What’s good, planet Earth? It was a slow five days, but we’ve made it to another weekend. With Hillary and Barack splitting the Indiana and North Carolina votes between the two of them, a devastating cyclone killing more than 22,000 people in Myanmar and Kobe Bryant capturing his first MVP award, it was another day in paradise.Shout out to Vanessa Williams, who will get her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree this weekend at Syracuse University, my mother, grandma and all the other moms who will be the center of attention on Sunday (May 11) during Mother’s Day, and the sounding boards for always making mom the number one lady in their lives.But anyway, here we have…the Last Word for the week ending May 9, 2008: the Top 3 edition. 1. R. Kelly Trial Gets Underway…Or NotJust when it seems like R. Kelly will finally get his day in court to address the multiple counts of child pornography he’s been charged with, another monkey wrench has been thrown in the mix.As it stands now, the prosecution seems to have the upper hand with a woman who claims that she had a threesome with Kells and the underage girl at the center of the 41-year-old singer’s infamous video. Add to that the fact the lady can counter the defense’s claims that the girl in the threesome is not the same girl in the video, and you have a potentially major blow to Kelly’s legal team.Details concerning the case won’t be brought to light, as the Illinois Supreme Court denied a motion from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and the Associated Press to check out sealed court records and transcripts on Monday (May 5).But as always there was another plot twist, as word came down that Kells’ lawyer wanted to delay the jury selection because of the publicity generated from the new witness and her allegations. So with all of this as well as the many delays that have caused this case to be put on hold for six years, I have concluded that Mr. Kelly will not ever answer for these charges. At least not in a courtroom.With that in mind I have come up with drum roll please…The Top 3 Reasons Why R. Kelly Will Never Go to Trial in This Lifetime:(Shout to Lee for co-signing on these)3. Kelly is working on his new audio soap opera titled Trapped in a Court Case (And I’m Still Making Hits).2. Kells can’t go trial because T-Pain is bound to get laryngitis. So who else will be around to do the hooks for all the R&B and rap songs that will come out this summer and beyond?1. What’s R&B and without the R? Come on now. Can we find any other talented yet conflicted artist to make us dance and grind while at the same time making us glad we don’t have as many issues as he does? I don’t think so unless you count the next person featured this week…2. Amy Winehouse Accepts Nelson Mandela’s Birthday InvitationAs much as I try, I just can’t seem to get away from Amy Winehouse. It must be in her contract with the tabloids to get into situations everyday. After all, how do you explain all the pictures of her being in various states of dress and looking out of it all the time? Not to mention her not being in the mood to record songs for her next album as well as walking free on bail after being taken in on suspicion of drug possession.I guess that doesn’t register with Nelson Mandela, because the South African leader made it known that he wants Amy to help him celebrate his 90th birthday.According to WENN, Mandela personally called Winehouse to sing at his birthday concert in London’s Hyde Park in June. The songstress, who initially thought the call was a prank, later accepted the invite after realizing that it really was Nelson on the other line.”But once she worked out it was really him, she accepted straight away and gushed about how much she was looking forward to it,” a source told the Daily Mail. “She couldn’t believe it.”So let me get this straight. Amy can make time for Mandela, but not for us fans that have played Back to Black and Frank out to death? OK. In light of this, I give you…The Top 3 Reasons Why Amy Winehouse Lost Her Will to Make New Music:3. Cocaine is a helluva drug.2. Amy is gearing up to go on her Free Blake tour and debuting her new self-help book titled 101 Ways to Look Like You Just Don’t Give a F**k.1. Crack is a helluva drug.3. Mariah Carey Lives the Married LifeI tried to avoid this but, I can’t. It looks like Mariah and Nick Cannon are officially husband and wife. If you don’t believe it, check out the new issue of People magazine that has them on the cover looking too happy.Anybody who knows me knows that I love Miss Carey. So I won’t hate on the marriage. In fact, I wish them well. Check out my Top 3 Reasons Why Mr. and Mrs. Cannon Will Be Together Forever:3. Nick has ran out of hook ups with Jacob the Jeweler after using his last Buy 1, Get 1 Free coupon to purchase that engagement ring MC was sporting before jumping the broom.2. With his gigolo days firmly behind him, Nick is hitting the road to speak to playas on the fence about turning in their cards to settle down with the woman of their dreams. I think he calls it his Any Publicity is Good Publicity speaking tour (aka I better lock this down after screwing up my past relationships with Christina Milian and Selita Eubanks).1. They’re soulmates, people. When it’s love it’s love. I can’t be mad at that. Who says love at first sight is dead? Again, much happiness to the new couple on the block. Here’s to a lifetime (or month) of wedded bliss.In Other Words…* Bootsy Collins is keeping the legacy of James Brown alive by organizing a tribute tour in honor of the Godfather of Soul. According to the bassist, the outing is motivated by a need to repay the man who started his career as well as honor King Records, the label that Brown recorded at and also gave Collins his start.* Prince may be a man of few words, but the entertainer is putting together a new book that he describes as a “photographic essay” that provides “a rare glimpse into the life, lyrics and mystique.” The page-turner, titled 21 Nights is based on Prince’s 21 sold out shows at London’s O2 Arena in 2007. According to the books publisher, the book will feature poetry and lyrics to new songs as well as 124 full-color never-before-published images by photographer Randee St. Nicholas and a CD full of after-hour jams. * Looks like Mel B is putting her body to good use. The Spice Girl is currently in talks to release a new fitness DVD that will expose how her workout secrets to those looking to mold their body in the same way she did. If you want to see the results of her hard work, check out last week’s Last Word for Mel’s lingerie photo shoot.* Seal is back in the news, but not for his music. The singer recently revealed that he has been suffering from lupus for about two decades. The announcement was made during Seal’s performance at the Lupus L.A. Orange Ball in Beverly Hills. As a result, another announcement was made concerning a medical grant in Seal’s name that was established by the Lupus Research Institute for lupus-related ventures.
