On Friday, Meryl Streep joined conductor Mikko Franck, the Chœur de Radio France, Maîtrise de Radio France and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, for the world-premiere of Rufus Wainwright’s “Dream Requiem”. Streep read Lord Byron’s poem “Darkness”, written in July 1816. Introducing the Dream Requiem, Rufus Wainwright wrote: “The music speaks of death, but I wanted it to be inspiring and full of hope at the same time. The work combines two soundworlds: The Latin Requiem text is sung by a large mixed choir, children’s choir and soprano soloist while the Byron text ‘Darkness’, which describes an environmental catastrophe, is spoken by a narrator. Dream Requiem was conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic and is also about the people we have lost during that crisis, for the loss of human connection that we all experienced. The full concert is curerntly available on-demand on the ARTE Concert webiste (at least for French and German viewers) and will be released on DVD later this year. Pictures from the rehearsals, the concert day and screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.

“The Three Questions” is written and illustrated by Jon J Muth and read by Meryl Streep. What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? Nikolai knows that he wants to be the best person he can be, but often he is unsure if he is doing the right thing. So he goes to ask Leo, the wise turtle. When he arrives, the turtle is struggling to dig in his garden, and Nikolai rushes to help him. As he finishes work, a violent storm rolls in. Nikolai runs for Leo’s cottage, but on his way, he hears cries for help from an injured panda. Nikolai brings her in from the cold, and then rushes back outside to rescue her baby too. With stunning watercolors and a text that resounds with universal truths, this award-winning artist has based his first original story on one by Leo Tolstoy, transforming it into a timeless fable for young readers. You can watch all wonderful readings by the SAG-Aftra Foundation’s StorylineOnline on their official website.

Today, Hulu has released a teaser trailer for “Only Murders in the Building” season 4, revealing 10 new and returning stars as the show relocates to Hollywood for its next murder mystery. The teaser finds Charles, Oliver and Mabel grappling with Sazz’s death during the season 3 ending, and their investigation eventually takes them to Los Angeles. There are glimpses of cast additions Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, Zach Galifianakis, Kumal Nanjiani and even Melissa McCarthy – whose roles are undisclosed, though they will likely be playing other suspects in Sazz’s murder. While much about the upcoming episodes remains a mystery, the release date has been revealed: August 27. You can find the teaser in the video archive, with a couple of screencaptures being added to the photo gallery.

An emotional Meryl Streep was greeted by a thunderous two-minute standing ovation. The 74-year-old Oscar winner was so overcome with emotion that she first pretended to walk off the stage, but eventually began to dance to the applause. Juliette Binoche, herself emotional, presented the award to Streep, saying: “When I see you on the screen, I don’t see you … Where does it come from? Were you born like this? I don’t know, but there’s a believer in you; a believer that allows me to believe. You changed the way we look at cinema.” In her speech, Streep thanked Cannes for welcoming her back after 35 years. She said that watching the ceremony’s retrospective clips of her career was “like looking out the window of a bullet train, watching my youth fly into my middle age right onto where I am standing on this stage tonight. So many faces and so many places that I remember.” Streep said that the last time she was at Cannes, “I was already a mother of three, I was about to turn 40 and I thought that my career was over.” “That was not an unrealistic expectation for actresses at that time. And the only reason that I’m here tonight and that it continued is because of the very gifted artists with whom I’ve worked, including Madame La President,” she said, gesturing to jury president Greta Gerwig. Streep ended her speech by saying that she is “just so grateful that you haven’t gotten sick of my face and you haven’t gotten off the train.” Pictures from the arrivals, ceremony and add-ons from the photocall have been added to the photo gallery.

A few hours ago, Meryl Streep has arrived at the 77th Cannes Film Festival’s photocall for her Honorary Palme d’Or accolade, which will be handed out during the opening ceremony later this evening. A great batch of pictures from the photocall have been added to the photocall. Make sure to check back later for pictures from the ceremony.

Meryl Streep will pick up an honorary Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, the festival announced on Thursday. Streep will receive her honors during the May 14 opening ceremony at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, which French actress Camille Cottin (“Call My Agent”) will host. As announced in April, George Lucas will receive an honorary Palme d’Or at the May 25 closing ceremony, also hosted by Cottin. Streep winner returns to the Croisette for the first time since she won best actress there in 1989 for “Evil Angels” (“A Cry in the Dark”), directed by Fred Schepisi.

