Madonna leaves after child setback

Madonna has left Malawi on her private jet after being rebuffed in an attempt to adopt a second child from the poor African nation.

Police roadblocks prevented reporters from approaching the airport, but one police officer said Madonna carried David, her adopted Malawian son, up the steps of the Gulfstream jet.

The singer's lawyer has said that she will appeal against a court ruling that she is not eligible to adopt a three year old orphan girl, Chifundo "Mercy" James, because she has not lived in Malawi.

Madonna first spotted Mercy during a 2006 visit to an orphanage where she found David.

Then, unlike now, she was able to leave the country with the infant and the adoption was completed last year.

But now Madonna is a single mother after her split from film director Guy Ritchie and her attempts to adopt a second child have caused outrage among some child welfare groups.

In a ruling on Friday, Judge Esme Chombo said Madonna did not meet Malawi's strict definition of "resident."

Noting that Madonna had last visited Malawi in 2008, the judge said the pop star "jetted into the country during the weekend just days prior to the hearing of this application".

Malawi requires prospective parents to live in the country for 18 to 24 months while child welfare authorities assess their suitability - a rule that was bent when Madonna was allowed to take David to London in 2006.

Despite resistance, Madonna files adoption papers in Malawi for Mercy

Madonna is very close to adopting the Malawian orphan Mercy James.

Madonna, shown above with son David Banda and daughter Lourdes, is expected in Malawi on Saturday.

The Material Mom is headed back to Malawi, where she hopes to adopt a daughter next week - despite government worries over her oft-salacious past.

Pop superstar Madonna was due Saturday in the poverty-stricken African nation, intent on expanding her single-mom family to include a 3-year-old local girl.

"We are expected to be in court on Monday to file for a possible adoption," her lawyer, Alan Chinula, said Thursday.

Madonna's morals are under scrutiny by Malawi officials - not the best news after two divorces, l'affaire A-Rod, her soft-core "Sex" book and the Britney liplock.

Under Malawi law, adoptions are typically off-limits to single or divorced parents. Madonna is both; her 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, was born when the superstar singer was unmarried, and she split from British director Guy Ritchie last year.

The 50-year-old platinum-selling star still hopes to add 3-year-old Mercy to her growing brood. Last year, Madonna officially adopted another Malawian child: now 3-year-old David.

Madonna - recently linked to Brazilian boy toy model Jesus Luz, age 22 - is on a break from her "Sticky and Sweet" tour.

Her trip comes despite concerns among Malawi officials about Madonna's lifestyle - including her recent divorce and her reported liaison with Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez.

Simon Chisale, Malawi's child welfare chief, told the Daily News this week that morality was an issue.

"We do not only look at the material issues, but also the moral standing of prospective adoptive parents, because we do not want our children's morals to be corrupted," he said.

Last week, in an interview with Malawi's best-known newspaper, Madonna said she would only adopt another child with "the support of the Malawian people and government."

Her embrace of David caused controversy because Malawi typically does not allow foreign adoptions. Madonna is already raising three kids: Lourdes, 8-year-old son Rocco and David.

Before David's adoption was finalized last May, a Malawi welfare official twice visited Madonna's British home and described her as the "perfect mum."

Inside Jodie Sweetin's Divorce: 'Our House Is In Foreclosure'

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Just weeks after the announcement of former "Full House" star Jodie Sweetin's divorce from husband Cody Herpin, court papers obtained by Access Hollywood have unveiled what seems to be a turbulent union.

"Our marriage has been rocky," Jodie stated in divorce documents filed in Orange County Superior Court on November 19. According to the documents, the couple separated on November 18. They were married over a year earlier, on July 14, 2007.

But it wasn't just the relationship that had problems, she asserted.



"Our house is in foreclosure, our water has been shut off twice... Currently, all of our other utilities are overdue," she alleged in the papers.

Jodie alleged that Cody, who she stated was a driver and transportation coordinator when they met, stopped working after they were married except for the month of October 2007, and "kept finding one excuse after another for his failure to even attempt to find employment."



"He had to sell his car to pay bills and is now without transportation, unless it is a rental," she continued.

The couple has a child, 7-month-old daughter Zoie Laurel Mae, who Jodie has asked for joint legal and physical custody of, with primary custody going to her.

