Dexter is teaming up with the Harlem Children’s Zone and will be auctioning off props seen in Season 3 to fans.

A portion of the proceeds will go to the Harlem Children’s Zone, a community-based organization that has been offering education and social-service programs to families since 1970.

The Children’s Zone’s goal is to break the cycle of poverty that often passes from generation to generation. Its services are free to the children and families of Harlem, thanks to donations from companies and individuals.

Now, Showtime’s making it easy to support the organization, and to score some awesome memorabilia for yourself or for a holiday gift to the Dexter fan on your list.

Here are a few of the items being auctioned off:

• Dexter’s arm cast, seen in the Season 3 finale
• Miguel Prado’s El Royale Cigar Box
• Dexter and Rita’s wedding pillow for the ring bearer at their ceremony
• Dexter and Rita’s wedding invitations (6 invitations and 25 envelopes, most with addresses)
• Blood spatter photos
• Crime scene photos
• Sadie’s Donuts boxes (Dexter’s favorite prop!)

The Dexter auction goes live today. Post your bids here. And don’t forget, Showtime Fans, there are just a few more episodes before the season finale on Dec. 13!

Image: Courtesy of Showtime

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Weeds‘ Kevin Nealon will return this year to host the Funniest Commercials of the Year special on TBS, and you can help him choose the winner.

On Dec. 15, TBS will air a one-hour compilation of 50 of the funniest ads, with Nealon hosting from various locations in New York City.

Viewers can vote in advance on their favorites from a short list of the year’s most hilarious commercials.

Among the Top 10 are ads that feature a poop explosion, children with crazy eybrows, a flying condom that leaves love in its wake, and a chinchilla revolution that provides a perfect excuse for a Vegas vacation.

Watch the commercials online at VeryFunnyAds.com through Nov. 30 and cast your vote. Viewer’s votes will be tallied, with the No. 1 funniest commercial revealed at the end of the show, after a countdown of the year’s best.

As an online bonus VeryFunnyAds.com also lets you watch the commercials deemed “too hot for TV” (they’re some of the funniest of the lot).

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The Irishman is getting ready for the premiere of From Paris with Love, a thriller set in France in which he co-stars with John Travolta.

The spy drama drops Feb. 5, according to Irish Central.

JRM also will begin production on another film with a Hollywood veteran attached. He’s set to appear opposite Kevin Bacon in Whole Lotta Sole.

In the comedy, he’ll play a thief who tries to rob a fish market and ends up taking Bacon’s character hostage, according to Entertainment Tonight. Sole will be shot in Belfast, keeping JRM on his home turf for a while.

That’s good news for his on-again, off-again romance with girlfriend Reena Hammer. As you can see from this photo, the couple was spotted looking happy(ish) together last week at the annual Rainforest Project event, hosted by Prince Charles in London.

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The 22-year-old actor was featured in a photo spread in People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” issue this week, earning him the distinction of being one of the “110 of the hottest guys on the planet.” (Nurse Jackie fans will be happy to note that Peter Facinelli also got a shout-out in the issue, as “hottest dad.”)

In Parrish’s photo feature, set on the Las Vegas strip, he shared his craziest memory from a night in Vegas and explained why he gets high on life when he’s there:

Wildest Night in Vegas: I was with my parents for my 21st birthday. I went to a couple of clubs and walked past them on the way to my room at 4:30 a.m. They were still gambling.

The Big O: I like the oxygen they pump into Vegas hotels. You feel a little loopy — and revitalized. I fell like I’m doing a bad drug, then I realize it’s a basic need.

While the People piece listed the young star is “single,” playing the field might be more accurate. He showed up this week at the GQ Men of the Year Party at Chateau Marmont with actress Danielle Panabaker (Friday the 13th, Shark, Mr. Brooks).

GQ named Parrish a big man off campus this summer, and indeed, his clean-cut good look have attracted plenty of attention in young Hollywood. While Parrish claims to love older women, he’s also recently been spotted with Amanda “A.J.” Michalka of 78Violet, whose acting credits include Six Feet Under and The Lovely Bones.

