Ernest Hemingway, the iconic literary figure considered one of the greatest American writers and among the first to live and work at the treacherous nexus of art and celebrity, is the subject of an upcoming three-part, six-hour documentary series directed by award-winning filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick coming to PBS April 5-7, 2021 at 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). The documentary paints an intimate picture of Hemingway the writer – who captured on paper the complexities of the human condition in spare and profound prose, and whose work remains deeply influential around the world – while also penetrating the myth of Hemingway the man’s man to reveal a deeply troubled and ultimately tragic figure. The film also explores Hemingway’s limitations and biases as an artist and a man of his time. “Hemingway is both an intimate, turbulent family saga and an examination of some of the greatest works of American literature in the 20th century,” said director Ken Burns. “The documentary attempts to show how flawed our assumptions about Ernest Hemingway and his writing have been. At the same time, we are unsparing in our inquiry into less well-known aspects of his character and writing. Our intent is to offer viewers an honest portrayal of a complex and conflicted writer who left an indelible mark on literature.” Narrated by long-time collaborator Peter Coyote, the series features an all-star cast of actors bringing Hemingway (voiced by Jeff Daniels), his friends and family vividly to life. Through letters to and from his four wives – voiced by Meryl Streep, Keri Russell, Mary Louise Parker and Patricia Clarkson – the film reveals Hemingway at his most romantic and his most vulnerable, grappling at times with insecurity, anxiety and existential loneliness. In three two-hour episodes, “Hemingway” tracks the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the author who, in his final years, suffered from chronic alcoholism, serious mental illness, traumatic brain injuries and depression. In 1961, at the age of 61, Hemingway died by suicide, leaving behind an unparalleled body of artistic work and a complicated emotional legacy for those closest to him.

The full line up for The Royal Conservatory’s season gala has been announced. As one of Toronto’s most exclusive and star-studded annual galas, The Resounding Concert is accessible to everyone this year on October 17 via livestream. The event is a benefit in support of the Fund for Koerner Hall. Appearances will include artists who have performed at Koerner Hall from around the world: Buffy Sainte-Marie, Lang Lang, Meryl Streep, Sondra Radvanovsky, Jan Lisiecki, Zakir Hussain, James Ehnes, Alex Cuba, Daniel Hope, k.d. lang, Lighthouse, Rhiannon Giddens, Danilo Pérez, Brian Blade, John Patitucci, Gerald Clayton (playing Oscar Peterson), Barbara Hannigan, Chilly Gonzales, and Skratch Bastid with Afiara Quartet. Although the livestream is free for everyone, The Royal Conservatory are asking for donations in support of the Fund for Koerner Hall in order to keep bringing live music to audiences and keep artists working. More information on the concert and ticket prizes can be found here. Many thanks to Alvaro for the heads-up.

According to Playbill, a re-imagined virtual gala from The Public Theater will be a star-studded affair as the institution looks to the future following the year’s reckoning around racism in the country. “Forever. Togehter.”, directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon, will take place October 20 at 8 PM ET. The event will be live streamed on The Public’s website, YouTube, and Facebook. While free to watch, donations are encouraged to support the Off-Broadway institution. The lineup includes Jelani Alladin, Jacqueline Antaramian, Antonio Banderas, Laura Benanti, Kim Blanck, Ally Bonino, Danielle Brooks, Jenn Colella, Elvis Costello, Daniel Craig, Alysha Deslorieux, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Holly Gould, Danai Gurira, Stephanie Hsu, David Henry Hwang, Oscar Isaac, Nikki M. James, Alicia Keys, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Audra McDonald, Grace McLean, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kelli O’Hara, Mia Pak, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Hyde Pierce, Phylicia Rashad, Liev Schreiber, Martin Sheen, Phillipa Soo, Meryl Streep, Sting and Trudie Styler, Will Swenson, Shaina Taub, Kuhoo Verma, Ada Westfall, and Kate Wetherhead. As previously planned for the June 1 ceremony, the gala includes a special tribute to this year’s honorees Sam Waterston and Audrey and Zygi Wilf. “Before the world was stilled, we were set to celebrate the institution of theater as we knew it,” said Leon. “What we now know is that we have much to learn and much to do to earn our sacred place in our community. We take this time to celebrate our artists, and as we move forward with our virtual event, we understand that these are precious moments. We must strive to build institutions worthy of the beauty of our artists, and we will meet the moment with the seriousness and attention it deserves.” The evening will feature stories from Public Theater alumni, songs from Public Theater musicals (including a performance by Alladin of a new song written just for Public Works’ production of Hercules), and a preview of “Say Their Names,” a visual installation to be projected on the facade of The Public’s Cooper Square home dedicated to the Black lives lost to police brutality and white violence. Anne McPherson will serve as the gala’s production stage manager with music direction by Ted Sperling. Many thanks to Glenn and Alvaro for the heads-up.

