At Equality Now’s twentieth anniversary dinner last night at the Asia Society, Daily Intel caught up with actress Eliza Dushku to talk Mormonism and Mitt Romney. Romney served as Dushku’s bishop when she was growing up, although she doesn’t consider herself to be “very Mormon” anymore — she started distancing herself from the church as a teenager. “My problems with the church have to do with its stance on homosexuality, and other things,” she told us.

Among those “other things”: Women’s rights, a subject which frequently pitted Dushku’s mother, Judy Dushku, against Romney. Consequently, Dushku’s history with Romney is a bit complicated. “I mean, he went from being my first crush at six years old — I named my Ken dolls ‘Mitt’ — and then when I was old enough to hear what was coming out of his mouth, it was over,” Dushku recalls. “I’m sure he’s a nice guy. I knew him to be a nice person, to those around him. He had five sons that I knew, that my brothers would play with growing up, and they were kind to others. But what they stand for I don’t find to be tolerant or just.”

It’s fair to say that Dushku probably won’t be stumping for Romney on the campaign trail this year.

Credit: ymag.com

For actress Eliza Dushku, the title of CES ambassador is not simply honorary. It speak to what she truly is: a tech geek.

“I have a lot of gadgets because I travel a lot. I have an iPhone, and I still use a BlackBerry,” says Dushku, best known for appearing on the TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse. “I like the (portable speaker) Jambox from Jawbone — that pumps when I am on the road.”

She has voiced characters in video-game releases such as Fight Night Champion and Wet. But these days, “I do a lot with social media,” she says.

Dushku (@ElizaDushku) uses Twitter to alert her 1.1 million followers to gadgets she is into and charities that she is involved with, including a trauma healing and reflection center for former child soldiers in Uganda.

Her interest in technology drew Dushku and her boyfriend to last year’s International Consumer Electronics Show. “We gave ourselves two days. But it is just so big, and there was so much happening.”

Show operators approached her about returning this year as ambassador, and she accepted. “I’m here to help people navigate the floor and Twitter about it and host parties and talk to people about gadgets they like.” She also did live, on-air spots for cable’s Spike TV.

Next up for Dushku is a movie she’s developing with her brother, Nate — and will star in — about her hometown of Boston. The two recently shot a documentary in Albania, and next year plan to shoot a film about photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.

About the rumor she may be cast in Ghostbusters 3? “That is an Internet Movie Database rumor,” she says. “I know (Ghostbusters writer/star Dan) Ackroyd, and I heard about. It would be fun.”

Credit: usatoday.com