According to Deadline, Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman have renewed their support for The Writers Lab, which will return to its in-person format for script development in 2022, supporting women screenwriters over the age of 40. The Lab has re-doubled its efforts to amplify the voices of women writers, calling for greater inclusion of their stories in film and television, in response to growing threats to women’s rights, with genre scripts (particularly comedies) and historical stories about pioneering women being seen most commonly amongst its pool of submissions. This year’s Lab will focus on building the tools and strategies for talented writers to develop their projects and navigate the ever-shifting landscape of professional opportunities, with the 12 screenwriters selected to gather in Saugerties, NY in early November. The Writers Lab also today announced that its work is being recognized by AdvancingDiversity.org, a collective of more than 40 advertising and media companies and organizations, which last week unveiled its 2022 inductees into the Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors. “The Writers Lab is thrilled to be inducted into AdvancingDiversity.org’s Hall of Honors with these illustrious Honorees,” said co-founder Elizabeth Kaiden. “Advancing diversity is crucial to our mission of spotlighting an unexplored commodity: Cinematic stories that 50% of the population are clamoring to see.” Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

Last April, Campus Activities announced that Meryl Streep will receive the Distinguished Achievement Award granted by the Alumnae/i Association of Vassar College (AAVC). However, on April 19, 2022, Vassar announced the postponement of the ceremony; Streep was unable to attend the event due to pneumonia. At the time, the College did not elaborate on the exact rescheduled date. According to Vassar’s Miscellany News, on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, students who secured a lottery ticket for the event last semester received an email from the AAVC confirming that Streep would be coming to accept the award on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. The email communication offered these students the opportunity to reclaim their seats for the ceremony. President of Vassar College Elizabeth Bradley commented, “The award is presented to alums who have reached the highest level in their field, while using their position to better the human community and serve the wider goals of society. Meryl most certainly fits the bill. We are thrilled to welcome her to campus.” The College has yet to officially announce the rescheduled ceremony or provide specific details regarding the next ticket lottery.

I’m a little late on this one, but “Death Becomes Her” has celebrated its 30th anniversary back in July. It’s unbelievable that it’s three decades since the film’s release – and the legacy it has created ever since. I was going to write something in-depth for the anniversary until I remembered that I did just that two years ago for Streep in the ’90s. Make sure to have a look at it for more information on the filming process and the many scenes that were deleted and would have made it an altogether different film. I was also incredibly lucky to find an old segment from Entertainment Tonight, featuring cast and crew interviews that I have never seen before, as well as the Instagram page DeathBecomesHerForever, which features an abundance of behind-the-scenes stills from the film that I have also never seen before. The best way to celebrate “Death Becomes Her”, if you haven’t done this already, is to rewatch or stream it to see how it has aged (pun intended).

The University of Texas’ Harry Ransom Center on Monday announced that Meryl Streep will attend “A Celebration of Film,” the center’s fall event honoring actor Robert De Niro. Film critic and historian Leonard Maltin will also attend, acting as master of ceremonies. Taking place at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center on September 24, “A Celebration of Film” will support preservation and access to historical film materials archived at HRC. De Niro’s archive, which is also housed at HRC, will be featured in a new exhibition examining his early years at the American Workshop, in acting instructor Stella Adler’s classes, and in plays and films that marked his initial successes and learning experiences. De Niro first donated his archive to the HRC in 2006, including annotated screenplays, correspondence, production records, film stills and behind-the-scenes photographs, posters and publicity materials, props, costumes, videotapes, and motion picture film. The gala supports the museum’s mission to preserve and provide access to historical film materials. In an effort to expand access to this unique celebration, the HRC will also hold its first-ever ticketed after party, immediately following the gala. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit hrc.utexas.edu/gala for the gala and hrc.utexas.edu/afterparty/ for the post-production afterparty.

