Talk about beauty and brains.

The gorgeous Eva Longoria will be trading in her usual designer attire for a cap and gown in a couple weeks, when she receives her master’s degree in Chicano Studies from California State University, Northridge.

“I’m writing my thesis now,” the actress told E! News last night at the Lays Do Us A Flavor event. “Hopefully, I’ll finish in time!”

Longoria’s rep also tells us that the star “enrolled at Northridge three years ago and is receiving her Master’s degree in Chicano Studies with her thesis on ‘Success STEMS From Diversity: The Value of Latinas in STEM Careers.’” STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

Commencement will be held in two weeks, and Eva will see a familar face up on stage, since one of the keynote speakers for the ceremony is none other than Desperate Housewives creator and executive producer Marc Cherry, who she’s now working with on the new show Devious Maids.

The accomplished celeb tweeted, “I’m very proud of my show Devious Maids, first ever all LATINA cast!!!”

Congratulations, Eva!

It’s over for NBC’s new dating series Ready For Love after two low-rated airings, while underrated Friday drama Grimm is getting an upgrade. Beginning April 30, Grimm will move to the Tuesday 10 PM slot, airing behind a two-hour episode of The Voice, and will remain on Tuesday through May 21. Grimm will have a two-hour Voice lead-in for two more weeks, while it is unclear what will air in the Tuesday 9 PM hour on May 14 and May 21. Grimm will be replaced in the Friday 9 PM hour by newsmagazine Dateline, which will be leading into Rock Center. It is unclear when or where (or if) the remaining episodes of Ready For Love will air. The dating reality series executive produced by Eva Longoria was originally slated to air on Sundays this midseason. When Smash crashed and burned in its Season 2 return, NBC opted to launch Ready For Love on Tuesday instead, with the show getting a plum Voice lead-in. But after a slow start, Ready For Love dropped to a 1.3/4 in adults 18-49 in its second airing this week despite a huge Voice lead-in.

Eva Longoria got a little too relaxed while lounging in the sun during a Puerto Rican getaway over the weekend. The former Desperate Housewives actress, 38, was wearing a tiny neon orange string bikini for her day in the sun when she loosened the ties a bit too much and exposed her breast to bystanders at the beach on Saturday, April 6.

The Ready for Love producer quickly caught her nip slip, however, and adjusted her bikini top to enjoy the rest of her tanning session without incident.

Longoria previously credited her great bikini body to a combination of diet and exercise — except for one notable guilty pleasure.

“I actually do have a good diet aside from the chips,” the Lay’s Potato Chips “Do Us a Flavor” competition spokeswoman told Yahoo’s omg!. “I do diet and exercise. Some people think you can do one or the other, but it really goes hand in hand.”

Longoria was enjoying some rays just ahead of the big debut of her upcoming dating show, which is set to launch on Tuesday, April 9 on NBC. She’s also apparently enjoying the trip with fellow Hollywood hotties Khloe Kardashian and LaLa Anthony — with all three women on the island for a friend’s wedding.

“Having so much fun at Amber’s wedding with @KhloeKardashian and @lala in Puerto Rico!” she shared with fans on Twitter later that evening. In the cute snapshot, the three women look all dolled up as they pose at an elaborately decorated table in front of a live band.

Longoria was previously spotted in a bikini during a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil just last month, where she relaxed at the beach and did some touristy sight-seeing at the Cristo Redentor statue.

For those interested parties, the way to Eva Longoria’s heart may be through her stomach.

While many might think the 37-year-old divorcée would have turned into a bit of a food snob now that she’s opened her second restaurant and can brag about her cookbook being on the New York Times best-sellers list, the full-time entertainer (and part-time restaurateur) still has a sweet spot for everyday fare.

We caught up with the “Desperate Housewives” alum this week in Manhattan where she was announcing the finalists for Lay’s Potato Chips “Do Us a Flavor” competition. The three competitors – who came up with some unusual chip flavors, including Cheesy Garlic Bread and Chicken & Waffles – are vying for a chance to win $1 million.

As bags of chips were being given away to passersby outside the New York Stock Exchange, where we met with the star, we were curious: How many chips had Longoria sampled throughout the process?

Longoria and Michael Symon announcing the Lay’s Do Us A Flavor finalists this week in NYC (Diane Bondareff/Invision …“Oh, way too many to count,” laughed the petite star.

And while she certainly doesn’t look like she sits around snacking, “I’ve always liked chips,” admitted Longoria, who has been working with Ron Howard to direct a short film for Canon’s Project Imaginat10n. “I’m not much on sweets. I really prefer salty snacks – chips, nuts, olives, that kind of thing.”

Outside the work-necessitated chips binge, Longoria – who’s been a foodie all her life – is strict about her food intake.

“I actually do have a good diet aside from the chips,” the Eva’s Kitchen cookbook author told omg!. “I do diet and exercise. Some people think you can do one or the other, but it really goes hand in hand.”

Earlier this month, Longoria opened her second restaurant – SHe in Las Vegas, which followed Beso, under celebrity chef Todd English, in Los Angeles.

