::THE SLICE REPORT WITH MONA AUSTIN

By Mona Austin As the decade comes to a close, The Slice has rounded up the top news of 2019 in the world of entertainment.  Some of the stories caught our attention include unexpected deaths and the unexpected actions of celebs. Here are the top 10 highs and lows from the people who entertain us that made headlines this year: 1. Jussie Smollet hate crime hoax Gay and Black, the actor claimed to be a target of a hate crime. Chicago police said he staged the whole thing and he was charged with 16 felony counts, but  prosecutors later dripped the charges.  Smollet lost his job as Jamal in the final season of "Empire" and to a degree, his credibility as a professional actor. He maintained his innocent throughout the ordeal. 2. R. Kelly documentary  The "Surviving R. Kelly" Lifetime docuseries set off a revolving door of new charges that kept the beleagured R&B singer in court.  The series caused Kelly to lose his record deal after activists prote...

By Mona Austin On March 28, the hate crime hoax case involving actor Jussie Smollet was close suddenly. Prosecutors do not believe Jussie Smollett is innocent as he continued to claim and are now fighting to find a way to have court documents unsealed legally to prove his guilt. On Tuesday, Smollet was cleared of all 16 felony charges related to an allegedly staged physical assault that was investigated as a possible hate crime. That's just one aspect of the case that has the rest of the country still asking questions about the bizarre situation. Cook County police also say they think the actor is guilty and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel called the judge's decision a "whitewash of justice."  The two men who were accused have also walked away free. The embattled Empire star was assigned community service and required to pay a $10,000 fine. After posting bail, the 36-year-old had returned to work on the Fox drama. Emmanuel said closing the case "sen...