Doesn’t Nicole Kidman look beautiful? Look at how flawless her hair, makeup and outfit are! She doesn’t look washed-out, she doesn’t look frozen, she doesn’t look like she’s on something. Gorgeous! I’m starting to wonder if someone might have sat down with Nicole and had a heart-to-heart discussion about what she was doing to her beautiful face. I can see actually movement as she smiles - and there are actual wrinkles there too! Of course, she’s still doing that crap to her lips. But I’ll forgive it because her hair is amazing and the color of her dress is so pretty on her.

Anyway, this was Nicole last night at the Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards, where she presented an award to her Nine director Rob Marshall. Here’s more from the Daily Mail:

It’s not just the actors and actresses that are praised for their talent during the busy award ceremony season. And they are more than happy to honour those who enhance their performances and their beauty with their stunning on-screen costumes.

With the Baftas last weekend and the Oscars coming up on March 7, Hollywood’s leading ladies had a week spare in which it was time for the behind-the-scenes cast to be recognised.

Nicole Kidman and Emily Blunt were among those attending the 12th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards in Beverly Hills last night.

They were joined by actresses Kristen Bell, Parker Posey, Anna Paquin and Glee star Jayma Mays at the annual event, which took place this year at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The ceremony recognises the work of costume designers in films, TV and adverts, and is sponsored by Swarovski. And with the focus of the evening on costumes and outfits, the ladies made sure they looked elegant in their couture as they posed for pictures as they arrived.

Looking stunning in a figure-hugging red dress that showed off her strawberry blonde locks, Nicole, 42, teamed her simple yet chic outfit with a pair of turquoise peep-toed shoes.

She was there to pay tribute to Nine’s director Rob Marshall, who she awarded the Distinguished Collaborator Award.

[From The Daily Mail]

In other Nicole news, she’s just signed on to an Adam Sandler comedy! It’s that same one Jennifer Aniston signed on for a few months ago, originally called The Pretend Wife. It’s been renamed Just Go For It, which I think is probably a tagline trademarked by Nike, so this film will probably have yet another name-change. Anyway, Nicole joins Aniston, Sandler and Brooklyn Decker in the film which is about “Sandler recruiting Aniston to pose as his soon-to-be-divorced wife and her kids as his fake family in order to land the girl of his dreams. Kidman’s role is under wraps but is rumored to be cameo in nature. Decker plays Sandler’s dream girl.” Haha, Kidman has a cameo? What, is she the idealized “pretend wife”? Cough Tom Cruise cough cough. By the way, note to producers: The Pretend Wife is much catchier than Just Go For It.

I never really know what to make of Keith Urban. I really have no opinion of him in general, but I often find myself rolling my eyes at some of the cheesy, over-the-top things he says, especially about his wife, Nicole Kidman. That being said, I do think he loves Nicole. I think he adores her, and I think a lot of the cheese is probably real - meaning that he honestly sees that frozen face and thinks “my muse”. Oh yes. That’s how Keith is describing her in a special “Country Music edition” of People Magazine:

Nicole Kidman may play many roles – actress, mother, wife – but for husband Keith Urban there’s another that’s equally important: muse.

“It’s been a profound impact [on my songwriting] to meet somebody who offered me a life and helped me become the person I wanted to be,” Urban, 42, tells PEOPLE Country for its March issue.

As Urban tells it, sometimes Kidman’s influence is literal. Take “My Heart Is Open,” a track from his 2009 Defying Gravity album. “My wife and I had been out a couple of times and I wondered how she felt about me,” he says, describing the song’s inspiration. “It came out as, ‘How is your heart?’ She said, ‘It’s open.’ ”

Says Urban, “My God, what a beautiful answer.”

Kidman, also 42, has also helped her husband through dark times, including a stint in Betty Ford Center for his alcohol addiction, and the Aussie singer says that, and the birth of his daughter Sunday Rose in 2008, has opened him up.

“I felt the power of love in all its phases,” he says. “There was an expansion of color and joy.”

As for daughter Sunday, there’s the possibility that she could be just as much of a muse for Urban as her mother. “The next few months will be all about writing,” he says. “I don’t know how she’s going to be a part of that yet.” But, he adds, she’s already given him “a new joy, a new sense of purpose.”

