Geena Davis kept her audience laughing at the Smart Talk lecture series at the Des Moines Civic Center on Monday night.

She wore a navy blue suit and light blue shirt. One of the first laughs came when she quipped that one thing about portraying the first female president of the United States in the TV show “Commander-in-Chief” - for which she won a Golden Globe - was that she now had “a lifetime supply of snazzy business attire.”

In spite of her humor, the film and TV star was earnest about her message that media and society do not give equal status to women. Two turning points in her life opened her eyes about that, she said.

Read the full article at The Des Moines Register online

(Weird photo? Not really! Geena was imitating Lt. Uhura from “Star Trek” as she talked about acting roles women had while she was growing up.)

Role models are a theme of Geena Davis’ life.

She has acknowledged those who have influenced her, she has dedicated efforts toward improving gender depictions in children’s media, and she has portrayed women of influence in her acting.

Role modeling is a topic that will most likely be heard when Davis takes the stage at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines at 7:30 p.m. today. She is the final speaker in the Smart Talk Women’s Lecture Series sponsored by The Des Moines Register.

Read the article at The Des Moines Register online

As mentioned earlier this week, on May 16 Geena delivered the keynote speech at the School of Communication ceremony at USC Annenberg. From the website:

Davis started her speech by drawing laughs from the School of Communication for her advice on how to become a movie star: “First step. Get really big parts in major motion pictures.”

She then spoke about serious gender research being done at USC Annenberg that shows a vast underrepresentation of female characters in popular TV and media. About 200 USC Annenberg undergraduate students, including more than 50 research assistants sitting in the audience as new graduates, helped in the research done in partnership with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

“Research and education are the cornerstones of affecting change,” Davis said.

At USC Annenberg, Walt Disney Co. President Robert Iger will deliver the commencement address May 16, while Geena is among those scheduled to speak at the satellite ceremonies. Geena will speak at the Communication Satellite Ceremony held in USC’s McCarthy Quad. The ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. — after the main University activities conclude. The University-wide ceremony starts at 8:30 with a recommended arrival time of 7 a.m. or earlier.

(sources: the Annenberg website and LA Times)

Geena spoke at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts yesterday, as part of the “Unique Lives and Experiences” series. See more at the official website.

Geena was seen at jeweler Damiani’s annual Oscar cocktail party this Tuesday. The event took place at the Presidential Suite at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Thank you for the link, 77517!

Geena was a presenter at yesterday’s 10th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards. She presented costume designer Ruth Myers with the Lacoste Career Achievement in Film Award. The event took place at the in Beverly Hills, California.

(photos by Chris Pizzello and Kevin Winter)

From Milford Daily News, Jan 29

The Yankee Dental Congress is one of the top five dental expos in the country and lines up as the second biggest convention in Boston for 2008, with an estimated economic impact of $22 million. The city’s largest convention this year is the AIIM and On Demand combined expo, scheduled for early March and expected to draw about 35,000 people involved, respectively, with the information management and digital printing industries. The event runs Jan. 30 to Feb. 3.

The Yankee Dental Congress kicks off Wednesday night with a reception and awards ceremony at the Seaport Hotel in South Boston, with the convention center opening Thursday and events there running through Sunday.

The event typically features top-notch entertainment and this year singer Sheryl Crow performs Friday night in the convention center’s ballroom. Actress Geena Davis and mystery author Harlan Coben will make guest appearances.

Thank you, 77517, for the heads up!