In January 1979, the “Holocaust” miniseries was broadcast for the first time in West Germany. The series – the first of its kind to cover the genocide during World War II to widespread public attention – was watched by 20 million people, or 50 percent of West Germany’s population. With an estimated viewership of up to 15 million households, the series turned out to be extremely popular during its initial airing, leading to an increased public interest in the crimes committed during the Nazi era. After each part of Holocaust was aired, there followed a companion show wherein a panel of historians answered questions from people phoning in. The historians’ panels were overwhelmed with thousands of phone calls from shocked and outraged Germans. By this time, “Holocaust” was already a critical success, earning 15 Primetime Emmy nominations with 8 wins, including for Outstanding Limited Series and for Meryl Streep’s performance as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series. To honor the series’ legacy, numerous German television stations will broadcast re-runs of “Holocaust” throughout January. The re-runs will be accompanied by a new documentary on the making of the series. Director Marvin J. Chomsky will be interviewed for the program alongside actors Michael Moriarty, Rosemary Harris and Blanche Baker. The documentary will be first aired on January 14, 2019, at 22.10pm on WDR. It will be also shown on NDR and SWR throughout January. If you haven’t seen the miniseries yet, here’s your chance to see a piece of television history. Edit: The documentary can be now watched on-demand in Germany. Unfortunately, while it’s a fantastic programme on the making of “Holocaust”, it features nothing on Meryl Streep except for a couple of scenes from the series.

Today, “Mary Poppins Returns” releases theaters in the United States and Europe, destined to dominate the Christmas box office of 2018 and probably the awards season of 2019 with a predicted Best Actress nomination for Emily Blunt. The reviews have been good so far, ranging from “it’s a new classic” to “it’s not a classic”, so I guess those interested in the film will get a chance to see where it ranks – starting today! Since this is probably the last update of Simply Streep for 2018, the release of the film would not be complete without a proper press coverage of reviews and articles on the film, including a nice cover story from Radio Times in the United Kingdom, as well as a cover story with Meryl in the latest issue of Yours. In America, you can grab a special edition of People Magazine, featuring exclusive interviews with Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Meryl Streep. There are also some “leftovers” from the “Mamma Mia” and “The Post” promotion from earlier this year. Many many thanks, as always, to Alvaro for providing the scans. To all the visitors of Simply Streep, I would like to wish you great Holidays and a good and healthy start into 2019! See you next year. Frederik :-)

Yesterday, Meryl Streep attended the London premiere for “Mary Poppins Returns”, which turns out to be the season’s most anticipated film, and, even more surprisingly, a serious awards contender for Best Picture and Best Actress. Many pictures have been added to the video archive. A video clip of Meryl being interviewed at the premiere can be found below.

Today, “Mary Poppins Returns” has received a whopping 9 nominations for the 24th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. A few things need to be said about the Critics Choice Awards – which are presented annually by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) since 1995. In recent years, especially with its tv broadcast, their nominations have been “accused” of nominating as many stars as possible – splitting acting categories to “regular” acting, acting in comedy and action in action – and trying to predict the Academy Awards nominations by altering their slots every year to include as many possible front-runners as possible (this year, there are 7 nominations each for Best Actor and Actress). Now, this is in no way said to diminish the Critics’ Choice Awards or the number of nominations for “Mary Poppins Returns”, although 2 of the 9 nominations go to Emily Blunt in 2 in different performance categories, for the same performance. You probably get what I mean :-) The winners will be revealed at the star-studded Critics’ Choice Awards gala, broadcast live on The CW Network on Sunday, January 13, 2019 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm ET (delayed PT).

Best Picture
Best Actress – Emily Blunt
Best Production Design – John Myhre, Gordon Sim
Best Costume Design – Sandy Powell
Best Visual Effects
Best Actress in a Comedy – Emily Blunt
Best Song – The Place Where Lost Things Go
Best Song – Trip a Little Light Fantastic
Best Score – Marc Shaiman

The Golden Globe nominations have been announced today, and it’s been a good day for “Mary Poppins Returns”. While the film’s release is still two weeks ahead of us, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has nominated the Rob Marshall musical in three key categories: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Emily Blunt, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Lin-Manuel Miranda and Best Original Score – Motion Picture for Mark Shaiman. The Golden Globes will be handed out quite early next year, on January 06, 2019.

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Best Original Score

Yesterday, Stephen Colbert and Meryl Streep joined Montclair Film’s annual fundraiser at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center for an in-depth conversation about Streep’s career, interviewed by Colbert. While we’re waiting for articles or – fingers crossed – a video from the conversation, check out pictures from the event in the photo gallery.

Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns doesn’t just mark the return of one indomitable character after 54 years; it also marks a reunion for two other powerful women who whip up certain magic together onscreen. Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep have now made three big-budget studio films together: 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada, playing a toiling assistant and her monstrous boss; 2014’s Into the Woods, as a peasant baker and the witch who cursed her womb; and now 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns, playing the enigmatic nanny and her gravity-challenged cousin Topsy, who’s perhaps the only person ever to disagree with Mary Poppins. “It is a bit hilarious that we always play people who are contentious with one another,” Blunt laughs, looking back on her relationship with Streep that’s now into its second decade. “From Prada to the Witch and the Baker’s Wife and now to cousins who drive each other insane, I did finally ask her, ‘When are we gonna play lovers or something?!’” Blunt laughs again. “She said, ‘Dream on.’”

But a dream is perhaps the best way to describe the friendship that has blossomed between the 35-year-old and the 69-year-old actors. On the Prada set, Blunt was a relative unknown in Hollywood with Streep a revered megastar — Blunt even cried when Streep first complimented her after wrapping. Years later, the tables have turned as Blunt now takes on the largest role of her career, with Streep supporting her with glee. “She’s divine,” Streep declares. Elaborating further, she almost downplays the magnitude of what it’s been like to watch Blunt grow into a role like Mary Poppins over the past decade. “I think Emily’s completely the same person that she was when I met her,” she insists. “In The Devil Wears Prada, she was some preposterously young age — I think she was 21? Ridiculous! — but she was completely the person that she is today. She was already a pretty fully-fledged grown up, or did a good impersonation of one.”

Lots of official promotion material for “Mary Poppins Returns” has been released by Disney Films over the last couple of days. There’s the official b-roll with lots of footage from behind the scenes, an interview with Meryl Streep on her character (she reveals her character’s full name, but I cannot understand it :-) can you?), two music videos from songs performed by Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda and an additional television spot. All videos can be found in the video archive. Screencaptures from the b-roll and the interview have been added to the photo gallery.

Before Mary Poppins Returns arrives in movie theatres December 19, take a look at the below featurette, in which the stars and creative team discuss the joy behind bringing the magical nanny back to the screen. The original Disney film is nearing its 55th anniversary, and naturally, the prospect of returning to that world was daunting. But looking at the source material (P. L. Travers’ series), director Rob Marshall realized: “There was a real sense that there’s so much more story to be told.” Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman have penned a new score for the story—one that star Lin-Manuel Miranda asserts is filled with “incredible, enchanting original music.” “This is a film with great hope and spectacle,” adds Emily Blunt, who takes on the title role this time around, amid clips filled with laughter, dancing, and dayglow animation. “And it’s moving, so I think it’s a very important film to be making right now.” The all-star cast of the new movie also features Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, and Dick Van Dyke. The featurette can be found in the video archive, while screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.

Entertainment Weekly spills all the secrets on this month’s “Mary Poppins Returns” with the stars Emily Blunt and Lin-Manual Miranda gracing the cover. Here’s an excerpt from Meryl’s interview: As Topsy, the three-time Oscar winner has a scene-stealing supporting role in Walt Disney Pictures’ Mary Poppins Returns (in theaters Dec. 19). Streep’s character, who is a cousin to Mary Poppins, is an oddity who involuntarily spends every second Wednesday upside down. She visits to the Banks to fix family heirloom and sings the jazzy “Turning Turtle.” Streep took the role solely to work with Rob Marshall, who directed her in 2014’s Into the Woods. “Rob knew that I wanted in on whatever it was he did next. But I had no idea what he had in his head. And when he [and producer John DeLuca] invited me to talk through this idea, I thought, ‘They’re crazy, these two. They’re just insane. They’ve lost their minds,'” Streep, 69, says with a laugh in in Entertainment Weekly’s Nov. 16 issue (out now). “But It was such a big vision, and it was so ambitious that I said, ‘Oh, well, I want to be in it. Absolutely. Right away.'”

Working with the living legend was a dream come true for Lin-Manuel Miranda, who plays a lamplighter named Jack. “One of the greatest moments I experienced on set was Meryl. She was sort of in weird Mary Poppins aunt mode the whole time, and at one point she goes, ‘Hey, kids, wanna see a perfect pratfall?’ And just boom, face down, went from 90 degrees to flat. You haven’t seen Buster Keaton do a pratfall like this. Everyone rushed over like, ‘Meryl Streep has died!'” he recalls. “And then she just got up and was like, [wiping hands] ‘I learned that at Yale.'”