R. KELLY CHILD PORNOGRAPHY TRIAL FRIDAY

Rapper R. Kelly's child pornography trial is to start in Chicago, Illinois tomorrow, after a series of delays. Jury selection will begin six years after Kelly was initially charged with having sex with a underage girl.The charges were prompted by a videotape allegedly showing the singer having sex with a young teenager.The trial looks set to be a messy one with both Kelly and his now-23-year-old alleged sexual partner both insisting it isn’t them on the videotape. Kelly, 41, faces up to 15 years in prison if he’s convicted.But his spokesman Allan Mayer insists Kelly is relieved the trial is about to start at last: "Every waking moment, he’s always had this hanging over his head. He’s confident that when all the evidence comes out he’ll be shown not to be guilty of any crime."

R. KELLY WRITES SONG FOR MASSACRE

R. Kelly has written a song for the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre.The R'n'B star composed the ballad after watching the tragic events of theApril 16 Virginia university campus shooting - when student Cho Seung-hui killed 32 people and himself - on TV while on tour.The lyrics include the lines: "Rise up, when you feel you can't go on, rise up, and all of your hope is gone, rise up, when you're weak and you can't be strong."Kelly's record label, Jive Records, have announced that 'Rise Up' will be released digitally on May 15 and 100 per cent of the net profits will go to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund.The fund was set up to provide help for the victims' families, and contribute to the costs of grief counselling and any other needs for those affected by the shootings.