[From People]

Are you gagging a little? I am. But it is sweet, and it must be cool for Nicole to be with a guy who adores her so much that he doesn’t mind being this cheesy in public. Lainey Gossip is also ringing the “he’s a cheater” bell, and he may be, but I’ll also buy that maybe he’s trying or has tried to tone down his womanizing ways for Nicole. Does that make me an old softie?

In other Nicole and Keith news, In Touch Weekly has a big article this week on Katie Holmes “finally” giving in to Tom Cruise’s demands for another child (I’ll probably write it later, so just hold your horses!), but in a little complimentary piece to the Holmes-Cruise story, In Touch has this: “It seems Tom still has something in common with his ex-wife Nicole: They both want to give their daughters a little brother or sister! Insiders say Nicole and Keith love being parents to daughter Sunday, and have begun consulting fertility experts about conceiving another baby as soon as possible.” So, basically, Nicole is going to dust off the same pillow she used last time. Bad Kaiser! Bad, bad, bad. But you laughed!

And just because I was so bad, I’ll say something nice about Nicole. Yesterday, the International Violence against Women Act (IVAWA) was introduced in both Houses of the United States Congress, and Nicole applauded the bill in a public statement, in her role as goodwill ambassador for UNIFEM: “Violence against women and girls is perhaps the most systematic, widespread human rights violation in the world. I believe that IVAWA, when passed, will be a beacon, lighting the way forward in other countries. I commend the efforts that have gone into the drafting of IVAWA, and in particular appreciate the consultations with the real actors and the real beneficiaries to incorporate best practices and effective approaches.” Well done, Nicole.

Keith & Nicole at a tribute to Neil Young on January 29, 2010, and at the Grammys. Credit: WENN & Zuma Press. People cover courtesy of People online.

Even though Nicole Kidman’s face still isn’t moving, I’ve been feeling some pangs of affection and adoration for her. She’s been showing a little personality lately, and her hair is back to bright red, and hey, we’ve got to start somewhere. Next up on my list for Nicole would be for her to stop doing that to her face. Whatever it is. Botox? I have no idea. My guess is that it’s something more hardcore than simple injections of Botox, but I don’t know for sure and people hate when I guess.

Anyway, Star Magazine has this interesting little mini-tidbit about some of the roles Nicole was up for recently… that she didn’t get. Apparently, some Hollywood producers are really afraid that if they hire Nicole, they’re just going to get some stiff, frozen performance:

Blame it on the Botox? After bad reviews for her stiff performance in the flop musical Nine, Nicole Kidman has been dropped from three films: Bel Mai, Monte Carlo, and a remake of the Marilyn Monroe classic How to Marry a Millionaire.

“Nicole’s not aging gracefully, and it’s hurting her chances in Hollywood,” says Michael Levine of LCO, a public relations firm.

But it’s not all bad - Nicole is set to star in The Danish Girl, playing the first man to get a sex change operation.

[From Star Magazine, print edition, February 1, 2010]

Now, is it because of the frozen face, or because Nicole has been a consistent box office flop for several years now? Which came first, the chicken of the egg? Because I think the audience started to leave Nicole around the time she started doing that junk to her beautiful face.

I also did a little research to see if Nicole was actually attached to these projects at some point. At one point, this past fall, she was attached to Bel Ami (with Robert Pattinson), but ended up pulling out/being fired last November. Monte Carlo is a project Nicole was not only supposed to star in, but produce. And it’s still listed on Nicole’s IMDB page, so who knows? And as for the How To Marry a Millionaire remake, Nicole is still tentatively attached to that too, according to IMDB. But I hope that one doesn’t even get made. I love the original. How the f-ck could you do better than Marilyn, Lauren Bacall, and Betty Grable? Seriously?

Nicole at the Globes on January 17, 2010. Credit: WENN and Fame Pictures.

