Saturday, July 11, 2009

Drop Dead Diva, Drop Dead

I expect a lot of reviews of this sophomoric and badly written Lifetime dramedy will begin with the above headline. As a comedian, I would be a poor one if I didn't point out its obvious flaws. This should have been an Alan Smithee production.

Sidebar: Alan Smithee is an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project, coined in 1968. Until its use was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Director's Guild of America when a director dissatisfied with the final product proved to the satisfaction of a guild panel that he or she had not been able to exercise creative control over a film. The director was also required by guild rules not to discuss the circumstances leading to the move or even to acknowledge being the actual director.

Drop Dead Diva stars Brooke Elliott (Broadway's Taboo, Wicked) and is the first show aimed at the 18 -49 demographic that drops the "F" word.

Fat.

Their list of guest stars includes Rosie O'Donnell, who famously won't allow her children to use that word. I can't tell if they padded Brooke's body because I've seen fat and this doesn't look fat to me. It also stars Margaret Cho, who is wasted in her small role and should have been asked to help with the comedy writing, if you want to call it comedy. Contrived circumstances, lucky coincidences and only one person in a guest starring role who is over 30. I haven't seen many law firms where the head lawyer is 29 and hot.(ish) The second half is not as cloying and Holy Mother Of Sarah Jessica Parker, doesn't try to fit square pegs into round holes and sticks to more grown-up writing.

The premise is ripped off from 1941's Here Comes Mr. Jordan which then was redone in 1978 by Warren Beatty as Heaven Can Wait. Here it is in it's newest incarnation. Two women die on the same day. One is blonde, skinny, shallow and engaged and the other is fat, brunette, a lawyer and single.

They trade bodies because AS USUAL someone in Heaven made a mistake. Man, what is UP with those people? Cause if that's a regular theme up there, I'd like to put in a request to switch with Cindy Crawford. Soon, before Randy Gerber loses his looks and his money.

So skinny blonde bimbo in fat brunette's body and miraculously, and even though everyone has got amnesia or is just blind, skinny bimbo knows a LOT about the law because she's in the wrong body! Yikes.

The thing that pissed me off the most about this show is that with all the 3 dimensional characters on shows past, Men in Trees, Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, The Wire, Lipstick Jungle, instead of putting them on cable, they cancel them. Because the rule in Hollywood is pay the actors the least amount of money, hope they have a modicum of talent and a decent Q rating and you have another Army Wives. In the meantime find a new set of suckers to appear on a network reality show where they don't get paid at ALL. Wipeout anyone? (Tim Gunn did the first season of Project Runway, which is now on Lifetime, BTW, for free. The second year he got $1,000 a show.)

Drop Dead Diva premieres tomorrow, Sunday July 12, at 9 pm (ET/PT) on Lifetime and I'd love to hear what you thought of it. If you don't want to reveal your name, sign in as anonymous and just say head's up or down or that you didn't watch it. I did like the title though, if that helps.

Just remember that I'm never wrong (lie) but it could happen, (lie).

Rating C- (I really want to say D+ so I will)

28 comments:

  1. I'm going to have to check it out just because you took the time to review it... I'm easily amused most of the time and heaven only knows there is NOTHING on tv so I may actually like it enough to not fall asleep.

    D+ is the new A-, right?

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  2. And look at all your followers!

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  3. Man, I have a hard time following a lot of these kinds of shows. I usually wait until everyone's raving about something before I watch. As you can well imagine, after reading your review, I don't believe I will watch this one atall.

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  4. I'm a self-proclaimed TV junkie, and honestly even I wouldn't touch this with a 10 foot pole!

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  5. If it's on Lifetime, I would never watch it.

    EVER.

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  6. Anonymous2:12 PM

    Wow! I've read a lot of fantastic reviews on this show. Did u see yesterday's LA TIMES -- a full page devoted to the show. The reviewer LOVED it. And NY TIMES, and USA TODAY loved it. Star gave it 3 and a half stars. I guess this reviewer knows more than anyone else -- after all she did get the last chocolate babka on Seinfeld -- so why not listen to her?

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  7. Hi anonymous AOL user who left the above comment and then out clicked to Kathy B!

    Yes I read all the reviews but guess what? You don't HAVE to like everyone or everything in life. Isn't that COOL? We all get to have our own opinion! WOW.

    How's your Lifetime gig?

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  8. Why should we sign in as Anonymous when we can sign in as Alan Smithee?

