Happy New Year everybody! Today, Meryl Streep has joined colleague and friend Viola Davis to celebrate Davis’ star unveiling at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A first batch of pictures have been added to the photo gallery with more to come. Edit: Over 200 additional pictures have been added, as well as a video of the whole ceremony below. At the ceremony, Streep said, “Viola Davis is possessed. She’s possessed of a blazing, incandescent talent. She is, arguably, the most immediate, responsive artist I have ever worked with.” And an emotional Davis, who won a Tony for her Broadway performance in Fences and is now frontrunning a Best Supporting Actress win at the Academy Awards, said, “I cannot believe my life right now.” Meryl’s introduction starts around 7:50 minutes.

2016 was a rather quiet year in Meryl Streep’s career, but a year filled with the Summer success of “Florence Foster Jenkins”, political acitivism in a year of terror and change, and sad losses.

There are only two ways a new year could start for Meryl Streep – with awards season or without. 2016 started without, since both “Ricki and the Flash” and “Suffragette”, Streep’s two films released in 2015, didn’t respond with award juries. But there was another assigment to tackle, one that Meryl hasn’t done in her career before. In February, she was named president of the jury for the 2016 Berlin Film Festival, leading actors Clive Owen, Alba Rohrwacher and Lars Eidinger, director Malgorzata Szumowska, photographer Brigitte Lacombe, and editor Nick James. The festival opened on February 10, and provided 10 days full of films, discussions and a winning documentary about the refugee crisis. Meryl Streep said of the Golden Bear-winning film “Fire at Sea” from Gianfranco Rosi: “This is a film that commands our attention and demands action. It is a documentary on the refugee crisis, looking at the island of Lampadusa In Italy where thousands of refugees have flooded into Europe.”

In February, Meryl Streep was president of the jury at the Berlin Film Festival, honoring the refugee crisis documentary “Fire at Sea” with the festival’s Golden Bear. Members of Streep’s jury were Clive Owen, Alba Rohrwacher, Lars Eidinger, Malgorzata Szumowska, Brigitte Lacombe and Nick James.

Condolences to the Fisher family so quick again after Debbie Reynolds has passed away only a day after her dauhter. Carrie Fisher, the actress and writer best known for her iconic role as Star Wars’ Princess Leia, died Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack four days earlier. She was 60. The daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, she carved out her own idiosyncratic career as a truth-telling Hollywood wit. Frankly addressing her own problems with substance abuse and bipolar disorder, she penned the 1987 hit novel “Postcards From the Edge”, an only slightly fictionalized version of her own life as a sometimes-depressed actress and the daughter of a major, and occasionally intimidating, Hollywood star. She went on to write the book’s screen adaptation for the 1990 film version, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine. Whenever Fisher appeared on the Hollywood awards circuit to pay tribute to another star, she could be counted on to offer up a wry observation that provoked laughter. Speaking at the 2004 AFI Life Achievement Award given to Streep, she recalled what it was like to have the Oscar-winning actress play her. “After Postcards premiered, I began daily to see the pain and disappointment in the eyes of my family and friends every time I wasn’t Meryl,” Fisher admitted. “There’s a name for this condition as it turns out — Merylnoma Streepdecoccus.” Streep and Fisher grew close during the pre-production of “Postcards from the Edge” and remained friends and frequent red carpet companions. This is truly sad news. Rest in peace.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBT civil rights organization is honoring Meryl Streep at its 2017 HRC Great New York Gala, to be held Feb. 11 at New York’s Waldorf Astoria. As THR continues, the achievement is overdue. The 19-time Oscar-nominated actress — arguably as iconic a gay screen icon as Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn and Judy Garland before her — has never before been given a major award for her contributions to LGBT culture and advancement. Streep’s resume features some of the most essential films in the gay cinematic canon, from bleak historical dramas (Sophie’s Choice, Silkwood) to rousing musicals (Mamma Mia!, Into the Woods) to darkly campy delights (the immensely quotable Death Becomes Her and The Devil Wears Prada). Off-screen, Streep has taken up the advancement of gay rights as a personal cause. She has described her multiple roles in Mike Nichols’ adaptation of the groundbreaking Tony Kushner play Angels in America (she played everything from accused spy Ethel Rosenberg to a male rabbi in the 2003 HBO miniseries) as among the most important work of her career for the way it humanized the AIDS crisis. Accepting her Golden Globe for the project in 2004, she spoke out in favor of same-sex marriage, then a mounting hot-button issue that led President George W. Bush, in his reelection campaign, to call for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ban it from ever being legalized. Closing her speech, Streep said that “too many people [wanting] to commit their lives to each other till death do us part” is far from the country’s biggest problem, drawing applause from attendees like Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise. “Meryl Streep embodies the very nature of what it means to be an ally to our community,” says HRC President Chad Griffin, who will present Streep with the Ally for Equality Award, which recognizes “outstanding efforts of those who use their voice and publicly stand up for the LGBTQ community.” Many thanks to Frank for the heads-up.

