Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell is coming to Blu-ray Disc and DVD on December 8. Blu-ray will be the best version to own of this summer hit and not just for the 1080p picture and lossless audio. Sony is taking advantage of Blu-ray’s extra space and BD-Live to deliver the majority of bonus features as Blu-ray exclusive.  The complete list of bonus features are as follows:

Commentary with writer/director Nora Ephron
Secret Ingredients: Creating Julie & Julia – Go behind the scenes with Meryl Streep & Amy Adams

Family & Friends Remember Julia Child (BD exclusive)
Julia’s Kitchen – Learn all about how the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History acquired Julia’s kitchen and take a tour inside. (BD exclusive)
Cooking Lessons: (BD exclusive)
Poaching Eggs with Julia Child & Jacques Pépin
Making Hollandaise Sauce with Julia Child & Jacques Pépin
Mark Peel Prepares Scrambled Eggs
Suzanne Goin Prepares Braised Beef Shortribs
Steven Lewandowski & Drew Nieporent Prepare Butter Poached Maine Lobster
movieIQ – Julia’s Recipe Collector – collect and email your favorite Julia Child recipes while watching the film! (BD exclusive)

 
Julie & Julia on Blu-ray has a retail price of $39.95. Pre-order information and cover art are expected to be released in the days ahead.

Meryl Streep and Nora Ephron were recently presented with honorary diplomas from the famed Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, France. Streep was honored for her outstanding interpretation of the legendary Julia Child and Nora Ephron for the film adaptation of the book Julie & Julia. The ceremony took place at the United States Embassy in Paris during an advance screening of the film hosted by US Ambassador Charles Rivkin; newly appointed to France by President Obama. Mr Andre Cointreau, president of Le Cordon Bleu International presented Ms. Ephron and Ms. Streep with the distinctions.  Visit Le Cordon Bleu at at www.cordonbleu.edu/julieandjulia for inspiring recipes and the latest Le Cordon Bleu events and classes worldwide.

In the past days there have been lots of new interviews with Meryl and Stanley Tucci on their European tour to promote “Julie & Julia”. Clips of various French and Spanish tv programmes were uploaded, as well as the previously announced interviews on GMTV and This Morning, yesterday. A complete list can be found below the previews. Enjoy!

Video Archive > News Segments > 2009 > This Morning (September 11, 2009)
Video Archive > News Segments > 2009 > GMTV (September 11, 2009)
Video Archive > News Segments > 2009 > Telecinco (September 09, 2009)
Video Archive > News Segments > 2009 > Sé Lo Che Hicisteis (September 09, 2009)
Video Archive > News Segments > 2009 > France 24 (September 06, 2009)
Video Archive > Miscellaneous > Le Grand Journal Interview Session (September 04, 2009)
Video Archive > Making Ofs > The Making of “Julie & Julia”

Added screencaptures and a video transcript of Meryl’s appearance on the French talkshow Le Grand Journal to promote “Julie & Julia”, yesterday. Thanks to Nora for helping me on this. Also, make sure to check the show’s official website, they have more goodies on the show. And as Meryl will be attending the Deauville Film Festival today, check back later for coverage.

According to AFP, Hollywood stars Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep and Robin Wright Penn descend on the famed French seaside resort of Deauville from Friday for the town’s annual festival of American films. Streep and Wright Penn will be on hand, respectively, for the French premieres of “Julie & Julia” and “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee”, among 16 US movies showing out of competition at the festival, which closes with its awards ceremony September 13. The festival opens tomorrow – and “Julie & Julia” is announced to premiere this Saturday, September 05. A complete schedule can be found at the festival’s official website.

Also, Meryl and Amy Adams have been announced to attend “Le Grand Journal”, tomorrow, although I’m not sure if this is a new appearance or a re-run of their interview earlier this year for “Doubt”. Thanks to everybody for the heads-up!

The German tv programme Brisant has aired a very nice report on “Julie & Julia”, including a new interview with Meryl. Since it’s dubbed in German, you can find a translation of what she said below the previews. Caps and a clip have been uploaded.

I like little domestic things I have to say. I just wrapped a movie that took forever to end. And then when I was finished I went into my… sew area. And I took a whole day and sorted needles according to size and sorted colors. And I love to iron, I just did that yesterday.

A cookbook extolling the virtues of butter-laden French cuisine has become a surprise US bestseller 48 years after being published. Shedding their growing fear of obesity and heart disease, US cooking enthusiasts are snapping up Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” The book, first published in 1961 and co-written with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, will top the New York Times’ best-seller list in the advice and how-to category from August 30. The book is filled with recipes calling for wads of butter, goose fat, bacon and other delicious ingredients that have become taboo in health-conscious US kitchens. The New York Times said that 22,000 copies had been sold in the most recent week tracked, which was more than the number sold in any full year since original publication. The boost is likely due to the recent release of the movie “Julie and Julia,” the Times said. The film tells the story of Child’s discovery of cooking while in France and a modern blogger attempting to work through the book’s recipes. Child, who died in 2004 aged 91, might not be surprised that her vision finally got through. “Oh, butter never hurts you,” she liked to say, according to the Times.

On Saturday, August 22 at 1:00 p.m., KETC/Channel 9 pays tribute to Child with the broadcast of Julia Child Memories: Bon Appetit!, a two-hour retrospective featuring three of the most memorable episodes from The French Chef: Bouillabaisse à la Marseillaise, To Roast a Chicken and The Omelette Show.

Because the broadcast coincides with the theatrical release of the film comedy Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep as Child, the program includes commentary from Streep and author Julie Powell, who wrote the book on which the film is based. Also included are Nora Ephron, the writer/director of Julie & Julia; chef Gordon Hamersley of Hamersley’s Bistro; Russell Morash, producer/director of The French Chef; Sara Moulton, executive chef of Gourmet Magazine; fellow TV chef Jacques Pepin; chef Lydia Shire of Locke-Ober; actor Stanley Tucci; and chef Jasper White of Summer Shack.

Added the full interview with Meryl and Nora Ephron on The Charlie Rose Show, originally aired on August 07, 2009. Very interesting to watch, as both recall filming “Julie & Julia”, as well as making “Heartburn”. Enjoy!

After claiming last week’s second spot at the American box office, earning a whopping $20 milion, “Julie & Julia” is still doing fine in theaters this week, according to the New York Times’ box office chart: “The inexpensive dramatic comedy “Julie & Julia” (Sony) was fourth with an estimated $12.4 million and a new cumulative total of $43.7 million.”