Odds & Ends: Leslie Odom Jr. Nabs BAFTA Nomination & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed recently.

Leslie Odom Jr. Receives Another Nom for One Night in Miami
Click, boom! Hamilton Tony winner and former vlogger Leslie Odom Jr. has garnered another nomination for his performance in Amazon's One Night in Miami, directed by Oscar winner Regina King. He has a Golden Globe nom, a Screen Actors Guild nod and now, a British Academy Film Award nomination, all ahead of the Academy Award nominations announcement on March 15. The BAFTA nominees also include Tony winner Frances McDormand for performance in Nomadland, Chadwick Boseman for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, the screen adaptation of The Father and more. Head here for the full list.  

Watch This Incredible Tribute to Jeanine Tesori
Kara Lindsay, Anthony Lee Medina, Ben Crawford, Nic Rouleau, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Samantha Williams, Aisha Jackson and Nkeki Obi-Melekwe are just a few of the stars featured in this tribute to Tony-winning composer Jeanine Tesori. Musical director Max Grossman plays piano in the video, which features selections from Thoroughly Modern Millie, Caroline, or Change, Fun Home, Shrek and Violet. Check it out!

Podcast-Style Album, Featuring Lindsay Mendez & More, Out Today
Add this to your must-listen list! 35MM: A Musical Exhibition in Focus, an album of commentary, original cast interviews and track-by-track song breakdowns, is available on March 9 via Spotify, Apple Music and all streaming platforms. Written by Ryan Scott Oliver, the show 35MM: A Musical Exhibition is song cycle based on photographs by Broadway.com contributor Matthew Murphy. This podcast-style album is narrated by Ryan Scott Oliver and features interviews with original cast members Lindsay Mendez, Alex Brightman, Ben Crawford, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Betsy Wolfe, with additional commentary by Murphy. Every song (including transitions) receives a track-by-track breakdown, analyzing music and lyrics and digging deep into their origins and inspirations. Enjoy the musical deep dive here.

Jonathan Groff Lands Lead in Netflix Family Series Lost Ollie
Groffsauce is headed back to Netflix—not as an FBI detective, but as a toy rabbit. Deadline reports that stage and screen fave Jonathan Groff will lend his voice to the upcoming live-action/animation hybrid family series Lost Ollie. Based on William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg’s book Ollie’s Odyssey, the live-action and voice cast also includes Mary J. Blige, Tim Blake Nelson, Gina Rodriguez, Jake Johnson and Kesler Talbot. Created, adapted and executive produced by Shannon Tindle (Coraline), Lost Ollie follows a toy searching across the countryside for the boy who lost him. A premiere date for the series will be announced later.

Disney Junior Series to Feature Renée Elise Goldsberry & Javier Muñoz
Werk! Production is underway on Disney Junior's Eureka!, an animated musical series about a young inventor living in the fantastical prehistoric world of Rocky Falls. Ruth Righi (Disney Channel's Sydney to the Max) voices the title character, and Tony winner Renée Elise Goldsberry as well as Lil Rel Howery will play her parents, Roxy and Rollo. Fellow Hamilton alum Javier Muñoz is set to play her teacher, Ohm. Emmy winner Norton Virgien and award-winning children's book author/illustrator Niamh Sharkey serves as the series creators and executive producers. Eureka! is set to premiere later this year.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins to Write Pilot Based on Kindred 
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, a MacArthur "Genius" Grant recipient and a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his plays Gloria and Everybody, is writing a new pilot for FX based on Octavia E. Butler’s novel Kindred. According to Deadline, Jacobs-Jenkins will serve as executive producer alongside Courtney Lee-Mitchell and Darren Aronofsky. The series focuses on Dana, a young Black woman who finds herself being pulled back and forth in time to a 19th-century plantation with which she and her family are most surprisingly linked. More information, including casting and a production timeline, will be announced later.