Rebecca Ferguson is set to join the cast of Stephen Frears’ “Florence Foster Jenkins” opposite Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant and The Big Bang Theory’s Simon Helberg. The Pathe-financed pic follows the true story of the titular character (Streep), a wealthy woman in the early 2oth century NYC high society who used her relationships and her fortune to gain traction as a singer. With one catch: She couldn’t actually sing. Grant plays her butler and best friend, while Ferguson will play Grant’s long-suffering wife. Earlier this week, Deadline exclusively revealed that Helberg would be boarding in the role of Cosme McMoon, Florence’s accompanist on the piano. Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

Many thanks to Simona, who has covered the Italian promotion for “Into the Woods” and has sent in scans from La Rivista del Cinematografo (March 2015 issue), Grazia and Ciak Magazines (April issues). Very appreciated.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Focus Features announced Friday that it will release Suffragette, a drama about the early women’s movement starring Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter, in exclusive engagements on Oct. 23, 2015, with an expansion to follow. Focus is handling North American distribution of the period film, directed by Sarah Gavron from a script by Abi Morgan. The distributor has also picked up rights for Latin America, India, South Korea and most of Eastern Europe, including Russia, with Universal Pictures International managing the release in those foreign territories. Mulligan plays a wife and mother who joins up with other women activists in the early 20th century to fight for women’s rights. The cast also includes Ben Wishaw, Anne-Marie Duff and Brendan Gleeson. Ruby Films’ Alison Owen and Faye Ward are producing, with Cameron McCracken, Tessa Ross, Rose Garnet, Nik Bower, James Schamus and Teresa Moneo serving as exec producers. Suffragette is a Ruby Films production for Focus, Pathe, Film4 and the BFI in association with Ingenious Media and with the participation of Canal+ and Cine-Cinema. Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

“Into the Woods” has been released on Blu-Ray, DVD and demand in the USA. Screencaptures from the Blu-Ray have been added to the image library, alongside captures from the making of and deleted scenes. Also updated are the production stills, on-set pictures and key art for the film. Make sure to grab your copy today. Many thanks to Claudia for helping me, very appreciated. Enjoy the new additions.

Americans are living longer than ever before, and soon older adults will outnumber the young. Today, family caregivers are providing 90 percent of parent care, in addition to balancing work and family, a job most cannot afford to do. Who will take care of those who can no longer care for themselves? How will the nation adapt to ensure that adequate care can be provided for both the caregivers and for those being cared for? Caring for Mom & Dad, a new hour-long national documentary premiering Thursday May 7, 2015 on PBS (check local listings), seeks to answer these questions as it explores the emotional, health and financial challenges that many caregivers face every day.

Eight families welcome the filmmakers into their lives. These are intimate portraits of struggling caregivers like Breanna Olson, a millennial who was forced to choose between a promising political career and moving back home to care for her parents. Alicia Zepeda-Cervantes, a daughter thrust into caregiving almost overnight, now must learn how to provide medical services that would traditionally be taken on by a nurse. The film also poignantly captures how families cope with the financial burdens brought on by this often unanticipated responsibility. As author and journalist Jane Gross explains, “your mother or your father better have a gazillion dollars, or by the time this is over, mom and dad are broke, and so are you.” The complete article can be read here. Many thanks to Frank and Glenn for the heads-up.

Lots of additional pictures from the “Into the Woods” premiere and photocall in Tokyo have been added to the image library. Also, three video – one from the premiere, one from the premiere’s Q&A and one from the press conference – have been added to the video archive. Many thanks to everybody who sent in guidance and pictures. Very appreciated. Enjoy the new additions.

Many thanks to Pathé’s press team for passing this information and photograph my way. To celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday 8th March 2015, Pathé is proud to release this portrait of the women behind “Suffragette” – the first feature film to tell the story of the ordinary British women at the turn of the last century who risked everything in the fight for equality and the right to vote.

Depicted in the photograph are the stars of the film Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff and Meryl Streep; the director, Sarah Gavron; the screenwriter, Abi Morgan; and the producers, Faye Ward and Alison Owen. They are joined by Helen and Laura Pankhurst, great-grand-daughter and great-great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the Suffragette movement. The photograph was taken by Brigitte Lacombe in London on 12th February 2015. The theme for International Women’s Day 2015 is ‘Make it Happen’ – the filmmakers depicted in the photograph did just that. According to the BFI (British Film Institute), in the 7 years from 2007 to 2013, the average percentage of British films released each year that were directed by women was 12%; and for films written by women the percentage was little better at 14.8%. Perhaps the small number of female voices in the industry is why no feature film has ever been made about the women who 100 years ago fought for the right to vote. Their strategy of passive resistance inspired political leaders from Gandhi to Martin Luther King. It is a story that should not be forgotten.

Meryl Streep, who plays Emmeline Pankhurst in “Suffragette”, commented: “Every daughter should know this history, every son write it on his own heart”. Sarah Gavron, director of “Suffragette”, stated: “International Women’s Day celebrates the achievements of women throughout the world and I am overjoyed that my film can be part of that celebration. The story of the ordinary British women who were willing to sacrifice everything in their fight for the right to vote is an inspiration to all of us in our ongoing fight for equality.” Helen Pankhurst is a Special Advisor on Gender Equality for Care International. On International Women’s Day, a number of the filmmakers will be joining Helen and Laura Pankhurst for the CARE International “Walk In Her Shoes” event – a public walk to show solidarity with women and girls worldwide who still endure inequality and injustice. The public are invited to join the start of the walk at The Scoop outside London’s City Hall at 10am on 8th March 2015.

Today, Meryl and Lilla Crawford have attended a photocall for “Into the Woods” in Tokyo. Pictures from the event have been added to the image library.

The Oscars didn’t work out this year, but maybe Meryl Streep has better chances to score an MTV Movie Award in April. She has received a nomination as Best Villain for “Into the Woods”, sharing the category with fellow Oscar nominees Rosamund Pike for “Gone Girl”, J.K. Simmons for “Wiplash” as well as Jillian Bell for “22 Jump Street” and Peter Dinklage for “X-Men: Days of Future Past”. This is Meryl’s second Best Villain nomination, she received a first nod in 2007 for “The Devil Wears Prada”. The MTV Movie Awards find a new owner on April 12, 2015. Speaking of accolades, the awards section has been updated with all nominations and wins in 2015, with many thanks to Frank for compiling all information. Very appreciated.

Today, Meryl has attended the premiere for “Into the Woods” in Japan. Pictures from the event have been added to the image library, with additional information to come. If any of Simply Streep’s Japanese visitors finds any pictures or videos, please drop me a line (of course, non-Japanese visitors are welcome to share any additional information as well :-)