• R. Kelly’s trial for five-year-old child-pornography charges has been postponed yet again. Is it because Kelly has at least fifty more chapters of Trapped in the Closet left before he’s trapped in courtroom? No, this time it’s the prosecution that’s delaying the trial, as lead attorney Shauna Boliker needs an extension to her maternity leave. No new starting date has been determined.

• Aerosmith, who have not broken up, will enter the studio in November to start work on their next album, Billboard reports. While no producer is in place, Sony honcho Rick Rubin will oversee the making of the album. Aerosmith are also collaborating with the makers of Guitar Hero IV, as the next entry in the video game series will be dedicated to the Boston band’s music.

• Keyboardist Jeffrey Carter Albrecht, a member of Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians and occasionally Paul Simon’s band, was shot to death by his girlfriend’s neighbor in Dallas after allegedly trying to ram down the neighbor’s door at 4 AM in a drunken rage; he was evidently mistaken for a burglar.

• Amid reports that the Malawian official in charge of overseeing Madonna’s adoption has been removed from the case comes an official statement from the star’s publicist: “The plans to finalize the adoption of Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s son, David, are proceeding as outlined almost a year ago … There has been absolutely no interference with Government Officials or use of Madonna’s ‘celebrity’ to speed up this adoption as reported.”

• The recording of the fourth Strokes album has been delayed; guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. tells fans via his MySpace page that he’ll enter the studio at the end of October to start work on his second solo album.

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