Odds & Ends: Kristin Chenoweth & Zachary Levi Have a Gig About a Donkey, Mel B's Pint-Sized Dialect Coaches & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today and over the weekend.

Kristin Chenoweth & Zachary Levi Board The Star
She’s been the voice of a Gekko, a magic pony and a poison dart frog, and now self-proclaimed pocket diva Kristin Chenoweth will be in an animated movie about a donkey. The Tony winner will join Tony nominee Zachary Levi in Sony Pictures’ The Star, in theaters this November. The movie follows Bo the donkey and his animal friends during the first Christmas. The starry cast will also include Christopher Plummer, Oprah Winfrey, Gina Rodriguez, Tracy Morgan, Kelly Clarkson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steven Yeun and Anthony Anderson.

Mel B Explains Her Accent in Chicago
Mel B is back on Broadway as Roxie Hart in Chicago, but don’t go in expecting to hear a posh accent raking in the chips. The Spice Girl stopped by The Late Show to chat with Stephen Colbert about her stint in the long-running revival. Her preparation process, she explains, involved recruiting her American kids as dialect coaches. “The text isn’t very kid-friendly, but they know the show inside out,” she says, before demonstrating her American accent on the classic line, “Screw you, you son of a bitch.” Ah, that old family favorite. Check out the clip below.


Broadway Backwards Sets 2017 Date
Broadway Backwards is back to shake things up on the Great White Way. The annual event, which showcases Broadway favorites offering gender-bending takes on their favorite tunes, is set for March 13 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (currently the home of Kinky Boots). The proceeds from the one-night-only performance will go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in New York City.

George Salazar & More Join Chris McCarrell for The Lightning Thief
Stage alums are set to appear opposite Chris McCarrell in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. In addition to the previously announced McCarrell, the off-Broadway cast will include George Salazar (Tick, Tick…BOOM!) as Grover, Jonathan Raviv (The Band’s Visit) as Brunner and Kristin Stokes (Fly by Night) as Annabeth, as well as Jelani Alladin as Luke and Sarah Beth Pfeifer as Clarise. The Joe Tracz and Rob Rokicki musical, based on the bestselling novel by Rick Riordan, will begin performances on March 23 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

Hamish Linklater Joins Fargo
Stage favorite Hamish Linklater has been tapped for a recurring role on the third season of Fargo. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Linklater will play Larue Dollars, an IRS agent with a zero-tolerance policy who believes a petty cheater is just as worthy of punishment as a master criminal. He’s like the Javert of tax evasion. The third season of the anthology series, which will also feature Tony nominee Carrie Coon, Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, is set to premiere in April.

P.S. Before you tune in to Lifetime’s Beaches remake on January 21, check out Idina Menzel discussing the iconic song “Wind Beneath My Wings” and showing off her sick dance moves on LIVE with Kelly below.