Like a Mother

Reuters has reported that Madonna adopted a young boy in Malawi earlier today. The Queen of Pop is in the Pennsylvania-sized African nation on a mission to help AIDS orphan.

Earlier this summer, Madonna announced plans to spend at least $3 million on programs to support nearly 1,000 orphans in Malawi, and another $1 million to fund a documentary about the plight of children in the country.

Government officials said the 48-year-old singer, already a mother to Lourdes, 9, and Rocco, 5, chose the one-year-old orphan (whose name has yet to be disclosed) from among 12 children. She is said to have wanted to adopt a girl at first, but that she changed her mind two weeks ago.

Critics have described the project as a publicity stunt that follows in the footsteps of other celebrities – namely Angelina Jolie – who have taken up causes on the world's poorest continent.

I say congratulations, and keep up the good work! (I'm loving what I've seen so far of the "Jump" video.)

Photo: People.com.

Update: A few hours after Reuters announced the adoption, People.com. reported that Madonna's publicist had denied it. So let's just file this one under Wait and See.