Article courtesy The Family Kitchen blog: Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and accompanying TV shows inspired a new perspective toward cooking in the sixties. In book and hit movie, Julie & Julia, Meryl Streep reintroduced Julia Child to the masses, reminding us how much we love her. But as with any well-known public figure, there’s the on-air persona everyone gets to see, and presumably the personal life everyone wants a peek into. “As Always, Julia”, a collection of around 200 letters exchanged between Julia and Avis DeVoto, her friend and unofficial literary agent (introduced in the movie) allow us a peek into Julia’s thoughts and feelings. Their correspondence, in print for the first time, reminds me of a time when letters were a key means of communication, pre- cell phones, email, facebook and twitter. I do miss letters.

In As Always, Julia we get to follow the bringing to life of Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a frank, funny, agonizing way as Julia, beginning as a new bride in Paris, follows her diplomat husband as he is transferred between Nice, Germany, and Norway. There are wonderful, real photos of Julia in her home and on holiday. There’s commentary by the famed food historian Joan Reardon, addressing political, social and gastronomic issues throughout. For those who love to curl up in bed with a good cookbook, this read will go further – like a good novel, reality TV and a cookbook rolled into one. The book has been released on December 1, 2010 and can be ordered – at Amazon – and other know sources.

This morning, Meryl has received an Oscar nomination as Best Actress for “Julie & Julia”.

Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
Helen Mirren – The Last Station
Carey Mulligan – An Education
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

This is the 16th Academy Award nomination in Meryl’s career! The Oscars will be broadcast live around the world on March 7th, 2010.

Meryl Streep has received a BAFTA nomination as Best Actress for “Julie & Julia”. The British Academy Awards will be handed out on February 21, 2010.

CAREY MULLIGAN – An Education
SAOIRSE RONAN – The Lovely Bones
GABOUREY SIDIBE – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
MERYL STREEP – Julie & Julia
AUDREY TAUTOU – Coco Before Chanel

Congratulations to Meryl Streep for winning her career’s seventh Golden Globe Award tonight in the category of Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for “Julie & Julia”. Clips of her acceptance speech and her press room interview can be streamed in the video archive.

Streep set the record for most nominations last year when her double lead actress nods for “Doubt” and “Mamma Mia!” gave her 23 in total, breaking the tie with Jack Lemmon who racked up 22 lead nods and 4 wins. And with tonight’s win for “Julie & Julia”, she surpassed previous record holders Jack Nicholson and Angela Lansbury. The first pictures from the show as well as high quality screencaps can be found in the Image Library with more to follow.

And last but not least, Meryl’s speech:

Thank you. I wanna change my name to T-Bone (laughter). T-Bone Streep. I think it sounds good. Oh gosh. I, I’m gonna forget what I wanted to say, because I’m like overwrought. Darl, what was my first part? Yeah, I love Nora (laughter). I really am grateful to Nora and to everybody at Sony and Stanley, of course (applause) and everybody in the cast and crew. I just wanna say that I, in my long career, played so many extraordinary women that basically I’m getting mistaken for one. No really, I’m very clear about the fact that I’m the vessel for other people’s stories and other women’s lifes. And this year I got to play, not only one of the most beloved women in America, Julia Child, but I also got to secretly pay homage to my own personal, not so famous, hero. That’s my mother, who shared – who’s of the same generation as Julia – who shared her verve. Lot of the people in this room knew my mother and knew that she had a real joy in living and she just had no patience for gloom and doom. I’m not like that (laughter). I come to Golden Globes weekend. And I am really honestly conflicted how to have my happy movie self in the face of everything in that I’m aware of, in the real world. And I wanna say that that’s when I have my mother’s voice coming to me, saying ‘Partners in Health. Shoot some money to Partners in Health. Put the dress on. Put on a smile and be damn grateful that you have the dollars to help, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day’. I am really grateful. I am really grateful. So thank you!

Congratulations to Meryl for winning the Critics Choice Movie Award as Best Actress for “Julie & Julia”. Just like last year the category resulted in a tie, honoring Streep for “Julia” as well as Sandra Bullock for “The Blind Side”. Judging from the pictures it must have been a fun night. A video of Meryl’s acceptance speech will follow, if you have managed to record it, please let me know. For now, 180 photos from the event can be found in the Image Library.

Congratulations to Meryl for winning a Best Actress nomination for “Julie & Julia” for the Screen Actors Guild Award. The awards will be handed out in a live ceremony January 23, 2010.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy – “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren as Sofya – “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan as Jenny – “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe as Precious – “Precious”
Meryl Streep as Julia Child – “Julie & Julia”

Meryl Streep has received two Golden Globe nominations, both in the category of Best Actress in a Comedy, for “Julie & Julia” and “It’s Complicated”. Both films also received nominations as Best Picture, Musical or Comedy. Her third motion picture of 2009, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is in the running as Best Animated Feature. A complete list of nominees in the related categories can be found below. Congratulations!

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

Sandra Bullock – The Proposal
Marion Cotillard – Nine
Julia Roberts – Duplicity
Meryl Streep – It’s Complicated
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

 

Today, Meryl has scored two more Best Actress nominations for “Julie & Julia” – this time by the Critics Choice (she won the Best Actress award for “Doubt” last year) and the St. Louis Film Critics Association. The St. Louis winners will be announced on December 20, the Critics Choice Awards will be handed out in a live ceremony on January 15, 2010 on VH1. Update: Meryl has been announced as the Best Actress winner of the 2009 New York Film Critics Circle Award for “Julie & Julia”. Congratulations!

Meryl has won the Boston Society of Film Critics as Best Actress for “Julie & Julia”. More and more award winners and nominations will be announced in the coming days – the Los Angeles and New York Film Critics as well as the Critics Choice Awards tomorrow and the Golden Globe Award nominations on Wednesday. The calendar has been updated with all important award dates, with many thanks to Stephanie for creating this list, so have a look at what to look forward to in the coming weeks.

With all the recent news on “It’s Complicated”, don’t forget that “Julie & Julia” has released on DVD in the USA today, so be sure to grab your copy! I have added over 700 DVD captures from the film to the Image Library, so enjoy Meryl as Julia Child!