In a video taken during the People photo shoot, Parrish revealed that sexy to him means a girl who looks hot without trying: If she can look great in PJs with her hair pulled back, he’s happy. And only he can tell whether his latest love interests make the grade…

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ethan Embry, who played Caffee family cousin Declan Giggs on Brotherhood, has been cast as a stay-at-home dad who serves as confidant to his lawyer sister in the pilot, called Facing Kate. Said sister will be played by L Word alumna Sarah Shahi, who will play Kate, a divorced San Francisco woman who leaves her job as at a law firm to become a mediator.

Images: Fame Pictures, Pacific Coast News

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Dexter’s

The actors were singled out for creating indelible characters on the small screen, and the piece is very revealing of their different processes for earning a role and making it their own. It’s worth a read, but we’ve distilled the best of Benz’ comments here.

On Dexter, Benz’s Rita has recovered from abuse by her first husband’s hand, found love again with Dexter, seen their relationship threatened by his demons and come out the other side.

It’s hard to imagine her playing any other character on the show, but Benz said she initially auditioned for both Deb and Rita — and she wanted to play Deb because she liked the idea of cursing a blue streak on TV. The producers felt she’d be better suited to the role of Rita, but they worried that Benz’s beauty would come off as too glamorous to play the single mom.

“I had to come in with no makeup on and in sweats,” she recalled. “And then I took it a step further because they wanted me to look really downtrodden, so I actually drank wine so I was hung over and I put mascara in my hair to give myself really bad roots.”

Her dedication paid off with the role she’s brought to life for four seasons by channelling herself at her most fragile, Benz said.

“I don’t have her tragic background,” she said of Rita, “but what we do share is our vulnerabilities are very much the same. I probably have a stronger veneer than she does, but when you take away the mask and I’m at my most vulnerable, that’s Rita.”

The Dexter cast members are extremely close with one another, she said, which is one reason the actors can dig deep. “We shot our pilot on location in Miami, when the hurricanes were going through. And for some reason, spending those three weeks together really made us close. I usually say it’s the kiss of death when you all get along because I’ve been on numerous shows where we got along and we were canceled. When work is too much fun to go to, it doesn’t last. But this one has lasted.”

Image: Fame Pictures

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On Californication, Amurri’s character is a self-actualized stripper/college student who’s unwilling to let Professor Hank Moody end their relationship. This week her antics with her coworkers brought much hilarity (and much nudity) to the series.

On CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, Amurri’s guest appearance was much more demure.

She played Shelly, a teacher and co-worker of Lily’s who was about to be set up with the perennially single Ted (a blind date three years in the making). She instead fell for a fictional alter ego of Barney’s as part of his elaborate scam to meet women sleep with women.

The HIMYM folks kept much of Amurri’s va-va-voom under wraps, dressing her in conservative sweaters and jackets, but she still had great on-screen chemistry.

In fact, she left at least one critic hoping for repeat appearances (we’ll second that motion!).

So would Amurri, according to her Twitter page. Before the episode aired, she told a follower: “Just 1 ep on HIMYM but I had a blast! Would love to do another in the future.”

Image: Pacific Coast News

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Our evidence: He makes himself accessible to his fans (they are legion, thanks to his role as Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the Twilight films), he doesn’t take himself too seriously, he’s all about social media, and, with wife and 90210 star Jennie Garth, he’s managing to raise three daughters in Hollywood without much drama.

In fact, Facinelli goes above and beyond to embrace being a family man in Tinseltown. He’s often spotted on family outings, including a Halloween bike ride he took with Jennie and the kids, and in this photo from 2008 at a Disney-themed party.

**Update:** People magazine agrees with us! They just named Facinelli “hottest dad” in their “Sexiest Man Alive” issue!

The actor recently visited with Time Out New York Kids magazine, dishing on what it’s like to be a dad in the spotlight. (Basically, it’s not that different from being a dad out of the spotlight. You still have to schlep kids to and from school and sports practice, load everyone into an RV for the family vacation, and generally give over every waking moment that you’re not working to your second job: parenting).

