Madonna takes custody of boy

A week after Madonna's publicist squashed reports that she was adopting a Malawian boy by saying, "she's kind of adopting an entire country of children," Madonna took custody of a Malawian boy today in the southeastern African country. The pop star filed adoption papers and received interim approval from a local judge, giving her and husband Guy Ritchie the right to take custody of a 1-year-old boy named David Banda, whose mother died a month after childbirth. The boy's father told the Associated Press that he was happy for his son and pleased with the celebrity couple who wants to be his parents. The singer's publicist has yet to confirm the report, but some British tabloids have already photographed Madonna carrying the child.

The adoption has drawn criticism from some child advocacy groups, as well as the Scottish Parliament's cross-party group on Malawi, which was set up last year to develop historic links between the two countries. "This smacks of celebrity-itis and I think it's more about Madonna's needs than the child's," the group's Karen Gillon said. "Family is important in Malawi, and I think this child belongs with his relatives. Perhaps the money she spends on this child would have been better invested in the whole community. There's something disquieting about walking into an orphanage and being able to pick a child out of the window, as it were." The Malawian child protection group Eye of the Child has also questioned whether foreign adoptions are in the best interests of children.

Killers rider heavy on organized liquor

In the world of whiskey, everyone knows that Jameson Irish Whiskey is a Sunday treat, while Maker's Mark is better on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Or at least that's the word from the concert rider from the Killers, currently on tour in support of their new album, Sam's Town. The Smoking Gun recently posted a copy of the band's rider for the tour--that's the band's backstage requirements--and it includes a well-organized disbursement of liquor. For instance, the band needs Maker's Mark whiskey and Absolut vodka on the aforementioned days, while Jack Daniels and gin are preferred on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Tequila and Jamesons hold court on Sunday, while the band requires 96 beers, 24 cans of cider, and two bottles of red wine for each concert, regardless of the night. The rider also includes peanut butter and jelly, Nutella, brie or Camembert cheese, deli meats, and six avocados.

Usher pulls out of Chicago

Although he fulfilled his initial commitment to his debut Broadway run in Chicago, Usher has had to pull out of his remaining dates in the long-running musical because of "an extreme" case of strep throat, his rep announced today. The R&B singer had missed the past several dates because of the illness, but he'd hoped to return prior to the scheduled end of his run on October 14. "He is really saddened that he cannot close out his last week in Chicago with a bang," his manager Jonnetta Patton said. "He expresses his sincere apologies to all of his fans who purchased tickets to see him this final week." As previously scheduled, Christopher McDonald will take over the role on October 15, and Huey Lewis will reprise his stint in the role from November 20 through January 14. Ashlee Simpson joined the London cast of the show late last month.

Paris Hilton wants none of Shanna Moakler

The battle between Paris Hilton and Shanna Moakler over the man meat that is Travis Barker continued today, as Hilton said she plans to file for a restraining order against the former Miss USA. "I'm scared of her," Hilton told Star magazine. "I feel like I have to do something to protect myself." As for Moakler, she told the New York Post today that she doesn't think that Hilton is a good person. "She makes a lot of money pulling these stunts in the media, and I want nothing to do with it. I'm not the one getting DUIs. I'm not the one in police stations. It's all juvenile and stupid."

Hilton and Moakler apparently got into it at a Los Angeles nightclub earlier this month, with Moakler confronting Hilton about her relationship with Barker, her estranged husband. Both women filed police reports following the incident, with Moakler claiming former Hilton boyfriend Stavros Niarchos III pushed her down some stairs.

Ryan Adams feared for his safety

The recent takedown of the fan site for alt-country singer Ryan Adams was explained today by the site's administrator, David Smith, who posted that Adams feared for his safety because information about the hotel where he was staying in London was posted on the site's message board, as was information about Adams' parents. Smith wrote that he took down the site, not Adams, because of Adams' concerns about his safety. "The decision to take it down was mine, until we can implement changes to address situations such as those mentioned above," he wrote. "Ryan and The Cardinals are not interested in censorship or restricting the content of the message board--they only want to ensure that sensitive, personal information is not shared online."