different areas — the age of the girl on the tape based on forensic pediatrics, the identification of the man on the tape based on the vein pattern on his hands, and the behavior profile of the girl based on the psychology of child sex-abuse victims.

Judge Vincent Gaughan had previously ruled that Dr. Cooper could testify about the victim's age, but not the behavior profile, so prosecutors had asked him to reconsider. At a hearing on Monday (January 14), Gaughan ruled once again that Dr. Cooper would not be able to testify about why the girl in the case would deny that she was a victim, or how common denial is in sex-abuse cases. Kelly is due back in court March 12 for another pre-trial hearing, while the trial itself is slated to start on May 9.

This report is provided by MTV.com

50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Wyclef, Timbaland Reportedly Named In New York Steroids Probe

The ongoing investigation into steroid trafficking that has already sent shockwaves through professional baseball is now reportedly looking at members of the music industry as well. According to a report in Albany, New York's Times Union, citing confidential sources, the names of Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Timbaland and Wyclef Jean have turned up in an Albany-based probe.

The report claims that the singers and rappers are among tens of thousands of people who may have either used or received prescribed shipments of steroids and injectable human growth hormone (HGH) in recent years. But law enforcement officials said they don't have evidence that musicians and other customers violated any laws. Instead, the probe focuses on anti-aging clinics, doctors and pharmacists who prescribed the drugs.

Medical experts told the paper that the alleged use of the drugs in the entertainment industry — which is already a human laboratory for anti-aging shortcuts from collagen, fat and botox injections to a laundry list of plastic-surgery procedures — is proof of how steroid use has spread in this country. Steroids and HGH, currently the focus of a congressional investigation into their use in professional baseball, are being illegally prescribed across the country at increasing rates under the misconception that they enhance healing, looks, strength and speed, and slow aging, but experts warn that the drugs can also have serious side effects when prescribed incorrectly.

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This report is provided by MTV.com