Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman Updates 09/06/10

Wow- the final weekend run on the Summer Lovin' Tour... very bitter sweet. Thanks for a fantastic summer
posted by @KeithUrban


http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100906/NEWS02/100905014/Champlain-Valley-Fair-hits-end-of-the-ride

Otherwise, numbers for the 10-day fair are pretty good. Over the Labor Day weekend, he said, the fair is at times the largest city in the state. Saturday, he said, 15,000 to 20,000 came in at the gate, close to 10,000 watched Keith Urban, several thousand more came with discount tickets, 5,000 to 10,000 came with group tickets and another 2,000 to 3,000 had tickets bought at Price Chopper.

The Champlain Valley Fair is ending after tonight. Sunday afternoon, it was on pace to match the numbers of the last three “very good” years, Champlain Expo Treasurer Kevin Marchand said.







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Keith Urban thrills crowd with wild 'n' rockin' show at Oakdale

WALLINGFORD, CONN. – Keith Urban is 42 years old but he makes teenage girls scream as loud as their mothers.
He also manages to ignite the animal instincts in virtually every female of any age but this is no boy toy under bright lights. Urban may be well chiseled and camera friendly but he’s also a phenomenal entertainer, a barn-burning guitar player and a passionate singer, as he proved again and again Sunday before a packed house at the Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre.
The Australian heartthrob – husband of actress Nicole Kidman – turned in a rollicking two hour finale to his “Summer Lovin’” tour, often drawing Beatlemania type shrieks from the predominantly female audience. Wearing jeans and a tight, short-sleeve black shirt with three buttons undone, he kicked off the night with the pulsating “Kiss a Girl,” ably backed by his three-piece band.
Urban is classified as country but he’s marginal country and falls a lot more into the crossover rock territory. Except for an occasional bit of twang it’s tough to figure why any rock fan would write him off thinking simply that “he’s that country guy.” Indeed, Urban can rock with the best of them and his high-energy stage show is absolutely one of the best in the business.
After a rockin’ “Days Go By,” other early set highlights included a harmony-filled “Sweet Thing,” a kickin’ “Where the Blacktop Ends,” and the highly-melodic crowd fave “You’re My Better Half.”
A strong “I’m In,” off Urban’s latest album “Defying Gravity,” followed before the atmospheric, slow building “’Til Summer Comes Around,” which featured some stellar guitar work by the star.

The acoustic-based ballad “Making Memories of Us,” and the sing-along “Only You Can Love Me This Way,” each shined, but after that, Urban and his bandmates turned up the power and the intensity for the rest of the night.Opening act Kris Allen, winner of the eighth season of “American Idol” joined Urban for a rousing cover of “Jack and Diane,” and when Allen briefly drew a blank on some of the lyrics, Urban had the rising star and the crowd laughing when he shouted out “And you won ‘American Idol?’” The crowd went into near total hysteria when Urban jumped into the audience for a raucous rendition of the playful “You Look Good in My Shirt.” This wasn’t just an obligatory step or two into the first couple of rows. Urban raced up the aisles singing the song, providing quite a challenge for the security staff trying to keep up with him – while trying to keep fans from some overly-aggressive star-grabbing. Urban even stood in the center of the theatre, singing heartily near the soundboard to fire up the crowd in the back of the room. Mission accomplished and then some. He was laughing by the time he finally returned to the stage, ending the song flat on his back, evoking a deafening roar from the throng. There was still time for plenty of passion however, especially during the lyrically stinging “You’ll Think of Me,” a classic break-up song. In a classy gesture, Urban brought out his friend and Australian country star Troy Cassar-Daley who took center stage for a fine version of Curtis Mayfield’s gospel soul classic “People Get Ready.” After the optimistic “Better Life,” Urban returned for encores that included a solo version of Dusty Springfield’s often-covered “I Only Want to Be With You,” and the full-band workout “Somebody Like You.” Allen’s opening set was well received, sparked by a driving rendition of his newest single “The Truth,” his breakthrough hit “Live Like We’re Dying,” and covers of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and The Beatles’ “Come Together,” the latter two culled from his “American Idol” appearances.