In response to the overturning of Roe V. Wade, Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative of the University of Southern California have announced a project which “will monitor popular entertainment content for issues related to reproductive rights, marriage equality, interracial relationships, and gun violence, and offer insights to create change.” According to the AV Club, the initiative comes with the support of many high-profile actors and producers, including Meryl Streep, Scarlett Johansson, Kerry Washington, Julianne Moore, Tessa Thompson, Amy Schumer, Laura Dern, and more. The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative works as an academic think tank out of USC Annenberg focusing on inequality in the entertainment industry, in front of and behind the camera. Those involved with study will not only use the research finding to offer solutions, but will also launch a “reproductive rights Accelerator program” to offer financial support to undergraduate film work on the subject. “The entertainment community plays a critical role in educating people about their sexual and reproductive health and rights, including abortion. With Roe v. Wade overturned and birth control, LGBQT+ and other rights threatened, this new Annenberg Inclusion Initiative research project will provide an invaluable tool to ensure audiences are reached with medically and legislatively accurate storytelling about these issues,” Planned Parenthood’s Caren Spruch says. “As we fight for every person’s right to bodily autonomy, working together with the Initiative and its supporters will be essential to changing the culture to achieve this goal.” Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

After another deep dive into the Meryl Streep archives, a nice batch of additional pictures have been added to the photo gallery. Updates include the 1982 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, where she won Best Actress for “Sophie’s Choice”, the 2004 St. Petersburg International Festival Of Festivals (which I have never heard of before) and some fantastic deleted scenes and production stills from “Death Becomes Her”. The complete list of updates can be found below the previews. Enjoy your weekend.

Hello everybody. It’s very quite right now with no news or appearances – I’m not even sure if the Apple TV+ Series Extrapolations, which was announced last November has been filmed or shelfed, so at this time there’s no new project to look forward to. But we can rely on the ever growing archive to bring you something new – a mixed bag of additions from the ’80s, including some wonderful French magazine scans with many thank to Alvaro and a couple of new production stills from “Out Of Africa” and “The River Wild”. Enjoy the new additions.

PBS’ American Masters series is currently streaming “Joe Papp in Five Acts”, a documentary on New York’s Public Theater founder Joe Papp, who gave Meryl Streep her big break in the New York theatre right after her graduation from Yale. The documentary is a bit of an oddity, because it premiered 10 years ago at the Tribeca Film Festival and then at various festivals around the US, but it has never been broadcast on tv, so this is a premiere with a 10-year-gap. Meryl Streep’s interview has been filmed even longer ago, as it looks. While I’m bad at guessing, I would say most probably around the late 90s/early 00s. Two preview clips can be found below. Thanks to everybody for the heads-up.

“Joe Papp in Five Acts” is the story of New York’s indomitable, street-wise champion of the arts who introduced interracial casting to the American stage and brought us free Shakespeare in the Park, Hair, and A Chorus Line. Convinced that women and minorities, denied power elsewhere in society, could develop it on the stage, Papp became a tireless fighter for the arts who raised enduring debate about our founding ideals and the role of the arts in a pluralistic society. Using his life and work as its prism, the film explores the issues he chose to champion: freedom of expression, democracy in the arts, and the definition of American culture.

A big batch of screencaptures from various television interviews and talkshows have been added to the photo gallery. Many previous appearances have been replaced with better quality captures, while others are completely new to the site, such as Meryl’s 1980 appearance on the British talkshow “Friday Night, Saturday Morning” to promote “Kramer vs. Kramer”. Many of her older British interviews have been featured in a recent BBC programme called “Talking Pictures”, which you can watch on their website (in case you live in the United Kingdom). Many thanks to Alvaro for the heads-up. Also, many thanks to Jess for contributing HD screencaptures of Meryl’s interview in the 2016 documentary “Everything is Copy” on Nora Ephron. The most recent addition is Meryl’s online conversation on the 2nd Annual Virtual Earth Day Summit last April. Check out the complete list of updates below. Have a wonderful Sunday everybody.

On Sunday, Christine Baranski was honored by New York City’s MCC Theater during their annual Miscast Gala, “one of the most exciting and unique theater events in town”. Funds raised from Miscast help MCC Theater produce some of the most talked-about new work Off-Broadway and support our Youth Company and in-school partnerships that serve New York City public high school students, as well as our literary development work with emerging playwrights. Baranski’s co-stars Meryl Streep and Tracey Ullman saluted her in taped segments, vying for the title of “Christine’s best friend”. The clip can be watched below and in the video archive.