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Nicole Kidman Speaks Out Against Hollywood

Sara Harowitz — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:18:11 +0000

Nicole Kidman is not pleased with the way Hollywood portrays women, reports Oh No They Didn’t.

The Oscar-winning actress, in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, stated that she thinks Hollywood has contributed to violence against women by representing them as weak sex objects in so many blockbuster films.

Before the “International Violence Against Women: Stories and Solutions” hearing at Rayburn House Office Building started, a crowd of people lined the hall and around the corner to hear the film star speak.

Kidman said she is not interested in acting in such roles, when she testified before a Foreign Affairs subcommittee. This committee is considering legislation to combat violence against women overseas through humanitarian relief efforts, as well as grants to local organizations addressing the problem.

Kidman was asked by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher if Hollywood has “played a bad role” in the violence against women. Kidman responded that it “probably” has, but added that she herself has not.

“I can’t be responsible for all of Hollywood but I can certainly be responsible for my own career,” Kidman said.

The 42-year old actress appeared before the Congress committee as a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N. Development Fund for Women, known as UNIFEM. She has taken on this role to promote the International Violence Against Women Act.

“In the real world, the laws go unenforced and impunity is the norm,” said Kidman.

This piece of legislation has gone unenforced in the past, but Rep. Bill Delahunt said he plans to reintroduce it soon.

The Australian movie star told the committee that UNIFEM needs more funding.

“We need the money,” she said.

Kidman added that combating violence against women needs to become a priority for the government.

“Violence against women is not prosecuted because it is not a top government and ugent social priority,” she said. “We can change this. [They] need and deserve our support. Not with a box of band-aids but with a comprehensive, well-funded approach that acknowledges that women’s rights are human rights.”

Nicole Kidman Joins New Woody Allen Movie

Eva Lam — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:06:32 +0000

Woody Allen has added Nicole Kidman to the all-star cast of his latest film, which will begin shooting in London this summer.

According to Variety, the actress joins a cast that includes Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts and Freida Pinto of “Slumdog Millionaire” fame.

No plot details have been released for the as-yet-untitled project.

Meanwhile, acclaimed director Allen will release his already-completed film, “Whatever Works,” into theatres on June 19. The movie, which stars Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood, will premiere at next month’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Kidman, who most recently starred in the epic romance “Australia,” will next appear in “Nine.” The Rob Marshall-directed musical will hit theatres in November.

The Academy Award-winning actress was one of four Australian stars – alongside Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush – honoured last month with special edition stamps by their country’s post office.

Movie Review: Australia

Eric Emin Wood — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:40:28 +0000

He’s only directed three other movies, yet five minutes into Australia I could already tell I was watching a Baz Luhrmann film. It wasn’t just the old-time opening, or the grainy-yet-computerized globe-trotting animation detailing Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman)’s journey from Britain to Australia (though that certainly helped), it was the film’s aggressively old-fashioned atmosphere, combined with a complete lack of cynicism on the director’s part. Formula rules in studio movies, but it’s a knowing, calculated formula, created by executives who don’t believe in it to hoodwink the masses who do. Like Moulin Rouge before it, Australia is most groundbreaking in its creator’s sincerity.

Pity it’s not a better movie.

It starts off well, justifying the reason for its existence by mentioning something about the Australian government’s policy during WWII to kidnap half-white/half-aboriginal boys and take them away to be trained for service – and to have the “black” stripped from them. These kids, according to the movie, became known as “the lost generation,” and the government didn’t issue a formal apology for them until this year. Australia is narrated by one of these lost boys, a “half-breed” known as Nullah, played by newcomer Brandon Walters. It quickly becomes clear, however, that Nullah’s place in history is just a backdrop for the old-fashioned romance he witnesses between Lady Ashley and Drover, a cattle driver played by Hugh Jackman.

