Turns out the Hollywood baby boom isn't over yet-Madonna has jumped back onto the adoption bandwagon.The 50-year-old singer, who has three children already (biological kids Lourdes, 12, and Rocco, 8, and adopted son David, 3) has returned to the African country of Malawi in the hopes of adopting a second child. Apparently undeterred by the controversy surrounding David's adoption in 2006, a Malawi welfare department representative says Madonna filed adoption papers in the country March 26 and that her adoption case would go before the courts March 30.

However, Madonna's plans to adopt 14-month-old Mercy James were halted when Mercy's grandmother Lucy Chekechiwa spoke out against the diva, saying, "Why doesn't this singer pick other children? It is stealing. I want to go to court. I won't let her go."

Mercy's grandmother's pleas came through, and on April 3, a Malawian court ruled against Madonna's bid. "I must decline to grant the application to Madonna," Judge Esmie Chondo said in a ruling following a closed-door hearing on Friday. According to reports, Madonna's application was declined due to residency rules. Malawian adoption law states that prospective parents must reside there for 18 to 24 months to make the transition easier on the child.

Madonna took another hit when Fug Girls magazine published an article questioning her motives for adoption. "For the last 25 years, all of Madonna's actions have elicited pearl-clutching and outrage from someone, somewhere-the woman is the queen of using shock value to stay relevant," wrote the anonymous author. "Regularly exposing all facets (and we do mean all) of herself over the years essentially trained us to look for a publicity ploy or ulterior motive in every move she makes."

While I'm all for putting impoverished kids in loving homes, I can't help but agree a little bit. With celebrities, it's always hard to tell whether they're doing something out of the goodness of their own hearts or just to get a little more publicity.

Whatever her motivation, Madonna plans to appeal the judge's ruling. In court papers made public April 4, Madonna said the girl's grandmother was unable to care for her. She promised to make Mercy a permanent part of her family and spare her the "hardship and emotional trauma" of life as an orphan.

For the kid's sake, Madge, let's hope so.