Keith Urban on Piano Serenades and ‘Idol’ Worship

When Keith Urban's not out on the road making music, he's hanging out at home in Nashville making music (of sorts) with wife Nicole Kidman and nine-month-old daughter Sunday Rose. One might expect he'd be serenading the women in his life with sweet lullabies or gushy love songs. But ... Madonna?

"We have a piano at our house, and I'm always thinking of strange songs that we can do on the piano, like 'Papa Don't Preach,'" Urban recently revealed to Chicago radio station US99.

Urban adds that another of their favorites, which he says are "always slow piano versions" of these classic tunes, is Pat Benatar's 'Fire and Ice.' Never fear, though, Urban does show off his romantic side during these impromptu sing-alongs, saying, "We do REO Speedwagon, 'Keep on Lovin' You.'"

When they're not at the piano, Keith and Nicole are in front of the TV, and like much of the rest of the country, their appointment viewing includes 'American Idol.'

"My wife got me hooked on it. We watch it all the time," Urban told The Boot at his AOL Music Sessions taping.

So, which 'Idol' contestants are they rooting for?

"Danny [Gokey]'s great. He's got a good spirit about him. We like him," Urban says. He even gets a little giddy when singling out another favored contestant, Anoop Desai.

"I just like saying 'Anoop' ... 'Anoop Aloop, bring your funny hat,'" he told US99 with a hearty laugh, paraphrasing a line from the Will Ferrell comedy, 'Old School.'

Proving that he does indeed have a silly side, Urban says the last time he laughed so much it made him cry was "probably watching something on 'The Office.' I like 'The Office,'" he says, adding "I watch a lot of comedy."

But it's not all about goofy songs and TV shows in the Urban household. The multi-faceted Urban does some serious reading too, he last book he read was Stephen Kinzer's political best-seller, 'All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror.'

Try singing about that at the piano.