This Western romance, which takes up the movie’s first act, is gorgeous and entertaining, as Luhrmann makes liberal use of both the Australian outback and his effective leads to bring us scenes that are by turns touching, thrilling, and funny. Lady Ashley and Drover (with Nullah’s help, of course) lead a cattle drive across the desert while contending with a group of wranglers led by Lady Ashley’s former rancher (played by David Wenham). I’d heard complaints the movie feels too long, but my impression with this first act was it wasn’t long enough – most glaringly we hear multiple stories about the treacherous “Never Never,” and apparently Nullah and co. trek through it, but we never actually see it.

Then their trek comes to a successful close (was there ever any doubt?) and the second act begins.

The problem is this second act, the brooding, romantic war epic promised by the trailers, feels completely separate from the first. And since I already felt like I had seen a complete film, it would have needed a new setup to engage me. As is, it never gained its footing. The second act isn’t a total loss, since Kidman, Jackman, and Walters’ characters remain engaging, and Wenham makes an especially good nasty-yet-sympathetic villain, but instead of being pulled along like I was in the first act, I felt disconnected, and was simply watching it lumber from one plot point to the next with Luhrmann’s characteristic quickness. Perhaps audiences will disagree with me; I hope they do. Personally I was left to think about (and shudder at) what was ideologically wrong with the movie.

You didn’t think I’d finish this review without mentioning something, did you? The film pretends to be about something, but really isn’t. It elevates a beautiful white woman to sainthood for realizing how unfortunate the circumstances around her are, but never leaves any doubt that she is above them, nor does it address the underlying reasons. It pays the social consequences Nullah would have faced being a half-breed lip service without depicting them. It presents another character as an adult mirror to Nullah – half-black, half-white, when in reality he isn’t, nor could he look, less black. No less than three aboriginal characters are reverently presented as magic negroes, including one who heroically sacrifices himself. You really want to depict a lesson being learned? Have the sexist, racist white Russian sacrifice himself.

…And yet this is a Baz Luhrmann film. It was clearly directed by someone who cared about his audience and wanted to entertain. It looks like something that required nine months of shooting. As I’ve said before, better a movie that aims high and misses than a movie which aims low and hits. I would not have regretted spending $11 to see it. We deserve a market for intelligent filmmaking like this, so here’s hoping it does well.

I just can’t help wishing Australia had been a better movie.

Kate Hudson Joins Musical Film Adaptation, ‘Nine’

andPOP Staff — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:04:04 +0000

Kate Hudson has joined the Weinstein’s film adaptation of the musical “Nine,” reports Cinematical.com.

Hudson rounds out and incredible all-star cast, including last year’s Oscar darlings Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard, as well as Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Penélope Cruz and Nicole Kidman.

The play is about a director (Day-Lewis) going through a mid-life crisis following his biggest career success and becoming entangled romantically with several women.

“Nine” debuted on Broadway in 1982 and played 729 performances.

Nicole Kidman Delivers a Baby Girl

Irene Ogrodnik — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:45:22 +0000

In celebrity baby news, Nicole Kidman gave birth to a healthy baby girl this morning in Nashville, reports E! News.

Kidman and husband Keith Urban named their first child Sunday Rose Kidman Urban. The new bundle checked in at 6 pounds, 7½ ounces, according to a statement from their publicist.

“Keith was by Nicole’s side, and mother and baby are very well,” the rep said.
Urban also posted the good news on his website:

“Earlier this morning, Nic gave birth to our beautiful baby girl,” he wrote. “We want to thank everybody that has kept us in their thoughts and prayers. We feel very blessed and grateful that we can share this joy with all of you today.”

Kidman and Urban married June 25, 2006 and announced their pregnancy in January. Kidman has two other children from her marriage to Tom Cruise, Isabella, 15, and Connor, 13.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s Marraige

andPOP Staff — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:37:12 +0000

Nicole Kidman has called her relationship much more laid-back than her previous marriage to Tom Cruise.

She told Vogue magazine, “Keith and I, we’re more like, ‘Hey’ [she shrugs and smiles]. We just gently, gently sort of fell into each other. We were just two lonely people who went, ‘Ah, there you are.’ I’m so committed to this relationship, and so is he. I don’t have addiction problems, but love is a very powerful force in my life. It’s my fatal flaw and my virtue.”