"I believe that he is going to try to prevent me from seeing our daughter," she wrote, citing an alleged incident that found Cody telling her he would call the police if she left their home with Zoie.


She asked for a court order to pick up certain items from the couple's home

"[Cody] will become very emotional and possibly erratic" if she returned to the residence, the papers alleged.

However, in an interview with People on Friday, Cody painted a different picture

"I still have no idea what this is about. None of this makes sense," he told the mag.

According to him, the actress has returned to their residence four times since the split and won't return his e-mails - and, he alleged, his unemployment was due to her busy schedule.

"I was the stay-at-home dad, my job was taking care of Zoie," he said.

His lawyer, Robert Benavente, told People that Cody has been cooperative with his estranged wife - and he alleged that she hasn't been entirely truthful.

"Some of [her other claims] are false," Benavente said. "We will address those in court documents."

A court date is set for the morning of February 9, 2009.

Madonna Orchestrates a Britney-Justin Reunion

Los Angeles (E! Online) – If there's one thing we can count on from Madonna, it's the making of a little music history now and again.

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake will be performing alongside the Material Girl Thursday when her Sticky & Sweet tour touches down at Dodger Stadium, E! News' Ryan Seacrest has learned.

"They are going to be onstage performing with Madonna," Seacrest said on KIIS-FM host DJ BoyToy Jesse's Wednesday afternoon show.

Of course, while Timberlake and Spears have both collaborated with Madge individually, the exes haven't been spending much quality time together in recent years.

"If Justin and Britney end up on that stage with her...I don't know if I've ever seen anything quite like that before," Seacrest said. (And he's seen a lot—remember Céline Dion performing with hologram Elvis on American Idol?)

Seacrest said he should have more details on his KIIS morning show tomorrow: "Expect some real serious surprises."

Madonna has a history of sharing the stage with hot young thangs: It was the veteran diva who brought Spears and Christina Aguilera together at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, when the popster duo teamed up for "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood" and then took turns smooching the queen bee.

Now, if Madonna ends up working that kind of magic with Brit and J.T., watch out.

Madonna, Oprah, other celebs react to Obama's win

NEW YORK – Madonna doesn't do anything small.

The Material Girl celebrated Barack Obama's victory Tuesday night with a glittering rally of her own, leading thousands of fans at her concert in San Diego with a rousing introduction to her song "Express Yourself."

In a video posted on YouTube, Madonna claps her hands and declares, "This is a historical evening! ... We are lucky to be sharing it with each other!"

Other celebrity supporters of Obama echo Madonna's good cheer.

Oprah Winfrey, who cried during the celebration in Chicago's Grant Park, told the TV show "The Insider": "I was so, so, so excited and then just sort of a calm came over me. It feels like it actually is kind of real, so it feels great."

Asked what this means for the country, she said, "It means democracy at its finest. It's just the best. We did this. America did this."

George Clooney said in a statement: "I congratulate President-elect Obama on his historic victory, and now it's time to begin unifying the country so we can take on the extraordinary challenges that this generation faces."

Actress Scarlett Johansson, who stumped for Obama throughout his campaign, said the "overwhelming hope that Obama inspires is infectious."

"I've always maintained a strong faith in the power of Obama's positive campaign and am so proud of every citizen who took a stand, participated in the political process and insisted their voices be heard," Johansson said in a statement.

Singer John Mellencamp reflected on the election on his Web site, saying he never thought he'd see the day when "a man of color could be president of the United States. But today I am so proud of America."

Singer Colbie Caillat, who cried when Obama won, said she thinks "our country is in safe hands."

Stars including Lindsay Lohan, Michael Moore and Kanye West posted messages online.

Reacting on her Myspace page, Lohan gushed, "OBAMA IS OUR PRESIDENT!" and said that everyone who voted, "no matter their choice ... should be proud for voting in the first place."

West, whose mother Donda died last November, posted a portrait of the president elect on his blog with the message: "HI MOM, OBAMA WON!"

Meanwhile, director-provocateur Moore responded on his Web site, saying, "Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair."

Even more stunning: a concession from John McCain supporter Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who said Wednesday on TV's "The View" that she'll follow Obama's lead.

"I will jump in that line and support our president because that is what as an American I believe we should do," said Hasselbeck, who received a fist bump from co-host Whoopi Goldberg.



See: Barack Obama Pic