One of the ways the Scientology cult ropes in vulnerable recruits is through their sham drug rehab front, Narconon. Narconon tries to sound official with a name that can easily be confused for the legitimate self-help group, Narcotics Anonymous, with which they are in no way affiliated. They make addicts go cold turkey and advocate a medically unsound detox regimen that includes saunas and vitamins. Narconon uses mind control tactics to convert people to Scientology.

It’s not surprising, then, that Cruise is said to have recommended Narconon to Keith Urban, who was just released from an accredited rehab for alcoholism treatment. The National Enquirer reports that Tom Cruise and his ex, Nicole Kidman, are battling a religous war over how to raise their two children, Isabella, 14 and Conner, 11.

Now Cruise is pushing Nicole to get back into the fold and to bring her troubled new husband along with her.

Tom has suggested that Keith explore Scientology as a means to conquer his addictions, continued the friend.

That opened up a lot of old wounds from Tom and Nicole’s previous religious clases.

Tom, 44, also is worried about the children being around Keith until he can be sure Keith has conquered his demons, and he’s made that clear to Nicole…

Another close source confirms that Tom and Nicole’s long-standing friction over Scientology has resurfaced with a vengeance - especially since Tom has offered to help Keith get clean through the religion.

“Nicole feels she’s got everything under control and Keith is well on the way to a full recover,” said the source.

“The last thing she wanted to hear was a Scientology pitch from Tom - especially regarding Keith…”

[From The National Enquirer print edition, January 22, 2007]

They also claim that Tom’s new Stepford bride Katie Holmes backs him on the Scientology issue, and that Nicole probably feels like she’s being teamed up on.

The article quotes a cult expert who says that Nicole, who has left Scientology and is now a Catholic, risks losing her children entirely if she says one bad thing about the cult. It sounds like Tom is threatening to take away her children if she doesn’t play along. She seems to barely see them as it is.

Keith Urban has been released from rehab and was seen out at a Golden Globes after party with Nicole. He will start touring Europe in April, which is sure to test his newfound sobriety.

Here are Katie and Tom leaving a Golden Globes after party. Pictures from KatieHolmes.com.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made their second red carpet appearance together at the LA premiere of the new documentary “God Grew Tired,” a film about Somalian immigrants put out by Brad’s Plan B Productions.

Also at the premiere were Nicole Kidman, who narrates the film, Catherine Keener, who co-produces, and Ed Norton.

God Grew Tired of Us tells the story of four young men who leave war-torn Somalia to start a new life in America. They hiked barefoot across the desert for five years against incredible odds and finally made it to a UN refugee camp in Kenya, where they were chosen to emigrate to the U.S. The documentary tells the poignant sometimes funny story of how they adjusted to their new life. Nicole Kidman narrates.

It is winning rave reviews and received the Grand Jury prize and Audience Review prize at this year’s Sundance Festival. I know I would love to see it. It is in limited release from what I could tell.

You can learn more about the film on the God Grew Tired of Us website.

Here’s the trailer:

Also, I wanted to point out that Angelina has a tell-tale bulging vein on her forehead, which I once read in a women’s magazine is the way you can tell that someone used Botox. I got too caught up in doing the research for the film to really focus on dissecting her every recent interview comment like I normally do.

There’s also a pretty funny picture I found at Hello! of Angelina talking to a stern-looking Kidman.

The rest of the pictures are high quality, found at SimplyBrad.

Newlyweds Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were reunited after a two month separation and spent Christmas in their native Australia. Keith flew into Sydney after having completed treatment for an alcohol addiction in an inpatient rehabilitation program.

The country music star flew Down Under on Tuesday to be reunited with his wife of six months. It is the first time the couple have been back in Sydney together since their romantic June wedding and will no doubt bring back happy memories for them both. The pair, who are based in Nashville, were spotted holding hands as they left a film studio in the city before being driven away in a blacked-out car.

It is believed Keith, 39, has now completed addiction treatment in the US after a drinking relapse prompted him to seek help. Nicole has been in Sydney spending time with her family and enjoying outings to the theatre in the run-up to Christmas as well as working on her new film Australia with co-star Hugh Jackman and renowned director Baz Luhrman.

