Geena Davis has been the Commander in Chief. She has been her namesake in The Geena Davis Show. And now, she is going to be a police detective to see if the third time really is the charm when it comes to having your own TV show. The 52-year-old actress will star in the newly greenlit pilot for the series Exit 19.

In the hour-long drama for CBS, Geena will play a “quirky homicide detective on the mean streets of Manhattan who also is a single mom to two kids in the Long Island suburbs.” As television’s newest female law enforcement officer, she joins the distinguished ranks of Kyra Sedgwick on The Closer, Holly Hunter on Saving Grace, Mariska Hargitay on Law & Order: SVU and many others who have worn the badge for the cameras. Geena almost made her entrance into police work early, as she was approached last year to take over for departing star Mandy Patinkin on fellow CBS crime drama Criminal Minds. Joe Mantegna ended up taking the role.

As a fan of most crime procedurals (there is something to be said for the simplicity of good guys catching the bad guys, especially after a long day of blogging), I’ll probably check out Geena’s latest offering. I can’t say I was a fan of her other post-Oscar small-screen attempts. I never watched her 2001 series, The Geena Davis Show. Apparently it was a relationship/familial sitcom. Though, after seeing this promo shot of Geena and her endless legs, I feel I may have missed out on something important. … continue reading

If you're outside the United States — or living in a news vacuum — you might have missed that today is Iowa caucus day. That means that Iowa Republicans will be casting ballots, Iowa Democrats will be standing in different parts of a room and, by the end of the day, we'll be that much closer to knowing who the next woman in the White House will be. This year is exciting because we usually don't get to vote for the woman in the White House.

The closest we've gotten so far is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who's two heartbeats away from the Presidency. Of course, as Sarah pointed out last summer, we do have celluloid depictions of women who rule. And we all know that fictional leaders are often more appealing than the real deal. (President Bartlett, anyone?) So, let's see how the real prospects stand up against the fictional. In true Iowa-caucus fashion, pick a candidate, stand in her corner and see if you can convince others to join you.

Madame President

1. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

Why you should stand in her corner: She's the first female Presidential candidate to have an actual chance of winning. At the Visible Vote forum, she told us, “I'm your girl.” She supports the repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” and is in favor of civil unions. She is a real-life person.

Why you should stand elsewhere: She doesn't support same-sex marriage “yet.” Lots of people hate her, and some believe that makes her unelectable. … continue reading

I don't know about you, but I get a little thrill out of seeing a woman in power. Put a woman in command in a movie or TV show, and suddenly, I'm interested — the only reason I watched all seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager when I really don't like Star Trek is because of Captain Janeway. (Okay, Seven of Nine helped there, too).

In light of the patriotic holiday that is upon us here in the U.S., the recent news that Fox's 24 is considering having a female president on next season, and of course, the '08 election, I thought I'd highlight some of the most powerful fictional women (or fictional takes on historical women). So here's my list, in no particular order, of women in film and TV (and a book) who have served in the highest (or second-highest) office in the land.

Joan Allen as the Vice Presidential Nominee in The Contender (2000)
Allen is excellent in this movie that brilliantly illustrates the double-standards applied to women in power. As a Senator nominated for the vice presidency, she steadfastly refuses to comment on a photo circulated by enemies in the Republican party that purports to show her engaged in group sex while she was in college, insisting "I just can't respond to these accusations because it's not okay for them to be made."

Mary McDonnell as President Laura Roslin in the Sci Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica (2004 - today)
With the world as they know it is destroyed, President Roslin and the head of the military (Edward James Olmos) must work together to fight off the evil Cylons, maintain morale, and find a new home. As a former teacher who took over the presidency after everyone else in the line of succession was killed, she rose to the occasion and demonstrated a steely reserve behind the calm and gentle demeanor. Plus, she's kinda hot.

… continue reading