Kidman, Urban soothe paparazzi with cold beer

Actress Nicole Kidman speaks to photographers outside her Sydney house. Picture / Reuters

SYDNEY - Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and fiance Keith Urban used a very Australian gift to soothe the paparazzi camped outside her Sydney home ahead of their expected weekend wedding - a case of cold beer.

After staking out Kidman's harbourside Sydney house for most of the day, some 20 photographers heard her garage door start to rise and quickly armed themselves with motor-drive cameras.

But instead of a shot of the bride and groom before the wedding day, the paparazzi were met by two women carrying a case of beer and water bottles.

Written on the case of 24 bottles of "Victoria Bitter" beer was a note: "Enjoy!, Nicole and Keith".

And it seemed the gesture worked, at least temporarily, with the paparazzi thanking their host and enjoying the beer - a universal greeting of friendship in Australia.

On a previous visit Kidman clashed with a photographer, claiming he was planting a listening device near her home and gained a court restraining order against him.

But on this trip Kidman is using all her Hollywood charms.

Earlier in the day the paparazzi sent Kidman flowers to celebrate her 39th birthday on Tuesday and sang her happy birthday via a gate intercom.

Kidman emerged smiling. Asked what she planned for her birthday, she replied: "Not much, dinner at home with mum ... boring. Thank you for the flowers and the singing."

Kidman and country music star Urban arrived in Australia on Monday saying they had returned to Australia to be married.

Local media reported Kidman and Urban were tipped to tie the knot at a Catholic church near her family home in Sydney's northern suburbs at the weekend.

Kidman, who won an Academy Award for her role in the 2002 film "The Hours", ended her 10-year marriage to Tom Cruise in 2001. The couple has two adopted children.

She met Urban in January 2005 at an awards dinner held by the Australian government in Los Angeles honouring the two.

Kidman was born in Hawaii and raised in Australia, while Urban was born in New Zealand but also raised in Australia.

Urban won a Grammy in 2005 for best male country vocal performance with the song "You'll Think of Me".

Details of the wedding remain under wraps, but local media said Kidman is rumoured to be having a hen's night on Friday at a Sydney day spa and Urban will have his buck's night on Friday.

Guests will reportedly include fellow stars Naomi Watts, Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman, director Baz Luhrmann, and News Corp. Ltd. boss Rupert Murdoch and his wife Wendi Deng.

- REUTERS