Buffy star joins CES as ‘ambassador’

From starring alongside a killer of nighttime villains to being appointed by the Consumer Electronics Association.

We’re talking about Eliza Dushku, who is now an “ambassador” at CEA’s big trade show, the Consumer Electronics Show.

It’s part of a new initiative called “Entertainment Matters,” which was first put into place last year. The focus is on how technology has shaped the entertainment world – including digital distribution of movies and music.

Dushku, who has appeared in Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Tru Calling along with a slew of movies, will be heading the program at this year’s show.

“Eliza is a prominent figure in the digital entertainment community, boasting over one million highly engaged Twitter followers, appearing in a number of original digital entertainment series including The Guild, and having appeared in a number of major video games including the lead role in Bethesda Softworks’ hit game, Wet, and the most recent entry in Electronic Arts’ successful Fight Night franchise,” the Consumer Electronics Association, which sponsors CES, wrote in a statement.

“As a part of her ambassadorship, Dushku will contribute to Spike TV’s ‘CES All Access Live’ broadcast coverage throughout CES and will also host the network’s exclusive VIP CES party at Tryst Nightclub in the Wynn Las Vegas.”

The Entertainment Matters initiative is an example of how CES is trying to remain relevant in an ever-changing technology environment. Microsoft has confirmed this will be its last CES, and it could be the first of an avalanche of big companies to drop out of the spectacle. A similar thing happened with the Electronic Entertaiment Expo, which swelled to a size too big for its own good, making it tough to actually conduct business there.

CES 2012 kicks off in just a few days.