Portia de Rossi

The cast of Arrested Development were joined by their significant others and a few famous friends when they hosted the premiere of their series' new Netflix episodes in Hollywood yesterday. Portia de Rossi cuddled with wife Ellen DeGeneres on the orange carpet, and the duo chatted with Portia's co-stars at the event. Meanwhile, Jason Bateman brought his wife, Amanda Anka, to the bash, and David Cross posed with his spouse, Amber Tamblyn. Aubrey Plaza dropped by the premiere's after party and talked with friend and The To Do List co-star Alia Shawkat, who also posed alongside Michael Cera. One celebrity who wasn't at the premiere was John Krasinski, who will reportedly have a cameo in Arrested Development's upcoming episodes. No details have been revealed about John's guest appearance, but fans will be able to find out soon enough when all 15 episodes of the show hit Netflix on May 26.

Happy Easter, everyone! We may be in the middle of a long weekend now, but this week just past has been as busy as every for our favourite celebs both in Australia and abroad. Kicking off the week with the Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles, we were treated to cute pictures of celebrities kicking up their heels, and cooing over baby bumps — like Selena Gomez and Katy Perry getting hands-on with fellow singer Fergie's. Meanwhile, Chris Hemsworth showed his daughter India some love while they took a walk together, and TV presenter Kylie Gillies knocked all the competition out of the water when she showed off her incredible figure at the Prix de Marie Claire Awards in Sydney. Oh, and then there was the small matter of Ellen being in the country. . .

Ellen DeGeneres has left the country! After a whirlwind Australian tour that kicked off last Friday, the popular talk show host has boarded a plane from Melbourne to head back to LA, with her wife, Portia de Rossi, mother, Betty, and crew in tow. A recent bout of the flu meant Ellen’s trip Down Under, which was sponsored by Swisse Vitamins and Qantas, had to be cut short — her team reportedly cancelled a relaxing getaway in Queensland that had been booked for the tail-end of her trip — but in the five days she was here Ellen spread her infectious joy to thousands of people. She managed to tick off requisite touristy things like visiting Taronga Zoo and posing with Sydney’s landmarks, and also made some appearances of a more personal nature, like dropping by Portia’s old school in Melbourne.

Ellen has always had a huge fan base in Australia and this past week she returned the love, even hinting at the possibility we could see her here on a permanent basis — but that’s way off in the future. Click through to see the highlights of Ellen’s Australian trip.

Melbourne looks to have been just as excited about Ellen DeGeneres coming to visit as Sydney was, with Swisse throwing the talk show host a black tie gala last night at the Grand Hyatt hotel. Local celebrities were keen to impress Ellen and her Aussie expat wife Portia de Rossi, donning floor length gowns and tuxedos for the star-spangled event. Sonia Kruger was a lady in red thanks to local designer Arthur Galan, Rebecca Judd looked femme in a ruffled silk creation and Brynne Edelsten stood out in her red carpet go-to — sparkles! And the ladies of the hour? Understated elegance was their collective MO with Ellen opting for a beautifully cut grey trouser suit with super-white brogues and Portia looking chic in a two-toned sheath and two-strap heels. Step inside to see who-wore-what!

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi may have been in the country since Friday but they were officially welcomed to Australia with a black-tie gala that was held at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne last night. The event was supposed to be held a week earlier, but Ellen’s recent illness and postponed arrival meant the cocktail reception was pushed back — not that any of the 300 frocked up VIP guests, including Lisa Wilkinson, Magda Szubanski, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Cameron McGlinchey, Shane Jacobson, Brynne Edelsten, Rebecca Judd, and host Sonia Kruger, seemed to mind. When they couldn’t catch a moment with the woman of the moment, local celebs were content to mingle with the supporting players in Ellen’s life and popular show, such as her mother, Betty DeGeneres, and DJ, Tony Okungbowa.

The gala capped off a successful day in Melbourne for Ellen, and after an overwhelming turnout at her Birrarung Marr Park show earlier day, it’s no surprise that Ellen expressed her desire to possibly move to Australia in the future. She said, “I shouldn’t put it out there, but I can see us living here one day. Not for a while as I’ve got shows to do, but I can see it happening. This is the most incredible trip, I will never forget it.”

Ellen DeGeneres pulled off her second Australian show today at Melbourne’s Birrarung Marr Park. Thousands of her fans turned up to the location — more than at her Sydney show, which she acknowledged when she said, “You beat Sydney” — including school kids who took the day off to see the talk show queen. Ellen’s show was meant to kick off at 11 a.m. but she was held up and made it onto the custom-built stage around midday. She apologised to the crowd, saying, “Long story short, I was in a kangaroo pouch for about an hour.”

