Thursday, December 24, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
A Kindess By Keith
Keith Urban gets the festive spirit
Article from: 
December 22, 2009 12:00am
HERE'S a heart-warming Yuletide tale that shows Caboolture lad Keith Urban really is a top guy.The Nashville-based superstar played secret Santa to an awestruck youth in a Fortitude Valley guitar shop on Saturday.
The young punter was in Tym Guitars trying out a fuzz pedal (a guitar effects device) when Urban, in between Boondall shows, walked in with his band.
Owner Tym Brennan says Keef and co were "genuinely very nice" and spent half an hour trying out a bevy of guitars (with the youngster messing around on the pedal all the while).
After settling on a $1400 Maton (a good Australian-made guitar), Urban leans over and whispers, "How much is the pedal that kid's playing?"
"$450," Brennan says.
Urban: "Put it on my card with the guitar."
Tym: "Do you want me to tell the kid?"
Urban: "Wait till I leave."
Brennan recounts: "Keith pays, then on the way out, shakes the youth's hand and says, "Merry Christmas".
"Was that Keith Urban? He said 'Merry Christmas' to me," the kid beams.
"Yeah," says Brennan, "He just bought you that pedal."
The kid was so "blown away" he was shaking, Brennan tells us.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Keith Urban Needs Some Help!
If you feel up to it, say a little prayer for Keith Urban. He is going to need some help from a higher power because he will be dealing with Nicole after one of the worst weeks she has had in the public life. Why should we feel sorry for Keith, he made his bed didn't he?
Yes, he did, but this week while Kidman was making one blunder after another in her PR for Nine, Keith was having a great week in the homeland. He was getting some of the best reviews ever on this tour. He seems quite happy and quite content with what he is doing on the stage. None of that matters because it’s always all about Nicole; and to say she stumbled is quite an understatement.
First was the uneven interview with Meredith Viera on the Today show. Kidman appeared discombobulated by very simple questions that were asked. She would disagree with what Viera asked then she would answer with an almost word-for-word rewind of what she was asked. Second was her interview with the BBC. Kidman was happy to talk about the movie, her life and even her one true love, but bring up the topic of Scientology and she runs faster then Keith does when Kidman is naked. Third she stormed out of an interview after ten minutes that was originally scheduled for thirty minutes; she dumped on the homeland saying that she can't live in Sydney because they won't leave her alone. Gee, Nicole don't tell them that you are there. This could solve some of your issues, but it was a crappy thing to do to your husband while he is going back home to play for his toughest audience. And to put salt in this wound she said that they have to stay in Nashville because Keith couldn't make it in Oz as Country Music wasn't that popular in the homeland. Not a smart thing to say. Then Kidman was on Larry King. While there were six other people there Kidman seemed dazed by it all and answered him in sing-song phrases that made good sound bites, but were insignificant answers. Speaking of answers, Kidman couldn't really say where her daughter was; when asked on the red carpet in LA and New York Kidman said she was with friends and family and then she said Keith's family and then she said she was with her. Interesting that Kidman also admitted that she and Keith live in two houses in Nashville. Finally her clothing choices were not terrible; however, her make up was horrible in both LA and NYC. But, it made the news!
Now that she had full press coverage for her arrival in Oz, no doubt she will be seen here and there with her youngest daughter and her family. She does have a movie to promote, don’t you know.
Please think of what Keith will have to do in the coming weeks. Give up his press, his tour and be part of the power couple again. She will grab at her stomach and hold his hand and of course he will condescend to her. Someday he might learn he no longer needs her. We would prefer that she just go hang out on her farm, combing her alpacas' eyelashes. We could all use the break, Keith most of all.
Yes, he did, but this week while Kidman was making one blunder after another in her PR for Nine, Keith was having a great week in the homeland. He was getting some of the best reviews ever on this tour. He seems quite happy and quite content with what he is doing on the stage. None of that matters because it’s always all about Nicole; and to say she stumbled is quite an understatement.
