Kidman shines at Compass premiere - Nov 28 2007
Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and newcomer Dakota Blue Richards have hit the red carpet for the world premiere of The Golden Compass.

Nicole towered over her country music star husband Keith Urban who accompanied her to the event in London.

Thirteen-year-old Dakota - who takes on the main role of Lyra Belacqua in the movie, adapted from the bestselling Philip Pullman book, posed for pictures with her more famous co-stars.

Aussie beauty Nicole plays villain Mrs Coulter, while current James Bond Daniel is adventurer Lord Asriel in the film, made by New Line Cinema, the studio behind the Lord Of The Rings.

The statuesque Kidman, who once had a home in the UK when she was married to Tom Cruise, said: "It’s fantastic to be back here in London."

The book and film features characters with talking daemons, who take the form of animals.

Asked what her real-life daemon would be if she could choose one, Nicole said: "I think mine would be a kitten because they’re always purring."

Wearing a cream satin low-cut Balenciaga pleated dress with a bright red coat, she said: "It’s rare that I bring such a dramatic, dark character to the screen. This was a great opportunity.

Daniel, who arrived with his girlfriend, said of the premiere: "It’s always good and exciting when the crowd is as big as this. The Philip Pullman books are beautifully written. He is one of the best writers in this part of the century and most of the last. They are incredible books and I couldn’t wait to get involved."

Nicole to attend Golden Compass premiere - Nov 27 2007
Nicole Kidman is set to attend the world premiere of the new film The Golden Compass in London.

Bond star Daniel Craig and newcomer Dakota Blue Richards, 13, who was plucked from 10,000 schoolgirls in open auditions to play heroine Lyra Belacqua, will also be on the red carpet in Leicester Square.

The £90 million movie is based on the first book in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. The Golden Compass is the US title of Pullman’s novel Northern Lights.

Nicole plays villain Mrs Coulter while Daniel is adventurer Lord Asriel in the film, which is from New Line Cinema.

The movie has already come under attack for watering down Pullman’s rejection of organised religion, in particular the Roman Catholic Church. The National Secular Society - of which Pullman is an honorary associate - has condemned the decision to remove anti-religious references.

But the Catholic League in the US has also urged parents to ban their children from watching the movie.

The Golden Compass sees Lyra travel through a CGI-dominated universe of humans and their talking daemons as she attempts to rescue her kidnapped friend and fight the sinister Magisterium, which condones the removal of children’s souls.

Pullman, as well as the film’s stars Eva Green, Sam Elliott, Jim Carter, Jack Shepherd and Freddie Highmore, will all attend the premiere tonight (Tuesday).

The film is released on December 5.

Nicole tells judge of ’car chase’ terror - Nov 19 2007
Nicole Kidman has told a judge that she was "really, really scared" when she was followed in her car by a photographer.

The snapper, Jamie Fawcett, is suing The Sun-Herald newspaper for defamation over an article that said he was Sydney’s most disliked freelance photographer and that his behaviour towards the Oscar-winning actress was so "intrusive and threatening" that he scared her.