According to a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter with Dick Van Dyke, both he and Angela Lansbury will be part of Disney’s upcoming “Mary Poppins” sequel, which already helms Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Meryl Streep. The latter’s involvement hasn’t been officially announced, so once can assume if Dick Van Dyke tells it, it’s true. His mention of the project is short but poingnant, as you can see above. Also, here’s Disney’s official synopsis for the December 25, 2018 release: In Depression-era London, a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, along with Michael’s three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins following a personal loss. Through her unique magical skills, and with the aid of her friend Jack, she helps the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives.

This one supposedly takes place 20 years later and the kids are all grown up,” he says. “It’s a great cast — Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury and that guy [Lin-Manuel Miranda] from Hamilton.

Congratulations once again as Meryl has received a Best Actress Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, as well as a Best Actress Phoenix Film Critics Society nomination, for “Florence Foster Jenkins”. At the SAGs, Hugh Grant was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor. at the Phoenix Society, “Florence” racked up four nominations – for Best Picture, Actress, Supporting Actor and Best Costume Design. The Phoenix winners will be announced on Tuesday, December 20, 2015. The Screen Actors Guild Awards are handed out on January 29, 2017. This is Meryl Streep’s 16th SAG Award nominations, with acting categories and ensemble categories combined. She received her first nomination at the 1st annual awards for “The River Wild” in 1995 and her most recent nomination in 2015 for “Into the Woods”. Congratulations. Thanks to Frank for the Phoenix news.

Say hello to the record breaker Meryl Streep, who, this morning, has earned her 30th Golden Globe nomination – the most individual nominations of all time. She is nominated as Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy alongside Annette Bening (20th Century Woman), Lilly Collins (Rules Don’t Apply), Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen) and Emma Stone (La La Land). “Florence Foster Jenkins fared well at the Golden Globes with three more nominations as Best Picture Comedy or Musical as well as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations for Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg. Even if Meryl does not win in her competitive category, she will take the stage to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award. The 74th Golden Globe Awards are handed out on January 08, 2017.

Yesterday, Meryl Streep was named Best Actress in a Comedy for “Florence Foster Jenkins” at the 22nd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards, “beating out” Kate Beckinsale, Sally Field, Kate McKinnon and Hailee Steinfeld. Her fellow “Florence Foster Jenkins” nominees didn’t fare as good – costume designer Consolata Boyle and supporting actor nominee Hugh Grant remained nominees. Meryl did not attend the ceremony so no pictures or videos. Many thanks to Frank for the heads-up.

Awards season is starting these days with the first groups of critics and award juries announcing their nominations and winners. Among the first are the Satellite Awards (who seem to nominate anyone who’s been mentioned a favorite in the awards communities) and the Critics Choice Awards (ditto). Meryl Streep has received nomination from both organizations for “Florence Foster Jenkins”. The Satellites have nominated Meryl as Actress in a Motion Picture and Hugh Grant as Best Supporting Actor. The Critics Choice Awards, which split their acting categories into Best Actress, Best Actress in an Action Movie and Best Actress in a Comedy has nominated Meryl in the latter category, with additional nominations for Hugh Grant (Best Actor in a Comedy) and Consolata Boyle (Best Costume Design). It’ll probably take until December 12’s Golden Globe nominations and the Screen Actors Guild nominations two days later until we find out if Meryl will be a bankable player in the Best Actress field this year. If not, we still have the Globes’ Lifetime Achievement Award to look forward to.

Awards season is slowly starting in Hollywood these days, and if you’ve put your money on Meryl Streep, I’m sure you didn’t have this honor in your cards. Streep and Jeffrey Kurland (Inception) will both take home trophies at the upcoming Costume Designers Guild Awards. The event, presented by Lacoste, is set to take place Feb. 21 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Streep has been tapped for the distinguished collaborator award while Kurland, who counts more than 40 credits on his résumé, will be honored with the career achievement award. Of Streep and Kurland, CDG president Salvador Perez said, “As leaders of their respective crafts, their work has influenced and entertained us for decades and continues to do so. We are thrilled to be honoring them both this year.” With the distinguished collaborator honor, Streep joins a roster of honorees that includes Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater, Helen Mirren, Judd Apatow, Clint Eastwood, Rob Marshall, Jim Burrows and Lorne Michaels. Previous recipients of the career achievement award include Ellen Mirojnick, Julie Weiss, April Ferry, Eduardo Castro, Judianna Makovsky, Colleen Atwood, Sandy Powell and Ann Roth. In more predictable news, Meryl has received a nomination as Best Actress at the Satellite Awards. Many thanks to Frank for the heads-up.