I am immeasurably honored to receive the news of this prestigious award. To win a prize at Cannes, for the international community of artists, has always represented the highest achievement in the art of filmmaking. To stand in the shadow of those who have previously been honored is humbling and thrilling in equal part. I so look forward to coming to France to thank everyone in person this May! (Meryl Streep)

“We all have something in us of Meryl Streep!” Iris Knobloch and Thierry Frémaux said, also via statement. “We all have something in us of ‘Kramer vs. Kramer,’ ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ ‘Out of Africa,’ ‘The Bridges of Madison County,’ ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and ‘Mamma Mia!’ Because she has spanned almost 50 years of cinema and embodied countless masterpieces, Meryl Streep is part of our collective imagination, our shared love of cinema.” Greta Gerwig leads this year’s jury, which also includes actors Lily Gladstone and Eva Green, directors Nadine Labaki, Juan Antonio Bayona and Kore-eda Hirokazu, and Turkish screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan, Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino and French actor/producer Omar Sy.

As previously reported, Meryl Streep has been part of the Academy of American Poets’ Annual “Poetry & The Creative Mind” benefit. This signature reading and fundraiser is the closing celebration of National Poetry Month on the Academy’s ninetieth anniversary. Poetry & the Creative Mind raises funds in support of the Academy’s’ educational programs, which serve over 100,000 K–12 students each year. This year, Meryl Streep read the following poems: “So Much Happiness” by Naomi Shihab Nye, “The Dream That I Told My Mother-in-Law” by Elizabeth Alexander and “Dark Matter and Dark Energy” by Alicia Ostriker. Her full appearance can be found in the video archive. Screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery. Many thanks to EvaSofie on Youtube for posting the video in the first place.

On Monday, Meryl Streep made a surprise appearance in Manhattan’s United Palace for a Q&A following a free screening of “The Devil Wears Prada” as part of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ongoing “Movies at the Palace” screening series. She was accompanied on stage by the film’s director David Frankel and producer Aline Brosh McKenna. Lin-Manuel Miranda has supported screenings at the United Palace since 2013 when he helped the theatre’s fund-raising campaign to purchase a new projector, screen, and surround sound system to return movies to the theatre after a 40-year hiatus. Since its launch, Miranda’s film series has attracted about 15,000 guests to the heart of Washington Heights. A clip with highlights from the conversation can be watched in the video archive, and a couple of pictures from the Q&A have been added to the photo gallery.

On Saturday, Nicole Kidman was honored with the 40th AFI Life Achievement Award. The actress was scheduled to be presented with the award last year, but the ceremony was postponed indefinitely due to the writers’ strike, which was resolved in September after 146 days on the picket line. As the highlight of the evening, her “The Hours”, “Big Little Lies” and “The Prom” co-star Meryl Streep spoke about her colleague and presented her with the statue. So far, a couple of pictures have been released, which can be found in the photo gallery.

Meryl Streep, Tony Kushner, Courtney B. Vance, Paul Giamatti, Anna Deveare Smith, Emanuel Ax, Phillipa Soo, J Wortham, Glenn Ligon, Merve Emre, Sterlin Harjo, Jericho Brown and National Student Poet Miles Hardingwood are among the luminaries and cultural leaders who will read new and favorite poems at Poetry & the Creative Mind on April 30, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. EDT. Poetry & the Creative Mind, which has raised more than $3.3 million over the years, is produced by the Academy of American Poets, the nation’s leading champion of poets and poetry, as a National Poetry Month celebration every April. Coinciding with the Academy’s ninetieth anniversary this year, the event raises critical funds for the organization’s award-winning K–12 Education Program, which includes free lesson plans for teachers on Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly-funded resource for poets and poetry. The benefit also provides support for Dear Poet, a special writing project for thousands of students nationwide, as well as for a new series of poetry workshops in New York City schools. You can read the full press release here. Meryl has a long history with Poetry & the Creative Mind, having more or less regularly attended all benefits since its inauguration in 2003, as you can read here.