1.29
Sara Gilbert 37
Heather Graham 42
Tom Selleck 67

1.30
Christian Bale 38
Gene Hackman 82

1.31
Justin Timberlake 31
Minnie Driver 42

2.1
Michael C. Hall 41

2.2
Emily Rose 31

2.3
Isla Fisher 36
Maura Tierney 47
Nathan Lane 56

2.4
Alice Cooper 64

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Brian Truitt

McIntyre’s No. 1 fan: his mom.

The new season of Starz’s Spartacus: Vengeance just premiered, and newcomer Liam McIntyre— who replaced the late Andy Whitfield — says the show already has its biggest fan: his mother. “You have no idea. She’s just that kind of mom,” says the Australian actor, 29, an only child. “That picture of me as Spartacus on the Internet — she’s learned how to use the Internet because of it — she’s sending it to all her friends.” His next dream gig? “All my friends used to say, ‘I’ll bet you’ll play James Bond one day.’ I guess I’m another step closer.”

Holden-Ried

Kris Holden-Ried, 38, is playing two notable, werewolf-y characters in the new Syfy series Lost Girl and opposite Kate Beckinsale in the film Underworld: Awakening. A former member of the Canadian national pentathlon team, he says he trained hard as an athlete, “but I really didn’t know my body.” His secret to playing action-packed supernatural roles in later years has been “energy work” with disciplines like tai chi and yoga. “I was all of a sudden able to bring those different energy levels to the characters. That’s been a fantastic tool.”

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Brian Truitt

Shue

Jacki Bork, Phoenix

Yes, Helgenberger, who has been on the show since its premiere, has left the show. (She had wanted to depart after last season, but producers talked her into sticking around.) This past week’s episode was the actress’s last as Catherine Willows, but her spot is being filled quickly: New series regular Elisabeth Shue makes her debut as Julie Finlay, an investigator fresh out of anger-management classes, in an episode Feb. 15 also featuring pop star Jesse McCartney.

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Brian Truitt

Larry Arbogast, Orange, Va.

Great memory! Garrett Morris was one of the original cast members of the long-running late-night sketch show with John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner; he starred on SNL from 1975 to 1980. Recently seen in commercials and a small role on Showtime’s Shameless, the New Orleans native, 74, is still hard at work doing comedy in 2 Broke Girls as the cashier at the Brooklyn diner where Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) work.

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Brian Truitt

Carole Freeman, Culpeper, Va.

The soap opera has been the launchpad for many actors since the 1960s — including Demi Moore, John Stamos, Vanessa Marcil and Richard Dean Anderson — but Nicole Kidman was never on General Hospital. American audiences were first introduced to her in the 1980s with the Australian series Five Mile Creek and the movie Dead Calm. Kidman will next be starring in The Paperboy, a thriller set in the 1960s that casts her with Zac Efron, John Cusack and Matthew McConaughey.

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Brian Truitt

1.22
Diane Lane 47
John Hurt 72

1.23
Mariska Hargitay 48

1.24
Neil Diamond 71

1.25
Alicia Keys 32

1.26
Ellen DeGeneres 54

1.27
Patton Oswalt 43

1.28
Alan Alda 7

Who’s News Column Contributor: Brian Truitt

Renner

Tom Pientka, Antioch, Ill.

Based on Robert Ludlum’s popular spy novels, the movie series is still going strong, although without Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. The Bourne Legacy, directed by Tony Gilroy, is slated for release Aug. 3 and stars Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner as a new secret agent operating in the same world as Damon’s three Bourne flicks. Renner co-starred with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, and he puts on superhero garb as ace archer Hawkeye in The Avengers, out May 4.

Who’s News Column Contributor: Brian Truitt

Britain’s Sophie Winkleman has gained an American following.

Gabe Renzo, Dearborn Heights, Mich.

The Londoner has been in mostly British TV and movie projects since 2002 until she starred in the short-lived NBC sitcom 100 Questions and recently guested on Two and a Half Men as a love interest for Ashton Kutcher’s character. The 31-year-old actress, who’s filming a new Titanic miniseries, also is part of English royalty: In 2009, she married Lord Frederick Windsor, son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

Who’s News Column Contributor: Brian Truitt

Marrianna Getten, Whittier, Calif.

You and the rest of the actor’s fan base are in for a bunch of treats from D’Onofrio this year. First is his feature-film debut as a writer and director, Don’t Go in the Woods, a horror/musical hybrid in theaters now. D’Onofrio also is teaming with Ethan Hawke, with whom he co-stars in the horror film Sinister, for an upcoming TV cop drama for NBC called Blue Tilt.

Who’s News Column Contributor: Brian Truitt

Nate Parker stars in Red Tails (in theaters now), a story about the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. A generation looked up to those heroes, and in Parker’s own life, he looked up to his four uncles. They were the only men in his life after his father died when Parker was very young, and they shared a three-bedroom apartment with him, his mom, his aunt and his grandmother in Norfolk, Va. “We didn’t have many material things, but we loved each other unconditionally,” says Parker, 32, who was an All-American wrestler at the University of Oklahoma. “My uncles and a couple of my coaches really, really set a high standard for me and pushed me further than I believed I could go.”

Who’s News Column Contributor: Brian Truitt

Crawford

Laurie Lee, Winneconne, Wis.

