• August 08, 2005
• Vol. 64
• No. 6

Scoop

SECRET FRIENDS
A shopping trip, a motorcycle ride, a quiet Sunday lunch. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban forge an under-the-radar bond

"I'd just like to meet a normal guy," Nicole Kidman told Britain's Mail on Sunday in an interview published July 24. Interestingly enough, on that very afternoon, the Oscar-winning actress was riding on a motorcycle in rural Woodstock, N.Y., with country music star Keith Urban. The pair had lunch at Elijah's Cafe, a natural foods restaurant ("She eats pretty healthy," noted owner Curt Robair, adding, "He was a very nice guy") and checked out Timbuktu, a boutique ("They just looked around," said owner Jaime Surgil-Gumer). Like Kidman, Urban is from Down Under; in fact the two first met in January at a gala dinner in L.A. honoring noted Australians. Recently Kidman, 38, has been in New York City filming the drama Fur, while Urban, 37, has been touring the country with Kenny Chesney. Are they an item? "They are friends, and no, they are not dating," says his rep.

DENISE: BACK TO WORK
Like any mom with a newborn, Denise Richards found it "very hard" to leave daughters Sam, 1, and Lola, 2 months, at home in order to return to work last month. Still, the actress is excited about her starring role as a ruthless publicist in the UPN series Sex, Love & Secrets, which debuts Sept. 27. "My children are my first priority," says Richards. "But it's nice to have a balance between work and home. This is an ensemble show, so I'm not working every day." She also plans to have a nursery on the set for those days she brings the children to work. Helping out on the home front is her estranged husband, actor Charlie Sheen. "They're definitely spending a lot of time together, working to raise the kids," says a source close to the couple, who split in March. But, adds the insider, the two are definitely not reconciling.

Meet the Landlords
Entrepreneurial twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, 19, can now add real estate to their empire: They have rented out their 5,725-sq.-ft. Manhattan penthouse for a reported $35,000 a month. No word yet on the tenant's identity. The NYU students bought the pad last year for $7.3 million but never moved in.

T-SHIRT OF THE WEEK
There's a price to be paid for indiscretion. In this case, $35 at www.oliveandbettes.com.

EVA'S SUMMER ROMANCE
With all those global displays of affection—in France, China and the good old U.S.A.—it must be love for Eva Longoria and Tony Parker. "What's not to like?" asks the 30-year-old Desperate Housewives star, who notes that the fact that Parker plays basketball for the San Antonio Spurs, her home team, is a plus. "That's nice for my family," she says. "They're excited, but it's not what you do, it's who you are." Although Longoria had initially been reticent to discuss Parker—"I make it a point never to talk about my personal life," she told PEOPLE in November—she now seems more relaxed about the relationship. She'll even discuss their differences. Well, at least in their heights. "He's 6'2", I'm 5'2", so it's not too bad," she says. On July 15 Longoria accompanied Parker to China for an NBA charity event. The week before, they visited Paris. Now they're back in L.A., as she starts work on another Housewives season. And while they're closer than ever, for the record, they're not engaged. "Absolutely not," says Longoria.

Reality Check

Clay's Mission of Mercy
Clay Aiken's most recent stop as a UNICEF ambassador? Northern Uganda, where he visited camps for thousands of displaced children escaping the country's insurgent rebel militia. "The rebels kidnap children to replenish their forces," says Aiken, 26. "12-year-old girls are kidnapped and raped. I spoke to boys who were forced to kill family members." Photographs from the trip, which took place in May, were released this week. Says Aiken: "I cried for two hours over how catastrophic this was."

A Royal Split
It was no secret that composer David Foster and his wife Linda Thompson had their difficulties, as seen by his screaming fits on the Fox series The Princes of Malibu. Still, eyebrows were raised when Thompson, 55, filed for divorce July 11, the day after Princes premiered. Did the show cause the rift? No, says Thompson, who notes that working on the show "helped me stay in the marriage longer." However, she does point out that what the series depicted "was not really reality. Everything was set up." A show producer says it was "reality inspired."

Back on TV
American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis is planning his return to television. The singer, 29, tells SCOOP that he'll star in a series—produced by Kelsey Grammer's production company—which he describes as "a family drama with music." Maroulis won't elaborate. The singer did say that another project, an upcoming solo album, will reflect his affinity for "everything from West Side Story to Sinatra."

Q+A

Kenny Chesney
Fun fact: More fans have seen Kenny Chesney onstage this year than U2 or Celine Dion. Scoop caught up with the singer, 37, on his tour bus. Per his request, the conversation was strictly business—music business.

You just sold more than 50,000 seats at a New England concert. How did that happen?

Without sounding cocky, I'm not surprised we can do this. I've seen the growth over the past five or six years. Yes, I'm labeled a country act, and I do wear a cowboy hat. But we're out there rocking hard.

Like Elvis Presley and Elton John before you, you sold out three big nights in Atlanta. Is there any Elvis or Elton in you?

Anybody who loves to sing a ballad has some Elton in them. I don't know if I have much Elvis in me or not. I'm not going to wear a cape anytime soon.

Do you work out while you're on the road?

Tomorrow I'll do about 30 minutes of pretty tough cardio and lift for another 30 or 40 minutes.

Can you stick to a diet?

I eat a lot of chicken and a lot of broccoli. And turkey, fish. My trainer goes out on the road with me, and he makes sure I stick to it.

So no partying all night after the show?

Oh, no. I used to. I'd party and eat pizza at 2 a.m. Then I wondered why I couldn't fit in my jeans and why I couldn't sing the next night. I don't do that anymore.

Then what do you do now after a show?

We play a lot of PlayStation 2 college football. It's pretty competitive. We write songs. I watch CNN a bunch. I might call someone on the phone.

Who might that be?

[Chesney laughs.]

Has anyone special brought you out a margarita onstage recently?

Not lately! At least not in a way that anybody can notice.