First was the uneven interview with Meredith Viera on the Today show. Kidman appeared discombobulated by very simple questions that were asked. She would disagree with what Viera asked then she would answer with an almost word-for-word rewind of what she was asked. Second was her interview with the BBC. Kidman was happy to talk about the movie, her life and even her one true love, but bring up the topic of Scientology and she runs faster then Keith does when Kidman is naked. Third she stormed out of an interview after ten minutes that was originally scheduled for thirty minutes; she dumped on the homeland saying that she can't live in Sydney because they won't leave her alone. Gee, Nicole don't tell them that you are there. This could solve some of your issues, but it was a crappy thing to do to your husband while he is going back home to play for his toughest audience. And to put salt in this wound she said that they have to stay in Nashville because Keith couldn't make it in Oz as Country Music wasn't that popular in the homeland. Not a smart thing to say. Then Kidman was on Larry King. While there were six other people there Kidman seemed dazed by it all and answered him in sing-song phrases that made good sound bites, but were insignificant answers. Speaking of answers, Kidman couldn't really say where her daughter was; when asked on the red carpet in LA and New York Kidman said she was with friends and family and then she said Keith's family and then she said she was with her. Interesting that Kidman also admitted that she and Keith live in two houses in Nashville. Finally her clothing choices were not terrible; however, her make up was horrible in both LA and NYC. But, it made the news!
Now that she had full press coverage for her arrival in Oz, no doubt she will be seen here and there with her youngest daughter and her family. She does have a movie to promote, don’t you know.
Please think of what Keith will have to do in the coming weeks. Give up his press, his tour and be part of the power couple again. She will grab at her stomach and hold his hand and of course he will condescend to her. Someday he might learn he no longer needs her. We would prefer that she just go hang out on her farm, combing her alpacas' eyelashes. We could all use the break, Keith most of all.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
A Time to Change?
There appears to be a bit of a metamorphosis going on with Keith Urban right now. It is subtle, but a change is happening. It is becoming more and more obvious that Keith Urban is becoming an Adult Contemporary artist. Keith, no longer Country? That can't be right, can it? It became crystal clear the night of the CMA's, that Country music has moved on from the scruffy barefoot poet. What is a middle aged crooner supposed to do?
Keith Urban was never really a country artist. He never fit in. In most reviews of his shows you will see the words ‘not a typical country concert’. It’s not. They are rock shows, not unlike those put on by Journey, Styx or Billy Squier in the 1980's. They are high energy shows built on radio rock. Today that kind of Rock is what Country music is made up of, however, Country has had a habit over the years of drifting back towards traditional, roots Americana music. This is what is happening along with the bubblegumming of the genre with people like Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.
Paisley, who has the chops and the credentials to be a traditional performer, chooses to include a number of hokey, simple, funny songs that deride his true talent. Keith has never been in the same league as a George Strait or Reba who can keep contemporary but never lose their connection to the roots of the music. Kenny Chesney is taking some time off at a good time. He knows what has been normal for the last few years is no longer. Garth Brooks is going the Vegas route just as Cher, Sir Elton and Mr. Manilow did. He knows he has the fans that will go to see him. This leaves Keith Urban.
You will start seeing this change very soon. Til Summer Comes Around has just been released as the new single. This moody haunting song of loss and obsession is not a country song. Of course, Making Memories of Us, Tonight I Wanna Cry and You'll Think of Me aren't either. With Summer, Keith is turning away from Country and what it is becoming. He tried to conform; Sweet Thing and Kiss a Girl are both songs that can fit in the bubblegum country that is on the charts, but Keith is much more talented than those songs. His fans know that. He knows that. It is time to make a change that will put him in the future. The video for Summer was filmed recently. The pictures that were released, and this is a first that the gossip sites got full layout pictures from an Urban video shoot, show ‘Keith Urban – Crooner’. He is playing his guitar, but he is also walking along the beach, crying in the mist, doing something that he hasn't for a very long time - acting. There is no band with him; he looks good, too. The video wasn't shot by a director known for doing Country videos, Noble Jones. This director is known for working with non-Country acts and from seeing the shots of Keith on set this is going to be a great video and will move him beyond country.
So why make the move? Keith is of the age that moving into a new genre with his established fan base will be fairly easy. This move means he can still tour the arenas but also the clubs and cabarets. As his wife said recently, Keith is very ambitious. He always has been. Working with new writers like Timbaland and John Mayer and recording a new CD very soon are all signs that he is moving away from the country rock into the introspective singer songwriter arena. We will see if he is going to do as his friend and former tour mate, Faith Hill, has done and drop Borman Entertainment as management. We will see if he chooses a new record company, as rumors of his parting with Capitol Nashville get louder and louder, but we can see the changes that are starting; and for this long term Keith Urban fan this will be a good thing.