Video of Keith performing with Troy! A must-see!



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Here's a nice write-up about one of Nicole's more underrated movies and performances....Margot At The Wedding


Overlooked Movie Monday: Margot at the Wedding

Can a film whose central characters are uniformly unlikeable be dramatically compelling in their midst?

“Margot at the Wedding,” Noah Baumbach’s caustic follow up to his 2005 foray into the dynamics of divorce, “The Squid and the Whale,” raises that question right at its onset and persists in not chocking up an easy answer to it. It tells the story of Margot—a self-centered, passive-aggressive egotist played to perfection by Nicole Kidman—and her son, Claude, as they attend her sister’s wedding in the Hamptons and stay the weekend at their childhood home.

The aesthetic brings to mind Bergman’s delicate, icy approach to familial acrimony and the hand-held neo-realism of many a contemporary drama. The palate is one of desaturated grays and browns and blues and pinks, and it is the best visual rendering of a gloomy weekend culminating in marriage I can recall. Everything about it feels melancholy, and it’s a fully appropriate format for the film’s array of misanthropes to congregate and collectively ruin.

jack black jennifer jason leigh margot at the wedding 2007Instead of the lot feigning normalcy or putting on airs and then finally breaking down into hysterics, Baumbach has it so that the moment everyone is situated in a close proximity to one another, they immediately reignite (or otherwise develop entirely) their dysfunction in lots of colorfully passive-aggressive and immature ways. The film is an exercise in dashed expectations—in every scene where enjoying one another’s company enters the realm of possibility, it’s almost always sidelined by one or more person’s awkwardness or hostility.

Naturally, Margot disapproves of her sister Pauline’s fiancée, Malcolm, and spends her time smoldering with contempt as a result. Their tacit rivalry is an example of the time-tested archetype of the judgmental sophist and the stooge. And who better to play that stooge than Jack Black?

As Pauline, Margot’s sister, Jennifer Jason Leigh maintains a certain equanimity throughout the performance and really only expresses angst backhandedly and under the radar. They’re all doing some of their best work. Throw in heartfelt and effective performances from the younger half of the cast and John Turturro (one of the most delightful surprises in movies, period) as Margot’s (soon-to-be-estranged?) husband, and the end result is a rich and satisfying, if somewhat bleak, character drama.

kidman jason leigh margot at the wedding 2007Baumbach’s strengths undoubtedly have their roots in his literary background (see “Squid” if this contention seems murky). His dialogue is incisive and droll and usually plays to one or more psychological defects the character spewing it is harboring; his characterizations are unremitting, honest, and unsentimental. There’s a certain grace and beauty to everyone’s emotional ugliness.

And that brings us back to the key question raised by a film of this disposition: Why should unlikeable characters preclude an emotional point of entry for the viewer? If they’re painted as pitiable and insecure and their delinquency isn’t celebrated, sympathy—or at least some version of understanding—shouldn’t be too strenuous to muster.

Cinema has beckoned greater sympathies for villains far more despicable than the insecure narcissists who populate “Margot at the Wedding.” These are people who navigate their interpersonal experiences like wounded puppies and exist in a mode of self-defense; they’re not serial killers. When people reject movies with unsavory characters at face value, I think it’s more or less an admission that they hit too close to home.


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Twentieth Century Fox Celebrates 75th Anniversary At Hollywood Bowl

Posted Sunday September 5, 2010 - 11pm

By Brenton Garen, Beverly Hills Courier

The ever so iconic Twentieth Century Fox theme tune was the opening score at the Hollywood Bowl Sunday night as its orchestra paid tribute to the studio's 75th anniversary.

Conductor David Newman led the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra through many award-winning scores that included The Sound of Music, Star Wars, Avatar and more which were projected on the Bowl's big screen.