Keith and Nicole’s reunion was undoubtedly marred by the news that a woman claiming to be Keith’s longterm lover recently spoke to a British newspaper. A 23 year-old “model” says that she had a relationship with Keith from 2002 until May, 2004 - just a month before Keith and Nicole were married. She claims that Keith was constantly drunk or on drugs during their time together.

Commentors here note that it doesn’t seem right that this woman is speaking out at this point, and that she must be doing it for the money. Commentor Patty says it has come out that she was paid for the story, has an agent, and didn’t actually give all the quotes that were attributed to her. I think that the story was told to the Daily Mail for a fee, and that they made up the quotes. (If Patty could comment with a link to where she read that news I would appreciate it.)

It does seem kind of cruel for this woman to be speaking out now. As I mentioned yesterday, I think she’s trying to get revenge for the fact that Keith ditched her again after their brief makeup session in October, and is trying to cash in while she can.

This doesn’t bode well for Nicole and Keith’s relationship if it’s true, of course, but given Nicole’s history and determination, it seems like she’ll try to make it work for as long as she can.

Update: Thanks to SkyShowbiz for these pics of their reunion.

A 23 year-old model says she met Keith Urban at a Nashville bar in 2004 and was banging him up until the month before he married Nicole Kidman. She says they were so close she lived in his mansion briefly and that she met his family. Keith was constantly drunk and on various drugs including ecstasy and cocaine according to his supposed lover, who claims she’s talking to the press now to make it clear that she’s not a homewrecker.

The woman seems to be the reason Urban went into rehab this fall. She was spotted making out with him at a Nashville bar in October, and he checked into the Betty Ford clinic shortly afterwards. She won’t talk about that latest incident, but says that she was seeing Keith up until May, that he refused to talk about Nicole, and that he stopped returning her calls and got married to the famous movie star just a month afterwards:

Amanda Wyatt, a 23-year-old part-time model and self-professed “nobody”, last night revealed that Urban was unfaithful to his superstar wife throughout their courtship and engagement.

She says: “I feel sorry for Nicole. Keith cheated on her repeatedly with me, right up to just before they got married.

“He’s done it once and he will probably do it again.

“I know him as well as anyone and while he can be charming and loving, he is also someone who is constantly fighting his demons…

Amanda furnishes her story with intimate details only a lover could know.

She has Urban’s secret security code for his guard gate, she casually drops into conversation the name of his favourite cologne - Dolce & Gabbana - and says she cannot smell Shea Butter Body Wash without thinking of him.

Furthermore, Amanda, who is 16 years his junior and was just 21 when they met in 2004, admits she was surprised their relationship ever progressed further than a one-night stand - and says she never once pushed him for commitment.

She says: “I was a fan of Keith’s and longed to meet him.

“I was born and raised in Nashville and he was a star here long before the rest of the world heard about him through Nicole.

“I went to a bar called the Tin Roof one night and he was there.

“I was with a group of girlfriends and after a couple of drinks, on a dare, I went right up to him and said: ‘Hi Keith, I’m Amanda and I’m a big fan.’

“He just grinned. A couple of hours later I was so flattered when he came up and said: ‘You’re Amanda, right?’

“The next thing he said was: ‘Do you party?’…

“He had this big, beige-coloured hot tub and he lit scented candles and we’d take big bubble baths together.

“It was so romantic. The music would be playing low in the background and he loved to wash me, rub my feet and wash my hair.

“He told me he loved me. He was always telling me how I made him feel young, how I was sexy and beautiful. It was a real turn-on.”

Amanda says she and Urban were inseparable in the early part of their relationship, which continued until May 2006, less than a month before his wedding to Nicole Kidman.

She temporarily moved into the home he was then renting in the Brentwood suburb of Nashville and even met his parents, Bob and Marienne, who had arrived from Australia to spend the 2004 Thanksgiving holiday with their son.

But even more disturbing, perhaps, than Urban’s sexual infidelity to Nicole Kidman was Amanda’s insistence that Urban was constantly drunk and a heavy drug user throughout their long affair.

She added: “As I got to know him, it was clear he was a deeply troubled man.

