Saturday, January 30, 2010

MusiCares - A Tale of Two Keith Urbans



These photos are from the MusiCares event honoring Neil Young. Who does Keith appear to be happier to be around... his peers, or his wife?

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

John Mayer & Keith Urban Crossroads

Lainey's column today:

It was taped last night. Third Lip was not seen. There was room for only one ego in the joint, it belonged to John Mayer. One source described it as follows: “he’s a rambling douche”. And his self-indulgent f-ckery wasn’t well received. Here’s an incident that sums it up:

The musicians had plenty of opportunity to prep. Of course they did. As the two headliners, they’re pampered and coddled, and nothing happens until they are ready. So as they take their places, a production member took to the stage to explain to the audience how the show was being filmed. This was told to me and I’m passing it to you to illustrate that Mayer had more than enough time to get set.

Once the audience had been briefed, they were ready to begin. And Keith began. And as soon as he began, John Mayer had to stop him. To the effect of: “I don’t want to be that guy who has to change his guitar strap but I’m using the blue one and I have to have the green one”. Or green to blue. And so it continued. A seemingly endless stream of consciousness as though the people sitting there actually cared about all the profundity spewing from his mouth. This however did not seem to faze Taylor Swift. Oh honey…

As such, I’m hearing that John and Keith did not exactly spark the kind of chemistry that everyone was hoping for. Because, ultimately, it’s always the John Mayer Show. My sources tell me Keith was not comfortable. And this of course makes a tour rather tricky. As I reported last week, the two were negotiating, and while dates have been tentatively marked off, yesterday’s developments could ultimately change the outcome, to say nothing of Granny Freeze Kidman. John Mayer’s reputation does not please her. She could kill it in the end.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Questions for Keith Urban


Recently on Keith's website, he answered a number of "approved" questions. We at UM have a few of our own. Bet these won't get answered. Please feel free to add more!

1. What's up with the band.... rumors of contracts not renewed, etc.? Your peeps responded with a "tweet" about the "new" band page, which was the old band.

2. Is the band for hire when you need them, i.e. ACM's, Fairs & Festivals tour 2010, Crossroads...etc.?

3. Did your fan club get a chance for tickets/advance notice for The Ellen Show?

4. Did your fan club get a chance for tickets/advance notice for the Crossroads taping with John Mayer?

5. How is your Mum, Dad, and brother? Seen them lately?

6. How was that trip to New Zealand to visit the homeland during Christmas?

7. Why should the average Keith Urban fan shell out money when the fan club is really non-existent when it comes to perks?

8. Who actually benefits from fan club membership fees?

9. Why would anyone pay $100 for a ticket to see you at a fair?

10. Why would you buy a condo 20+ floors up, when you have a toddler, and sold a house because it didn't have enough yard for her?

11. How is the contractual marriage working out for you?

12. That extra Holiday time you were going to take in Australia and New Zealand, what was it, 2 weeks of free time?

13. The Stampedes, Fairs, Rodeos and Side Shows that you're doing for 2010, will that be just you and your Guitar?

14. Does the term 5 year contract mean anything to you?

15. Did your wife even remember her only son's birthday? Maybe send him a card? She was probably too busy trying to be seen at the Golden Globes to bother seeing him, but a card might have been nice.

16. Speaking of your step-children? How are they? Have you seen them lately?

17. How does your wife feel about the possible upcoming tour with John Mayer? Will she become "your savior" once again?

18. Why do you have two homes in Nashville?

19. How does your wife look in the morning when "It's Raining on Sunday"?

20. Does your Diary have an entry about George Clooney in it tonight?

Monday, January 18, 2010

A fond farewell to Keith Urban... thanks for the ride...

You cut the ride too short, dude. We were on a rollercoaster ride for a while. It was a wild ride while it lasted. I think I held on just a little too long; I wish I would have bailed before I got to know you too well.

I found you through You'll Think of Me. I didn't listen to country music at all at the time. I heard YTOM on my AC station and found myself wanting to discover who you were. Well, I certainly did. I saw you in concert and was hooked. I made some lifelong friends, some of the best people I know and will ever know, because of you. I traveled the country to see you in concert. I discovered all of your music and loved it all. I spent big bucks for tickets, just to see you up close. Unfortunately, shortly after I found you... you found HER. You got married and ended up in rehab just a few short months later. You emerged from rehab a changed person. A healthier person, but your musical soul was adrift... your muse was drowned by the celebrity that became your wife and your life.

