On January 5, 2009  Fortunate Son: The Unlikely Rise Of Keith Urban written by Jeff Apter will hit bookstores in which it chronicles, among other things, the fateful meeting of Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman.

The date was January 15, 2005 and the event was the second annual G’Day LA: Australia Week in Los Angeles in which Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were to be honured.

The event  ”honours Australians who have made significant international contributions.”

At the event, Nicole was the first one to receive the award which was presented by Cate Blanchett.  Next was Mel Gibson and lastly Keith Urban who was presented his award by fellow Aussie Olivia Newton-John.

His  “black velvet sports jacket and collared shirt, his ubiquitous three-day growth in place” was in stark contrast to Nicole who was ”coolly elegant in a strappy, glittery black dress cut just above the knee, her hair coloured a golden blonde”

Urban supporter Kerry Roberts was responsible for introducing the pair with a brief introduction at the event.

Nicole has admitted that she attende the event in a “very wary, very damaged” state of mind and was hardly responsive to a potential new suitor.  “ 

Her date for that evening was her sister Antonia.  After the brief introduction to Urban, they did not interact again during the event.

Urban then hit the road to tour and not long after he returned the two met again with Urban hesitant to hook up with Nicole despite their obvious connection.

Their first public outing was a “Nashville concert of Tommy Emmanuel, Urban’s hero and one of his brotherhood of recovering addicts.”

Backstage at this particular concert, Keith Urban pulled friend Jeff Walker aside and said of Nicole:  “She’s the love of my life”’

Jeff says of the pairing:  “I think Keith has found what he was looking for in the days when I was working closely with him. I think many industry insiders want it to work for him.”

It was in May of 2006 while in New York at a United Nations gala, she referred to Keith as her fiance.  The two were married June 25, 2006 in a traditional ceremony at Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel near Manly’s St Patrick’s College and included fellow  celebs:  Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Kylie Minogue and Baz Luhrmann.

During their vows, Keith proclaimed: 

“You make me feel like I’m becoming the man I was always meant to be”

(Okay that is one of the most romantic, beautiful things I have ever heard a man say to a woman!!)

During their wedding reception Keith sang Making Memories Of Us directly to Nicole in front of the 230 wedding guests.

July 7, 2008 Sunday Rose Kidman Urban was born!

Even with the challenge of seeking treatment for substance addition, theirs seems like such a romantic fairytale romance.  Clearly this is a man very much in love with Nicole and she with him.

And ladies (and gentlemen) he posted for Playgirl in April 2001!!  Must go search eBay for issue…..

To read the complete extract from the book (I pared it down considerably) go here.

Photo:  WENN

According to Tom Brady’s father, Tom Sr., the rumours of his son and Gisele Bundchen being engaged are just that:  rumours.  He told the Boston Globe:

“We don’t know a thing about it,”  “Nobody told me. We talked to him and there’s nothing to say. It’s rumor, rumor, rumor. It must be a slow news day.”

Gisele’s twin sister Patricia also denied the engagement.  Gisele has a twin??  How many men would be fantasizing to that??

So what do you think?  Are Tom Brady Sr.’s words chosen carefully or do you think this is just a rumour?

DJ AM, Dustin Hoffman, Denzel Washington, Adam Sandler, Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Wahlberg with his daughter all hit The Staples Centre to watch the L.A. Lakers against the Boston Celtics.

How cute is Mark Wahlberg and his daughter?  Clearly daddy’s little girl!!

I don’t know a lot about the sport, but I’ve seen it in person a couple of times, and to me, basketball is incredible to watch live.  The endurance and power the players have to have to run as much as they do within a game is incredible to me!!  It also means they have great, ahem, stamina.  I’m just saying….

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I have seen some of these pictures on the internet already, but I thought I would post the whole set anyways.

It’s always nice to give back, and it’s especially nice to see celebrities, who by all intents and purposes, make more than the average person, give back.

Celebs that helped out at The Los Angeles Mission:

• Melissa Joan Hart
• Alyssa Milano
• Corbin Bleu
• Yolanda Whittaker (Yo-Yo)
• Jonathan Morgan Heit
• Melissa Gilbert
• Bruce Boxleitner
• Kristen Renton
• Heidi Montag
• Spencer Pratt
• Kate Linder

And even though I have great distaste for Heidi & Spencer I’m not going to suggest that they did this for a photo op.  Nope.  Not me.

Lots of pics after the break

(more…)

Courntey Cox Arquette and hubby David went to Il Sole with daughter Coco in Los Angeles yesterday.

Who do you think Coco looks like more David or Courtney?  In ways I think neither but if I have to say I would say David.

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Photos:  WENN

I don’t think anyone is really surprised that Tom Brady & Gisele Bunchen are engaged, right? 

And he proposed in the way that most of us get proposed to:  on a private jet Christmas eve!!!  Can you believe that?

Sources told TMZ that he proposed on a private flight from New Jersey to Boston where he had on board 4 dozen white roses and champagne.  Apparently her parents were also on board and Tom was nervous popping the question.

Congratulations to the happy couple.

Photo:  WENN

Tobey Maguire’s wife, Jennifer Mayer does last minute shopping on the 24th

See what these other great sites are writing about:

Kids, THIS is why sunscreen is so critical (celebritydirtylaundry)

Soprano’s actor who played Johnny Cakes commited suicide (celebwarship)

Balthazaar Getty has been fired from Brothers and Sisters (crazydaysandnights)

Movies that hit the theatre Christmas Day (busybeeblogger)

Kevin Federline’s new girlfriend has an interesting past (hotmommagossip)

Paris and Nicky Hilton hit Aspen (anythinghollywood)

Chrstina Aguilera does Swedish Cosmopolitan (celebrityfashionwatcher)

Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey do Aspen (backseatcuddler)

Ashley Tisdale rocks a bikini on the January, 2009 issue of Shape Magazine where she talks about her body and food:

Her Body: “I was always super thin — too skinny, actually. I felt like someone could break me in half.”

Fav Foods: “I love carbs. Bread, corn bread, french fries–all that stuff.”

What she eats: ”I’ve found I’m definitely eating better since I started working out more rigorously. It kind of happened naturally. I don’t really crave junk food that often now.”