I never really know what to make of Keith Urban. I really have no opinion of him in general, but I often find myself rolling my eyes at some of the cheesy, over-the-top things he says, especially about his wife, Nicole Kidman. That being said, I do think he loves Nicole. I think he adores her, and I think a lot of the cheese is probably real – meaning that he honestly sees that frozen face and thinks “my muse”. Oh yes. That’s how Keith is describing her in a special “Country Music edition” of People Magazine:

Nicole Kidman may play many roles – actress, mother, wife – but for husband Keith Urban there’s another that’s equally important: muse.

“It’s been a profound impact [on my songwriting] to meet somebody who offered me a life and helped me become the person I wanted to be,” Urban, 42, tells PEOPLE Country for its March issue.

As Urban tells it, sometimes Kidman’s influence is literal. Take “My Heart Is Open,” a track from his 2009 Defying Gravity album. “My wife and I had been out a couple of times and I wondered how she felt about me,” he says, describing the song’s inspiration. “It came out as, ‘How is your heart?’ She said, ‘It’s open.’ ”

Says Urban, “My God, what a beautiful answer.”

Kidman, also 42, has also helped her husband through dark times, including a stint in Betty Ford Center for his alcohol addiction, and the Aussie singer says that, and the birth of his daughter Sunday Rose in 2008, has opened him up.

“I felt the power of love in all its phases,” he says. “There was an expansion of color and joy.”

As for daughter Sunday, there’s the possibility that she could be just as much of a muse for Urban as her mother. “The next few months will be all about writing,” he says. “I don’t know how she’s going to be a part of that yet.” But, he adds, she’s already given him “a new joy, a new sense of purpose.”

[From People]

Are you gagging a little? I am. But it is sweet, and it must be cool for Nicole to be with a guy who adores her so much that he doesn’t mind being this cheesy in public. Lainey Gossip is also ringing the “he’s a cheater” bell, and he may be, but I’ll also buy that maybe he’s trying or has tried to tone down his womanizing ways for Nicole. Does that make me an old softie?

In other Nicole and Keith news, In Touch Weekly has a big article this week on Katie Holmes “finally” giving in to Tom Cruise’s demands for another child (I’ll probably write it later, so just hold your horses!), but in a little complimentary piece to the Holmes-Cruise story, In Touch has this: “It seems Tom still has something in common with his ex-wife Nicole: They both want to give their daughters a little brother or sister! Insiders say Nicole and Keith love being parents to daughter Sunday, and have begun consulting fertility experts about conceiving another baby as soon as possible.” So, basically, Nicole is going to dust off the same pillow she used last time. Bad Kaiser! Bad, bad, bad. But you laughed!

And just because I was so bad, I’ll say something nice about Nicole. Yesterday, the International Violence against Women Act (IVAWA) was introduced in both Houses of the United States Congress, and Nicole applauded the bill in a public statement, in her role as goodwill ambassador for UNIFEM: “Violence against women and girls is perhaps the most systematic, widespread human rights violation in the world. I believe that IVAWA, when passed, will be a beacon, lighting the way forward in other countries. I commend the efforts that have gone into the drafting of IVAWA, and in particular appreciate the consultations with the real actors and the real beneficiaries to incorporate best practices and effective approaches.” Well done, Nicole.

Keith & Nicole at a tribute to Neil Young on January 29, 2010, and at the Grammys. Credit: WENN & Zuma Press. People cover courtesy of People online.