Netflix has released a first batch of production stills for the upcoming “The Prom”, and Entertainment Weekly has the accompanying story: The streaming service unveiled Wednesday several stills from Murphy’s adaptation of the popular stage production The Prom, starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, and more in a tale of a queer teenager, Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman), whose struggle with homophobia captures the attention of a fading Broadway quartet seeking a charity case to boost their careers back into the mainstream spotlight. Streep leads the film as Dee Dee, a Tony Award-winning actress who, along with her partner (James Corden) stars in a musical about Eleanor Roosevelt, endures a professional setback after their latest project flops. Teaming with veteran showgirl Angie (Kidman) and another actor, Trent (Andrew Rannells), the group travels to small-town Indiana to help Emma and her girlfriend (Ariana DeBose) push back against their high school’s controversial decision to bar them from attending their senior prom as a couple. Washington plays DeBose’s mother in the film, with Keegan-Michael Key, Mary Kay Place, and Tracey Ullman playing other supporting parts. The Prom — written by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin, who devised the original 2016 stage production — dances to Netflix on Dec. 11. See the first-look photos above and below.

The Hollywood Reporter has put “The Prom” stars Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, James Corden, Jo Ellen Pellman, Keegan-Michael Key and Nicole Kidman on their cover with a lenghty interview inside their October 07 issue: “Should I just drop Meryl?” Keegan-Michael Key is cradling Meryl Streep in a dip as the 21-time Oscar nominee, wearing a pink-sequin pantsuit and heels, gazes admiringly up at him. The two are dancing underneath the basketball hoops in the Helen Bernstein High School gym in Los Angeles, which is decorated with beaded curtains, white balloons, twinkly lights and vases of flowers. It’s March 6, 2020, and the let’s-put-on-a-show! energy is palpable on the set of the Ryan Murphy movie The Prom, where Murphy is shooting his dance number finale, an anthem of acceptance featuring some 300 young LGBTQ extras in formal wear. The real high school is still in session around the production, and occasionally the school PA crackles with an announcement, briefly puncturing the glamour of the moment. Inside the gym, Streep, Key, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Kerry Washington, Andrew Rannells, Tracey Ullman and newcomers Jo Ellen Pellman and Ariana DeBose are dressed in coordinated shades of turquoise, pink and purple and gathered under bright lights to dance and lip-sync to the track they have already recorded of the film’s capper, “It’s Time to Dance.” The complete article can be read over at The Hollywood Reporter.

Following the success of his New York Times bestseller Dumpty, actor, author, and illustrator John Lithgow presents Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown, a new book of satirical poems chronicling the despotic age of Donald Trump. This collection is funnier, darker and more hard-hitting than ever. Lithgow writes and draws with wit and fury as he takes readers on a wild ride through another year of the Trump administration. His rollicking poems and illustrations cover Trump’s impeachment, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and much more. In association with director Tim Van Patten, Triptyk Studios, and Chronicle Prism, John Lithgow presents a 21-episode video series based on the poetry in his book, TRUMPTY DUMPTY WANTED A CROWN: Verses for a Despotic Age—starring 19 luminaries from the acting, literary, and political spheres. Covering Trump’s impeachment, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and much more, Lithgow’s new book arrives at a time when we need it most. With the 2020 election looming, it’s important to remember all of the atrocities of the past four years—and to do everything we can to prevent more. As Lithgow says, “I wrote this book to make you laugh, to make you mad, and to make you remember… and maybe also to make you vote.”