Crawford found a lot of success as a youngster, starting out as one of Walt Disney’s Mousekeeters in the 1950s and starring as the son of Luke McCain (played by Chuck Connors) on the ABC Western The Rifleman, which ran from 1958 to 1963. He was nominated for an Emmy at age 13, but also found the time to have five top 40 hits in the 1960s as a pop singer. Music continues to be a passion for Crawford, 65, who leads the Johnny Crawford Orchestra.

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Nancy Mills, Brian Truit

1.15
Regina King 41

1.16
Debbie Allen 62
John Carpenter 64

1.17
Kid Rock 41
Jim Carrey 50
Betty White 90

1.18
Jason Segel 32
Kevin Costner 57

1.19
Katey Sagal 58
Dolly Parton 66

1.20
Skeet Ulrich 42
Rainn Wilson 46
David Lynch 66

1.21
Geena Davis 56
Carol Channing 91

Who’s News Column Contributor: Gayle Jo Carter, Nancy Mills, Brian Truit

McGrath is happy to have U.S. viewers.

Becky Murphy, Dallas, Ga.

The British show’s fourth season is now airing on Syfy, and it’s the most cinematic yet, says Katie McGrath, who plays the witch Morgana. She’s just glad that you and so many other viewers have found Merlin. “I don’t think any of us can quite believe how much America has taken us to their hearts and get it, because it’s a very English show. It means a lot to us,” says the Irish actress, 28, who also co-stars in W.E., Madonna’s new movie. The Merlin series is darker than ever this season, McGrath says, which means Morgana will be involved in more sinister doings. “I like to think of her as the original Angelina Jolie of the medieval world,” the actress says. “Who wouldn’t love to play that?”

Who’s News Column Contributor: Gayle Jo Carter, Nancy Mills, Brian Truit

Channing Tatum, 31, can’t stop working. He has made more than two dozen films since he switched from modeling to acting seven years ago, and five of them are coming out in 2012, including Haywire (in theaters next weekend) and the summer sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation. He attributes his versatility to his genes: “I’m 35% to 40% Native American. If you put hair on me, I look white. Without hair, I look ethnic.”

Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern (who begins a new season on Travel Channel Jan. 23) has passed on his love of grub to 7-year-old Noah. His son loves pizza and macaroni and cheese (so does the elder Zimmern), but he’s equally enthused about crispy pig ears. “I just want him to know that the food in his life needs to be varied,” says Zimmern, 50. “Ever since he’s been young, my wife and I decided we would talk about food at the table, and by that I mean the politics of food.”

Who’s News Column Contributor: Gayle Jo Carter, Nancy Mills, Brian Truit

Martha Harris, Lafayette, Ind.

Patterson is picky when it comes to his book adaptations. “I just want them to be done well,” says the admitted “movieaholic.” The best-selling writer says the movies featuring Morgan Freeman as detective Alex Cross — Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider— could have been better, so he hopes to break some ground with a new one. I, Alex Cross, due later this year, stars Tyler Perry, with Matthew Fox as his villain. “I was very happy with Tyler and Matthew, and they couldn’t have cast them without my saying yes. If we screw up, I have to allow myself to be flogged.”

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Nancy Mills, Brian Truit

Abby Matheny, Denton, Texas

Rossum, 25, has been mostly focused more on acting in recent years than showing off her impressive soprano voice. The New York City native starred in the action movie Dragonball: Evolution and the indie drama Dare but has found a home on the Showtime series Shameless. The drama, which just began its second season, features Rossum as Fiona, the de facto parent in a dysfunctional household.

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Brian Truitt

Leclerc trades tips on hearing problems.

Katie Leclerc plays a deaf girl in the ABC  Family drama Switched at Birth, and while she’s not deaf  in real life, she does have Meniere’s disease, a genetic disorder that makes her hard of hearing and sometimes causes vertigo. Her older sister also has Meniere’s and deals with it almost every day. “I’ll contact my sister and  say: ‘Hey, this thing happened. What are your tricks?’” says Leclerc, 25, who also trades tips and advice with fans on Twitter. “It’s nice to have somebody to bounce ideas off.”

Nelson

As he has been doing for more than 50 years, legendary musician Willie Nelson is starting out the year on the road again. Over that time, the singer has made a conscious effort to curb the smoking and drinking that marked his early years. “I started running again, biking, and I got into martial arts,” says Nelson, 78. “I don’t wake up with hangovers anymore.”

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Brian Truitt

Young is at home in horror and sci-fi.

Jan Suchomel, Necedah, Wis.

Playing the part-human, part-vampire Nicola Tesla on the Syfy series Sanctuary has been right up Young’s alley: The Canadian actor has been a favorite in the sci-fi and horror world for a while, with appearances in the movie The Fog and regular roles on Eureka and Stargate Atlantis. What you might not know, though, is he has some serious acting cred. His father ran a British Columbia community theater when Young was a kid, and Young is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Electric Company Theatre in Vancouver. He also starred as Tesla — the real-life, non-bloodsucking one — in a play based on the scientist called Brilliant!

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Brian Truitt

Catch Patrick Wilson in the movie Young Adult.

Jane Anderson, Fort Myers Beach, Fla.

Patrick Wilson, the star of the new CBS medical drama, isn’t the son of Newman — although his actual father does get his fair share of screen time. His father, John Wilson, is the award-winning co-anchor of the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. news for WTVT, a Fox affiliate in Tampa. The station also features another Wilson: Patrick’s brother John, who also is an anchor and reporter. You can check out the acting Wilson, who was raised in Norfolk, Va., on the big screen in the new comedy Young Adult.

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Brian Truitt