Minnelli And Burke Will Play Squabbling Sisters On Lifetime's Zadan And Meron Produced 'DIVA'

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has reported in his ‘The Ausiello Files' that recent Tony Award-Winner Liza Minnelli and actress Delta Burke are set to play dueling sisters on Lifetime's upcoming legal dramedy Drop Dead Diva.

On Diva reveals Ausiello, which premieres July 12th, Minnelli plays a psychic who takes her sister played by Burke to court after she opens a competing psychic shop directly across the street from her store. Their episode airs Sept. 20th and will also feature an encore appearance by Rosie O'Donnell as a judge. To read the entire EW scoop click here.

Press notes describe Drop Dead Diva as, "when beautiful-but-vapid model wannabe Deb has a fatal car accident, she suddenly finds herself in front of Heaven's gatekeeper, Fred, who declares her a self-centered "zero." Outraged, she attempts to persuade Fred to return her to her shallow existence but is accidentally relegated to the body of the recently deceased Jane Bingum (Brooke Elliott). A brilliant, thoughtful and overweight attorney, Jane has always lived in the shadow of her more comely colleagues whereas Deb has always relied on her external beauty. Now, by a twist of fate and a bolt of divine intervention, both personalities must learn to coexist in Jane's plus-size frame in the ultimate showdown between brains and beauty".

Drop Dead Diva is produced by Sony Pictures Television for Lifetime Television. Josh Berman (Bones, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) is creator and executive producer.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Academy Award®-winning Chicago, Hairspray, Lifetime's Living Proof) of Storyline Entertainment are executive producers.

Together, Zadan and Meron produced the blockbuster "Hairspray" and the critically acclaimed "Chicago," which was the first musical in 34 years to win the top honor of Best Picture Oscar at the 2002 Academy Awards. They also produced the made for television "A Raisin in the Sun", and had a recent collaboration with Lifetime on the film "Living Proof" featuring Rene Zellweger, Harry Connick, Jr. and Bernadette Peters. Last winter they released "The Bucket List" with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. In 2007 they were honored with the Hollywood Film Festival's producers of the year award. Last year the talented producing duo were honored by the The Casting Society of America with career achievement awards at the 24th Annual Artios Awards. They are currently guiding the upcoming big screen remake of the 80's hit "Footloose" back to the silver screen with Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford in the lead. Craig Zadan was a producer of the original "Footloose" in 1984.

The launch of this brand new comedic drama builds on a year of success for Lifetime Television. The Network's hit drama Army Wives is the #1 rated and most watched original drama on cable among women 18-49. In addition, Lifetime was home to both the #1 and #2 original movies on cable among women viewers in 2008, with a line-up of stars including Dermot Mulroney, Emily Watson, Gretchen Mol, Shirley MacLaine andHarry Connick, Jr. Lifetime also recently acquired the widely popular series WifeSwap and How I Met Your Mother. And, in an expansion of its fresh original programming slate, the network launched the hit sitcom Rita Rocks, starring Nicole Sullivan. 

Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment for network and cable television, as well as first-run and off-network series for syndication. 

Lifetime is a diverse, multi-media company, committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of the Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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