Superman star Christopher Reeve would have turned 68 today, and friend Meryl Streep is remembering the late actor and his wife Dana in an emotional video posted online by their charity group, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. For decades, the group has worked to find treatments and cures for paralysis from spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders. Though the Reeves are no longer with us, Streep encourages people to donate to the cause, detailing how important the organization’s mission is to the Reeve family. “There are certain stars that we count on never to dim, never to be extinguished, no matter how murky the sky or thick the cloud cover in November, we count on them to shine through, give us inspiration from far, far, far away,” Streep says of Christopher and Dana Reeve. She concludes her tribute video by asking viewers to donate to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. “I want to salute all the people that the foundation has helped over the years, many of whom Chris and Dana never even got the chance to meet. In honor of their memory, I ask you to give generously,” Meryl Streep explains.

The TV industry’s shiniest night of the year, a.k.a. the Primetime Emmy Awards, looked much different this year, given the never-ending pandemic. The ceremony’s host, Jimmy Kimmel, was literally fired up to emcee the festivities again, this time from the mostly vacant Staples Center in L.A., with winners accepting awards remotely, virtually, and digitally. If you tuned in just for Meryl, there wasn’t much to see. She was nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for “Big Little Lies” along her co-star Laura Dern as well as Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), Sarah Snook (Succession), Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown), Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Thandie Newton (Westworld), but “lost” to Ozark’s Julia Garner, and wasn’t featured by camera during the nominations. Garner took to Instagram after winning the Emmy to praise her fellow nomninees, including Meryl: “Also I want to give a special thanks to Meryl Streep, who wasn’t on the zoom call tonight. When I was 15 I watched Sophie’s Choice and it made me want to be an actress. I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for you. And thank god because I don’t really know how to do anything else!! So thank you. Love to you all!!” The category segment can be watched below and in the video archive.

Meryl Streep may not have an Instagram account, but she is mugging on the platform for a cause with Kageno. Streep is among the more than two dozen stars and notable names who posed in vibrant aprons as part of a social media campaign on behalf of nonprofit Kageno as a way to spotlight its upcoming event. The organization — founded in 2003 and focused on transforming communities in need in Kenya and Rwanda — is hosting a virtual gathering Sept. 23, an annual Harambee, which has been reimagined to be a fundraiser-meets-cooking celebration. Streep, a longtime supporter of Kageno, will deliver the keynote address as part of a program that also features Minnie Driver and Dylan McDermott addressing attendees, pop star Anastacia performing, and celebrity chef Todd English spearheading a cooking demo that guests can follow along with at home (ingredients can even be delivered in advance). The event also includes a silent auction featuring items modeled by Lydia Hearst and Chris Hardwick. The aprons featured in the social media campaign were designed and made by the African villages supported by Kageno. All shoots were conducted via FaceTime and photographed by Scott Buccheit. In addition to Streep, those who participated include Anne Dexter-Jones, Allie Rizzo, Omar Shariff, Jr., Gillian Hearst, Naeem Delbridge, Daniela Lopez, Alex and Keytt Lundqvist, Scott Cullens, Maggie Rizer, Mia Moretti, Selita Ebanks, Robin Roberts and Amber Laign, Johnny Bananas, Sam Champion, Marc Forgione, Buster Skrine and many others. More information about the event can be found here. The article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter with many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

On September 06, Meryl Streep has joined the National Domestic Workers Alliance to pay tribute to the lives and work of essential workers. As per their website: Together we’ll issue a powerful call for transformation in honor of the people that we’ve lost and to fight for the working people who are essential to our economy and society. These essential workers are disproportionately Black and other women of color, immigrant, and other communities in the margins. We have a responsibility and opportunity to create an inclusive future that ensures that everyone is treated with dignity and respect–through raising pay and workplace standards, improving safety, and increasing worker power in the workplace. Meryl’s segment starts at 1:15:43