Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Anthony Edwards is gearing up to run the New York City Marathon Nov. 1 — and there's much more than just the thrill of personal achievement in it for the altruistically inclined actor.

"It's part of an organization called Shoe4Africa (www.shoe4africa.org), and we're looking to build the largest children's hospital in all of Africa. It's a big thing to bite off, but we think we can do it," reports Edwards, who's made his run the focus of a fundraiser for the organization he serves as chairman.

"I've run the Chicago Marathon three times, but it's been six years," he tells us. "I've been running all summer and I'm sick of running now so I can't wait for it to be over. I do love it, but it's a lot of training. It's good for the spirit, though."

MEANWHILE: Edwards plays Uma Thurman's absent-minded husband in the big-screen "Motherhood," opening Friday (10/23). While her role is certainly relatable to all the moms out there, Edwards says there's plenty for guys to relate to as well.

"I was drawn to the part probably because of how familiar it was – typecasting, as my wife said," says Edwards with a laugh. "If you're going to forgive men anything, forgive them the fact that they don't forget things intentionally. It's actually genetic."

As a father of four himself, Edwards tells us he had a lot to draw from. "I think all fathers will relate to the fact that when you become a parent, there's this overwhelming sense of responsibility to not f—- it up. Even though parents make mistakes, they don't do it because they didn't try. They're really trying to do the best job they can." Though the movie touches on many realistic things, Edwards points out that it's still a comedy. "I don't think Katherine (Dieckmann) set out to write an epic message movie of the triumphs and tragedies of motherhood. She found a fun way to get into the lives of these people who ultimately help you see what motherhood's about. There's nothing heavy or dark that we're trying to cover up. It really is meant to be entertaining, which makes me happy to endorse it."

FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT: Christine Baranski has more than the obvious reason to be thrilled that "The Good Wife" — the CBS drama in which she plays a partner in the law firm for which Julianna Margulies' character works — has already been renewed for next season.

After a career that's spanned decades, "I'm finally in a series that shoots in New York, close to my home. For years, I had a bicoastal career because work for me was in Los Angeles, and my husband and I didn't want to relocate our two daughters, so I was always taking planes. Back and forth. Back and forth. Always catching the first redeye out of LAX."

She makes the point that "So many New York actors think they can move to L.A. with their families just for the length of a series, but they never come back. I didn't want my family to be in that position. My husband (actor Matthew Cowles) and I raised the girls in the small town in Connecticut where he grew up, and now they thank me for raising them in the country, in a 18th-century farm house where they could ride horses."

"The Good Wife" is giving the Emmy- and Tony-winning actress more opportunity to exercise her considerable talents as the season progresses. This week, she's been mumbling to herself as she prepares to shoot scenes in the latest segment.

"I'm getting more dialogue than usual in the episode we're now doing. My character tries a case that has to do with cloning and involves quite a bit of legalese. My husband has been coaching me with my lines and I've been walking about, walking the dog with index cards in my hands."

For those who have yet to discover the hit CBS show in which Margulies plays the wife of a politician who's been imprisoned for corruption, and Baranski a senior partner in the law firm for which Margulies works, you still have time to tune in without feeling left out.

SCHOOL'S STILL OUT: Thanks to Jimmy Fallon, who launched a campaign to reunite the cast of "Saved By the Bell," the former cast mates briefly reunited — sans Dustin Diamond, who has written that widely criticized tell-all, "Behind the Bell" about his days on the show. While the rest of the actors are on good terms, Mario Lopez tells us he doubts the gang will reprise their beloved characters once again on TV. "I don't think so. We did the reunion on People magazine so I guess that sort put a hold on that," says Lopez of doing anything scripted. "The spread created a lot of buzz, which was cool. But I'm pretty busy so it'd be tough for me to pull off anything else with my schedule."

With reports by Emily-Fortune Feimster

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