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Pity all the other McCartneys out there who would like to name a product after themselves. Sir Paul is trying to corner the market.

MPL Communications, the company headed by Paul McCartney, applied Friday to trademark the ex-Beatles’ name for use on his lines of vegetarian food and apparel, from waistcoats to bathing suits.



The request made on the application would also give McCartney, a longtime vegetarian, to lend his name to non-veggie items, such as meat, fish and poultry–a move that the rocker’s spokesman called "purely defensive."

Usher’s early departure has "Chicago" producers seeing green.

After learning this week that the platinum-selling R&B artist was no longer on hand to razzle-dazzle ‘em due to an "extreme" case of strep throat, disgruntled ticket-holders demanded their money back, costing the show close to $400,000 in refunds, the New York Post reported Friday.

Usher has been offstage since last Friday, producing a "horrible" effect on ticket sales, according to producer Barry Weissler. Since the Grammy winner’s debut as hot-shot lawyer Billy Flynn Aug. 22, the box office has averaged $800,000 in ticket sales per week.

Apparently, Brooke Hogan doesn’t always know best.

The Hulk’s offspring has been bounced from the cover of the upcoming annual edition of "Prom" magazine due to her scantily-clad appearance on the cover of November’s "FHM."

There’s nothing like family bonding–and, believe us, this is nothing like family bonding.



Just one day after being granted temporary custody of a year-old motherless Malawian child, Madonna and Guy Ritchie flew out of the southern African country Friday sans new son. Their private plane departed for an undisclosed destination just before 2 a.m.



The child, identified as David Banda, has been left in the care of Madonna’s entourage, according to local officials.



Meanwhile, Madonna’s publicist, Liz Rosenberg, confirmed the adoption plans for the first time Friday–contradicting her statement from a week ago shooting down reports about Madonna’s maternity plans.

Since arriving in India last week, Angelina Jolie has been the indirect cause of a hit-and-run accident and a paparazzi choking.

Obviously, she’s the one in need of more protection.

Indian police have announced they will be heightening security measures for the actress after a car in her convoy collided with a motorcycle Wednesday, causing minor injuries to its rider.

Bono and Oprah Winfrey are seeing Red.



The two superstars and renowned do-gooders have joined forces to promote the U2 frontman’s new initiative with major American brand names such as Apple and the Gap to sell a line of "Red"-branded products whose proceeds will go towards fighting disease in Africa.



Bono joined the talk show queen in Chicago Thursday morning to kick off the U.S. portion of his Red campaign, with the two of them taking part in a shopping spree on North Michigan Avenue’s famed Magnificent Mile.



There, they bought bags of Red-labeled items from the Gap and Armani before setting off for down the street for the Apple Store on a mission to find a brand-new iPod Red.

Charlie knows what his angel is going through.

John Forsythe, who is best known for his role as oil tycoon Blake Carrington on "Dynasty" but also made a charismatic impression using only his voice on "Charlie’s Angels," has been undergoing treatment for colon cancer this week, a rep for the actor said Thursday.



"He seems to be in good spirits," Harlan Boll told the Associated Press. "They hope to have him home this weekend."

There is such a thing as liking "Lizzie Maguire" way too much.



Teen queen Hilary Duff and her boyfriend, Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden, sought restraining orders Thursday against two men–one who is supposedly obsessed with Duff and the other for allegedly being the one to relay his pal’s threats.



Papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court state that Max "Doe," whose age is estimated at 18 or 19, moved to L.A. from Russia about two years ago "for the sole purpose of meeting and becoming romantically involved" with Duff.

It wouldn’t have been fair for Linda Evangelista to keep genes like that to herself.

So, obliging the rules of fairness, the Canadian supermodel had her first child Wednesday in New York, a boy she has named Augustin James Evangelista, People reported.

Evangelista, who at 41 is still landing Vogue covers (August ‘06), has never publicly revealed who the father of her baby is. Her agent, Didier Fernandez, told the New York Post in July that he was rendered "speechless" by a rumor that she was impregnated by artificial insemination.

Unlikely as it may seem, Mel Gibson feels blessed.

Publicly discussing his infamous anti-Semitic rant for the first time on Thursday’s "Good Morning America," the fallen actor-producer told Diane Sawyer he had grown to view his arrest in July for drunk driving and his subsequent expletive-laden outburst as "kind of a blessing," saying he needed "public humiliation on a global scale" in order to get sober.