Today’s Movie of the Week fits perfectly for a rainy Sunday – Sydney Pollack’s 1986 “Out of Africa”. Lots of updates have been made for the film, including new DVD screencaptures, deleted scenes and documentary screencaptures as well as over 100 re-added production stills and on-set pictures. Three new clips can be found in the video archive. Also, make sure to read the site special about the real Karen Blixen. Production notes and review after the cut. As always, please share your thoughts on “Out of Africa” in the comments. For the Movie of the Week section, only three films are left, and I’ve saved my three personal films for the finale, so check back next Sunday.

This Sunday’s spotlight features one of Meryl’s best performances of all time – in Alan Pakula’s 1982 “Sophie’s Choice”. To cover the film, lots of updates have been made. All of the production stills, promotional pictures and on-set pictures have been re-uploaded with many new additions, alongside photoshoot pictures to promote the film. Over 1.500 DVD screencaptures have been re-added as well. In the video archive, four new clips have been uploaded, and the 2001 documentary on the film, Death Dreams Of Mourning is still worth a watch. Production notes and review after the cut. As always, please share your thoughts on the film in the comments.

The People’s Choice Awards have launched their selections for the 2013 nominees, and Meryl, as well as “Hope Springs”, are featured in a variety of categories. The first is Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress. Together with Tommy Lee Jones, she shares a spot at Favorite On-Screen Chemistry. “Hope Springs” can be nominated as Favorite Comedic Movie. Then, there’s a new category entitled Movie Icon, which she shares with Blythe Danner, Emma Thompson, Frances McDormand, Holly Hunter, Jessica Lange, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Sally Field, Sigourney Weaver and Susan Sarandon. You can cast your vote at the People’s Choice Award’s website. Let’s see if Meryl makes it among the final nominees.

This Sunday we spotlight “The Bridges of Madison County”, Clint Eastwood’s 1995 romance that features one of Meryl’s greatest performances of the 1990s. Lots of updates have been made on the film, including new DVD screencaptures, over 100 new production stills, promotional pictures, on-set pictures and deleted scenes. The video archive has been updated as well with new clips and a lenghty excerpt from the 2008 documentary on the film’s making, An Old-Fashioned Love Story, which is worth a watch. Production notes and review after the cut. As always, please share your comments on “The Bridges of Madison County” in the comments.

Scans from five magazines, ranging from March to September 2012 and coming from the United Kingdom, the USA, Spain, Italy and France, have been added to the image library. Many thanks to Alvaro for guiding them to me. Full list and previews can be found below.

This Sunday we cover a fan’s favorite – “Mamma Mia”. Some big updates have been made to spotlight the film: New Blu-Ray screencaptures have been added and all other pictures – production stills, promotional pictures, on-set pictures and making of captures – have been re-added in better quality. The video archive has been added with compilation videos of her promotional interview tours in Greece, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Australia and the United States. There’s also three new clips from the film. Production notes and review after the cut. As always, please share your thoughts on “Mamma Mia” in the comments.

The third annual L.A. amFAR Inspiration Gala included the Piaget Inspiration Award to agent Kevin Huvane for all he’s done for amFAR. Various video tributes were shown, with many of his famous clients praising his efforts, including Tomy Cruise, Julianne Moore and Ellen Barkin. And according to The Hollywood Reporter, the last video had to be the best: Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep in dark wigs, on the set of “August: Osage County”, with Dermot Mulroney accompanying them on acoustic guitar and singing a song about Huvane keeping them on hold while he deals with “Sarah Jessica and Nicole.” “Kevin, I want to hear your voice on the phone,” sang Streep. At the end, with the crowd in stitches, Roberts pulled off her wig, while Streep was unable to detach hers. “It’s not fair!” she cried, cracking up the crowd even more. Although this is not likely to show up online, let’s have our fingers crossed for a video clip to surface.

In an early announcement to retailers, Sony will be releasing ‘Hope Springs’ on Blu-ray on December 4. So far, no information on its special features has been released. Kay (Meryl Streep), and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones), are a middle-aged couple whose marriage has declined until they are now sleeping in separate rooms and barely interact in any meaningful loving way. Finally, Kay has had enough and finds a book by Dr. Feld (Steve Carell), which inspires her to sign them up for the Doctor’s intense week long marriage counseling session. Although Arnold sees nothing wrong with their 30 year long marriage, he reluctantly agrees to go on the expensive excursion. What follows is an insightful experience as Dr. Feld manages to help the couple understand how they have emotionally drifted apart and what they can do to reignite their passion. Even with the Doctor’s advice, Kay and Arnold find that renewing their marriage’s fire is a daunting challenge for them both.

The Hamptons International Film Festival has published a video of Meryl Streep’s appearance at this year’s honoring of costume designer Ann Roth with a Lifetime Achievement Award, presented with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as reported earlier this week. To honor her colleage, Meryl reads a poem called “Ode to Ann”, which she wrote during her flight to the festival. You can watch her very funny appearance in the video archive. Thanks to everybody for the heads-up.

Three new clips have been added to the video archive. First, a new public service announcement for the Center for Reproductive Rights. You can learn more about their recent campaign at their official website. Then, a report by CBS Evening News on the Charlie Foundation benefit, featuring an interview with Meryl. Thanks to the Charlie Foundation for the upload. The third clip is a blast from the past – a 1998 report on the Los Angeles premiere of “One True Thing”, including an interview with Meryl, and her first meeting with Reba McEntire, in which she thanks the singer for stepping in to sing “I’m Checking Out” at the Academy Awards 1991, when Meryl was pregnant and couldn’t attend. Credit for the clip goes to kegel80. Enjoy the new clips.