BRIDGING TV & THEATRE: DROP DEAD DIVA's Margaret Cho

Over the course of the next several weeks we are going to be taking an extensive look at the sights and sounds both onscreen and onset of the hit TV dramedy series DROP DEAD DIVA - new episodes airing Sunday nights at 9 PM on Lifetime starting this week - featuring exclusive interviews with the leading lady divas and dashing supporting men on the LA-based supernatural legal series. Featuring a memorable collection of musical performances and Broadway guest stars over the years - Paula Abdul, Rosie O‘Donnell, Delta Burke and many more included - DROP DEAD DIVA is the quintessential TV series for Broadway babies looking for some laughs and levity - the latter available in many more ways than one, given the show's heavenly aspirations. DROP DEAD DIVA centers on a legal eagle named Jane whose body acts as the means for the indomitable spirit of a model, Deb, who loses her life, to make a second chance, and how the girl inside must learn to adjust to looking like the woman on the outside that she is now. In other words, a model finds out what it means to look like everyone else, in a delightfully quirky twist of fate - and learns to be a lawyer, too. Season Three picks up with the cliffhanger car crash that closed last season in a dark and shocking way. What will Grayson remember of the conversation he had with Jane pre-crash? What will Jane do to save him? What about his engagement (to somebody else)? What will happen back at the office with Teri, Kim and Parker? What about Stacy and Fred? All these questions and many more will most assuredly be answered (or begin to be answered) come Sunday night! Plus, a musical number featuring LeAnn Rimes! Don't miss it!

All leading up to our grand finale with titular diva Brooke Elliott, next week in our BRIDGING TV & THEATRE spotlight on DROP DEAD DIVA we will shine a light on Broadway star and Tony Award nominee Kate Levering, and, following that, further conversations with April Bowlby, Josh Henderson, Jackson Hurst and THE GRADUATE star Ben Feldman. Plus, we also have exclusive onset photos and video from the DROP DEAD DIVA soundstage in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as cast photos and videos and much, much more. Stay tuned!

True Art-forms

So, without further ado, kicking off our BRIDGING TV & THEATRE: DROP DEAD DIVA series, here is a concise and charming chat with irrepressible comedienne and comic actress Margaret Cho, who plays the pivotal role of legal assistant Teri on the show. Cho is no stranger to the world of television, having starred in ALL-AMERICAN GIRL in the mid-90s on ABC, starring in several television comedy specials and recently headlining her own reality TV series, THE Margaret Cho SHOW.

PC: You're such an amazing live performer.

MC: Oh, thank you!

PC: Your live shows are particularly fantastic. You seem to bring in all audiences and you're particularly popular with the under-30 set - my generation - it seems.

MC: (Laughs.) Oh, thank you. That's so nice to hear! Listen, I love doing stand-up and it is something that is always going to be a part of my work and a part of my life.

PC: Like air.

MC: Yeah, it's just part of who I am. I think it's just an important art-form and it's something I really love doing.

PC: You never stop - even while filming three seasons of DROP DEAD DIVA.

MC: Yeah, I do it a lot here, in Atlanta. Sure, I spend time here on the show, but I also spend a lot  of time working on my act while I'm here - and, I do some shows, too.

PC: You fit it all in somehow.

MC: It's just a great thing to be able to do - I mean, I love acting and stuff, but stand-up is my true, true art-form.

PC: What drew you to DROP DEAD DIVA in the first place? Did the recent reality show lead to this opportunity?

MC: Well, I loved doing reality - to me, it was so fun and it was such a fun show. I never thought about going back to scripted TV - I was just going to do stand-up and that was satisfying to me. But, when this show came around, I read the script and I really loved it.

PC: What struck you most about the script when you first read it? It's quite high-concept for a dramedy series.

MC: I loved it. I just really thought it was a great script and I got along really well with Josh Berman [the creator]. We got along really well and he really wanted me to be in the show. So, it just happened. It was great. It all clicked.

PC: You've gone through some struggles, so it's great to see you doing everything you want to do all at once - ALL-AMERICAN GIRL on ABC to DROP DEAD DIVA on Lifetime now.

MC: Oh, I know. (Laughs.) Believe me, I know. I really love my life right now. I am really proud of DROP DEAD DIVA and I am really proud of all the different things I've gotten to do in my life and career.

PC: Who have been your favorite guest stars on the show? There have been so many.

MC: (Pause.) I think my favorites are probably the comedians, like Rosie O'Donnell and Kathy Griffin and Wanda Sykes. You know, those are the women that I really love and am friends with and, also, a fan of - so, it is always great to work with them and see them do some different stuff. And, it's really rare to see them act together, so that's really cool.

