Malawi court set to rule on Madge adoption

If all goes according to plan, the Madonna adoption saga should reach a conclusion in one week's time. At this point, that's one massive "if." Malawi's High Court said today it will rule in one week's time whether a coalition of Malawian human rights and child advocacy groups should help decide whether Madonna is fit to adopt 13-month-old Malawian boy David Banda. Justice Andrew Nyirenda adjourned the case after hearing arguments from a 67-member coalition that includes the state-run Malawi Human Rights Commission and maintains that the adoption proceedings have been irregular. Madonna has said she met all the country's requirements and has the support of the boy's father, who put the toddler in an orphanage shortly after his wife died of childbirth complications. But child advocacy groups have said the lack of clarity in Malawi when it comes to foreign adoptions could be exploited by child traffickers or pedophiles. A High Court judge granted Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie interim custody of David on October 12.

As the matter continues on without resolution, at least one fellow philanthropic celebrity is showing support for Madonna. U2 frontman Bono told UK newspaper Sun this week, "Madonna should be applauded for helping to take a child out of the worst poverty imaginable and giving him a better chance in life. Baby David is lucky to have been adopted by someone who can give him a chance of survival in this world and I don't think it's fair that people are criticizing her."

Jay-Z set for hangar tour, anti-Semitism PSA

With his hotly anticipated Kingdom Come album set to hits stores next week, the Jay-Z hype machine is picking up steam. Hova will perform in seven cities in 17 hours as part of Cingular's "Jay-Z Hangar Tour," which will stop in Atlanta; Philadelphia; Washington, DC; New York; Chicago; Los Angeles; and Las Vegas. The album hits stores November 21 and has been generating plenty of buzz on the Internet in recent weeks.

The Def Jam mogul is not restricting his output to his own self interests, however. Hova is teaming up with Def Jam founder Russell Simmons to produce a public service announcement aimed at combating anti-Semitism. Simmons' Foundation for Ethnic Understanding is spearheading the effort, and the campaign will run in the US, Europe, and South America. The spot features Simmons, who founded Def Jam in 1984 and Jay-Z asking viewers: "What's hot? Respect for people. What's not hot? Hating people for their color or religion." The commercial is slated to run nationally in January in the United States, to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. day. Time/Warner has donated more than $10 million in air time for the PSA.

Jagger's father dies in UK at 93

The 93-year-old father of Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, a former fitness instructor partly responsible for his son's athletic prowess on stage, has died of pneumonia in England, a spokesman said. Basil "Joe" Jagger, a physical education teacher who helped popularize basketball in Britain, died at a hospital in Kingston, Surrey, Saturday, about a week after he was injured during a fall at his home. His son, currently on tour with the Stones in North America, flew to England late last week but returned in time for a show in Las Vegas Saturday night.

Jagger, 63, was unusually chatty on stage, but--as is his custom--he did not mention any personal matters. The elder Jagger gave his son his first taste of showbiz when he was a youngster by casting him in a sports TV show. Footage survives of a young Mike--as he was known then--engaged in various healthy pursuits. Joe Jagger maintained his keen interest in sports. He appears in the 2001 documentary Being Mick, cheering on one of his granddaughters at a school sports event. His Australian-born wife of 59 years, Eva, died of heart failure in 2000. They also had another son, Chris, who is four years younger than Mick.

Decemberists toss Sony's Connect exclusive EP

Sony's Connect music store has long been fighting for Apple's scraps among digital music stores, but the store should receive an uptick in customers interested in hyper-literate rock and prog folk. The Decemberists, the Portland, Oregon-based band currently on tour in support of their new album The Crane Wife, have released a digital EP exclusively through Connect. The EP features live versions of the Crane Wife tracks "O! Valencia," "The Perfect Crime #2," and "The Crane Wife 1 & 2,", as well as a cover of the country song "Please Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)," previously recorded by the likes of John Denver and Alan Jackson.

Ms. Dynamite hurt in car crash

UK rapper Ms. Dynamite was seriously injured in a high-speed car crash yesterday while filming for the UK reality TV show The Race, according to Sky One, the TV channel broadcasting the reality series. Ms. Dynamite, born Niomi McLean-Daley, was treated at the track's medical center and was unconscious after the accident. She was then airlifted to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, where she is being kept for observation. The channel said that Ms Dynamite was traveling at more than 100mph and the impact, which occurred on Sunday afternoon, sent Ms Dynamite's Formula Ford spinning down the track for approximately 50 meters before the car came to a halt. She was the second person to be injured during the filming of the show.

"We take health and safety very seriously and cover it from every angle," a rep said in a statement. "We would not let them take part unless we were satisfied with the level of competence they were at and all the necessary safety measures were in place." She was arrested earlier this year, with brother and rapper, Akala for assaulting a female police officer.