Deschanel to play Loretta Lynn on Broadway

THE NEW GIRL IN A COAL MINE…ON BROADWAY: During a Grand Ole Opry show at the Ryman Auditorium last night, Loretta Lynn announced that a musical adaptation of Coal Miner's Daughter was in the works. The 80-year-old country icon then reminded the audience of how she’d invited Sissy Spacek on the Opry stage in 1979 to break the news that Spacek would play her in the upcoming film before repeating the ritual with Zooey Deschanel. "Zooey, where you at honey?" she asked, and Deschanel came onstage, grabbed Lynn's hand and flashed a big smile. "Are you going to help me sing 'Coal Miner's Daughter'?" asked Lynn. "I'm going to help you sing," said Deschanel. "This is a great honor for me. This is my hero." The two traded verses and they ended the song holding hands. At the end of the song, Lynn said, "Don't forget her name. Her name is Zooey." Plans for a stage adaptation are still in the beginning stages, but Fox Theatricals and Scott Sanders Productions—whose resumes include the Broadway hits Legally Blonde, The Color Purple, Red and Thoroughly Modern Millie—are producing. (5/11a)