PC: Your first big gig was opening for Jerry Seinfeld, as well, yes?

MC: Yeah, I opened for Jerry Seinfeld when I was a really young girl - really, a teenager. And, I was doing stuff that was pretty, like, accomplished, at a very young age. So, it was good because I was doing a lot of stand-up comedy myself and seeing a lot of people and learning from them. Rosie O'Donnell helped me out a lot. Roseanne helped me out a lot.

PC: She has a new reality show and Rosie has a new daytime show.

MC: Yeah, I love them both. I love Roseanne's writings online - her insight into everything.

PC: Wasn't ALL-AMERICAN GIRL the lead-in to ROSEANNE?

MC: Yeah, I think it was, actually. (Laughs.) I forgot about that.

PC: To be able to do what you do, you create magic out of thin air and I think your fans really appreciate that. You keep it fresh, too.

MC: Oh, that's so sweet. I mean, what's really great with the fans is that I get to see people time and time again and we get to know each other because, you know, people come back. That's really special and really beautiful to me.

PC: You seem to be the only comedian who embraces all people - plus, there's no bitter undercurrent.

MC: Yeah, I'm glad that comes through for you, because I am really not a bitter person. (Laughs.)

PC: Do you plan on doing more tattoos?

MC: No, I think I'm done for now. I have to stop to get roles because the roles I am cast in are always so conservative.

PC: Do you ever look back?

MC: Well, it's amazing to me that I've gotten to do all of these amazing things while working. I am really proud.

PC: Considering you have a couple of albums out, would it be safe to assume you will be  singing on DROP DEAD DIVA anytime soon?

MC: Oh, I don't know! Maybe. (Laughs.)

PC: "I Cho Am A Woman" - what was it like working with Desmond Child?

MC: Oh, he's great. He's phenomenal.

PC: Bonnie Tyler to Ricky Martin to Bon Jovi.

MC: Oh, yeah. He's a really phenomenal producer and he's the first producer that I worked with who really brought out my singing voice and helped me so I can find it every time. He's really amazing.

PC: I loved your album.

MC: Thank you so much. I worked with some really amazing people on that album - and we were nominated for a Grammy. That was really cool.

PC: You're on stage doing comedy, you're in a recording studio making albums, you're on a soundstage filming a TV show - you're doing it all!

MC: Yeah, it's really, really fun. I love doing all that. (Laughs.) It's fantastic!

PC: What is the process of collaboration like working with the cast, directors, writers and crew of DROP DEAD DIVA?

MC: I think that, what it is, is that Brooke Eliot is a phenomenal actress and what we all are doing is supporting her - and, supporting Jane's story. (Pause.) It's especially great when someone is so talented and you can work on their level.

PC: A real give and take.

MC: Yeah, so, I love working with her because it makes me a better actress. I learn a lot from her. Everyone is so great on this show.

PC: You both come from the stage and that theatricality comes through onscreen. It's always easy to tell the live performers from everyone else, especially with the nature of TV acting and filming.

MC: Yeah, I know what you mean. You can always tell.

PC: So, do you see a Broadway show in the future?

MC: Oh, yeah. I would love to! I would seriously love to.

PC: And, you can actually sing, to boot!

MC: Yeah, it would be so amazing. (Laughs.) Thank you for saying that, too.

PC: Speaking of a highly theatrical TV show: I loved you on 30 ROCK this season.

MC: Oh, thank you! That was really fun to do.

PC: Did you enjoy working with Tina Fey?

MC: Oh, I love Tina and I love that show, so it was really exciting to be on it.

PC: Rosie O'Donnell did this column and I know you did the TRUE COLORS tour with her and Cyndi Lauper more than once.

MC: Oh, God. Yes, I did. I just love both of them. I love them.

PC: It was a fantastic show.

MC: It was beautiful. I know what you mean. It was really, really beautiful to be there and be a part of it.

PC: I am curious to know what you think of John Leguizamo, who also did this column, and what you think of his somewhat similar comedy style?

MC: Oh, I love him! He's wonderful. We are similar in some ways - I know what you mean.

PC: What's next for your burlesque musical THE SENSOUS WOMAN?

MC: I will be bringing that back again. I am working on the body of it again. I did it in New York a couple of years ago, but I want to bring it back.

PC: So, we can definitely look forward to it happening soon?

MC: Yes, absolutely.

PC: When is the next comedy special we can see you in on TV?

MC: Well, I have a new TV special called CHO DEPENDANT based off of my album and the tour that I did for that and that will be out pretty soon.

PC: This was great, Margaret.

MC: Thank you so much, Pat.