I can’t explain this at all. Is it possible that when Nicole Kidman is around her countrymen, she loosens up, gets drunk, dances around and acts genuinely cute? Is it possible that she thinks us Americans will only like her if she looks and acts like an immovable wax statue? I have no idea. But I want more of the Aussie Kidman, this girl in the photos and the video (below), paying tribute to her countryman and friend Simon Baker at the G’Day USA 2010 black tie gala over the weekend. Nicole and Keith Urban “performed” a song for Simon and the assembled group, and the result was… amazing. Keith did most of the singing while Nicole bounced around, dancing in a really sweet and graceless way, acting ridiculously silly. Here’s the video and The New York Daily News’ take:

Nicole Kidman, backup singer?

You bet.

The Oscar Award-winning actress, who can be seen on the big screen now in the musical “Nine,” helped husband Keith Urban pay tribute to fellow Aussie, Simon Baker, the hunky star of the CBS hit drama “The Mentalist.”

The pair’s playful tribute came on Saturday during a celebration in Hollywood of all things Australia at the G’Day USA 2010 black tie gala.

“Give it up for Simon Baker,” the couple crooned. “A guy’s guy, a girl’s heartbreaker. He’s a sexy babymaker, and secretly a laptop screensaver.”

The always elegant Kidman wore a pastel jewel-encrusted dress that could be called shrimp-on-the-barbie pink as she showed off her pleasantly deep pipes.

If the “Moulin Rouge” star’s dancing at times seemed stiffer than a forehead full of Botox, Kidman appeared to be having a very, very g’day.

[From The New York Daily News]

Aw… doesn’t this make you remember the old, fun Nicole? Moulin Rouge and To Die For and acting silly with costars like George Clooney and Ewan McGregor and being girlfriends with Sandra Bullock? That old Nicole was an underrated comedienne and her face moved and she was lovely. Nowadays… well, let’s just say that I miss the old Nicole. So, what caused this sudden splurge of warmth and silliness, really? Is she drunk? Probably. That might be why she thought her makeup looked amazing at the Golden Globes.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban performing a tribute to Simon Baker at the G’Day Australia Week in LA on January 16, 2010. Credit: Bauer-Griffin.

Last night was the New York premiere of Nine, and the entire cast (minus Sophia Loren) turned out to support the film. There was some good fashion, some bad fashion, and there was Daniel Day-Lewis is damn fedora. After the Madonna and Lourdes appearance, the biggest fashion statement of the night was probably Nicole Kidman.

Nicole decided to forgo the dust ruffle and opted for a rather gorgeous black strapless knee-length dress. I love, love, love the dress, but I have two complaints: first, Nicole should has gotten a better fit on the bust, because it’s cut so tight, her breasts are nearly being sliced in half. Second point: powder much?

As far as the other cast members went, there was really no one that special. Daniel wore his fedora and trench coat, Fergie and Marion Cotillard wore pretty white dresses, Dame Judi looked regal and lovely, and Penelope continues to bore the hell out of me. Kate Hudson did bring her mom to the premiere, and they both looked like they had been drinking.

Also, last night the Nine cast appeared on Larry King Live, and only three interesting things happened. One, Daniel Day-Lewis still rocks my loins. Two, Judi Dench said her 12-year-old grandson is “in love” with Fergie. And three, when Larry asked Kate Hudson about Alex Rodriguez, she said he was doing fine, and smiled, not denying or admitting that the two had broken up. Fascinating!

Nicole Kidman and the cast of ‘Nine’ on the red carpet for the New York premiere on December 15, 2009. Credit: WENN.

When Nicole Kidman was in London recently on her promotional tour for Nine, she sat down for an interview with a television journalist named Andrew Marr. According to this press report, Marr is one of those television people who like to ask awkward questions of his guests in an effort to make them squirm or hedge or deny or walk out, something like that. While I think asking difficult questions should be applauded, the kind of hard-hitting stuff might be better left to politicians rather than, say, an actress like Nicole Kidman.

So, when Nicole was on Marr’s show, he asked her about Scientology and whether it was a “bullying cult”. Nicole kept her cool, and refused to engage. Xenu provideth, Nicole!

Scientology is a sore point with Australian actress Nicole Kidman years after she divorced Tom Cruise, one of the world’s most famous followers of the controversial religion.

