Streisand drops a bomb

New York – The most riveting moment of Barbra Streisand’s Madison Square Garden concert was one of the only unscripted ones.

Streisand endured jeers as she interjected a political skit into Monday night’s show, exchanging zingers with a celebrity impersonator playing George Bush as a bumbling idiot.

Though most of the crowd offered polite applause during the slightly humorous routine, it went on a bit too long, especially for those who just wanted to hear Streisand sing.

“Come on, be polite!” the well-known liberal implored. But one heckler wouldn’t let up. And finally, Streisand let him have it.

“Shut the (expletive) up!” Streisand bellowed, drawing wild applause. “Shut up if you can’t take a joke!”

With that one F-word, the jeers ended. And the message was delivered – no one gets away with trying to upstage Barbra Streisand, especially not in her hometown.

Gibson says he’s been sober for more than 60 days

Los Angeles – Mel Gibson calls his anti-Semitic rant following his arrest for drunken driving in July “the stupid ramblings of a drunkard.”

In an interview with Diane Sawyer set to air on “Good Morning America” on Thursday and Friday, Gibson says that though staying sober is a struggle, he has not had a drink in 65 days.

He adds that he plans to continue making movies and working to heal himself and those he offended.

“All you can do is take another step, keep breathing,” he says, according to a partial transcript of the interview released by ABC.

The interview with Sawyer is the first time Gibson has spoken to the media since sparking a scandal by unleashing what he later called “vitriolic and harmful words” during his arrest. Gibson told the arresting officer: “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,” and asked him, “Are you a Jew?”

“The last thing I want to be is that kind of monster,” he tells Sawyer in the interview.

Malawian man claims Madonna adopted son

Lipunga, Malawi – Madonna has adopted a 1-year-old Malawian boy whose mother died a month after childbirth, the baby’s father claimed Tuesday, saying he was happy his son was escaping poverty.

Malawian government officials said last week the pop star planned to adopt a Malawian boy while she is in the impoverished African nation visiting projects she funds for AIDS orphans. However, they declined to comment on Yohame Banda’s claim that his son, David, had been adopted by the singer.

Madonna has made no public comment since her arrival. Her publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said in a statement last week that the star was on a private visit working on projects for children, and dismissed statements from Malawian government officials that she and her husband, film director Guy Ritchie, planned to adopt a boy.

“I am the father of David, who has been adopted,” Banda, 32, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “I am very very happy because as you can see there is poverty in this village and I know he will be very well looked after in America.”

Banda said his son left the orphanage on Monday and was taken to the capital, Lilongwe, where Madonna and her entourage were staying in an upscale ranch. Madonna has visited the orphanage at least once during her visit.

Madonna arrived in Malawi Oct. 4 to visit her Raising Malawi project, which is setting up an orphan care center to provide food, education and shelter for up to 4,000 children. It will have projects based on Kabbalah, Judaism’s mystical sect, which counts the 48-year-old singer among its devotees.

Diddy to promote Burger King in ads

Miami – Diddy will soon be adding some sizzle to Burger King’s marketing efforts. Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has agreed to join Burger King Corp.’s promotional efforts as the world’s No. 2 hamburger chain reaches out into the entertainment, fashion and music world, the Miami-based company said in a statement Tuesday.

Known in the past as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, the artist known as Diddy is set to appear in an upcoming Burger King advertisement campaign. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Burger King, which went public this summer, also is an official sponsor of the rapper-producer’s tour.