Drop Dead Diva: Season One Finale

Wednesday, October 7, 2009
7:00 pm PT
Los Angeles

Drop Dead Diva at the Paley Center

Surprise announcements, including series creator and executive producer Josh Berman's official confirmation that actor Ben Feldman, the series's popular angel "Fred," would be joining the program as a regular next season, and sneak previews, including an advance look at the surprising season one finale, were the order of the evening as the Paley Center in Los Angeles celebrated the Lifetime and Sony Pictures Television's hit Drop Dead Diva.
 
The series's cast and creative team gathered at the Center for a special screening and discussion moderated by media and culture journalist Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn. In her opening remarks, Littlejohn recalled her initial skepticism when first reading that Lifetime had picked up a series about a vapid wannabe model who'd suddenly died and been reincarnated in the body of a brilliant but less than confident plus-size attorney.  She had worried that the series would be a weekly soliloquy on weight issues and recalled thinking that "whoever they pick to star in this has got to be fabulous to pull it off." Littlejohn noted that fabulous was just what they got from series star Brooke Elliott ("Jane Bingum") who she called the "heart, soul, and sass of this fun and engaging series." Littlejohn applauded the program for speaking broadly to universal themes that everyone can relate to.  
 
The cast's camaraderie was evident during the lively Q&A session. Margaet Cho ("Teri Lee") noted their close bond was enhanced by the fact the series shoots in small-town Georgia where "we're the only people we know" and spoke of feeling very close to the project because of its willingness to tackle the important issues of self image.
 
Executive producer Alex Taub shared his gratitude to the many guest performers who had appeared on the series—including Paula Abdul, Rosie O'Donnell, Liza Minnelli, and Sharon Lawrence, who incidentally, was in attendance at the program—performers who Brooke Elliott felt had been drawn by the integrity of the pilot.
 
The cast's appreciation for their work on the series was best summed up by Josh Stamberg ("J. Parker") who noted, "it's lucky to do something: A) that you love, and  B) that holds some weight, and that feels, pretty good." The sold-out audience clearly concurred.
 
Here's hoping for multiple seasons of happiness from Drop Dead Diva.