Led by Meryl Streep, a host of celebrities and public figures will read their favorite poems by some of America’s best-loved poets on April 1. The 6th annual Poetry & The Creative Mind will feature Candace Bushnell, Robert Caro, Graydon Carter, Katie Couric, Philippe de Montebello, Jonathan Demme, John Guare, Dianne Reeves and Liz Smith. The evening is titled “Poetry & The Creative Mind” and proceeds benefit the Academy of American Poets, one of the premiere literary nonprofit organizations in the country. “Poetry & The Creative Mind has become one of the most anticipated literary events in New York City,” said Tree Swenson, the Academy’s Executive Director. Swenson added, “The event also resonates with lovers of film, theatre, art, music, and dance.”

A documentary on the making of 2006’s production of The Public Theater’s “Mother Courage”, starring Meryl Streep, will be premiering at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. In “Theater of War”, a documentary on the making of a play, we see the most celebrated actress in the world, Meryl Streep, prepare for one of the most challenging performances of her career. She collaborates with Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner (Angels In America), and Academy Award nominated actor Kevin Kline on the adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s landmark anti-war play Mother Courage. Through her process and the staging of the play, we understand the influence Brecht’s craft as elaborated on by these enormous talents. Directed by John Walter (How To Draw A Bunny, My Kid Could Paint That). No screening dates have been announced yet.

Stars from the stage and screen versions of Mamma Mia! are to be featured in an edition of The South Bank Show. Julie Walters, Colin Firth and Meryl Streep – who star in the film version due for release in July – are among some of the names lined up to appear in the programme. It will also contain interviews with Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson from ABBA and behind the scenes footage of a new opening of the production in Europe. There will also be contributions from the creative team behind the show. An exact airdate is not yet given.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, First Independent Pictures will handle North American theatrical distribution for Chen Shi-Zheng’s dramatic thriller “Dark Matter,” starring Liu Ye, Aidan Quinn and Meryl Streep. Based on a true story, the film follows a Chinese science student (Liu Ye) invited by a professor (Quinn) to travel to the U.S. to study for his Ph.D., but the pressures of his new environment cause him to slowly unravel. Streep plays his mentor. The film will be released in April, followed by a DVD release via a home video deal that is now being finalized. “Dark Matter” won the Alfred P. Sloan award when it premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The 2008 awards season starts slightly different for Meryl this year as her first nomination is not for her acting – but for her vocal abilities. Together with Stanley Tucci, she has received a Grammy nomination in the category of the Best Spoken Word Album For Children (for albums consisting of predominantly spoken word vs. music or song) for their narration in “The One And Only Shrek”. The Grammy Awards will be presented on February 10, 2008. This is Meryl’s fourth Grammy nomination in this category, she was nominated before with “The Velveteen Rabbit” (1985), “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” and ” The Tailor of Glouchester” (both 1988). Many thanks to Frank for the heads-up! :-)

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Meryl Streep May be playing Julia Child in a movie version of the famous cook’s life: Meryl Streep will be whipping up some culinary delights as legendary chef Julia Child in Columbia Pictures “Julie & Julia.” The film is an adaptation of the 2005 book by Julie Powell, “Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen.” Columbia is in negotiations with Amy Adams to co-star as Powell. The film follows Powell, a government worker, who decides to cook her way through Child’s classic, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in one year’s time out of her small Brooklyn kitchen. Powell blogs her daily experiences, gaining a loyal following along the way. Nora Ephron penned the script and is directing. Streep has starred in two films written by Ephron, 1983’s “Silkwood” and 1986’s “Heartburn.”

Meryl Streep will be honored at the 35th annual Film Society of Lincoln Center Gala Tribute on April 14. It’s the latest feather in the cap for an actress with the most Academy Award nominations in history. The ceremony will feature film clips from her more than 30-year film career along with presentations by many of her co-stars and directors. The event will be directed and edited by FSLC Gala Tribute director Wendy Keys and Gala Tribute producer Tony Impavido. The tribute is held each spring at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall.

The American Film Institute announced today that the highly anticipated Tom Cruise drama “Lions for Lambs” will be the opening-night film for AFI Fest 2007. Directed by Robert Redford, “Lambs” is the first release under the Paula Wagner / Tom Cruise regime at United Artists. The picture stars Redford, Cruise and Meryl Streep, and is described as a politically charged drama centered around two American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and a U.S. senator with presidential ambitions (Cruise) who May have a hand in their fates. Streep plays a TV journalist poised to land a major story with the help of the senator. Redford appears as an idealistic college professor who is torn by the choices of two of his former students. “We think it’s an exciting film and an important film,” Wagner, UA’s chief executive, said in a statement released today by AFI. “And this is the perfect way to introduce it to the public.” So far, it’s the only festival selection for “Lambs.” It’s scheduled to be in theaters Nov. 9.

James Bond star Pierce Brosnan will swap guns for Abba songs this month when he begins filming a Hollywood version of the hit musical “Mamma Mia” on the Greek island of Skiathos, the show said Wednesday. The Irish actor’s co-star Meryl Streep May also make an appearance when filming begins there and on the neighbouring island of Skopelos on August 29, a production official was quoted by AFP as saying on condition of anonymity. The film is hoping to recreate the success of the British musical, created in 1999 using songs by hit Swedish band Abba, for the big screen. Actor Tom Hanks is producing the film, due to be screened next year, and the stage musical’s British creator, Phyllida Lloyd, will direct, according to the Hollywood trade press. In anticipation of the stars’ arrival, residents of Skopelos have created a blog, www.skopelos07.wordpress.com, dedicated to the film and to promoting the two islands as tourist destinations.

Meryl Streep will be honored with the 2007 Dana Reeve Hope Award by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. The award will be given to her at the “A Magical Evening” benefit on November 12, 2007. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (CDRF) is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research, and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy. Proceeds from A Magical Evening will assist CDRF in fulfilling its goals. For more information, please visit christopherreeve.org.