Names and faces
Country Music Hall of Fame member Loretta Lynn is taking her life story to Broadway, and she has tapped film and TV actress Zooey Deschanel to play her on stage. Lynn, 80, unveiled plans for a musical adaptation of Coal Miner’s Daughter during a Grand Ole Opry show at the Ryman Auditorium on Thursday night in Nashville, Tenn. Wearing one of her signature long-sleeve floor-length dresses, the singer blew through four songs before bringing Deschanel onstage to sing the title tune. The announcement mirrored the way Lynn invited actress Sissy Spacek to the Opry stage in 1979 to reveal that Spacek would play her in the film. Spacek later won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Lynn. Deschanel, 32, is the star and a producer of the Fox comedy series New Girl. Plans for a stage adaptation of Coal Miner’s Daughter are still in the beginning stages, with no creative team attached or workshop dates announced. The producers — Fox Theatricals and Scott Sanders Productions — have been behind such Broadway hits as Legally Blonde, The Color Purple, Red and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Deschanel has starred in such films as Elf, (500) Days of Summer and Your Highness. Producers of the musical said their schedule would not conflict with Deschanel’s New Girl commitments.
NBC says 30 Rock’s next season will be its last. The network said Thursday the much-acclaimed sitcom will have an abbreviated run of 13 episodes in its seventh season before calling it quits. The show has been a critical favorite since premiering in 2006. It has won numerous awards, as have its creator-star Tina Fey and co-star Alec Baldwin. Many high-profile guest stars, including Matt Damon, Elizabeth Banks and Al Gore, have appeared on the show. But the series was never a ratings smash, and this year its audience has dwindled to an average 3.5 million viewers. NBC will join other broadcast networks in unveiling full, new prime-time schedules for advertisers next week. NBC will make its coming lineup official Sunday.