Really? You really didn’t see that coming?
So tell me this - when was the last time a celebrity was convicted of a felony in the U.S.?
Lil’ Kim, Mike Tyson, Martha Stewart, Mystikal, and Robert Downey Jr are among the first that come to mind. Just what exactly are you trying to say?
I’m saying that after O.J., Michael Jackson, Robert Blake and Phil Spector, it’s become obvious that celebrities are largely exempt from any punishment strongerthan a slap on a wrist.
(Of the examples you brought, only Tyson and Mystikal - whoever that is - served more than a few months in prison).
Aren’t you moving the goalposts?
I’m pretty sure Wesley Snipes would disagree with the thesis that celebrities never do jail time.
No, that’s why I specifically said “felony”.
That sounds like a good thing!
I suggest they start by going undercover with Lucasfilm or one of the other major studios… someone with the patience and technical competence to research and recreate a studio set that’s an exact duplicate of Kelly’s own log cabin, and the CGI skills to meld a convincing reproduction of Kelly’s head on the body of a hired actor.*
Shocking that those capable of such wizardry, relentless as they were in their conspiracy to Bring Another Black Man Down using black ops and cutting-edge camera trickery, would fail to give their Doppelgänger the exculpatory mole that appears on the *real * R. Kelly’s back…
- One of the actual defense arguments, according to the Slate.com trial coverage.
Non sequitur.
The jury acquitted Snipes of the major charges which would have meant serious jail time for him. His celebrity still worked for him.
Why does everyone say its just celebs that get off? Regular people get off all the time. You just dont hear about it because they are not in the spot light
Misunderstanding of American legal system, confirmation bias, pre-trial conviction by mass media, just plain jaded. All of the above. Pick one.
As would Richard Hatch.
I would disagree with the thesis that Richard Hatch is a celebrity. 
I think I speak for the vast majority of people when I say, “Who the hell is Mystical?” I challenge this individual’s status as a celebrity.
Yeah, Mike Tyson got convicted of rape, but let’s consider who we’re talking about here. Tyson’s public image, to be perfectly blunt, is that of a dangerous thug who would probably be an enforcer for a drug ring if he wasn’t a boxer. That’s not the sort of fame that helps people out.
As for Wesley Snipes, let’s see what Wikipedia has to say: In 2006, Snipes and two other guys were charged with two tax-related felonies (conspiracy to defraud the government, and filing a false claim with the government) plus multiple counts of willfully failing to file income tax returns (a misdemeanor). Snipes was not convicted of either felony, but was convicted of three of the misdemeanor charges. His non-famous co-defendants got nailed for both felonies. Snipes got the most lenient sentence, 3 years versus 4.5 and 10 for the other guys. Plus, the other two guys can’t vote anymore because they’re convicted felons. I’ll leave it to the readers to decide whether Snipes’ celebrity status helped him out here.
He was huge at the tail-end of the '90s and the beginning of this decade: radio hits, millions sold, 2 Grammys. You probably don’t know him because he’s been in jail for the last 5 years.
Or even simpler, actually: they could have thought it was him, and thought it was her but had reasonable doubt on either point, and if they were doing their duty, would have to acquit him.
Ouch, dude!
I sincerely apologize for reading nearly every AP report on the trial and making an educated guess – based on what seemed to be several desperate defense moves – on the outcome of the trial.
Please, Sir, can you find the time to forgive me?
Read some of the interviews with the jurors in the Chicago Tribune this morning. Apparenlty the jury never even got around to debating whether or not it was Kelly in the video, and that they reached the Not Guilty verdict based on the inability to tell if it was the girl in question.
One juror said he was sure it was Kelly on the tape, but couldn’t determine the girl. He also said “this case had a lot of grayness to it… and in the legal system, grayness equals reasonable doubt.” (slightly paraphrased)