The night's event, titled The Big Picture: The Films of Twentieth Century Fox, was hosted by Robert Osborne.

The night opened with a montage of clips from 165 of the studio's films, to the opening theme of Star Wars.

Early into the evening, Osborne spoke about the studio's most acclaimed musical director Alfred Newman.

"For 20 years, he was the studio's general musical director, he composed the music for over 300 films, he even did the 20th Century Fox fanfare we hear at the beginning of every Fox film," Osborne said.

"One of the great treats tonight for us is the fact that his son David Newman is our conductor tonight.

"Alfred Newman went on to be the most honored musical in the history of the Academy Awards and Hollywood - 45 Academy Award nominations and 9 Academy Awards."

Highlights in the first half of the evening were a montage of clips from Slum Dog Millionaire and a sequence between Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge.

For more click HERE

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It looks like Trespass is on break from filming until after Labor Day.

http://www.onlocationvacations.com/

An update from Nicole's stand-in says she starts later this week

jenngreen.com

And the family is in Nashville

Aamandan5: Just saw keith urban and nicole kidman and sunday rose at Green Hills Mall about 2 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry

Alena29: My friend just FBed that she's eating at the Cheesecake Factory across from Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban. Tempted to join her for lunch! lol 24 minutes ago via TweetDeck


a funny tweet from yesterday

ScarlettDomino: My confusion of Tim McGraw and Keith Urban made my Mom want to go to the WFC. Now she's mad because McGraw's not married to Nicole Kidman.

Another Aussie Actor Joins Nicole Kidman In Trespass; Aussie Star Troy Cassar-Daley Talks Keith Urban

Huge thanks to our Aussie friend timtam and an anonymous reader for these stories! It just goes to show the skeptics are full of it when they say that Australia and the Urbans' Australian contemporaries don't want anything to do with them!

Actors decide to 'Trespass'

Thesps join Kidman, Cage for Nu Image actioner
By DAVE MCNARY

Ben Mendelsohn ("Animal Kingdom"), Dash Mihok and Liana Liberato ("Trust") are rounding out the "Trespass" cast opposite Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage in Nu Image/Millennium Films' action-adventure.

Shooting starts Monday in Louisiana with Joel Schumacher directing and a nine-week shoot planned. Cam Gigandet and Jordana Spiro also star.

Reports earlier this month indicated that Cage had left "Trespass" but he subsequently re-committed to the production. He and Kidman signed on to "Trespass" to portray a married couple.

Story, written by Karl Gajdusek and Eli Richbourg, centers on a husband and wife taken hostage by four brutal perpetrators seeking easy cash. Complications ensue amid the unexpected discovery of betrayal and deception.

""Trespass" marks the fourth collaboration between Cage and Nu Image/Millennium Films following the recently wrapped 3D adventure "Drive Angry," "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" and "The Wicker Man."

"Trespass" will be produced by Irwin Winkler and David Winkler of Winkler Films and Rene Besson. Avi Lerner executive produces for Nu Image/Millennium Films, along with Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson and John Thompson, and Jill Cutler exec produces for Winkler Films.


timtam let us know that Ben Mendelsohn has just come off a very popular Showtime Australia drama called Tangle and that he is a very sought-after actor on Australian television. This isn't the first time he's worked on a film with Nicole Kidman. Readers may recognize him as "Captain Dutton" from Baz Luhrmann's Australia.



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DAVE'S DIARY - 7 MAY 2009 - TROY CASSAR- DALEY INTERVIEW

KEITH URBAN

"From the day we met I have to say/ my life's been blessed/ and that old sky above ain't got nothing on/ this big, big love." - Big, Big Love - Troy Cassar-Daley.

The singer credits fellow pre-teen Tamworth busker and latter day expatriate Australasian superstar Keith Urban for the disc's entrée single and video.

"I was having real trouble writing last year," Troy recalled.

"I ended up catching up with Keith on a plane, going over to Phoenix, Arizona, to do his show.

