...Lets talk!

  I am most passionate about learning, who people are and what makes them tick. I revel in giving individuals opportunity to share their personal stories and views of how they see our world. My 'river runs deep', if you will, both personally and professionally, as an advocate for women and children. I am most honored to produce and host along-side my partner Sherry Halperin a most innovative panel of experts as CSUSB presents, Conversations about Ageism both in Hollywood and Other Businesses, on Feb. 13, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. at the Indian Wells Theater at the California State University Palm Desert Campus.

Ageism is the type of prejudice and discrimination which consists of the unjustifiable use of social notions associated with chronological or biological age.'

(Branine and Glover 1997)

In the 1970's women may have burned their bras while chanting Helen Reddy's song I Am Woman; but they didn't roar on television until the 1980s. Then for the first time in television history did viewers see women not only as sex symbols or glamorous ing�nues, but in a more positive portrayal as strong, intelligent, mature adults. Programs like Golden Girls, Maude, Murder, She Wrote, and The Father Dowling Mysteries , allowed  audiences  to follow the lives of older female protagonists.

Today, women between the ages of 40 and 64 hold the largest demographic in our history, yet they are under represented by the media, in the board rooms and in our government. Both female and male Alpha Boomers, the 55 to 64 year-olds who were the first group of Baby Boomers born after World War II, changed the world when they were young and continue to influence our lives. Whether they're hosting a talk show or sitting on the U.S. Supreme Court, their influence is unparalleled. The questions are, "With the recent success of 88 year old Betty White, are things changing? Will ageism still play a major role in the lives of women and men over 40, or  will Hollywood and other professions maintain 'business as usual'  - that being traditionally a younger person's venue with programming targeting the traditional 18-34 year old consumer?"

Joining me as I enter into conversation are four most passionate and talented female entrepreneurs.

• Susan Davis has worked in many areas of show business. On Broadway she co-produced the critically acclaimed "Conversation at Midnight" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. An actress for over 30 years, she is most often remembered as Matthew Broderick's mother in "WarGames" and the nymphomaniac nurse on "Barney Miller." Her voice-over credits include the voice of Pippi in the movie "The Pippi Longstocking Story", Sesame Street and The Electric Company. She is one of the writers, director and producers of the"Invisible Woman". 

• Kelly Lange is an Emmy Award winning TV news reporter, talk show host, former Tournament of Roses co-host and a best-selling, award winning mystery author. Lange co-hosted the television showTomorrow  with Tom Snyder and was a regular guest host on NBC's Today.  In Southern California, she served as co-anchor for nightly newscasts at KNBC-TV from 1971-1999. Her fiction books include The Reporter, Dead File, Graveyard Shift, Trophy Wife  and Gossip.  

• Deborah M. Pratt was Co-Executive Producer and head writer of the award winning  Sci-Fi hit, "Quantum Leap", Executive producer of The Net for USA Network, director of  Cora Unashamed  for Masterpiece Theater and author of The Vision Quest  Science-Fantasy Trilogy, Inner Knowings and Visionary: Being One. She is the writer and director for the upcoming feature film epic, Chevalier & Antoinette. As a producer, she is a four-time Emmy nominee and Golden Globe nominee.  As a television writer, Ms. Pratt was awarded the Lillian Gish Award from Women in Film and The Angel Award, to name just a few of her accolades.

�    Stacy L. Smith joined the University of Southern California Annenberg Faculty in the fall of 2003.  Her research focuses on children's responses to mass media portrayals of violence, gender and hypersexuality. Dr. Smith has written nearly 50 journal articles and book chapters on content patterns and effects of the media on youth, where she has received   multiple "top paper" awards for her research, and has been written about in The New York Times, and USA Today to name a few. Most recently, she has been working with a team of graduate and undergraduate students to assess portrayals of males and females in popular media. Some of this work has been funded by See Jane, a program started by Academy Award winner Geena Davis.

Both Sherry and I look forward to seeing you on Feb. 13, 2011!

 My best,

Patti