2008 Woodie Awards
Kidman birth adds to Nashville's image as oasis
John Gerome, AP
Issue date: 7/9/08 Section: News
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Nicole Kidman has described Nashville as a quiet escape, a nice place to raise a garden or grab coffee without photographers in tow.
So it really shouldn't be a surprise that it's also where she and husband Keith Urban chose to have their first child.
"When you look at Nicole and Keith, they seem to be at ease in Nashville. Especially Nicole seems to embrace the city," observed Dina Sansing, entertainment director for Us Weekly magazine.
Kidman, 41, gave birth early Monday to her first biological child, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban.
With the couple also owning homes in Los Angeles and Australia, there was speculation about where they'd have the baby.
But in recent weeks as the Oscar-winning actress was spotted attending yoga classes and shopping near her home, it became apparent she intended to stay put. Urban virtually confirmed as much in a Saturday concert here when he dedicated his hit "Better Half" to his "very, very, very, very, very pregnant wife."
"It seems the perfect place to have the child there because they do seem so happy there," Sansing said.
It's ironic that Nashville, the city that Robert Altman poked fun at with his '70s film "Nashville" and that spawned the cornpone TV series "Hee Haw," is being celebrated for being laid-back and hip, but that's what it's come to.
Miley Cyrus grew up here and is filming a movie here. Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Ashley Judd and, during her brief relationship with Kenny Chesney, Rene Zellweger either lived here, worked here or spent considerable time here. Ditto for tabloid queen Jessica Simpson and TV's "Dancing with the Stars" champ Julianne Hough. Rock stars Sheryl Crow, Jack White and Kid Rock all own homes here.
"I definitely think it's easier to live as a celebrity in Nashville," remarked Maureen O'Connor, a publicist with Los Angeles-based Rogers & Cowan. "LA isn't as bad as London, but we do have a lot of paparazzi-type photographers and online media who can torment celebrities to the point that making a law against it has been proposed many times.
So it really shouldn't be a surprise that it's also where she and husband Keith Urban chose to have their first child.
"When you look at Nicole and Keith, they seem to be at ease in Nashville. Especially Nicole seems to embrace the city," observed Dina Sansing, entertainment director for Us Weekly magazine.
Kidman, 41, gave birth early Monday to her first biological child, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban.
With the couple also owning homes in Los Angeles and Australia, there was speculation about where they'd have the baby.
But in recent weeks as the Oscar-winning actress was spotted attending yoga classes and shopping near her home, it became apparent she intended to stay put. Urban virtually confirmed as much in a Saturday concert here when he dedicated his hit "Better Half" to his "very, very, very, very, very pregnant wife."
"It seems the perfect place to have the child there because they do seem so happy there," Sansing said.
It's ironic that Nashville, the city that Robert Altman poked fun at with his '70s film "Nashville" and that spawned the cornpone TV series "Hee Haw," is being celebrated for being laid-back and hip, but that's what it's come to.
Miley Cyrus grew up here and is filming a movie here. Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Ashley Judd and, during her brief relationship with Kenny Chesney, Rene Zellweger either lived here, worked here or spent considerable time here. Ditto for tabloid queen Jessica Simpson and TV's "Dancing with the Stars" champ Julianne Hough. Rock stars Sheryl Crow, Jack White and Kid Rock all own homes here.
"I definitely think it's easier to live as a celebrity in Nashville," remarked Maureen O'Connor, a publicist with Los Angeles-based Rogers & Cowan. "LA isn't as bad as London, but we do have a lot of paparazzi-type photographers and online media who can torment celebrities to the point that making a law against it has been proposed many times.
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