What happens when you drop foulmouthed comedian Margaret Cho in Peachtree City, Ga.? Suffice it to say Focus on the Family had better watch out.
Margaret Cho is on location in Georgia, which she says is a bit queer. Known for her hysterically irreverent routines -- often featuring her struggle with body image -- in her new TV series she plays girl friday to Jane (Brooke Elliott), a plus-size lawyer who has the brains but lacks the confidence to succeed in her competitive firm. In the first episode Jane dies and her body is inhabited by the soul of a vapid aspiring model. Cho's character, Teri, is responsible for guiding Jane through the discovery of her new life.
In real life Cho is constantly rediscovering herself, including a new foray into music (her band is called Fag and Hag). She discusses her homophobic gym war and why she should be Miss California.
Advocate.com:How is Peachtree City, Ga., treating you?
Margaret Cho: Well, I'm a little disturbed. I have to go to the gym; I have to live here in the city. And it's a nice little town, and everybody's really nice. But at the gym I'm having a big fight, an invisible fight, with people. You know Focus on the Family, the James Dobson organization? They're really hideous. They have all the magazines out on the rack at the gym, and I think this is really disturbing. Every time I go to the gym I bring a bunch of other magazines and stack them so nobody can see them. The problem is now, every time I come back, they're all separated again. So now I go to the gym and I wear anti-Prop. 8 propaganda T-shirts or have girls making out on my shirts. So that's my own way of fighting it. That's a small problem -- well, it's a huge problem, but it's an interesting cultural situation to be out here; it's different.
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Drop Dead Diva premieres July 12 at 9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific on Lifetime. Click here for upcoming tour dates.