It’s been a busy winter for Toni Collette. She’s filmed the new season of United States of Tara, which includes at least one new alter, and she won a Golden Globe award for her performance as Tara Gregson in Season 1 (The most often quoted part of her acceptance speech went something like this:  “This is a real pleasure. The last time I came here 15 years ago, I was on the loo and missed my whole category.”)

It’s no wonder that after all that attention, the Australia native wanted to put the Hollywood hubbub behind her for a bit.

Last week, the papparazzi down under spotted her on a leisurely stroll in her hometown of Sydney with her daughter, Sage Florence.

The actress has said choosing her favorite among the alternate personalities she plays on United States of Tara would be like choosing her favorite child.

It’s clear from how she’s smiling at Sage that the little girl has no competition for her mom’s affection!

United States of Tara returns to Showtime for Season 2 on March 22.

Image: Fame Pictures

Jonathan Rhys Meyers and John Travolta seemed the best of pals when they walked the red carpet this week at the New York premiere of their new thriller, From Paris With Love.

According to OK! magazine, JRM said of his co-star:

“He’s an incredibly nice guy. Sometimes you’re shocked. I find the more successful –- the bigger stars that I work with, the nicer they are.”

Travolta was similarly enamored of the Tudors star.

““He’s the best,” he said of Jonny Boy. “He’s so talented and smart.”

The guys brought along their best gals, too.

Travolta’s wife, actress Kelly Preston, dished about some of the most romantic moments she’s shared with her husband, while JRM’s longtime girlfriend, socialite Reena Hammer, admitted that she’s addicted to Louboutins.

Wanna know who else was at the premiere? OK! has the skinny. And if you’re curious what JRM’s been saying about the film as he makes the TV talk show rounds, check him out on Regis & Kathy Lee.

Image: Fame Pictures

Weeds star Mary-Louise Parker has signed on for The Well, a psychological drama co-starring Guy Pearce and produced by Philip Seymour Hoffman is producing.

Empire Online reports that the project was announced at the Sundance film fest and will feature Parker and Pearce as a wealthy New York couple “whose obsessive pursuit of salvation ultimately leads to destruction.” Aside from that tease, details on the film are scarce.

The movie still has to line up a financier, but with three A-list names attached we’re guessing it’ll move forward fairly quickly.

Parker, shown here running errands in NYC this fall, had other news out of Sundance: Howl, the biopic about Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in which she plays a supporting role, debuted to mixed reviews. Of course, with a cast including James Franco, Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Treat Williams, Bob Balaban and Jeff Daniels, some reviewers may have expected a less difficult, more commercial offering.

Image: Bauer-Griffin

At the ramp up to the SAG awards, LAist caught up with Dexter’s Lauren Velez (you may recall that she was busy signing merch from the series for part of the SAG foundation’s charity auction).

Here’s the interview, in which she dishes on her character’s new marriage to Bautista, what it was like to work with John Lithgow, and why it’s great to see Hollywood’s award-givers finally recognize Michael C. Hall for his work on Dexter. Check it out:

Tudors fans, you can expect to see a lot of Jonathan Rhys Meyers this week, as he makes the rounds to promote his new film From Paris With Love (co-starring John Travolta).

In this charming clip from Regis & Kathy Lee, Jonny Boy explains why he likes learning to ski (and the outfits that go with it) and chats about how his take on Henry VIII is different from other stars who’ve portrayed the historical tyrant. Enjoy!

The Tudors fourth and final season airs this spring.

OK, so Peter Facinelli’s video diaries are charming and full of shenanigans and give you an idea of how close the cast of Nurse Jackie is. But this new trailer for Season 2 is the best! It reminds us all why we fell in love with the show to begin with (Doe-eyed Zoey! Jaded Jackie! Madcap Coop!) and gives us an idea of what to expect when the new season drops in March (More Mrs. Akalitis, Thor as confidante, Jackie turns to cannabis and sex on the kitchen floor!).

Please forgive us the exclamation points and just watch this clip. We’re a tad excited here in Showtime Fan HQ.

It’s been quite a year for Dexter star Michael C. Hall.

To recap:

• Just one month before his 38th birthday, he married co-star Jennifer Carpenter.
• Then, he took his character to new levels on Season 4 of Dexter, raising his game to work with guest star John Lithgow.
• He also made a splash on the big screen opposite Gerard Butler, all before being diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma.
• The cancer treatment didn’t slow him down much, though, with Hall winning two major Hollywood honors — a Golden Globe and a SAG Award.
• Through it all, he navigated the media attention surrounding his illness with tact and grace.

So, on his 39th birthday, we wish one of our favorite actors a very, very, happy day. No doubt, he’s earned it.

Image: Zuma Press

If you didn’t already love the show — and, seriously, what’s not to love? — you may fall under the spell of Nurse Jackie with this second installment in Peter Facinelli’s behind-the-scenes video diary.

Turns out the guy who plays Thor is a total ham, while the gal who plays Zoey is remarkably camera shy when she doesn’t have a script to work from. But the best, by far, is the song-and-dance routine at the end of this clip. Enjoy!

Dexter fanatics, listen up: You can score DVDs of the last three seasons plus bobbleheads of the entire cast in this year’s SAG Foundation celebrity auction.

Even better: Lauren Velez, a.k.a. Lt. LaGuerta, signed her bobblehead and the DVD cases, ’cause she’s cool like that.

Check out the details of the Dexter auction here. So far the bids are pretty reasonable, but time is running out! The auction runs through Friday.

You might get a deal on some great merch, and, even better, help a good cause. The annual online auctions benefit children’s literacy programs that reach 100,000 children a week. They also help the SAG Foundation provide relief for its members and their families in times of trouble.

So go on — make your bid today.

Image: Courtesy of SAG

After six seasons on The L Word, Jennifer Beals‘ choices for new projects include a holiday comedy, a French film, and a little movie called The Book of Eli, in which she stars opposite Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman.

“It’s a story that takes you through action and violence and dread to get to what is sweet and precious in the heart, which is hope,” Beals told WWD.

In the film, set 30 years after a horrific war has reduced Earth to a ruthless, violent wasteland, she plays Claudia, a blind woman who is married to Oldman’s character and helps Washington’s character in his epic journey.

“I loved the idea of playing this woman who was clearly flawed in her choices of men, but would do whatever it took to survive and to protect her daughter,” Beals said of the role. “… I think Claudia is much stronger than I am, frankly. It’s probably one of the characters that’s furthest from me that I’ve ever played.”

Eli has done well at the box office so far. It debuted just behind Avatar and stayed in the Top 3 this past weekend.

If you haven’t seen it yet, or if you just love Beals, check out the interview she did with an L.A. talk show just before the film premiered. In it, she also talks a little about the awesome photo book she made for fans of  The L World. The video’s after the jump.

Image: Fame Pictures

Read More – Jennifer Beals shines in The Book of Eli