In London to promote her new film, Nine, Kidman froze out the BBC’s main political presenter, Andrew Marr, when he asked her about the topic in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

Marr’s question on Scientology, and Kidman’s reaction were cut from the TV version of The Andrew Marr Show, but appeared in an extended interview on the program’s website.

Marr said: “Scientology. It is, a lot of people would say, a bullying cult.”

Kidman replied: “I’m here to publicise Nine. If I was here to do an expose on myself then I’d be like, ‘let’s go,’ but I have no interest in discussing any of that.”

Marr said: “You don’t want to talk about Scientology in any way at all?”

Kidman answered: “Nope. I’ll talk about Nine.”

Marr - who sparked controversy earlier this year by asking UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown whether he took pills to help him get through - backed down, launching into a question about Kidman’s Academy Award-winning portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours.

Kidman, who married country singer Keith Urban in a Catholic ceremony in Sydney in 2006, stars alongside Cruise’s ex-girlfriend Penelope Cruz in the musical, Nine.

Earlier in the interview, Kidman said she and Cruise were “deeply committed” in their marriage at the time of filming the Stanley Kubrick film, Eyes Wide Shut, in London in 1999, two years before the couple divorced.

[From The Brisbane Times]

Eh. This is the kind of thing that makes me feel for Nic. There’s a lot of documentation, both from the tabloids and legitimate media, that indicates Nicole was never crazy about Xenu or the Church of Scientology. Some even point to Nicole’s devout Catholicism, even after being married to Tom Cruise for more than nine years, as one of the main reasons for their split. You know what? She divorced Couch-Jumper McXenu, and even though I would love to know Nicole’s real thoughts on CoS, I’m perfectly willing to give her a pass on answering those questions publicly. She got out of the clutches of Xenu. Barely. Let her promote her movie in peace.

Nicole (in the suit) at a luncheon for ‘Nine’ in Los Angeles on December 9, 2009. Credit: Diane Cohen/Fame. Also, Nicole in leather on December 14, 2009 on the ‘Today’ set in New York. Credit: WENN.

Do you know how much I love Nicole Kidman? So, so much. I mean, she’s always newsworthy. Even when she’s not, you know? Nicole is so fascinating, from the divorce to Tom Cruise, to the somewhat strange marriage to Keith Urban, to little Sunday Roast, to her films, to her interviews, and finally, to her fashion, Nicole knows how to make headlines. And this dress… well, I burst out laughing when I first saw it. This is what Nicole chose to wear for the Los Angeles premiere of Nine, a film in which she is playing the actress, the bombshell, the perfection, the muse to Daniel Day-Lewis’s director character. And this is how Nicole wants to promote the film. In a damn dust ruffle! I heart Nicole. Bless her heart.

There are some additional photos from the premiere - not many of the stars showed up, though. Just Nicole, Fergie and Penelope Cruz. Thankfully, something seemed to have thawed between Penelope and Nicole (who seemed to be avoiding each other on the last red carpet), and the three girls gamely posed for some cute pictures together. Fergie brought along her husband Josh Duhamel, whose own National Enquirer-exposed affair was blown out of the water by Tiger Woods. I may be wrong, but I think this is the first time Fergie and Josh have walked a red carpet together since the little stripper incident, so it’s nice to see them out and about.

I can’t say I’m very fond of Fergie’s dress either. It looks very dated, like an 1980s Versace. Penelope looks blah. I’m tired of her high-neck halters. She wears them every other red carpet! I’m also really disappointed that Daniel Day-Lewis didn’t show up. I had my fingers crossed for another cowboy outfit. Guess I’ll just have to content myself with Nicole’s dust ruffle.

Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Fergie & Josh Duhamel at the ‘Nine’ premiere in Los Angeles on December 9, 2009. Credit: WENN

One of my favorite things in the world is when a celebrity denies having plastic surgery when it’s obvious to the legally blind that the celebrity’s face is jacked to hell. I can’t help it - it’s like Christmas come early. Along with the plastic surgery denials, I love when an actress pontificates on aging gracefully when it’s obvious she has no intention of doing any such thing.

