Daily News Feed 5.28.08

LL Cool J Teams Up With Sears For New Clothing Line
Hip-hop veteran LL Cool J has teamed up with corporate giant, Sears, to launch line of clothing by the rapper called LL Cool J for Sears. The new line, according to Women’s Wear Daily (WWD.com), will consist of casual wear for juniors, girls, boys, and young men. It will also be sold at 450 of Sears’ 900 stores, with customized “shops in shops” also featuring the line. Experts estimate the rapper’s line to earn as much as $100 million for Sears, which has seen a decline in sales throughout the year. “I have always had a hand in fashion in some capacity [as the face of brands such as Kangol and Fubu], but I have never embraced a brand the way I will embrace this,” LL Cool J told WWD.com. “The LL Cool J name is a brand I have been building for 25 years and I didn’t want to do this line with just any store. I wanted to wait until I felt comfortable enough to take the leap.” (Continue Reading…)

Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick Vetoes Resolution Seeking Ouster
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has vetoed a resolution calling for his own ouster, hinting to the City Council that he intends a bruising battle over members’ double-barreled effort to force him from office. In a 10-page letter sent Tuesday vetoing a resolution asking Gov. Jennifer Granholm to remove him, Kilpatrick warned that ousting an elected official is “irresponsible” and deprives voters of their rights. The city charter doesn’t allow him to veto the resolution calling for the start of impeachment-like proceedings next month, but Kilpatrick called the move “legally deficient.” Kilpatrick’s letter, drafted by the Law Department, claims the council can only remove him if he was convicted of a felony or “lacked qualifications” to serve in office. (Continue Reading…)

Ex-Kelly Employee Testifies Singer Appears on Tape
A former personal assistant to R. Kelly became the latest person to take the stand and say she believes the R&B superstar appeared in a sex tape at the center of his child pornography trial. Lindsey Perryman, who worked for Kelly and his family on and off from around 2000 to 2007, identified Kelly and the alleged victim in the graphic 27-minute videotape. “I didn’t want to think it was them,” a sometimes anxious-looking Perryman said Tuesday, with the 41-year-old Kelly sitting at the defense table just yards away. (Continue Reading…)