I've held on to the memories and had hopes for a great recovery... only to have new music thrust at me like Sweet Thing, Kiss A Girl and other adolescent yearning songs. The only song I liked from Defying Gravity was Til Summer Comes Around, and you topped that with a superb video. Thank you for that. BUT then....

Just a few days later, you were playing and singing a tribute song for Simon Baker, an honest actor from Oz. It would have been great for you to sing and play to him, but your wife made an idiot of herself prancing about behind you, and singing off-key with you, as well.

I've suffered through all the photo calls arranged by your wife when you chose to be seen getting coffee, shopping, going to the doctor, taking your daughter for a walk and to the zoo, etc., knowing that it's what SHE wants. But is it really what you want? Do you honestly like living your life in the tabloids? Are money and fame so important that things that you used to care about (your parents, your brother's family, God, and your fans, to name a few) are now trivial?

If this is what you want your life to be, then so be it. You are not the person nor the artist I thought you were. I became a fan of yours for the music, for the emotions, for the thrill of being a fan of a true artist.

You have proven me wrong; you aren't the person I thought you were. Godspeed, Mr. Urban, and good luck. At least I can thank you for my lifelong friends and for some great memories. What will you have when your rollercoaster ride is over?

Cheers,
A former fan

Saturday, January 9, 2010

What will 2010 bring for Keith Urban & Ms. Kidman?

Nicole Kidman will never change.

She said it all when she recently appeared on Regis and Kelly. When she was asked if there was a lot of music around her house these days, Nicole Kidman turned to the audience and exclaimed 'you may not know who he is, but my husband is a musician'. The truth hurts doesn't it? That guy she is married to is a lot more popular than she is; he won a People's Choice award this week, just like Nicole's one true love. Actually, he has won a lot of awards, and he has made a lot of money and many are wondering why he sticks around. Fr. Talksalot apparently couldn't keep his mouth shut and ruined a private time for Keith and Sunday by telling the press they participated in a Children's Mass on Christmas Eve. Wouldn't the Catholic in the family be a part of it, too? No, she sat in a pew waiting to be adored.

Adored is not a word you can use to describe the public reaction to Nine; more like stinker, or a bomb of epic size. Speaking of bombs, will she counteract the lack of a career and public reaction to her fake face with another child to be raised by nannies, and only seen for photo ops? We shall see. Because Kidman doesn't appear to have any real work lined up in the near future, unless it is possibly on a stage. Kidman is becoming a Tatum O'Neal kind of Oscar winner.

And finally speaking of stages or staged what did all of you think of the penthouse shots from Sydney? I am a tad bit confused because the Oz press said Kidman and Sunday were staying with her parents until it was time to go to the mansion for Antonia's wedding. If she was staying with her parents, then why have the penthouse? She said the paparazzi made it impossible for her to live in Sydney. And these are the first photos of all of the Kidman clan and Keith together. Of course Keith is in the background, but he is well paid to be there.

It's so nice that Kidman appeared at yet another 'anti-violence against women' event in San Francisco. I wonder how the MEN her bodyguards beat up feel about that? Perhaps if the paps that got compromising pictures of her were women, they would have been safe?

I wonder how Nicole will handle it if Keith wins a Grammy or two this year? Will it make her stick around even longer? Will she live off his career because she doesn't have one any more? The 5th anniversary of the fateful meeting at G'Day LA is coming up. Kidman is presenting an award to Simon Baker. Will Keith attend, will Kidman make it all about "them" or "her"?

2010 will be an interesting year in KUNK land!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Kidman/Urban or not? You guess...



He Wants to Run Away From Her Insecurities

BuzzFoto – This popular celeb couple has an image problem. It being that the female REALLY cares about how she and her partner are perceived and the male couldn’t care less. The female is so obsessed about the PR side of their relationship, about looking to be secure and in love, that it is driving the male to resent her. He is starting to want out, because the harder she pulls the further he pushes away. We hear although she is super famous and beautiful, she is incredibly insecure. Her whole focus of the relationship has long ago moved away from passion and more about appearance. Over the holidays, the male tried to do some normal activities that a family would do and the female was determined to turn it into a PR event. The two ended up in a very heated argument, and the male left and spent the night with another woman. This happens more and more frequently. The female claims she doesn’t care, as long as the male shows up when she needs him to. We fear the relationship is doomed, which will break a lot of hearts- and not just those of their fans. Not Tom and Katie.