Nicole Kidman has done both - she’s denied having plastic surgery in the past, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and now, in a new People Magazine interview, she’s positively rapturous about aging naturally. Maybe I’m going overboard - because, in fact, when Nicole was asked “How do you cope working in an industry that refuses to let women age naturally and gracefully?”, Nicole answers: “Well, I live in Tennessee so it is slightly different than living in L.A. I just worked with Sophia Loren [in Nine], and she is so gorgeous and she has such grace. I use her as a role model.” So maybe I’m being too harsh. But I still laughed out loud when I read that.

When Nicole Kidman agreed to answer PEOPLE’s reader questions, little did she know she’d be quizzed on her cooking skills (not great, she admits) or to reveal her biggest quirk (she loves coffee – but mostly foam).

But the Oscar-winning actress, 42, who plans on spending the holidays Down Under, was happy to open up about her life in Nashville while doing press in New York City for her upcoming movie musical Nine, which opens in theaters Christmas Day.

As for husband Keith Urban’s whereabouts? The country star played dutiful husband, watching the Tennessee Titans in the adjoining room while his movie star wife answered your questions.

If you could work a normal job, what would you want it to be? – Jessica Lynne Bryson, Chattanooga, Tenn.
I’d love to be an interior designer. I just love walking into a room and redoing it. When my girlfriends are buying an apartment, they’ll always ask me to come along because I’m going ‘You can knock that wall down, just put a little bit of paint there.’

What is your favorite new thing that Sunday Rose has learned? – Amanda Mustard, Brunner, Ontario, Canada
She now points at anything and goes, ‘Bug.’ That’s her word. We were in the hotel room the other day, and there was a little sprinkler up in the corner of the room. She kept pointing at it and going ‘bug!’ Keith had to hold her up and prove to her that it wasn’t a bug.

What mundane chores do you like to do? – Anna Marie Pugh, Louisville, Ken.
Strangely enough, I love putting clothes in the washing machine. I would always do the washing growing up – that was one of my jobs. And I quite like ironing shirts.

What’s your biggest quirk? – Kimberly Taylor, Dallas, Texas
Keith and I love coffee. I love the foam more than the coffee. I will go and order a cappuccino and say, make it all foam and very little coffee. They know me now at the Starbucks in Nashville.

How did you overcome your shyness? – Joel Morales, San Juan, Puerto Rico
I think a lot of it has to do with just getting comfortable in my own skin. That’s part of getting older. It’s okay to be 5 ft. 11 in. and all of the things that I used to feel awkward about. I now feel comfortable. A lot of that comes with being loved.

How do you cope working in an industry that refuses to let women age naturally and gracefully? – Monika Ballew, Eureka, Calif.
Well, I live in Tennessee so it is slightly different than living in L.A. I just worked with Sophia Loren [in Nine], and she is so gorgeous and she has such grace. I use her as a role model.

Your husband has several tattoos, would you ever consider getting one? – Allyson Walker, Allen, Texas
No. I am tattooless.

Do you like to cook? – Soqui Ramos, Boston, Mass.
I am a terrible cook. I cook chicken for Keith, and it’s always dry. I’m a much better person to cook for because I love food and I will eat almost anything.

[From People]

Call my crazy, but I kind of dig the new act Nicole is trying to sell - that of the Nashville housewife who gives interviews about doing laundry and cooking. But it does seem boring for Nicole, doesn’t it? I mean, she must miss the days where she was donning a goddess gown every other day. Her role in Nine is a big comeback, in a way. It’s not that her last film, Australia, sucked at the box office… I think it basically made it’s money back and not much else, so it was considered a financial loss. Which is better than some of Nicole’s projects the past few years - so if Nine is a big hit (which I think it will be), Nicole will get some of the credit. And with that, comes more film roles. So she won’t have to sit around Nashville pretending to love cooking chicken.

Nicole (in the animal print) and Keith Urban in London on December 4, 2009. Credit: INF. Nicole also photographed at the London premiere of ‘Nine’ on December 3. Credit: WENN.

