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Friday, October 24, 2008
10/24: “The Closer” fans gather in Atlanta, get a surprise call
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It wasn’t quite like a “Star Trek” convention, but 11 devoted fans of TNT’s “The Closer” have gathered in Atlanta this weekend to celebrate basic cable’s most successful show ever. Why Atlanta? Not only is this TNT’s hometown but it’s lead character Brenda’s hometown, too.
TNT hosted a luncheon at Turner headquarters on their behalf, replete with fried chicken, green beans and pecan pie. The marketing folks also gave the fans a surprise phone call from the show creator James Duff. (Unfortunately, he nor any of the actors could be there in person because the show is still in production.)
Duff, recovering from a root canal from his home, gave the fans some teasers on the five new episodes early next year which conclude season four:
— The cat named Kitty is ill but shows up in two episodes. Kitty is a hot topic on the forums. “To some people,” Duff joked, “the Kitty’s well being is more important than the outcome of the election!”
— Each season has a theme. Next year will be about change. “Brenda doesn’t like change but that’s the only constant in life,” he said.
— Fritz’s sister shows up, played by Amy Sedaris, and she’s a ditz. “She claims to be a psychic and volunteers her services to help with a crime,” he notes.
— Brenda’s parents will be in three of the five episodes, which implies a wedding might be near for Brenda and Fritz.
— He also promises a resolution to whether the couple get hitched — or not. The tone of his voice was ominous, implying they break up, but he might simply have been trying to throw the fans off the scent.
The crew (mostly female) came from Boston, Austin, Raleigh, Chicago and points in between. They first met via Abbey Leden’s www.thecloserforum.com fan Web site. At the Omni hotel downtown, the fans plan to watch past episodes and hold a trivia contest.
“The show’s unique,” Leden (right) said. “It’s drama and comedy. Brenda is uniquely flawed. I see bits of her in me.”
“As an ensemble,” added North Carolina college professor Monika Fleming, “they really click.”
TNT, as a parting gift, gave each person a version of Brenda’s signature oversized black vinyl purse.
Here’s the group that showed up Friday at Turner Studios:
