After an early April launch on-demand, “The Post” has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the United States this Thursday. If you haven’t seen it by now, make sure to grab your copy. Not only is it a timely piece, thrilling and superbly directed by Steven Spielberg, it also features two career-high performances by both Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks – the latter being a deserving Oscar nominee as well! Over 1.000 high quality Blu-Ray screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery, alongside captures from the making of supplements of the disc.

Nicole Kidman has shared a first look at her and Meryl Streep during the second season filming of “Big Little Lies”. As previously reported, Streep is joining the cast as Mary Louise Wright, the mother of Alexander Skarsgard’s deceased character Perry (and the mother-in-law of Kidman’s widow Celeste). “First day on the set with Meryl and my darling boys,” Kidman wrote on Instagram. In announcing Streep’s hiring back in January, HBO released this teaser for her character: “Concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren following her son’s death, Mary Louise arrives in Monterey searching for answers.” Big Little Lies‘ seven-episode “sequel” is slated to bow in early 2019. The image can be found in full resolution in the photo gallery.

Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt have supported their “The Devil Wears Prada” (and “Julie and Julia”)-co-star Stanley Tucci at the premiere of his film “Final Portrait” in New York, yesterday. When the elegant New Jersey-born art critic and writer James Lord agreed to sit for Alberto Giacometti in his Paris atelier in 1964, he may fondly have imagined that the process might unfurl over a leisurely afternoon or so, but soon found himself the object of the great artist’s unforgiving scrutiny. The sitting stretched out for days and challenged even his remarkable powers of introspective concentration. Lord wrote about his experience which is now captured in “Final Portrait”, a passion project for the actor Stanley Tucci, here assuming different hats as director and screenwriter. Pictures from the premiere have been added to the photo gallery.

Fans will have to wait until 2019 to return to Monterey, but the cast of Big Little Lies doesn’t have to wait that long. They start filming the new season next week, Reese Witherspoon revealed during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers last night, according to Bazaar. “Y’all we’re starting next Friday on Big Little Lies 2, I can’t believe it,” Witherspoon said. “Not only do we have every cast member coming back, but also Meryl Streep is joining us.” HBO previously announced that Steep would be joining the cast as Mary Louise Wright, the mother of Perry White, played by Alexander Skarsgard in Season 2. Witherspoon also shared her reaction when she found out she would be working with the acting legend. “Well, she sent an email to Nicole and I, and it said, ‘Okay, I read the part and I love it and I’m going to do it.’ And I, like, dropped the phone,” she said. “And then I called Nicole [Kidman] and was like, ‘Is this real life? Like is this really happening?'” Witherspoon said she also hugged herself gently for a moment before calling the show’s writer, David E. Kelley, and jokingly telling him, “you better write me good scenes with Meryl Streep.”

Oscar®-winners Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks team up for the first time in this thrilling film based on a true story. Determined to uphold the nation’s civil liberties, Katharine Graham (Streep), publisher of The Washinton Post, and hard-nosed editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) join forces to expose a decades-long cover-up. But the two must risk their careers and their freedom to bring truth to light in this powerful film with a celebrated cast. Add THE POST to your digital collection on Movies Anywhere™ beginning April 3 and enjoy the ultimate home viewing experience on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 17.

Special Features:
Take in these fascinating documentaries about this riveting, important film and the incredible real-life story it’s based on, featuring director Steven Spielberg, stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, reporters and others. Included are insightful interviews, documents from the Pentagon Papers era, and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.

Layout: Katharine Graham, Ben Bradlee & The Washington Post: Get to know the brave real-life characters at the heart of this story, Kay Graham and Ben Bradlee, who risked everything to tell the truth.

Editorial: The Cast and Characters of The Post: Learn how, once Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks agreed to make this important film, other world-class actors also signed on!

The Style Section: Re-Creating an Era: Visit the 1970s and the Washington Post newsroom in this engaging exploration of how the style of The Pentagon Papers era was created.

Stop the Presses: Filming The Post: You’re invited onto the set with Steven Spielberg, his collaborators and his cast as they meticulously craft each cinematic moment.

Arts and Entertainment: Music for The Post: Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams celebrate their 44-year partnership in this moving tribute to collaboration and friendship.

The Oscars have been handed out and it’s a wrap for the 2018 awards season. As expected, Best Actress went to the marvelous Frances McDormand and “Shape of Water” won Best Picture. There wasn’t much about Meryl at this year’s ceremony, except for a funny bit by Jodie Foster and Jennifer Lawrence, who presented the Best Actress segment. Pictures from the arrivals and the show have been added to the photo gallery with more to come. Edit: Lots of additional pictures have been added with many thanks to Ali, Claudia and Maria, your help has been very appreciated. Also, the Best Actress segment has been added to the video archive.

During tonight’s Oscar broadcast (check the following update for more on the ceremony), Disney released a first teaser for “Mary Poppins Returns” during the commercial breaks. While it doesn’t feature Meryl and only gives a glimpse of Mary Poppins herself (I know, that’s why they call them teasers :-) the trailer gives a good idea of what to expect from Rob Marshall’s film, which is hitting theaters this Christmas. You can watch it below or in the video archive.

The great joy of maintaining an archive like Simply Streep is finding an old blast from the past you have been looking forever. Even better to find something you didn’t even know existed! The German-french culture channel has a movie programme called “Abgedreht” or “Personne Ne Bouge” and this week’s episode is all about Meryl Streep, featuring bits from a very rare appearance on Michael Parkinson’s talkshow in October 1981 to promote the theatrical release of “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”. You can watch the full programme, which runs 35 minutes, either in German or in French on the Arte website. The “Parkinson” bit can be found in the video archive as well as screencaptures in the photo gallery. Enjoy.

Earlier this week, Meryl Streep has attended the nominees luncheon for the 90th Annual Academy Awards. Pictures have been added to the photo gallery. There are also some fantastic new scans from the French Premiere magazine, the British Sight & Sound and Little White Lies magazines and from the German Stern magazine. Many thanks to Alvaro for his contributions. Enjoy reading.

Meryl Streep, Debbie Harry from Blondie, Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band and Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro are among the inductees for the 2017 class of the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Gov. Phil Murphy announced the 21 inductees – seven women and 14 men – at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton on Tuesday. All inductees, living and dead, will be honored at a ceremony celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the hall of fame at the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park on May 6. “The hall exists to celebrate some of the most famous and most impactful,” Murphy said. “The New Jersey Hall of Fame is where their story is told and retold to inspire.” Along with Streep and Valastro, several of the inductees were not among the 51 nominees announced in November, and the hall said it could select additional inductees based on who is available for the induction ceremony. (Celebrity foodie Anthony Bourdain was originally nominated but said that he could not make the ceremony and was replaced by businessman Joe Buckelew.) The complete article can be read here. Many thanks to Frank for the heads-up.