Keith Urban was never really a country artist. He never fit in. In most reviews of his shows you will see the words ‘not a typical country concert’. It’s not. They are rock shows, not unlike those put on by Journey, Styx or Billy Squier in the 1980's. They are high energy shows built on radio rock. Today that kind of Rock is what Country music is made up of, however, Country has had a habit over the years of drifting back towards traditional, roots Americana music. This is what is happening along with the bubblegumming of the genre with people like Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.
Paisley, who has the chops and the credentials to be a traditional performer, chooses to include a number of hokey, simple, funny songs that deride his true talent. Keith has never been in the same league as a George Strait or Reba who can keep contemporary but never lose their connection to the roots of the music. Kenny Chesney is taking some time off at a good time. He knows what has been normal for the last few years is no longer. Garth Brooks is going the Vegas route just as Cher, Sir Elton and Mr. Manilow did. He knows he has the fans that will go to see him. This leaves Keith Urban.
You will start seeing this change very soon. Til Summer Comes Around has just been released as the new single. This moody haunting song of loss and obsession is not a country song. Of course, Making Memories of Us, Tonight I Wanna Cry and You'll Think of Me aren't either. With Summer, Keith is turning away from Country and what it is becoming. He tried to conform; Sweet Thing and Kiss a Girl are both songs that can fit in the bubblegum country that is on the charts, but Keith is much more talented than those songs. His fans know that. He knows that. It is time to make a change that will put him in the future. The video for Summer was filmed recently. The pictures that were released, and this is a first that the gossip sites got full layout pictures from an Urban video shoot, show ‘Keith Urban – Crooner’. He is playing his guitar, but he is also walking along the beach, crying in the mist, doing something that he hasn't for a very long time - acting. There is no band with him; he looks good, too. The video wasn't shot by a director known for doing Country videos, Noble Jones. This director is known for working with non-Country acts and from seeing the shots of Keith on set this is going to be a great video and will move him beyond country.
So why make the move? Keith is of the age that moving into a new genre with his established fan base will be fairly easy. This move means he can still tour the arenas but also the clubs and cabarets. As his wife said recently, Keith is very ambitious. He always has been. Working with new writers like Timbaland and John Mayer and recording a new CD very soon are all signs that he is moving away from the country rock into the introspective singer songwriter arena. We will see if he is going to do as his friend and former tour mate, Faith Hill, has done and drop Borman Entertainment as management. We will see if he chooses a new record company, as rumors of his parting with Capitol Nashville get louder and louder, but we can see the changes that are starting; and for this long term Keith Urban fan this will be a good thing.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Just a note to Keith & Nicole...
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Urban,
Please quit using your daughter as a prop to take the attention off whatever is wrong in your private/public lives. We understand Keith, that the outcome of the CMA's were not what you expected and now you are on to the next part of the year, which is really a wind down of the tour and this CD. Nicole, we are hearing that if there is a weak part in Nine, it is your replacement performance for Catherine Zeta-Jones. And you have had some questionable incidents in public lately. However, is that really cause for both of you to take your little girl out in public as much as you did recently? No. She doesn’t appear to like the attention. Are the paps scaring her? Let her live her life in private, please. Both of you have said you want her privacy, yet you have no regard for it. You are fully capable of staying hidden when you choose to do so. She is not Suri. You don’t have to prove anything with her. Keith, if you are going to talk about her, could you at least get the script straight? She’s been to Oz already.
Now it’s being spouted that she was baptized on your little vacay to Italy. How convenient; just in time to promote Nine. Did you fly all the grandparents and nieces and nephews in for the ceremony? Usually Catholic baptisms are performed in the family’s church, with necessary preparations completed by the Godparents. How nice that your superstardom allows you the freedom to disregard “your” Church’s teachings and protocols.
Your daughter has done nothing to deserve being shilled for your careers.
Happy Holidays!