The show seemed to follow a similar format to the Sydney taping and even repeated one of the celebrity guests, Jessica Mauboy, who once again assisted with a musical game. Male underwear models took to the stage, stripping to a pair of striped Ellen-branded briefs, and Ellen also demonstrated her generosity again when she gave $10,000 to a viewer named Daniel, who has been diagnosed with leukaemia.

The large fan numbers meant about 1,500 missed out on a spot in the main area, which held about 3,500 people. To make sure their patience was rewarded, Ellen popped over to the second area to say hello. And while it seems the people of Australia have won Ellen’s heart, she didn’t hold back when expressing who her top Aussie is, saying, “I’d like to introduce you to my favourite Australian: my wife, Portia de Rossi,” when presenting her wife to the crowd.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi continued their tour of Melbourne yesterday when they made a stop at Portia’s old school, Melbourne Girls Grammar. They were there for about an hour filming segments for The Ellen Show. Even though the high profile couple paid a visit to Portia’s alma mater, her hometown of Geelong is off the agenda, which upset locals. A spokesperson said, “Due to the shortened trip, Ellen and Portia are unable to travel to Geelong. Geelong will be represented in the show's Melbourne event.”

Yesterday Ellen also visited the Swisse Vitamins offices — the supplements brand is the reason she’s out here in the first place — and taped an interview with Richard Wilkins that aired on Today this morning. Ellen’s Sydney show on Saturday was a success and she’s expecting a repeat in Melbourne today — it takes place at 11 a.m. at Birrarung Marr Park and fans have been advised to “dress up as your best grafitti art” if they want a chance of winning cash.

Thousands of Australians made The Ellen Show history on Saturday when they attended the first taping of the show outside of the US. Details of the pre-recorded show were shared on Twitter, and diehard Ellen DeGeneres fans made their way to the Opera on the Harbour at the Royal Botanic Gardens decked out in Australian dress, as the talk show queen had requested.

Ellen and wife Portia de Rossi arrived on a water taxi and were greeted by deafening screams. She had a star-studded roster of celebrities on hand to help with the proceedings. Russell Crowe kicked things off — literally — when he launched footballs into the crowd and gave Ellen and Portia with matching stock whips, while Jessica Mauboy helped a fan with a ‘Finish This Lyric’ musical game. There was also no shortage of eye candy — Ellen had the company of some Rabbitohs and Sydney Swans on stage, as well as underwear models who showcased fluoro pink versions of her famous Ellen undies.

There were also lots of competitions scattered throughout the taping, giving regular Aussies the chance to earn some cash. A version of Ellen’s ‘Know or Go’ game was set up right on top of the water so that contestants were dunked straight into the harbour if they got answers wrong, while a young Sydney couple were given $10,000 after playing a round of the Gold Digger game, where money flies around in a small booth.

At the end of the day Ellen hit Twitter again to express her thanks to her Sydney fans. “That was incredible. I'm so grateful to my friends @SwisseUSA & everyone who showed up in Sydney that made this a day I'll never forget.”

Hundreds of fans crowded the arrivals lounge at Sydney Airport this morning to greet Ellen DeGeneres into the country. The daytime talk show queen walked hand-in-hand with her wife, Portia de Rossi, and was all smiles after a 14-hour flight from LA — she announced her arrival with a funny tweet, “¡ɐılɐɹʇsn∀ oʇ ʇı ǝpɐɯ I,” poking fun of being Down Under. Swisse Vitamins, the supplements brand brought Ellen to Australia, were on hand to make sure she was welcomed by sports stars (including Geoff Huegill and Liz Cambage) and a choir that sang Men at Work’s “Down Under.” Ellen couldn’t resist the opportunity to clap along and dance with them before being whisked into a big black van that took her to her Sydney hotel, where she's already been spotted checking out the harbour view.

The exact details of Ellen’s trip are a secret, but the best way to keep track of her whereabouts is to follow her on social media, as well as her producer Andy Lassner, roving reporter Jeannie Klisiewicz, Swisse Vitamins, and her DJ Tony Okungbowa. Several of Ellen’s crew, including Jeannie and Tony, have been here for a few days to film segments for the Australian special. Ellen is expected to stay in Sydney over the weekend and will head to Melbourne next week.