Celebs Flock Back To School

Here's a trend I can get behind: celebs who have some degree of success actually looking for a degree in a course of study. As in, going back to school. That's not a bad trend to start.

Last month, while doing promotion for the ALMA awards,  Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria (who hosted and served as executive producer) announced that she's returning to something other than Wisteria Lane: school. She told Hola magazine in September that she wants to "learn more about the history of the country we come from" and will enter into a program to learn more about her Mexican roots and hopes to earn a Master's in Chicano studies and political science.

Longoria is not the first celeb to announce that they're hitting the books. Jerry O'Connell is taking time off from acting to complete night courses at a Los Angeles area law school. Meanwhile, Tony Danza will produce a edu-ality (I just made that up) show called "Teach" for A&E. He'll be teaching English to tenth graders at a Philadelphia high school. "Milk" star James Franco caused a minor ruckus when he enrolled himself in the MFA writing program at  Columbia University.

Jere Hester from NY News Service told MSNBC.com believes the trend is more about charting the course of their lives beyond the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. "Reinvention is what returning to school is all about, not just for stars, but for the many who are trying to stay a step ahead of the economy."

It worked for Jodie Foster, who took time out from her burgeoning career to attend and graduate from Yale. Natalie Portman is famous for saying, "I'd rather be smart than a movie star." She went on to complete a bachelor's degree in psychology at Harvard even as she worked on the "Star Wars" films.

Whether the celebs are humbled by the economy or looking to a plan B, taking a break to gain some knowledge is an amazing idea!

Photo courtesy of google.com/images.