Susan Sarandon has been going from project to project to project over the last year or so, and says she was on the verge of taking a little work break when "The Big C" came her way. "I wasn't quite sure I wanted to do it until I read it, and knew what was going to happen at the end. That convinced me," she tells us.

Debuting Sunday (4/22) on the Showtime dark comedy, Sarandon's self-help guru — Joy, the self-named and titled Joyologist — is a cancer survivor who leads others in finding their paths to true happiness via lectures, retreats, the gamut. Laura Linney's and Oliver Platt's characters fall under her charismatic spell.

"The only thing I was concerned about was making sure she was treated sincerely, you know?" notes the revered Oscar-winning actress. "I was trying to not be a caricature of those people who are in that business. And I think she really believes it, and you know, I felt she should actually help people even though other things happen later that maybe make you think of her in a different way. At least you start off, I think, believing she's really sincere and has turned her cancer experience into something that is really positive, and that's great."

Speaking of positive, that's the word she uses frequently to describe Linney — "just relentlessly positive and a total pro, of course, with a very welcome sense of humor.

.Laura's very special, she has a light and she's trying to do something unique and funny and at the same time, a little dark." Working on the show, she notes, "is a good excuse for us to stay in touch. You know, we kept running into each other. I've known her for years. But now I feel like I'm part of the family, and you take advantage of that as much as possible."

Sarandon's current string of films ranges from "Jeff, Who Lives at Home," now in release, to the upcoming "Arbitrage" with Richard Gere and Tim Roth, "The Company You Keep" with Robert Redford and Julie Christie, "Robot and Frank" with Frank Langella and Liv Tyler, and the sci-fi flick "Cloud Atlas," in which she cross-dresses to play a man. However, the honesty-loving star is quick to point out that they are not large roles.

"I keep saying that they're all — you need to put them all together and maybe you have two real films to my credit," Sarandon says. "But I don't mind going in almost like a temp and dealing with a certain problem that needs to be solved. And if the characters are fun and the company is inspiring, and they're trying to do something different, I'm very happy to jump in for the ride."

STARK IN HERE: Adrian Pasdar is having a blast doing the voice role of Tony Stark/Iron Man on Disney XD's "Ultimate Spider-Man" — which fans will be able to catch Sunday (4/22) on Disney XD's Marvel Universe. The former "Heroes" star, who's also busy doing ABC Family's "Lying Game" these days, tells us, "The best part of it is that I get a chance to do something my children not only watch, but really enjoy. So many things I do are not really age-appropriate for them." Pasdar and wife Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks have two sons, ages 11 and six. Marvel Comics President Emeritus and comic book creator legend Stan Lee does cameo voice work on "Ultimate Spider-Man" too, as a janitor — which just adds to Pasdar's fun.

"He's been great. I've done projects with him. He was in 'Heroes,' which created a great opportunity to run into him at the Comic Cons. Once you get into the inner circle of that world, you cross paths with so many great people. I'm such a fan of it, of course. I'm like a kid in a candy store at those things," admits the actor. "And to have Stan Lee ask me how I am, it's just amazing to me."

Pasdar hasn't had a chance to take his boys to such an event — yet. His Comic Cons have been in the thick of promotion work, doing interviews and signing autographs and such — which makes it pretty hard to move about freely. "I did it once dressed up as a Storm Trooper just to walk around, my Howard Hughes moment," he reveals with a laugh. Sounds like a good idea! "Yes, but if I'm going to borrow an outfit like that again, I'm going to make sure no one else has worn it first. It seemed like a great idea 'til I put the helmet on." Eww.

COWBOYING UP: Bruce Boxleitner is heading to Oklahoma City to be inducted into the National Cowboy & Heritage Hall of Fame at the city's annual Western Heritage Awards tomorrow (4/21). Sure, fans might think of the "Tron" and "Babylon 5" actor as a sci-fi guy, but he has a long list of Westerns to his credit as well. "How the West Was Won," "The Gambler," "Aces 'n Eights" to name a few — plus his sci-fi/Western hybrid novels, Frontier Earth, and Searcher. Past Hall of Fame inductees include such names as Fess Parker and Temple Grandin.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.