Facinelli’s now in New York filming Season 2 of Nurse Jackie, so his parenting time is often spent on Skype, but he told Time Out he tries not to go more than two weeks without a trip home to see his family (awwwww, how could you not love this guy?.)

More interview excerpts are after the jump!

Image: Zuma Press

How do you balance family and work?
Any minute I have off, I try to get home. Last year I flew into L.A. on a Friday morning, picked up my kids from school, put up the Halloween decorations, had dinner with them and got back on a plane that night to go back to film. But it was worth every minute that I got to spend with them. I try not to go more than two weeks without seeing them even if it’s only for a day. And we also have Skype. At least we get to see each other! Sometimes we’ll even eat dinner together. I’ll be eating ramen noodles and they’ll be having a wonderful home-cooked meal.

As working actors, you and Jennie both have incredibly demanding schedules. What’s the key to your successful marriage?
We take it one day at a time. My theory: Don’t throw in the towel in a relationship if you’re having rocky times. You’re just going to have to start over with somebody else and then you’re going to have rocky times with them. Every time we’ve ridden through the rocky times, our love’s gotten deeper. At this point we’ve been together 15-odd years and I can’t imagine trading that time for somebody else.

You and Jennie have three children, daughters Luca Bella, Lola Ray and Fiona Eve. Any plans for more?
I believe the world was made for a family of five and no more. When you get in a car, you can seat five comfortably. When you go out to dinner, you can seat five comfortably. I’m from a family of six but those were different days; everyone climbed in the back of a Chrysler and your face was smashed up against the glass and nobody cared. That being said, never say never!

What do you like to do during your downtime, besides Twitter?
What downtime? Any downtime I have is spent with my family, with my kids. In between one doing soccer and basketball, another doing horseback riding and the three-year-old wanting to go to the park, I don’t have a lot of downtime.

Is it true that you like to take family road trips?
Yes. We take our RV to our daughter’s soccer tournaments and we drove to Portland, Oregon this past summer. I just bought a new RV the other day. We had a 33-foot and now we’ve moved up to a huge 40-foot Class A motor home. Who knows? Maybe I’m making room for one more child.

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Andy Botwin’s latest online course offered via The University of Andy is “The Perfect Thanksgiving.” In it, Andy (played by Justin Kirk) shares his slacker tips for making the most out of a day that generally requires you to eat, watch ball games and sleep. Since that’s Andy’s normal schedule, he’s an expert.

Take a look, Showtime Fans. A few minutes with Professor Andy and you’ll be neglecting your To Do lists before you know it:

Happy viewing, and don’t forget to give thanks: Weeds returns for Season 6 in 2010.

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That’s par for the course, but it was with relief that we saw the return of his soulmate and baby mama Karen in later episodes.The chemistry between Duchovny and Natascha McElhone can’t be replicated with any of Hank’s many flings.

McElhone has kept a fairly low profile since the sudden death of her husband last year. The actress recently was spotted on the red carpet at the London Film Festival, taking in the premiere of the George Clooney flick Up in the Air. She chose a black-and-yellow embroidered gown, with minimal accessories. More photos are after the jump.

As Californication builds toward the end of the season, McElhone shared a few insights into Karen and Hank’s relationship.

“The only way he’s going to get Karen back is if he cleans the slate and makes himself available,” she said in an interview with TV Guide. “At the moment, his life is so complicated. He’s got to downsize a bit and actually give it a go again with her.”

So, was the whole long-distance relationship premise this season a way of Karen testing Hank? “I think sometimes she sort of gives him a little bit of space to do his thing, and he realizes he’s not actually missing out on that much after all,” McElhone said. “I suppose that’s quite wise, even though she might catch some terrible contagious disease in the meantime.”

Before the star-crossed lovers get together for good, Hank’s gonna have to make his peace with the women he’s enjoyed this season, which culminates in a confrontation with all of them. After that, will Becca’s parents finally overcome their issues and live happily ever after?

“When you see the end of the season, that question will be answered,” McElhone said.

Don’t miss the all the drama! Californication airs tonight  at 10 p.m. Eastern.

Images: Fame Pictures

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