January 24 - Where Are They Now? Wednesday - Geena Davis

This week’s WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WEDNESDAY is Geena Davis.

Geena Davis came to mind as I was watching the State of the Union speech last night. During the speech the cameras kept focusing on the Junior Senator from New York, Hillary Clinton.

Geena Davis starred as the President in the 2005 ABC series, Commander in Chief. The series didn’t last long. Nineteen episodes were filmed, but not all were broadcast. True fans, those that have chosen “not to get a life,” could see all of the episodes via the web.

After USA Today ran a puff piece and tried to prop the show up as the next West Wing, I took except and fired off the below Letter to the Editor.

“I read your Life section October 11, 2005 cover story, “Call her Madame President” about the new series, “Commander in Chief”. I decided to watch the show that night. That is an hour of my life I can never get back.

Bad acting and poor dialogue aside, the plot line was not even plausible. This entire show and your feature of it must be the result of some Vast Left Wing Conspiracy to further the presidential ambitions of one, Hillary Clinton.

One can only hope that more viewers tuned it only to eventually tune out this show and see it for what it is, propaganda.”

In publishing my letter (at right) on October 20, 2005, the phrase “VAST LEFT-WING CONSPIRACY” was changed to “LEFT WING AGENDA”. This small change destroyed the original intent of the letter as a “tongue in cheek” linkage of the new TV show, Hillary Clinton, and her now famous statement about a “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.”

Hillary Clinton coined the phrase “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy” in an interview on NBC's "Today" show in January 1998 while defending President Bill Clinton about allegations that he had had an affair with a White House intern and then lied about it. She said different GOP and conservative groups had been out to get President Clinton and challenged the news media to uncover it.

"Look at the very people who are involved in this," Hillary Clinton said in the interview. "They have popped up in other settings. The great story here for anybody willing to find it, write about it and explain it is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president."

By changing the phrase away from “Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy” it makes me look more like Oliver Stone and less like George Will. It changed the true intent of my letter. If you have to explain the joke, then maybe I should save my humor for my next Mensa meeting.

Now, that Hillary Clinton has announced that she has formed an “Exploratory Committee,” the focus of my January 22 Pet Peeve, the Heresy of the TV show has now become the Prophesy.

As for Geena Davis, it just wasn’t a believable show. Every week there was another crisis. There were hostages, near nuclear wars, possible coups, etc. At least George Bush only has one continuing 4-year crisis, Iraq.

Episode 13 was most pathetic or was that prophetic? The first husband finds himself in a compromising position with an intern. I kid you NOT. Not that would ever happen to Willie Clinton.

As for Geena Davis, she is actually a fine actress. She received an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Accidental Tourist (1988). She was simply miscast as the first female President. Bea Arthur (right) would have been more plausible.

Since the show cancellation, Geena is staying busy. She sits on the Heal Breast Cancer Foundation. The first Heal Breast Cancer Awards & Gala will take place on February 22, 2007 at the Sofitel Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. Outstanding pioneers in the fields of Integrative Medicine, Socially Conscious Businesses and Arts & Awareness are to be honored.

Other benefit committee includes: Rosie O Donnell, Sir Ben Kingsley, Ben Stiller, Tommy Lee Jones, and Alfre Woodard. I’m not sure I would want to go a dinner with that mix of people unless Donald Trump was there to point out everyone’s shortcomings.