R. Kelly Finally Shows Up to Court!

According to the Chicago Tribune, after missing his court date on Wednesday [due to "inclement weather"], singer R. Kelly almost had a warrant out for his arrest, but that quickly changed when the singer finally made it back to Chicago in time for a 9 a.m. court date in his ongoing child-pornography case.

In 2002, Kelly was charged with child pornography after being accused of videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl, who prosecutors say may have been as young as 13 years old at the time. He denies the charges, but could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Cook County Criminal Court Judge Vincent Gaughan said he was "very disappointed" about Kelly not showing up Wednesday, not just because of its lack of respect toward the court but because the rapper had specifically requested his hearing be moved to that date for "financial reasons." Gaughan is also expected to set a start date for Kelly's trial on Friday, after endless delays. Proceedings were expected to begin on Sept. 17, but have now been pushed back almost 5 months.

The singer has now been punished by having to obtain permission each time he travels outside the state of Illinois.