Samuel L Jackson to Broadway?

There have been multiple Internet reports that Jackson is in talks to play Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a new play called The Mountaintop. The show chronicles an imaginary exchange between MLK and a chamber maid on the day before his assassination.

Jackson's paycheck is reportedly in the $50,000 a week range. While that seems like an obscenely high number, you have to account for the fact it's only a two person show, so the other expenses can't be too exorbitant. Additionally, the recent box office success of Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johannson, and Catherine Zeta-Jones would lead one to believe that this show has the makings of a huge smash.

Perhaps the only question mark is this. Will the playwright adjust the script to accommodate an actor the caliber of Samuel L. Jackson?? Because I think you really open up a lot of new content when you hire him to play Dr. King

"I'm tired of all these muthaf***in' white supremacists in this muthaf***in' country"

"Can you hand Dr. King his wallet?? It's the one that says 'Bad Muthaf***a' on it"

Come to think of it, if this MLK show works, maybe someone will green light Snakes on a Plane: The Musical, with music by Marc Shaiman??? I guarantee it would be more entertaining than Reba McIntyre in Molly Brown

The biggest losers on Tony nomination day....

The Tony committee giveth...and they also taketh away. By now, you have already read about the big winners (Fela, Memphis, etc), but let us take a moment to see who lost the most based on this morning's nominations.

1. Enron- On paper, this seemed like it was going to be a no brainer. The show was enormously successful in the UK, where the West End production is still running. The American cast was strong, the production was slick and stylized, and in the end, it didn't matter. Enron, which was not well received by critics, was playing to about 65 percent capacity at an average ticket price of $35. While it was nominated for 4 awards this morning, it was not included in the all important "Best Play" category, and the closing notice was posted just hours later, a mere 12 days after opening

2- The Addams Family- As I discussed in yesterday's prediction blog, the show has been the target of largely unjustified hatred by theater insiders. Ken Davenport may be the only person I know of to come out and say the show deserved a "Best Musical" nomination. While I figured the backlash would keep TAF of that category, there were enough strong performances by Nathan Lane, Kevin Chamberlain, and Carolee Carmello to merit multiple acting nods. I also figured that such a visually impressive show would be acknowledged in the technical categories. At the end of the day, it was only nominated twice, an acting nod for Chamberlain, and a surprising best score nomination for the heavily panned music from Andrew Lippa. The good news for Addams Family?? It's consistent seven figure weekly gross should keep it going strong for the time being, avoiding the fate that 9 to 5 suffered after last year's Tony snub.

3. Broadway stars- This year, many beloved Broadway performers were passed over in place of their Hollywood counterparts. Noticeably absent from the acting categories this year were Kristen Chenowith, Nathan Lane, and Bebe Neuwirth. In their place were Denzel Washington, Sean Hayes, Scarlett Johannson, and others. The only one of those omissions that I personally have a problem with is the extraordinary Lane, who single-handedly carries Addams on his back 8 shows a week. Broadway fans shouldn't be too upset about this trend as the Denzels and Scarlett's of the world do bring new fans to the theater, and legitimize Broadway to people who might not otherwise care.

The winners will be announced June 13th at Radio City Music Hall.