He said to me 'how's the writing going?'

I said "to tell you the truth, it's not going too well. I'm having a bit of a writer's block.'

He said 'how are you approaching it?'

I said 'on guitar.'
"He said 'try a drum machine - in your Mac computer you'll have garage band.'

"I often go to it when I need energy in a song. I started that when I got home. I started on electric guitar that I normally don't write on a lot. I got it going and was having a ball.

Three or four songs into this project I thought I've broken the drought - it's finally flowing again."

Cassar-Daley confessed that both the Cassar-Daley and Urban spouses and offspring inspired the song.

Troy wed fellow singer and 4KQ breakfast DJ Laurel Edwards many moons ago and they have two sons.

Urban, 41, took the plunge much later in life with a Sydney born thespian named Nicole.

"When Keith and Nicole's baby was born we texted him and said 'congratulations, it must be a huge thrill for you being a dad the first time.'

His reply - beautiful result, she's absolutely gorgeous. We're all tired. Big love to the family - Keith.'

"I was in the middle of this track. I was working out real rocking drum feel. I thought it doesn't get much bigger than that. I might head for that as the hook line and go for that direction. I worked the demo up in a couple of days, sent it to Keith and he loved it.

He really thought I nailed what he was talking about. It kicked a door in for me - opened up another avenue. You can write this. So far he hasn't asked for a share of the royalties."

PATERNAL ADVICE

Instead the singer gave the new father free paternal advice.

"He asked me a lot about the balance of family and career," Troy revealed.

"At any level it's hard to balance. I said to him 'you probably already know that but what it comes down to is priorities. As long they're the No 1 priority everything else will fall into line behind that and will happen in its own way. You tell the record company when you want to tour. You keep your time off in big blocks for Nicole and you like Laurel and I do. He found it refreshing to hear it coming from an Australian voice - someone he's known for more than 20 years."

Urban, once signed to fellow expatriate Australasian Barry and Jewel Coburn's publishing company Ten, Ten, didn't offer Troy advice on landing songs in movies and TV shows.

"No, we mainly talked about guitars and about old memories we had back in Tamworth," Cassar-Daley recalled.

"We used to go and busk outside Cheaper Music in Tamworth as 12 year-olds. We continued doing that over the years, even after we had our record deals. He would ring up and say we're raising money for the kids ward at the hospital - can you come over and do a few songs at the front of the music store. I would go to his gigs and he would come to mine - a cross-pollination. The first time I met Jerry Flowers (Urban's U.S. bassist from his era with embryonic trio The Ranch) they were going to smash a few guitars on stage in Tamworth. But Keith missed the stage and cut Jerry's hand in the middle of show. It was a big moment when they were doing a Garth Brooks piss-take. I don't think he would have as many Australian friends come through that would have as much history."

The singer confessed that he hadn't read the controversial Urban biography.

"I'm waiting for Laurel to finish it," he confessed.

"I'm looking forward to having a read because a lot of people and events I would have been part of. It's nice to see someone's take on Keith but I would much prefer to hear one from Keith. It would be nice to hear it from the horse's mouth. I don't think I would be interested in learning someone else's take on personal battles he has had - everybody already knows about that.'

Laurel Edwards Has Dinner With Keith And Nicole

In an earlier post we told you that Troy Cassar-Daley had come over to the US for some work and went to the Ryman with the Urbans for a Crowded House show. Well his wife and kids have made it over as well and Laurel, who is a breakfast radio show host told her crew back home about going to to dinner and some various other tidbits. To listen to the clip click HERE.

Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman Updates 08/08/10

Keith Urban and "I'm In" now #2 on Mediabase radio chart! It's almost there!



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Thanks to a reader for sending this in!

Aussie country artist Troy Cassar-Daley and his wife Laurel will be in Nashville for 3 months. Troy will be working on his music there and has already settled in.

Click HERE to listen to the August 4th segment where Troy talks about going to the Crowded House show at the Ryman with Keith and Nicole.