“He drank constantly; his favourite was Crown Royal Reserve whisky. And he did drugs: Ecstasy, cocaine, pot - you name it…

“I took Ecstasy with him. His drug use was no secret.

It looks to me like Keith got back with Amanda briefly and then was whisked off to rehab and told her he could never contact her again. That pissed her off so much that she’s talk to the press about him.

Meanwhile Keith and Nicole were said to be planning a family Christmas together to coincide with Keith’s release from rehab. Nicole is said to have booked the largest suite in the Beverly Hills hotel and to have ordered a large Christmas tree for their reunion. This latest news is sure to put a damper on their plans.

I wonder how long it will be before Keith and Nicole split. It seems like Nicole will put on a brave botoxed face for as long as she can stand it so that she doesn’t look like a complete fool for having a failed relationship with a drug addict and cheater.

Here are pictures of the woman in question, courtesy of Splash News Online. She’s a buttaface, but would probably be gorgeous with a little surgery.

I thought this was a joke when I first read it on aggregate news engine WeSmirch (from which I get a lot of stories - props to them.) Page Six is claiming the “biggest proof” that Nicole Kidman is trying to get pregnant is the fact that she’s sporting bangs now. She was said to be pregnant for like the past year for various reasons, so I thought they were being funny, but no, The Post says that it’s evidence she’s laying off the Botox to prepare her body for pregnancy. Bangs are the newest hair trend, couldn’t that be the reason she changed her style?

NICOLE Kidman is not pregnant - yet. She’s said to be trying with her husband, country crooner Keith Urban, even though Urban is still in the Betty Ford Clinic. The biggest proof Kidman is trying to conceive is her latest haircut: She just got bangs to hide her forehead. As a Hollywood insider said, “If Nicole is pregnant or trying to get pregnant, she will have to stop all Botox treatments like Courtney Cox Arquette did when she was pregnant. It would show most on her forehead.” A rep for Kidman didn’t return emails.

Kidman told reporters at the “Happy Feet” premiere that she wanted to have a bunch of kids running around and her hair flowing down to her waist on a tropical island like in some Gauguin painting. I thought that quote was made up because it sounded pretty hackneyed, but who knows.

Meanwhile Keith Urban, Nicole’s husband of five months, is out of rehab. Now they can focus on that pregnancy that all the tabloids are rooting for:

Country singer Keith Urban is out of rehab and has reunited with his wife of five months, actress Nicole Kidman, Us reports exclusively. The couple had brunch on Sunday at the Polo Lounge in Los Angeles.

They were last seen together on November 12, outside of the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs, where Urban was being treated for alcohol abuse.

Urban had been in the in-patient rehabilitation program since October 19 and was expected to stay there for 35-40 days. Urban’s rep said the singer is “still undergoing treatment.”

Pictures are of Kidman at an Omega event in Geneva, Switzerland. She does look to have gained a little weight and looks healthier. Pictures found at Saving Face Forum and from Celebrity Nation.

British rag The Sun reports some vague story that Nicole Kidman looked upset at the Happy Feet premiere in London when a journalist asked an out-of-line question about her husband Keith Urban’s stint in rehab. They say she got visibly bothered by it, and suggest that she didn’t attend the after party as a result:

Nicole, 39 — who walked up an ice-blue carpet for yesterday’s premiere of animated penguin tale Happy Feet — reacted after she was asked about husband Keith Urban’s rehab for a booze relapse.

The actress looked upset as she spoke to other journalists, onlookers said. She later failed to attend the film’s after-party.

Nicole, who wed Keith in June, provides one of the voices for Happy Feet, the story of a dancing penguin which beat the latest James Bond film at the US box office.

It could be true that she got bothered by the question, but who knows why she didn’t go to the party afterwards.

Meanwhile The Mirror claims to have an exclusive with the news that Nicole is pregnant, but they seem to just be rehashing an old rumor. She was said to have told Keith when she visited him at rehab that she’s preggers, but I doubt it.

Lainey at Lainey’s Gossip thinks she’s some kind of manipulative super-woman and that she hires her own paparazzi, but it seems like her opinion is extreme. I think Nicole just likes to have control of her public image but that she still makes shitty choices in life and is trying to cope with them. As for not seeing her children much, which Lainey claims is Nicole’s choice, it seems like Tom commandeers them for the c0s and his own purposes, and she might not have control of that.

