Princeton University awarded degrees to 1,128 undergraduates and 753 graduate students at its 262nd Commencement Tuesday, June 2. In addition, the University conferred honorary doctoral degrees upon five individuals for their contributions to civic engagement, performing arts, engineering and sustainability: Meryl Streep, Ernesto Cortés Jr., an influential community organizer; Ruby Dee Davis, a renowned actor and civil rights activist; Irvin Glassman, a leading figure in combustion and energy research and Princeton’s Robert H. Goddard Professor Emeritus of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; and Alice Waters, a celebrated chef and proponent of sustainable cuisine. Some pictures from the event can be found here with more to follow soon at Simply Streep. My most generous thanks to everybody who has sent in notes on this!

Academy Award winner Meryl Streep will take part in an upcoming by-invitation-only reading of Don Cummings’ A Good Smoke. Hare/Deux Productions will present the June 14 reading at the Public Theater. Show time is 7 PM. Actress Streep will be joined onstage by Henry Wolfe Gummer, Grace Gummer, Tony winner Debra Monk, Joe Paulik and John Rothman. Pam MacKinnon directs. “Mom isn’t the center of attention anymore,” according to A Good Smoke press notes. “Will she stop at nothing to regain that position? Mom drops her meds – cold-turkey – the day her daughter gives birth, resulting in severe drug withdrawal. As her daughter is wheeled into delivery, Mom is hauled off to the psych ward. Dad and their two sons are trying desperately to cope, but this family is functioning at its worst when it needs to be at its best.” Kevin Spirtas is producing manager of the reading. The Public Theatre is located in Manhattan at 425 Lafayette Street.

The last remaining category of the video archive, the Miscellaneous section, has been now updated with lots of videos that don’t fit any of the other categories, including excerpts from her voice work on film, footage and press conferences from various festivals and award shows as well as public service announcements hosted for her many supported charities. Enjoy the new clips.

Meryl Streep can be soon heard among Wes Anderson’s voice talents in the upcoming animated stop motion picture “The Fantastic Mr. Fox”. Based on the novel by Roald Dahl, the story is about a fox named Mr Fox. At night, he steals chickens, ducks, and turkeys from three mean, stinky and wealthy farmers – Boggis, Bunce and Bean – in order to feed his family. The farmers are fed up with this and try everything to kill him. One night they wait outside his foxhole in an attempt to ambush him. When Mr Fox emerges from his home, they fire at him but only succeed in blowing off his tail. Determined to catch him, the farmers use spades and shovels to dig their way into the foxes’ home, but Mr and Mrs Fox and their four children dig a tunnel deeper into the ground and manage to escape. George Clooney and Meryl Streep voice Mr. and Mrs. Fox, with additional voice work by Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon and Owen Wilson. The film will release UK screens on October 23, 2009, and US screens on November 13, 2009.

Entertainment Tonight could be retitled to Meryl Tonight since they are again airing an exclusive on their show, this time a set visit on Nancy Meyer’s still untitled comedy, starring Meryl, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. The report will be aired on Thursday! Thanks to the many people who sent me a note on this, very appreciated!

The Literature to Life program of The American Place Theatre will kick off its newest campaign, Project 451, with a celebrity gala to be held at Theater at St. Clement’s, May 17 and 18, where Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, will be honored. A verbatim performance of this classic novel, directed by Wynn Handman, that has been developed by Literature to Life, will debut at the Gala, acted by Rich Orlow. The program will conclude with readings of very short passages from other works of great literature by distinguished guests. Celebrities such as actors Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin , Sam Waterston , John Hockenberry and Kathleen Chalfant, Eric Bogosian, Jessica Lange, Anna Deavere Smith, Chris Cooper and Marion Seldes and poet laureate Billy Collins will contribute to the Project 451 campaign by recording clips for the Project 451 Living Library. Following the Gala, guests will be given the opportunity to do the same. Tickets begin at $100. Call 212-594-4482 x 16. More info, including a video message by Meryl Streep, can be found at www.americanplacetheatre.org.

Meryl Streep will receive the Golden Marc’aurelio Acting Award at the Rome Film Festival. The announcement was made by the festival’s president, Gian Luigi Rondi. Meryl Streep will meet the public and the press in a special event when the festival runs from October 15 to 23. Exact dates and more info will come closer to its opening. Many thanks to Terry for the heads-up!

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones join Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro and Dame Judi Dench as part of the 15 film veterans chosen for this year’s Actors Hall of Fame. The list of honorees, which the organization’s president, Rusty Citron revealed Thursday, also includes Robert Duvall, Kirk Douglas, Gene Hackman, Olivia de Havilland, Hal Holbrook, Anthony Hopkins, Angela Lansbury, William H. Macy and Maggie Smith. The Actors Hall of Fame honors career achievement in theater, film and television. Criteria for nomination include peer recognition and awards, humanitarian contribution to the dramatic arts and education and a demonstrated advancement of the craft of acting. The new inductees join the 38 charter members of the hall. An induction ceremony and celebration will take place this year in Los Angeles. Thanks to Cindy for the heads-up.

Article courtesy USA Today: The Streep-inator is about to strike again. Action hero Harrison Ford was once the superstar staple of the summer blockbuster season, but now Oscar’s favorite leading lady, Meryl Streep, is making a habit out of cashing in on the busiest moviegoing period of the year with female-oriented counterprogramming. First, her fashionatrix in 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada. Then came last year’s disco diva in Mamma Mia! Combined ticket sales: a solid $268.8 million in the USA and Canada and $929.2 million worldwide. Next, Streep juggles pots, pans and pâté in what promises to be a deliciously rich portrait of Julia Child during the decade-long span when she evolved into America’s queen of French cuisine in Julie & Julia. Joining her is Amy Adams, her nun sidekick from Doubt, as blogger Julie Powell, who spent a year toiling over all 524 recipes in Child”s classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Director/writer Nora Ephron, who did the screenplays for Streep”s Silkwood (1983) and Heartburn (1986), says the actress basically did an informal audition for her a couple of Junes ago when they bumped into each other at New York”s Shakespeare in the Park. “It was before I even started writing the script,” the filmmaker says. “She asked, “What are you doing?” I said, “Blah, blah, Julie Powell, Julia Child, 524 recipes.” She went into Julia as we were walking out of the theater. She did her for a full 10 seconds. I think she even said, “Bon appétit,” ” the late chef”s famous sign-off from her PBS cooking show. “I thought, “OK, look no further.” ” Once Prada opened, Ephron says, “I knew if I could get her, not only would she be the best person for it, but she would also force the studio to make the film. She was a movie star at age 57 or whatever she is.” The full article can be read in the press section, a second article by USA Today on director Nora Ephron can be read here.

On May 01, “Streep: A Life in Film” will be released in UK book stores. It’s the first English written biography on Meryl since 1987. Writer Iain Johnstone has studied her work since the 1970s and has interviewed her four times in depth. The team behind “Streep” is offering Simply Streep visitors a fantastic opportunity: You can buy your copy of the book and get a “fan discount” granted on your purchase! For more information, please visit www.celebrationstreep.com