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  9. That kinda sounded like the Koran on crack....iow, I didn't understand a word. I think I'll look positively FITTING in Hollywood, with a blank expression and dumwit look in my eyes....hell, I'll possibly get signed on...

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  10. btw is there any chocolate babka around?

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  11. Anonymous6:52 PM

    Ha. (The other) Anonymous is TOTALLY a Lifetime Troll. They're trolling everywhere, including a couple of my posts elsewhere. I am equally as pissed off about this horrible premise and the fact that, once again, not only are a bunch of queens given the permission to write about the female experience (why can't women run shows on TV?) but that they're allowed to use women as sight gags and that women don't even realize it and say stupid s*it like, "Well, at least there's a plus-sized woman in it."

    YECCH

    Rock on, Suzy!

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  12. Anonymous6:54 PM

    This looks funny to me! You're the only reviewer who I've seen who didn't like it so I will make sure to watch to see who I agree with more. I'm so tired of reality shows, I look forward to a real show. I laughed at the commerical, that's all that counts. I never heard of the star, but I'm willing to give her a chance. No, she's not Mama Cass, but she's not Twiggy, either. (I'm showing my age) You're much too crabby in your reacton- go eat a donut, get some sugar.

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  13. Eat some sugar? You obviously don't read my blog but you sure are following the comments. Admit you love me.

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  14. Holy Moly, Ms. Soro! Almost 200 followers, and all these adorable trolls running around your comment section.

    Sign me up!

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  15. I am not sure I will watch it at all. I've never heard of it for 1, number 2 I rarely watch lifetime and number 3 I trust your review!

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  16. I'm not a fan of shows portray plus size woman badly. We aren't sight gags to be made fun of.

    On the other hand, visibility is visibility as they say.

    Considering there is diddly squat on tv on Sunday nights, I may tune in. If I do, I'll come back and let you know what I thought.

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  17. Anonymous9:11 PM

    Suzy,

    It's been too long... I had find some comedy quick so I came here. First of all, I cannot believe they canceled Dirty Sexy Money, OR pushing Daisies.. I WISH I was Kristen Chenowith.. Second of all, country singer told me about this show... which in my opinion sounds STUPID as HELL! I'm like, "What??? What's the Premise???" I met the the boys who wrote the Wire here in Nashville last year, and I was like "I hope I'm intelligent enough to have a conversation with you people.. okay .. here I go." They were SO nice.. the only thing that holds my attention these days is True Blood and Tori and Dean. LOL...oh and GLEE.. you know I was a show choir geek.

    Peace out.

    R

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  18. Why is it that people become anonymous when they don't agree with you? So childish. Man-up and put your Lifetime extension to your anonymous Lifetime name.

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  19. if its not good enough for you, its not good enough for me!! ......that, and the fact that I don't get Lifetime!!! ahhahahahahaha.....uh...*ahem* *cough*

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  20. Anonymous5:37 PM

    Remember when Roseanne, Brett Butler (Grace Under Fire), Maude, Ellen, and Cybil Shepherd all had prime time sitcoms? No? Well, that ages me. Anyway, trust me, they were all there at the same time and no one talked about their weight. BUT, almost overnight, Ally McBeal got picked up and all the previously mentioned shows were cancelled and now we're practically thanking God for the presence of a realistic female lead character even though the fat jokes are flowing and there are sight gags aplenty.

    We're playing right into their hands folks.

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  21. Actually, I'm willing to take your word for it!

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  22. I'll let you know what I think of it when it comes to Belgium in 2014. ; )

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  23. Wow, I'm so glad the only thing I've been watching on TV lately is the Craig Ferguson Show.

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  24. Guess what? I trust you.

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  25. Hey, Lifetime trolls! Please tell Berman and his genius staff that the Square root of 113 is 10.630145.

    And, your show is not only an insult to women but an insult to Lawyers.

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  26. These people at Lifetime need to get a life themselves instead of turning out dribble that sounds like drug addicts wrote it.

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  27. You couldn't have hit the nail on the head any better. I work in a drug rehab where very few of the patients wash their hands. I nearly throw up all day long.

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  28. Anonymous7:13 PM

    This show is horrible! I give it an F-. In order to even remotely buy in to this show, one would have to supsend all knowledge of law, life, and common sense. The writing is horrible. Who writes these ridiculous plot lines - high school kids with no life experience? I hope this show gets cancelled soon.

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