Nicole is just dealing with her all-too-public life by putting on a happy botoxed face, and one can’t really blame her.

Pictures from Hollywood’s Best and Lainey’s Gossip.

Before Keith Urban was whisked off to rehab for “letting his guard down” on his recovery, Keith and his new wife Nicole Kidman were trying to conceive a child with the help of fertility drugs.

Nicole suffered from an ectopic pregnancy and a miscarriage during her marriage to Tom Cruise and she’s now less fertile at age 39. According to The Enquirer, she and Keith have visited a fertility clinic.

Keith’s sperm were judged motile but groggy, and Nicole has started taking fertility drugs, which may explain her bloated abdomen that all the bloggers (like me) were mistaking for a baby bump:

Nicole recently began taking the fertility drug Clomid to induce ovulation before she left to finish shooting the fantasy film “The Golden Compass” in London.

“Meanwhile, Keith has had tests done, and he was found to be able to have kids,” said the insider.”

“He knows how much Nicole wants to get pregnant.”

[From The National Enquirer print edition. October 30, 2006]

Nicole’s past history of a failed and ectopic pregnancy makes it more difficult for her to get pregnant, while the drug she’s on adds to the risk of another ectopic pregnancy.

The article notes that Nicole and Keith haven’t had a lot of time to conceive a child as their work schedules keep them apart.

With the latest news that Keith has checked into rehab to get treatment for his alcohol addiction, it might be a while before they’re able to start trying for a baby again.

National Enquirer story [via]

Here are pictures of Nicole Kidman in Kosovo as a goodwill ambassador for UNIFEM on 10/14. [via]

Nicole Kidman is gorgeous as usual, and this outfit isn’t bad, but the combination of that weird gathered top with her overshaded eyebrows makes her look a little frumpy to me. Maybe it’s the way she’s standing in one picture, but she looks positively matronly, like a teacher who would correct your grammar in a sing song voice.

Kidman appeared at the Rome Film Festival to premiere her movie “Fur,” which is based loosely on the life of photographer Diane Arbus. Kidman plays opposite Robert Downey, Jr.

Kidman said during the press conference that she loves living in Nashville with her new husband, Keith Urban, and that she’s not going to work with him on a music project in the future:

Kidman has also denied that she’s pregnant, and said quite frankly during a recent interview with a British radio station, “I will say right now I am not pregnant.”

She sure is blunt in interviews and I bet she would put you right in your place if you ever crossed her or messed up your punctuation.

A 16 year-old Nicole Kidman appeared on Australian TV to promote the movie “BMX Bandits,” which she describes as a pre-teen BMX comedy movie. The clips from the film are the best. It’s so campy and 80s. Bike-riding kids fight exaggerated fist-waving bad guys that don’t move, and there’s an inexplicable chorus of helmeted teens that sing at the end of the clip. It’s like a Bollywood film without the production value.

Kidman looked much older than 16. Her hair is all frizzy and she’s wearing a weird printed shirt with a belt. Even as a teenager she had that grace and calm that helped make her a star.

Thanks to Fark for linking this.

She must have just worked out her abs hard, because Nicole Kidman no longer has a hint of a bump in these pictures taken outside her Hollywood gym on August 5th. Either her stomach is sore or she’s teasing the paps, because she really doesn’t look pregnant. The 39 year-old actress is said to want a biological child with her new husband, country crooner Kieth Urban, 38.

Reader Millie points out that fertility treatment can make a woman bloated, and that could explain the baby bumps on otherwise skinny “older” actresses.

Kidman has lent her name to an ad declaring support for Isreal in the Middle East Crisis. She signed an ad in the LA Times along with Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, Dennis Hopper, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Don Johnson, James Woods, Kelly Preston, and Patricia Heaton, saying she was “pained and devastated by the civilian casualties in Israel and Lebanon caused by terrorist actions initiated by terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.”

Now we know which side of the Hollywood fence she stands on. I’m not touching the subject this time people, discuss amongst yourselves.