Last night was the London premiere of Nine, the musical spectacular starring Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Fergie and Sophia Loren. Everybody but Sophia, Marion and Fergie showed up for the big premiere, and there was some amazingly sketchy fashion happening. I’ve never really realized it before, but Kate Hudson’s fashion sense is really hit-or-miss, isn’t it? She either really gets it right, or she looks terrible. Now, I don’t really think Kate looks horrible here, she just looks overdressed, cold and uncomfortable. The dress would have been stunning on someone like Nicole Kidman, but it doesn’t look right on Kate:

Meanwhile, Nicole kind of underdressed. A simple yet gorgeous white suit with a short pleated skirt. It looks very summery, doesn’t it? She looks really cold too. I bet she wished she would have opted for a smart pantsuit. Oh, and the closeup of Nicole’s face is really frightening. I think she got a little “extra” put into her face for the premiere. Yikes.

Now, I love some Daniel Day-Lewis, but the man has been dressing like a spaghetti-western extra ever since he did There Will Be Blood. What’s strange is that the costumes for that film looked nothing like the kind of costume-y apparel Daniel favors. Still, I love him. He’s lovely and interesting to look at.

I swear I’ve seen Penelope wear this exact same dress before. If memory serves, it was about ten years ago, it was Versace, and it was to… the Golden Globes, maybe. In any case, it’s a pretty dress. Penelope’s fashion sense tends to go for the princess-y. Which is fine. It’s just not my taste. But her hair and makeup looks great.

And last but certainly not least in any way, we have Judi Dench. Do you know how much I love Judi? I love her so much I forgive this fug baby-puke color. You know why? Judi is so f-cking fabulous, she pulls it off rather well. The color looks great, and it really pops against her beautiful white-blonde hair. Lovely.

Yeah… my pick for best dressed is Judi. Penelope loses points for wearing either the same dress, or nearly the same dress. Kate loses points for looking so uncomfortable. Nicole loses points for her face. All in all… a great red carpet!

The cast of Nine at the London premiere. Credit for all: WENN.

It’s not like the American Music Awards are really about the awards, but I’ll give you the brief list of winners just in case. Favorite Group: The Black Eyed Peas; Country Band/Duo/Group: Rascal Flatts; Female Pop/Rock Artist: Taylor Swift; Alternative Rock Artist: Green Day; Male Soul/R&B Artist: Michael Jackson; Male Country Artist: Keith Urban; Female Soul/R&B Artist: Beyonce; Female Country Artist: Taylor Swift; Male Pop/Rock Artist: Michael Jackson; Male Rap/Hip-Hop Artist: Jay-Z; Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift. So, yeah. Taylor Swift was the big winner, once again. She didn’t even show up. She accepted via satellite, because she’s in Europe.

As far as the fashion went, well… it looks like no one really called their stylist to ensure they would look amazing last night. I guess Nicole Kidman looked cute, sort of. She was her husband’s date (he won) and she was a presenter with Kate Hudson, who almost flashed her bits in a really low-cut silver number. Kidman wore silver too - a silver and pink striped gown that I find ugly, but whatever.

One of the biggest fashion disasters was Rihanna, of course. The girl can’t go a week without getting something wrong in some epic, horrible way. On the red carpet, she wore an ugly black strapless gown. For her performance, however, she changed into this monstrosity. White bondage… that is pretty much grotesque. Oh, and she fake-tattooed her album name (“Rated R”) on her chest and neck.

And of course, Lady Gaga. She scares children at this point.

And then, of course, there was Adam Lambert’s performance. Ugh. People are describing this sh-t as “raunchy”. I think it’s just weak. You can tell how bad his voice is, and now all he’s got is dumb “I’m so avant garde because I’m gay” crap. The Huffington Post is claiming Lambert “fell” during his performance just like Jennifer Lopez, but I kind of think the tumble was minor, and may have been part of the thing. Whatever:

You know what I did last night? I watched my DVDs of The West Wing, season 7. And I feel like a better person for it. Seriously.

Photos below credit: WENN.com. Shown are Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Paula Abdul, Leona Lewis, Shakira, Selena Gomez, Pete Wentz, Toni Braxton with her son Diezel, Fergie, Kelly Clarkson, and Carrie Underwood.