Media Morsels 6.18.10

• Red Will Not Extend
  Contrary to what I preached as gospel during the Tony awards, Red will not extend. The Tony winning new play is currently enjoying a limited run at Broadway’s Golden theatre, after playing a stint at London’s Donmar Warehouse. After it won the most awards of any show this year, including wins for director Michael Grandage, actor Eddie Redmayne and the top honor, I thought, for sure, it would extend. But producers announced shortly after the Tonys that the play would not extend and instead end on time on June 27. If you’re in the area and can snag tickets, get thee to the Golden for Red - now!

• Next Fall and Fela! will continue
  Usually after the Tony awards, shows that were struggling at the box office and that did not win top honors tend to close in short order. However, on Monday, producers of both Next Fall and Fela!, which were up for but did not win Best New Play and Musical, respectively, announced that they were committed to keeping the shows open... at least through the summer. Next Fall currently is booking tickets through Labor Day. Shortly before then, producers will look at the fiduciary possibility of keeping the play open through this fall. Tickets for Fela! are currently on sale through January 2. Both are most definitely worth seeing (and both are offering discounts and are often on TDF or at the TKTS booth - so put them on your list for summer shows!)

• Theatre Aficionado Mark Sanchez
  Do you remember when Mark Sanchez introduced Memphis as the Tony awards and I snarked about it in my Tony wrap up? Well, apparently he really is a theatre enthusiast. He credits his USC professor Susan Evans with instilling an affinity for the theatre in him: She would encourage her students to go see live theatre as much as possible. Since coming to New York, Sanchez as seen several Broadway musicals, including Memphis - thrice! He won’t make me change my allegiance - I’m a Giants fan - but he will make watching the Jets a little more bearable.

• Bloody Bloody Broadway?
  With the 2009-2010 theatre season over, it’s time to look toward next season. Possibly on the docket? Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. The deliciously snarky and sexy emo-rock musical about our seventh president has, according to the New York Times, been offered a Broadway home. There’s a fly in the ointment, though: Bloody star Ben Walker may not been available when the theatre is. Walker is said to have been offered a role in a new X-Men film which is set to begin filming around the same time the production would open. Public Theatre artistic director Oskar Eustis was non-committal in in his comments, saying he hoped Bloody could make it to Broadway, with Walker, but that Walker hadn’t made a decision. The best case scenario: Walker takes the X-Men role and Bloody comes to Broadway later.

• Working His Butz Off
  Norbert Leo Butz’s latest Broadway (Enron) outing may have come to a premature end, but the Tony winning actor is keeping quite busy. He’s working on a TV show with Red scribe John Logan (which will be directed by Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow,) he’s working on a feature film with Vera Farmiga and he’s still attached to star in Catch Me If You Can, the musical-theatrical adaptation of the Leonardo DiCaprio-Tom Hanks film, when it comes to Broadway next spring. (He’ll play the Tom Hanks role opposite Aaron Tveit in Leo’s role.)

• We’d Like to Thank You, Leonardo DiCaprio
  In related news, Empire Online reported this week that Leo will star in Clint Eastwood’s biopic, Hoover, exploring the life and times of the FBI founder. No word yet on exactly what the movie will cover (focus on the FBI? Focus on cross dressing?) but the movie is being written by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black (Milk.)

• No More Vuvuzelas, Please
  Usually I have ESPN on in the background - as white noise. But this week, with the World Cup coverage, I’ve been subjected to the annoying and incessant sound of the vuvuzela, the horn that makes that horrible buzzing sound. MTV.com recently suggested some movie instruments that could replace the sound, like Anchorman Ron Burgundy’s flaming flute! Goal!!!

• Watch Your Step
  The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced this week the stars that would receive their star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Now, you can step on handprints and signatures of the Muppets(!,) Reese Witherspoon, Neil Patrick Harris, Tina Fey and Oprah, among others.

• Zack Morris Gets High
  E! Online is reporting that former Bayside High Tiger Mark Paul Gosselaar will make a guest appearance on the upcoming sixth season of Weeds. Anyone think the deal was hatched when Gosselaar was starring in The Understudy off-Broadway with Weeds star Justin Kirk?

• JTims Heading to Glee?
  Broadwayworld.com is reporting the ever persistent rumor that former Mousekateer Justin Timberlake might make an appearance on Glee in season two. On the Tony red carpet, Lea Michele claimed to have it all figured out, saying that Matthew Morrison (Will) could take off a week to come back to Broadway to film South Pacific: Live From Lincoln Center this August and while he’s away, JTims could show up as the substitute teacher. In this report, the rumor is that Justin would guest as Will’s younger brother. There is a slight resemblance, mostly in the curls atop their heads. Plus, both are serious triple threats. (Timberlake has made some promising starts in films, like Alpha Dog.) I’ll be excited to see JTims at McKinley High no matter what the scenario is. I won’t be excited, and I’d actually be turned off, when the Glee kids start singing Coldplay. The Broadwayworld.com report also states that Coldplay has finally released to Glee the rights to its catalog. (Coldplay and Bryan Adams were two holdouts before the series became a sensation.) Coldplay is awful and they should stay far away from Lima, Ohio.

• Kanye’s Popular?
  And in what may be the oddest story of the week, Playbill.com has a leaked video of Kayne West in the studio sampling... "Popular," the cutesy song from Wicked. Kristen Chenoweth can be heard singing, “Popular, you’re gonna be popular...” while Kanye messes with some effects. First Jay-Z samples “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” and now this? Crazy!