George Zimmerman Trial Live Updates: Jury Selection Begins

Jury selection starts Monday in George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial in Florida.

Zimmerman is back in court more than 15 months after he shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

The trial, before Circuit Judge Debra Nelson in Seminole County, is expected to last more than a month.

Nelson previously ruled that jurors' faces will not be shown by the media, and they will be referred to by number only.

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Zimmerman shot and killed Martin as the teen was walking back to the home of his father's fiancee from a Sanford, Fla., convenience store with a bag of candy on the night of Feb. 26, 2012.

Defense attorneys argue that Zimmerman, then 28, was attacked by Martin while serving as a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman's camp contends that Zimmerman, who is Hispanic-American, acted in self-defense when he shot the African-American teen in the chest at point-blank range. Prosecutors have deemed Martin's death an instance of second-degree murder.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara is representing Zimmerman, and the lead prosecutor for the state of Florida is Bernie de la Rionda.

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The defense has not yet decided if Zimmerman will take the stand. That decision will likely be made after the prosecution presents its case.

He faces life in prison if found guilty.

The trial is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. EST.

Malcolm Shabazz Murder Suspects Arrested In Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Two waiters at a Mexico City bar will face homicide and robbery charges in the beating death of Malcolm X's grandson Malcolm Shabazz, authorities said Monday.

Prosecutors said police were seeking at least two other people believed to have participated in the attack on Shabazz, who was beaten early Thursday in a dispute over a $1,200 bar bill.

Prosecutor Rodolfo Fernando Rios said bar employees David Hernandez Cruz and Manuel Alejandro Perez de Jesus would be charged with aggravated robbery and homicide.

Rios said there was no indication of a racial motivation in the attack on Shabazz, 28, who was assaulted after he drank with a friend at the Palace bar on Garibaldi Plaza, a downtown square famous for open-air performances by strolling mariachi musicians.

Miguel Suarez, a friend of Shabazz, told The Associated Press last week that the fight broke out after the owner of the bar demanded that the two men pay 15,000 pesos for the time they spent drinking at the bar. He said he found Shabazz outside the bar and took him to a hospital where he died.

Many of the bars around Garibaldi Plaza are notorious for exorbitant overcharging of customers, particularly foreigners, often on the pretext that customers must pay for time spent talking with female employees.

Rios said the initial investigation indicated Shabazz and Suarez were lured to the bar by two women.

An autopsy found that Shabazz died of blows to the head, face and torso.

Rios said Shabazz's body had not been claimed by relatives or the U.S. Embassy. He said Mexican authorities were dealing with transporting it back to the U.S.

Much like his grandfather, Shabazz spent his youth in and out of trouble. At 12, he set a fire in his grandmother's apartment, a blaze that resulted in the death of Malcolm X's widow. After four years in juvenile detention, Shabazz was later sent back to prison on attempted robbery and assault charges.

In recent years, Shabazz seemed to be seeking redemption, saying he was writing a memoir and traveling the world speaking out against youth violence. Before his trip to Mexico, he reached out to a group of Mexican construction workers in the U.S. and then visited in Mexico with a leader who had been deported.

PepsiCo Drops Lil Wayne Over Emmett Till Controversy

NEW YORK — PepsiCo says it cutting ties with Lil Wayne after the rapper made a crude reference to civil rights martyr Emmett Till in a song.

Lil Wayne, one of the biggest stars in pop music, had a deal to promote the company's Mountain Dew soda.

The controversy erupted after Wayne referred to beating someone during a sexual act and said he wants to do as much damage as was done to Till.

The black teen was visiting family in Mississippi in 1955 when he was killed, allegedly for whistling at a white woman.

PepsiCo Inc., based in Purchase, N.Y., said in a statement Friday that Wayne's "offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand."

AraabMUZIK Shot: Hip-Hop Producer Abraham Orellana Hospitalized After Shooting

Abraham Orellana, the hip-hop producer known as AraabMUZIK, has been shot and is hospitalized.

Orellana's publicist said in a statement late Thursday that he is "currently alive and well" after being shot Wednesday night, noting he was in the wrong place at the wrong time while hanging out with friends. Police are investigating.

The statement said he was in his neighborhood when he was shot, but didn't specify a city. Orellana's hometown is Providence, R.I.

The producer's manager, George Moore, a record label executive and producer known as DukeDaGod posted on Twitter a picture of Orellana in a hospital bed Thursday with the words: "Everyone wish my brother (at)araabmuzik a healthy & pleasant recovery!!!!"

The statement says Orellana appreciates fan support and "Araab is looking forward to a speedy recovery and returning to the stage as soon as he can."

Chris Kelly Dead: Kris Kross Rapper Dies At 34 (VIDEO)

Chris Kelly, one-half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, died Wednesday of an apparent drug overdose, The Associated Press reported. He was 34.

Kelly, who was known as "Mac Daddy," and his partner Chris Smith (a.k.a. "Daddy Mac"), were only 13 years old in 1991 when they were discovered by music producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri while performing at the Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta. Dupri's label, So So Def, signed the boys and sent them into the studio to record their first album.

