The richest 200 Australians increased their wealth by $11.9 billion to a record $83.4 billion in the past year, according to BRW magazine’s annual rich list, released at 3pm today.

The Rich 200 list includes 17 billionaires, six more than last year.

Kerry Packer increased his wealth by $400 million to top the list with a $6.9 billion fortune.

Frank Lowy’s wealth grew faster – he added another $600 million to his savings account, or the equivalent of $1.7 million a day. But the shopping centre magnate remained in second place with $4.2 billion.

In third place, cardboard king Richard Pratt added $500 million to wealth.

Gerry Harvey, the face of retail chain Harvey Norman, was a relative loser in 12th place. Harvey’s wealth fell from $1.14 billion to $1.1 billion. His ex-wife Lynette Harvey was valued at $140 million, down from $154 million in 2004, and his former business partner Ian Norman dropped $47 million to $465 million.

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Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe seem to be keen to put the disastrous Eucalyptus behind them and move on with their plans to team up for a movie. The couple had signed on to star in Eucalyptus but the project was halted due to wrecked sets and controversial script issues. But that hasn’t stopped Kidman and Crowe from planning another project together – Australian director Baz Luhrmann is in negotiations with the pair about a new romance film he is planning. Luhrmann, who directed Kidman in Moulin Rouge, insists his new project is like “an Aussie Gone with the Wind.”

Screen beauty Nicole Kidman will work with maverick director Lars Von Trier again for the final part of his cinematic trilogy – despite dubbing the making of his 2003 film Dogville her “craziest” movie experience.

The Oscar-winning Australian refused to embark on the second movie, Manderlay – which Von Trier has been promoting at the Cannes Film Festival – because she feared the gruelling shooting schedule would mean she’d “never see (her) two kids”.

But she’s been persuaded back to work on the final film, entitled Washington, which is set to shoot next year.

She quips: “I’m going back for more. Do you think I’m mad? It was the wildest and craziest film I’ve ever done, but at least Lars is an original and he takes me places I’d never usually go, in terms of performance.”

Hollywood beauty Nicole Kidman has beaten her addiction to cigarettes – but is now hooked on the herbal versions instead.

The Birth actress is desperate to win her battle against smoking, but admits she won’t know what to do with her hands when she kicks the unhealthy habit.

She says: “I have tried and tried and I am almost there now. But I still need something to do with my hands.”

Nicole Kidman said she hates having too many possessions since she does not have a permanent home.

“I used to have a big house and beautiful art and then I thought, ‘I don’t want all that’. I don’t really keep photos. I tend not to keep a lot of things for posterity,” Internet portal Femalefirst quoted the “Moulin Rouge” actress as saying.

The 34-year-old Oscar winner, who has two adopted children from her marriage to Tom Cruise, revealed she kept a diary for them in which she made day-to-day notes on each of her films.

“I keep letter diaries from each film for my kids, so that one day they can look back and know what I was thinking at the time. They give up a lot for me to do what I do,” she said.

Whatever happened to movie stars?

Others have written endlessly about how movie star salaries are pushing the cost of film production too far (not to mention that idiotic and cowardly EW story on star perks that was a lot more US Magazine than Wall Street Journal, though without naming names that we all know). I have long been of the opinion that there is always a group of stars who are paid a whole lot of money, but who earn their keep.

None of the top seven grossers of 2004 were films led by a major movie star. That includes Meet The Fockers, which certainly puts much of its success on the shoulders of Stresiand/Hoffman/DeNiro, but, like Ocean’s Twelve (also a sequel), that is a combo platter sale… no one can really get the credit as the driving star. There are a bunch of movies like that.

In 2004 and 2003, about half the movies that opened to more than $10 million was a leading-star-driven vehicle. And given that we are just at the start of summer, I would expect that even though only seven of the twenty-seven films to get that $10 million start so far this year are leading-star-driven, by the end of the year we’ll be back to a similar 50/50 bet. There are, of course, many significant variables that determine success, and this $10 million stat is far from being the most important one. However, in terms of determining the value of movies stars and the value in their salaries, no other element means as much.

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If you’re a fan of Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell, and you love to wear T-shirts, your nose is probably already twitching for the movie “Bewitched.”

A limited-edition shirt will be available in Macy’s or at www.macys.com in June. The movie will be in theaters June 24, so of course you’ll want the official “Bewitched” T-shirt when you go to the movie.

People who look like Nicole Kidman are a knockout in most anything. The T-shirt that says “I’m a witch” on it is like the one she wears in the movie.

Note to guys: Even though it’s a hot T-shirt, think twice before buying it for your sweetie. If you do get her one, explain very, very quickly that you don’t think she’s a witch. You think she’s bewitching. Yes, there’s a difference.

Watch for the movie, Nicole and the T-shirt. Knowing Will Ferrell, he’ll have the thing on, too. Now that’s bewitching.

NICOLE KIDMAN detests dating because she feels under pressure from men’s sexual expectations.

The MOULIN ROUGE! beauty prefers socialising with plutonic male pals as she finds it difficult to cope with being an object of affection.

Kidman, who has reportedly dated LENNY KRAVITZ and STEVE BING since splitting from ex-husband TOM CRUISE.

She says, “I have an aversion to the idea of dating. I prefer, ‘Listen, I like spending time with you. Spend time with me’ – then there’s no expectation.

“It’s probably why I can have a lot of male friends where it’s not sexual, it’s just friends, it’s a lovely thing to have.”

Hollywood star NICOLE KIDMAN refuses to watch her own movies because she prefers to cherish her own personal memories of filming them.

The OSCAR-winning beauty has kept letters and mementos from every film set to give to her children, ISABELLA, 12 and 10-year-old CONOR.

Kidman explains, “I have the films for the rest of my life. I don’t watch them, but I cherish them.

“And I keep letters from each film for my kids so one day they can look back and know what I was thinking at the time.”

Jane Alexander has joined Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. in the Diane Arbus biopic “Fur.”

She will play Gertrude Nemerov, Arbus’ mother. Steven Shainberg is directing the film, lensing this month in Gotham.

Alexander recently starred opposite Kenneth Branagh and Cynthia Nixon in HBO’s “Warm Springs.”