Please quit using your daughter as a prop to take the attention off whatever is wrong in your private/public lives. We understand Keith, that the outcome of the CMA's were not what you expected and now you are on to the next part of the year, which is really a wind down of the tour and this CD. Nicole, we are hearing that if there is a weak part in Nine, it is your replacement performance for Catherine Zeta-Jones. And you have had some questionable incidents in public lately. However, is that really cause for both of you to take your little girl out in public as much as you did recently? No. She doesn’t appear to like the attention. Are the paps scaring her? Let her live her life in private, please. Both of you have said you want her privacy, yet you have no regard for it. You are fully capable of staying hidden when you choose to do so. She is not Suri. You don’t have to prove anything with her. Keith, if you are going to talk about her, could you at least get the script straight? She’s been to Oz already.
Now it’s being spouted that she was baptized on your little vacay to Italy. How convenient; just in time to promote Nine. Did you fly all the grandparents and nieces and nephews in for the ceremony? Usually Catholic baptisms are performed in the family’s church, with necessary preparations completed by the Godparents. How nice that your superstardom allows you the freedom to disregard “your” Church’s teachings and protocols.
Your daughter has done nothing to deserve being shilled for your careers.
Happy Holidays!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Urban Myths Weekend News Recap
It was a busy weekend for the Kidman & Urban Clan:
We were treated to pics of Keith alone on the beach making his new video for Til Summer Comes Around.
Keith performs another free acoustic show for Verizon in Pasadena, CA. Word is that he was half an hour late.
Kidman presents an award at the CNN Heroes show to be broadcast on Thanksgiving. No red carpet before the show, no Keith in sight.
AMA Rehearsal – Keith with 3/5 of his band.
AMA Red Carpet – The usual forehead touching shots of the loved-up couple. Kidman holding her ass. Kidman holding her belly, pretending she has a secret for the paps.
AMA Show – Keith wins his first AMA Award. He does thank the fans (it is a fan-voted award, after all). Says the award is for his Baby Girl – his 42-year old wife – oh, and Sunday. Kidman was in the audience long enough to be shown blowing Keith a kiss at the appropriate moment.
AMA Backstage – The following was in the LA Times:
After winning the country male artist prize, Keith Urban had only one thing on his mind: some downtime with his family -- wife Nicole Kidman and the couple's young daughter, Sunday. "This is the first time we'll be able to take her to Australia," Urban said.
Urban said he remains grateful for his success: "I just love playing music. I've come from a place where I've played in front of three people to a place where I play in front of thousands."
We were treated to pics of Keith alone on the beach making his new video for Til Summer Comes Around.
Keith performs another free acoustic show for Verizon in Pasadena, CA. Word is that he was half an hour late.
Kidman presents an award at the CNN Heroes show to be broadcast on Thanksgiving. No red carpet before the show, no Keith in sight.
AMA Rehearsal – Keith with 3/5 of his band.
AMA Red Carpet – The usual forehead touching shots of the loved-up couple. Kidman holding her ass. Kidman holding her belly, pretending she has a secret for the paps.
AMA Show – Keith wins his first AMA Award. He does thank the fans (it is a fan-voted award, after all). Says the award is for his Baby Girl – his 42-year old wife – oh, and Sunday. Kidman was in the audience long enough to be shown blowing Keith a kiss at the appropriate moment.
AMA Backstage – The following was in the LA Times:
After winning the country male artist prize, Keith Urban had only one thing on his mind: some downtime with his family -- wife Nicole Kidman and the couple's young daughter, Sunday. "This is the first time we'll be able to take her to Australia," Urban said.
Urban said he remains grateful for his success: "I just love playing music. I've come from a place where I've played in front of three people to a place where I play in front of thousands."
Thursday, November 19, 2009
American Music Awards... another Reward for Keith?
Keith is nominated for an AMA... and is performing. Well just look who is presenting an award that night... Did she snag a performance slot for the dutiful hubby? He has been such a good boy lately, non?
Kidman Popping Up at American Music Awards
Today 3:00 PM PST by Marc Malkin
Nicole Kidman is coming to the American Music Awards.
I can exclusively tell you that the Oscar-winner will be a presenter at the show on Sunday—but not for hubby Keith Urban...
Ms. Kidman will join Kate Hudson to introduce the Black Eyed Peas.
Why?
Well, Kidman, Hudson and Fergie are three of the mega-stars we'll be seeing next month in the musical movie Nine.
