Liberal Talk Radio

How do you beat child pornography charges? Start appealing to the film geeks! And in a Faustian deal, traffic to IFC’s website has increased 300 percent since they started streaming R. Kelly’s latest installments of Trapped in the Closet:

The story began simply enough: the love triangle of Sylvester, Kathy and Rufus. But after 12 chapters the triangle was more like a lopsided octagon, with a dozen characters and as many cliffhangers. The dramas hinged on unlikely plot devices: leg cramps, pie allergies, the surprising things one finds hiding in cupboards.

Now “Trapped in the Closet,” the tale of infidelity, violence and violent infidelity by R. Kelly, the R&B star, is getting, if possible, even more complex. Mr. Kelly has created 10 more episodes of his cult video series, which he and a cast lip-sync as he narrates the story to a lilting, and unchanging, beat, punctuated by the sound of water dripping. Since Monday, the IFC cable channel’s Web site, IFC.com, has been streaming one new chapter daily. On Tuesday, Jive, Mr. Kelly’s record label, plans to release a DVD collection of the latest episodes, and next month IFC will present all 22 chapters consecutively, like a film.

Given the plot twists — Episode 9: “Not only is there a man in this cabinet/But the man is a midget! (Midget! Midget! Midget!)” — fan anticipation is almost absurdly high. Private viewing parties, tribute performances and singalong screenings are scheduled for around the country, celebrating the first hip-hopera/alt-comedy/independent video crossover hit.

“It’s the intersection of brilliance and insanity,” said Evan Shapiro, the general manager of IFC. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The closest thing I can compare it to is John Waters. He creates a universe that is completely self-contained.” (Mr. Kelly, a Grammy-winning singer who is scheduled to go on trial on child pornography charges in Chicago on Sept. 17, declined an interview request.)