Kris Kross rocketed to stardom a year later with the release of the single "Jump." The song spent eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, became an aerobics anthem and helped their debut album "Totally Krossed Out" go multiplatinum, CNN reported.

Soon Kris Kross was touring with pop star Michael Jackson and appearing as guests on numerous TV programs. They recorded the "Rugrats Rap" for Nickelodeon and were listed at number 90 on VH1's list of "The 100 Greatest Kid Stars."

Kris Kross became a force in fashion as well; the duo was known for wearing their clothes backward during performances and for a time many youths copied the trend. But it was the combination of their energy and mature rapping skills that earned Kris Kross a strong fan base.

Although future albums failed to match the success of "Totally Krossed Out," Kris Kross continued to make music for several years, releasing "Da Bomb" in 1993 and "Young, Rich and Dangerous" in 1996. The pair recently performed together in February for the So-So Def 20th Anniversary All-Star Concert.

Earlier this evening, Kelly was found unresponsive at his Atlanta home, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. He was transported to Atlanta Medical Center and pronounced dead.

Tyler The Creator's 'Racist' Mountain Dew Commercial Pulled By PepsiCo After Criticism

NEW YORK — PepsiCo is once again learning the risks of celebrity partnerships after an ad for Mountain Dew was criticized for portraying racial stereotypes and making light of violence toward women.

The soda and snack food company said it immediately pulled the 60-second spot after learning that people found it was offensive. The ad was part of a series developed by African-American rapper Tyler, The Creator, and depicted a battered white woman on crutches being urged to identify a suspect out of a lineup of black men.

A goat character known as Felicia is included in the lineup and makes threatening comments to the woman, such as "Ya better not snitch on a playa" and "Keep ya mouth shut."

The woman eventually screams "I can't do this, no no no!" and runs away. The word "do" is in apparent reference to the soft drink's "Dew It" slogan.

Mountain Dew, known for its neon color and high caffeine content, is generally marketed to younger men and sometimes attempts to have edgier ads. But the controversy over its latest spot illustrates the fine line that companies must walk when trying to be hip.

In fact, Mountain Dew also was criticized recently because of its endorsement deal with Lil Wayne, whose rap lyrics compared a rough sex act to the tortuous death of Emmett Till, a black teen who was murdered in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Last month, Reebok also ended its relationship with Rick Ross after he rapped about giving a woman a drug to have his way with her.

Laura Ries, president of Ries & Ries, a marketing firm based in Atlanta, said companies that want the "street cred" of a celebrity may end up losing control of the message they want to convey.

If PepsiCo had created an ad for Mountain Dew, for example, she said it might not have been considered edgy or cool. But by handing over control to a celebrity, she said the company ran the risk of having an ad that wasn't appropriate.

PepsiCo Inc., based in Purchase, N.Y., said it understood how the ad could be offensive.

en Ryan, a spokeswoman for PepsiCo, said the company learned from its consumer relations team on Tuesday that people found the ad offensive. She declined to explain the approval process for the ad but said it was never meant to run on TV."We apologize for this video and take full responsibility," the company said in an updated statement late Wednesday afternoon. "We have removed it from all Mountain Dew channels and Tyler is removing it from his channels as well."

A publicist for Tyler, the Creator did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. His raps have been criticized for being misogynistic and homophobic at times but he has also expressed support for the singer Frank Ocean, who revealed he was bisexual.

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Rape Survivors Demand Reebok Drop Rick Ross After Date Rape Rap (VIDEO)

A group of activists and rape survivors are demanding Reebok drop Rick Ross as its spokesman after singer casually rapped about rape in a recent song.

UltraViolet -- an organization dedicated to championing women's rights and fighting sexism -- is urging Reebok to drop Ross because of his lyrics about date rape in the song, "U.O.E.N.O."

On the track, off Rocko's "Gift of Gab 2" mixtape, the 37-year-old Miami native raps: "Put molly all in her champagne/ She ain't even know it/ I took her home and I enjoyed that/ She ain't even know it."

Molly is a powder or crystallized form of MDMA, a drug found in Ecstasy that can distort one's senses and reduce inhibitions.

"By holding Rick Ross up as something to aspire to, Reebok is sending the message that raping a woman is cool -- and that's a dangerous message to send the boys and young men that Reebok markets to. This is what rape culture is," a petition drafted by UltraViolet states.

In a letter to Reebok's President Uli Becker, Chief Marketing Officer Matt O'Toole and Corporate Communications Daniel Sarro, the group reasons that Reebok is "condoning" rape by keeping Ross:

Like far too many women, we are survivors of sexual assault. Every single day that Reebok continues rewarding Rick Ross with a lucrative endorsement deal, Reebok is condoning rape. When one in five women will be the victim of completed or attempted rape, this is dangerous and it has real-life consequences. Your silence on this issue is unacceptable. It's time you took a stand against rape and drop Rick Ross as a spokesman.

On April 4, members of UltraViolet protested outside Reebok's flagship store in New York City and delivered a petition with 71,763 signatures against Ross.

As The New York Times notes, Ross offered an apology last week, reasoning that he never actually used the word "rape" in the song. However, such a defense did not sit well with critics, who continued to bash him for even insinuating the act of drugging an unknowing woman and taking her home.