Last Update on May 13, 2008 03:06 EDT

CHICAGO (AP) -- A preacher's wife. A business executive. A telecommunications company worker. They are the first three people to be seated for R. Kelly's child pornography trial. The selection of the panel continues today in a Chicago courtroom. One of those chosen is the wife of a Baptist preacher from R. Kelly's own hometown. The woman from Olympia Fields, Illinois, where Kelly lives, said her religious beliefs wouldn't affect her service as a juror. The business exec told the judge and attorneys during his questioning that child porn is "the lowest of the low." But he also said he feels he could give Kelly a fair trial. The R&B star is accused of videotaping himself having sex with a girl as young as 13. He has pleaded not-guilty. Jury selection is expected to take about a week.

<R. KELLY: WHAT'S THAT SMELL?

CHICAGO (AP) -- Justice may be blind. But it apparently does have a sense of smell. During yesterday's jury selection hearing, the singer was seen holding a tissue over his nose. R. Kelly was seated near a men's restroom while in court and prosecutors complained about the odor coming from the room. When he wasn't trying to protect his nose from the apparent stench from the men's room, the singer was mostly pokerfaced during yesterday's session. He was dressed in a dark silver-gray suit and matching tie and seemed to study the faces of those who could end up deciding his fate. If they find him guilty, he could get up to 15 years in prison.

<SPLIFF STAR: BUSTED ON DRUG CHARGE IN SWEDEN

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- If you know what the word "spliff" means, you can probably guess what kind of criminal charges rapper Spliff Star is facing in Sweden. Police in Stockholm say the rapper was busted on suspicion of drug possession. A police spokeswoman says the rapper was taken into custody after performing with Busta Rhymes. Police say they found an unidentified substance in the rapper's hotel room. An organizer for the concert series says a drug squad also raided Busta Rhymes' hotel room, but turned up no drugs. Spliff Star was released after giving up a urine sample. Drug possession is considered a big deal in Sweden. It's normally punished by a fine or up to six months in jail.

ATLANTA (AP) -- Ludacris says he always wanted to have a street named after him. But he says what his former high school in Atlanta did for him is even better. He now has a mural with his face painted on it dedicated for him at Banneker High School yesterday. The mural shows him looking over the words "Gym of Dreams." What makes the tribute even nicer for Ludacris is that the same high school restricted him from returning four years ago. The school's principal says his predecessor kept Ludacris from appearing at the school because of the attention he was getting. But the new principal decided to invite him back as a spokesman against violence.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- It's even worse than first thought for "Speed Racer." On Sunday, it was reported that the movie finished a disappointing second in the box office race. Turns out that wasn't true. It actually finished an even-more-disappointing third place in its debut weekend. The movie ended up about $1.6 million short of studio estimates, dropping it behind "What Happens in Vegas," which made slightly more money than estimated on Sunday. Still at the top of the heap is "Iron Man," which took in just over $51 million to hold first place for a second straight week.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Most viewers of "Ugly Betty" know the show is set in New York City. And soon the show's sets will also be there. Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the ABC show will relocate in New York. Part of the lure for the show's shifting from the left coast to the Big Apple: a 35-percent tax credit from New York City and state. The show stars America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, a young woman from the borough of Queens who works for a fashion magazine. The show joins "Law & Order," "30 Rock" and "Gossip Girl" as TV projects that are filmed in Manhattan.

On the Net:

Ugly Betty site: http://abc.go.com/primetime/uglybetty/index?pn

index

NYC film and TV site: http://www.nylovesfilm.com.

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) -- It's the beginning of the end for "ER." And Angela Bassett will soon be starting her first and only season with the NBC hospital drama. The show is wrapping up its 14th season with a finale on Thursday. And after that, producers will be laying the groundwork for finishing the show off in style. Bassett is one of two new characters joining the series for its final go-round. It's unlikely that George Clooney will make a cameo appearance in the final season of the show that launched his career. But producers have signed long-time ER fixture Noah Wyle to appear in four episodes as Dr. John Carter, who was last seen practicing medicine in Africa in 2006.

On the Net:

ER site: http://www.nbc.com/ER/

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- You probably don't want to go mentioning this to Morgan Freeman -- but they're coming out with a new version of "The Electric Company." PBS is kicking off work on a 21st century edition of the show, which was aimed at kids aged 6 to 9. The show's producers say they hope the show will fulfill the role it did back when it made its debut in 1971: close the gap in literacy between low- and middle-income families. Freeman appeared on the show as "Easy Reader" an ultra-hip dude who read everything he could get his eyes on every chance he got. He went on to win an Oscar, though he has been quoted as saying he wasn't all that crazy about his work on the kids' show.

MIAMI (AP) -- There will be no death penalty for those charged with murdering NFL star Sean Taylor. The accused shooter of the Washington Redskins safety was a minor when the crime was committed. And the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that people can't be put to death for crimes committed when they are under 18. Taylor died after being shot in the upper leg during a botched robbery at his home near Miami. He died of massive bleeding the day after the shooting.

UNDATED (AP) -- On this date in 1985, Stevie Wonder received an honor from the United Nations. It was for his efforts against apartheid.

UNDATED (AP) -- On this date in 1974, more than 50 people were injured when fans started acting up outside a Jackson Five concert in Washington, DC. The fans were upset because they couldn't get tickets for the event.

UNDATED (AP) -- On this date in 1912, jazz arranger and composer Gil Evans was born in Toronto. Evans, whose career was almost entirely in the U.S., first became known for his innovative writing for the Claude Thornhill orchestra in the 1940's. In the following decade, Evans collaborated with trumpeter Miles Davis for such classic jazz L-P's as "Miles Ahead," "Porgy and Bess" and "Sketches of Spain." He died in Mexico on March 20th, 1988.

UNDATED (AP) -- It's a birthday for one of the most successful musicians in modern history. Stevie Wonder turns 58 today. Born Steveland Morris, in Saginaw, Michigan, he first hit the recording scene in 1962 under the name of "Little Stevie Wonder." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.