Kidman joins previously announced presenters Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Kristen Bell and Colbie Caillat.
The awards broadcast live from downtown L.A. on Sunday on ABC.
Kidman Popping Up at American Music Awards
Today 3:00 PM PST by Marc Malkin
Nicole Kidman is coming to the American Music Awards.
I can exclusively tell you that the Oscar-winner will be a presenter at the show on Sunday—but not for hubby Keith Urban...
Ms. Kidman will join Kate Hudson to introduce the Black Eyed Peas.
Why?
Well, Kidman, Hudson and Fergie are three of the mega-stars we'll be seeing next month in the musical movie Nine.
Kidman joins previously announced presenters Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Kristen Bell and Colbie Caillat.
The awards broadcast live from downtown L.A. on Sunday on ABC.
Another Example of Kidman's Lies...
From Oprah.com:
Air date: November 18, 2009:
9 Questions with the Women of Nine:
Q. What is your favorite meal?
Nicole: I think probably pasta, or when we were in Italy this summer, we had homemade pizzas straight out of the pizza oven. I had a pizza which was ricotta cheese and strawberries, which was amazing.It was just something that has to be experienced. We all thought, "No, we don't want the strawberry pizza." They brought it anyway, and we gobbled it down.
May 2006:
LeAnn Rimes discovered superstar neighbour Nicole Kidman is allergic to strawberries when she invited the actress to breakfast and laid on a spread of fresh fruit. The singer and her husband Dean Shermet live on the same Nashville, Tennessee, street as Kidman and her fiance Keith Urba, and the foursome have formed a firm friendship. Rimes explains, "Keith lives two doors down from us. We went out for dinner one night and Dean was bragging about how he makes the best breakfasts, so we invited them round the next morning. "Dean spent ages digging out these huge grapefruits and stuffing them with strawberries. When they turned up, Nicole said, 'Oh, 'I'm allergic to strawberries.' "We ended up having omelettes."
July 2008 Vogue Interview:
Our surroundings, most assuredly, are not. We're at the top-floor bar of the Ritz-Carlton in Manhattan's Battery Park and enjoying the healthiest of refreshments, bottled water and a lavish fruit plate from which Kidman—a devotee of red meat—takes everything but the strawberries (she's allergic). It's a clear spring day, and down below us is the harbor that Kidman's husband, country-music star Keith Urban, says looks a bit like her native Sydney.
Air date: November 18, 2009:
9 Questions with the Women of Nine:
Q. What is your favorite meal?
Nicole: I think probably pasta, or when we were in Italy this summer, we had homemade pizzas straight out of the pizza oven. I had a pizza which was ricotta cheese and strawberries, which was amazing.It was just something that has to be experienced. We all thought, "No, we don't want the strawberry pizza." They brought it anyway, and we gobbled it down.
May 2006:
LeAnn Rimes discovered superstar neighbour Nicole Kidman is allergic to strawberries when she invited the actress to breakfast and laid on a spread of fresh fruit. The singer and her husband Dean Shermet live on the same Nashville, Tennessee, street as Kidman and her fiance Keith Urba, and the foursome have formed a firm friendship. Rimes explains, "Keith lives two doors down from us. We went out for dinner one night and Dean was bragging about how he makes the best breakfasts, so we invited them round the next morning. "Dean spent ages digging out these huge grapefruits and stuffing them with strawberries. When they turned up, Nicole said, 'Oh, 'I'm allergic to strawberries.' "We ended up having omelettes."
July 2008 Vogue Interview:
Our surroundings, most assuredly, are not. We're at the top-floor bar of the Ritz-Carlton in Manhattan's Battery Park and enjoying the healthiest of refreshments, bottled water and a lavish fruit plate from which Kidman—a devotee of red meat—takes everything but the strawberries (she's allergic). It's a clear spring day, and down below us is the harbor that Kidman's husband, country-music star Keith Urban, says looks a bit like her native Sydney.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Thanks to the Huffington Post ... Third Lip or Not?
You take a look then vote in our poll to the right...
1983:
1993:
2006:
2008:
2009:
2009:
1983:
1993:
2006:
2008:
2009:
2009:
Monday, November 16, 2009
Caption This Photo
I think we can have a little fun with this... the Urbans enjoying a night out on the town...
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