The couple are expecting a child this summer – an overwhelming emotional ride for Kidman, who has suffered several miscarriages.

“When I first saw the baby on the ultrasound, I started crying,” she said in the interview. “I didn’t think I’d get to experience that in my lifetime. I like the unpredictable nature of it. To feel life growing with you is something very, very special, and I’m going to embrace that completely.”

Nicole Kidman To Play Iconic Singer

Eva Lam — Sat, 03 May 2008 13:59:27 +0000

Nicole Kidman will play Dusty Springfield in an upcoming biopic about the legendary English chanteuse.

According to Daily Variety, Kidman, 40, will also produce the movie through Fox’s Blossom Films.

The script is being penned by Michael Cunningham, the same writer behind the novel “The Hours,” which was adapted into a 2002 movie starring Kidman as literary giant Virginia Woolf. Kidman won an Oscar for her performance.

Kidman’s newest project is one of two Hollywood films about Springfield currently in the works. Universal is developing its own biopic, starring Kristin Chenoweth (”The West Wing”) as the pop icon.

The films’ release dates have yet to be announced.

Springfield reached the height of her popularity in the 1960s with hits like “I Only Want To Be With You” and “The Look of Love.” In her personal life, she strugged with mental illness and substance abuse.

She died from breast cancer in 1999 at the age of 59.

Confirmed: Nicole Kidman Pregnant

andPOP Staff — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 04:19:32 +0000

The rumours are finally true: Nicole Kidman is pregnant with her first biological child.

After denying reports that she and hubby Keith Urban were knocked up, Kidman’s publicist confirmed the pregnancy yesterday, releasing this statement: “Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban confirmed today that they are expecting a baby. The couple are thrilled.”

Kidman has two adopted children with ex-husband Tom Cruise, young teens Isabella and Connor. This will be the first child for Urban.

The couple married in the summer of 2006. Urban checked himself into rehab for alcohol abuse several months later, but with Kidman by his side he has been doing much better.

Golden Compass Flops To Top of Box Office

andPOP Staff — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:24:21 +0000

Despite topping the weekend box office, The Golden Compass couldn’t find its way to a record-breaking debut.

New Line Cinema was hoping the $180 million fantasy epic would pull in big numbers but had to settle for $26.1 million and the number one weekend spot.

It’s been compared to other children’s books turned movie franchises like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter but those movies grossed at least $47 million in their first weekends.

After loads of controversy surrounding the anti-Christian messages in the Golden Compass and less than great reviews, the movie seemed doomed. But even if it didn’t live up to the hype, the film pulled in much bigger numbers than stars Nicole Kidman’s and Daniel Craig’s last flop, The Invasion, E! Online reports.

Rounding out the top five weekend films are Enchanted with $10.7 million, This Christmas coming in at number 3 with $5 million, Fred Claus, $4.7 million and finally, Beowulf with $4.4 million.

Kidman Reveals Cruise Marriage Miscarriage

andPOP Staff — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:28:56 +0000

NICOLE KIDMAN has sensationally revealed the biggest secret during her
nine-year marriage to TOM CRUISE – she miscarried a child.

The tragedy has become the subject of much speculation in recent years, and now Kidman is revealing all in a stunning new Vanity Fair interview.

She recalls, “From the minute Tom and I were married, I wanted to have
babies.

“We lost a baby early on, so that was really very traumatic. And that’s when we would adopt (daughter) Bella.”

When asked to talk about her ill-fated pregnancy, the Australian actress
adds, “There’s a complicated background to that, given that I never speak much about many things. One day maybe that story will be told.”

Kidman and Cruise separated in 2000, shortly before their 10th wedding
anniversary. The divorce was finalised in 2001.

If the miscarriage revelation doesn’t shock, the Patrick Demarchelier Vanity Fair cover shot will – the normally demure and shy Kidman poses in a sailor’s hat and rips open her blouse to reveal a white bra. (KL/PE&VF/MT)