Longoria at the grand opening of SHe in Las Vegas earlier this month (Denise Truscello/WireImage)“SHe is a feminine take on the typical steak house,” explained Longoria, who got excited talking about the menu, which features “a mirror for women to reapply their lipstick” after their meals.

Her favorite dish?

“Oh my god – they make this great blackened scallops plate,” Longoria gushed. “I’m not a big scallop person, but it’s an amazing dish. It’s so good. Then we have this tuna tartare on these baked chips, which are just to die for. And the dessert menu is amazing.”

When asked which five people – living or dead – she would invite to her dream dinner party, the actress needed to think about it for a minute.

“Jesus Christ, Oprah, Hillary Clinton, the Dalai Lama, and Cesar Chavez,” she eventually answered.

The eclectic mix clearly speaks to her background as a Mexican American and her religious roots – as well as her political interests, which brought her to Washington, D.C., for President Obama’s inauguration last month.

Longoria with Victoria Beckham at Beso in 2012 (Getty Images)Following her interview with us and the busy day she had planned, including an appearance on “The View,” Longoria was off to another dinner party – one with her pal Victoria Beckham, who was also in the Big Apple, but for New York Fashion Week.

“I am going to see Victoria,” Longoria, who is single after her 2011 divorce from Tony Parker, excitedly revealed. “We’re getting together tonight to have dinner and catch up.”

But not sit front row at Beckham’s fashion show?

“I didn’t even know it was Fashion Week,” Longoria confessed.

You can’t blame her for not knowing. She is pretty busy – making movies, running restaurants, and having dinner parties with Posh.

Award-winning actress and emerging Washington power player Eva Longoria told us on “This Week” that immigration reform should be a top priority in President Obama’s second term.

“People say, ‘Oh, get in the back of the line,’ [but] people don’t realize there’s a hundred lines to get into,” said Longoria of the immigration process. ”It’s a very broken system”

Just this week, the Wall Street Journal labeled the former “Desperate Housewives” star a “Hispanic activist and power player in Washington, D.C.” She’s been a top supporter of President Obama, serving as a co-chair of his reelection campaign and taking center stage last September for a speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Now, she is an executive producer and host of the Latino Inaugural, a concert at the Kennedy Center featuring performances by several artists including Jose Feliciano, Melanie Griffith and New York City’s Ballet Hispanico. Longoria is also a co-chair of the Presidential Inauguration Committee, which is in full swing this week as Obama prepares to be sworn in for his second term.

“What I am hopeful about is that this administration, and particularly President Obama, sees that immigration is an economic issue,” Longoria said. “We have to understand that we are dependent upon a labor in this country, specifically agriculture, to provide low-cost products, and they’re jobs that nobody else is doing.”

Despite the partisanship in Washington, she said there’s room for compromise on both sides of the aisle on immigration.

“There was a historic mobilization this election with the Latino vote,” said Longoria, who was one of President Obama’s leading Latino fundraisers, or “bundlers,” for his reelection campaign.

“I think the Republicans are going to realize, if they don’t do it because it’s morally imperative, they have to do it because it’s politically imperative,” she said. “And if they’re not going to do it because it’s politically imperative, they’ve got to do it because it’s economically imperative. So there’s a lot of gains for everybody, no matter what party affiliation, to get this done and to fix this problem.”

While she plans to remain politically active, Longoria told me she’ll pass on running for office in her home state of Texas.

“I respect everything that politicians do. I think it’s a very, very big job,” she said. “It’s not my day job, so I’m just doing what I can to help the communities in which I came from.”

Actress Eva Longoria is in the mood for love. Not only is she executive producing a new matchmaking show, but she’s also single and open to a relationship. “I’m always ready for love,” Longoria told “Extra’s” Jerry Penacoli.

She also clarified that rumors about her budding romance with L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are untrue. The “Desperate Housewives” star explained, “Antonio is a really good political friend, we’ve never been on a date!”

For now, she’s content to help others find relationships on her new show, “Ready for Love.” The reality program, hosted by Giuliana and Bill Rancic, aims to help three bachelors find the women of their dreams with the assistance of three highly successful matchmakers.

NBC’s “Ready for Love” debuts Sunday, March 31 at 8 PM.

“Extra’s” Mario Lopez chatted backstage with Eva Longoria after she hosted the “Latino Inaugural 2013: In Performance at the Kennedy Center” on Sunday. Longoria dished with pal Lopez about the most memorable moments of the campaign and inauguration, along with her thoughts about entering politics.

While she has no political aspirations, Eva said, “I’ve had a really great time participating at this level… it just proves to me the power is with the people.”

A highlight for Longoria was watching Vice President Joe Biden be sworn in by Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The actress said she spoke to Sotomayor, and she was both nervous and honored.

Longoria’s favorite moment with President Obama was “hearing him speaking from his heart, talking about his experiences, what he faced, everything that he’s experienced, he’s living the American dream and he’s living example that is attainable.”

As for what the President can do for Latinos in his second term, Longoria hoped, “My key issue that I like to focus on is education, making sure Latinos have equal access to quality education, to make sure they can succeed in any economy because this is a knowledge based economy.”