A day after the Japan premiere, Meryl and Phyllida Lloyd have attended a press conference for “The Iron Lady” in Tokyo. And they apparently had fun. According to visitor Asako, Meryl and Phyllida tasted Sake after braking the top of Sake’s cask – wishing the “The Iron Lady” to become a hit in Japan. Over hundred additional pictures from yesterday’s premiere and today’s press conference have been added to the image library. Thanks for those who have contributed material, especially Asako and Glenn.

Today, Meryl and Phyllida Lloyd have attended the premiere of “The Iron Lady” in Tokyo, Japan. Pictures have been added to the image library. I would be very happy if any of the Japanese visitors of Simply Streep were able to provide more information on her visit. Just drop me a line. Thanks!

The theatrical trailer “To the Arctic 3D”, which Meryl Streep narrates, has been released and added to the video archive – it looks outstanding, even in 2D ;-) You can learn more about this new documentary, which will hit Imax theaters in the USA on April 20, at its detail page in the career section. Then, the Jimmy Kimmel special “Movie: The Movie” has been added. Part of Kimmel’s “After the Academy Awards” special, this is a spoof trailer for the greatest film, yet to be filmed, featuring pretty much every actor who’s currently allowed to be working in Hollywood, including George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron and Matt Damon, just to to name a few. Meryl is featured very briefly – it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but at least she’s wearing a mustache ;-) And finally, two additonal interview segments from the Academy Awards, one from ABC News and one from “Live with Kelly: Academy Awards Special” – very funny! Enjoy the new clips :-)

Over 400 additional pictures have been added to the Academy Awards’ albums. Simply click the previews below to launch all latest uploads.

Then, I’ve received lots of emails regarding Meryl’s eco-friendly dress, so here’s some more information: Meryl channelled the Oscars in more ways than one, sporting a gold Lanvin dress that resembled the statuette she ended up taking home. Streep took inspiration from Colin Firth’s wife Livia by wearing Lanvin’s first-ever eco-friendly gown for the 84th Academy Awards. It was created from Eco Certified Fabric, which was sourced with the help of the Green Carpet Challenge (GCC) – an initiative set up by Livia. More information on the eco-friendly dresses can be found at Miss Firth’s blog and at Eco Age. And finally, no Oscar update would be complete without a transcript of Meryl’s speech:

Oh my God. Oh come on. All right. Thank you so much, thank you thank you! When they called my name I had this feeling I could hear half of America going, “oh, no! Oh, come on why – her! Again!” But, whatever (laughter). First, I’m gonna thank Don, because when you thank your husband at the end of the speech they play him out with the music and I want him to know that everything I value most in our lives you’ve given me (applause). And, now, secondly, my other partner. Thirty-seven years ago, my first play in New York City, I met the great hairstylist and makeup artist Roy Helland. And we worked together pretty continuously since the day we clapped eyes on each other. His first film with me was “Sophie’s Choice” and all the way up to tonight when he won for his beautiful work in “The Iron Lady” thirty years later (applause). Every single movie in between. I just wanna thank Roy but also I wanna thank – because I really understand I’ll never be up here again (laughter) – I really wanna thank all my colleagues. All my friends. And I look out here, and I see my life before my eyes. My old friends, my new friends. And really, this is such a great honor, but the thing that counts the most with me is the friendships and the love and the sheer joy we have shared making movies together. My friends, thank you, all of you – departed and here – for this inexplicably wonderful career. Thank you so much. Thank you.

On April 19, 2012, Equality Now will celebrate its 20th Anniversary. Meryl Streep has been a supporter for years, speaking at various of their events and raising public interest in the organization. So far it hasn’t been announced if Meryl will be part of the anniversary, although their website lists her as a Honorary co-chair, alongside Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem and Joss Whedon.

Founded in 1992, Equality Now is an organization that advocates for the human rights of women and girls around the world by raising international visibility of individual cases of abuse, mobilizing public support through our global membership, and wielding strategic political pressure to ensure that governments enact or enforce laws and policies that uphold the rights of women and girls. With offices in New York, Nairobi and London, our areas of focus include Discrimination in Law, Sexual Violence, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Trafficking. Combining grassroots activism with international, regional and national legal advocacy, they envision a world in which women and men have equal rights under the law and full enjoyment of those rights.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Meryl Streep paid tribute to Viola Davis this week, contributing $20,000 to two Rhode Island charities connected to “The Help” star. The donations came after Streep bested Davis in the race for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in “The Iron Lady.” The Oscar winner wrote a check for $10,000 to Upward Bound to honor Davis, the program’s director Mariam Z. Boyajian confirmed to TheWrap. Boyajian said it was the largest donation in the organization’s history. “I was writing to her when you called,” Boyajian told TheWrap. “I wanted to give her a chance to settle down from the hectic weekend before I gave her the good news.” Streep followed up that donation with a separate $10,000 check to Segue Institute for Learning, according to the Providence Journal. Segue is a charter school based in Central Falls, R.I. – the economically depressed community where Davis grew up. Davis acknowledged the school while accepting a Best Actress award from the Screen Actors Guild earlier this year, telling the students “to dream big and dream fierce.” Boyajian said it is the second time Streep has donated to the program as a tribute to Davis. The previous gift came in 2009. Upward Bound is a federally funded program that provides college preparatory classes and educational grants to high school students from low-income communities. Davis and her sister Dolores Davis Grant both attended the program, which is based at Rhode Island College, Boyajian said. Thanks to Glenn for the heads-up!

The full Best Actress segment in best quality has been added to the video archive. Thanks to everybody who has contacted me and offered help, especially Filip, it’s been very appreciated!

Then, many additional video clips from the Academy Awards have been added to the video archive, including her words on the Thank You cam, the press room and a dozen of after-party interviews from Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, and more. Enjoy!

First of all, my apologies for not providing live coverage on the Academy Awards, but work schedules have prevented me from doing so. I hope you have all enjoyed the Oscars and I’ll be adding pictures and multimedia as we speak, so check back for more additions throughout the evening. About 400 pictures from the red carpet, the show and the press room and the after-parties have been added. More pictures – and video files – will be added tomorrow! Enjoy the new additions :-)

It has been a busy weekend for Meryl so far as she has attended the Academy Awards’ Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Symposium yesterday as well – to talk about the makeup process of “The Iron Lady”, alongside the Oscar-nominated makeup team of Marc Coulier and Roy Helland. Click below for the video and pictures from the conversation.

Yesterday, Meryl has attended the Weinstein Company’s Pre-Oscar party. A couple of pictures have been added to the image library. Also, over 100 additional pictures from the Berlin Film Festival (check the latest additions from the photocall, press conference, premiere and awards ceremony) and the Academy Awards’ Foreign Language Film Award Directors Reception have been added to the image library.