Meryl Streep was honored with the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s Monte Cristo Award on Monday evening. “I’m glad to see some old friends and celebrate this wonderful theater — it’s a home for new playwrights, writers, musicians, it’s a rare sort of conservatory for new talent and ideas,” she told reporters at the Edison Ballroom in New York City of the organization where she first worked as an actress after graduating from the Yale School of Drama. Lots of pictures from the arrivals and the ceremony have been added to the image library, with additional information on the honor below.

The Hollywood Reporter has an in-depth article on the evening. Judith Light shared sentiments on behalf of the late playwright Wendy Wasserstein, the past Monte Cristo Award honoree who featured Streep in Uncommon Women and Others: “I wish that Wendy were here with us tonight…she would be here, because she loved Meryl so much. Meryl, whom she regarded in the deepest respect and loved; Meryl, who is a very uncommon woman.” The evening also included tribute clips from playwrights of many stage projects Streep helped bring to the big screen. Angels in America’s Tony Kushner recalled that he eventually finished writing a new translation of Mother Courage and Her Children, and on closing night, “after I fumbled my way through my attempt to describe how magnificent she’d been in the role of Mother Courage, she said, ‘Thanks, this was a wonderful series for me, I’m so glad.’ We hugged, and then she added, ‘And just think how much greater it could’ve been if you had delivered the script on time!’ ” He also admitted that the line “There are four points on a compass, and I’ve been pricked in every direction” was a result of Streep’s improvisation. The complete article can be read here, more information and video clips will be posted next.

On Thurday, Meryl Streep became Indiana University’s newest alumna when she accepted an honorary doctoral degree from the Bloomington school Wednesday afternoon in front of an enthusiastic sellout crowd of 3,200 at IU Auditorium in Bloomington. The brief ceremony was all pomp and circumstance—Streep donned a velvet-trimmed IU cap and gown as a procession of four trumpeters welcomed her onstage, and she received a standing ovation when IU Cinema director Jon Vickers presented her with a red leather-bound Doctor of Humane Letters diploma. Streep accepted the award for her work as a role model and humanitarian in the arenas of women’s rights and social justice. IU provost Lauren Robel spoke to the selection, saying Streep was an “inspiring choice,” nominated for her “generous spirit and utmost sincere concern for public good.” There have been quite some appearances from this day – besides the Honorary Degree, Meryl has attended a panel at IU Cinema as well as a Master Class at Wells-Metz Theatre. All pictures can be found in the image library with more to come.

Appearances – 2014 – Indiana University – Honorary Degree (April 16, 2014)
Appearances – 2014 – Indiana University – IU Cinema Panel (April 16, 2014)
Appearances – 2014 – Indiana University – Master Class (April 16, 2014)

“The Homesman” will have its world-premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it’s running in competition! Starring Jones, Hilary Swank, Hailee Steinfeld, William Fichtner, Miranda Otto and Meryl Streep, this period Western is the actor-director’s first helming effort since his 2005 debut, “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada,” which won two prizes at Cannes (including an acting award for Jones). Meryl’s last trip to the croisette dates back to 1989, when she won Best Actress for “A Cry in the Dark”. It might be unlikely this year for her to attend since her performance in “The Homesman” is mentioned to be small turn / cameo appearance. Exact premiere dates will be announced closer to the festival’s opening, which runs from May 14th to the 25th.

An international trailer for “The Homesman” has been released today and we get to see a glimpse (it’s really not much more) of Meryl as Altha Carter. The french subtitles might hint a premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, although no official announcements have been made yet. For some strange reasons, IMDb lists a theatrical release for France for May 21, which would be odd – considering that the US release is stated for October 2014. Let’s see if this gets confirmed. Adapted by Jones himself from Glendon Swarthout‘s novel, the story follows him as a down-and-out man who gets recruited to take three women on an odyssey from Nebraska to Iowa. Alongside Tommy Lee Jones, “The Homesman” features a top-notch cast in Hilary Swank, Hailee Steinfeld, Meryl Streep, Tim Blake Nelson, James Spader, William Fichtner, Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto and Jesse Plemons, among others.

Three new clips have been added to the video archive. The first is a short but funny deleted scene from “August: Osage County”, which has just been released on DVD and Blu-Ray, and features Meryl, Margo Martindale and Julianne Nicholson. Then, there’s a public service announcement that Meryl did for the American Red Cross in 1987, raising awareness against false rumors about AIDS. The third clip features Meryl at the 1983 Cesar Awards, presenting the Best Actress trophy to Nathalie Baye. Thanks to everybody for the heads-up. Enjoy the new clips.

TWC has debuted a new featurette for the upcoming adaptation of Lois Lowry’s The Giver, being directed by Phillip Noyce. Back when the trailer released, the main complaint was that it was all footage in color. In this featurette, the author herself, Lois Lowry, and the filmmakers address the issue head on by asking “what if?” in a cinematic context and answering: yes, there will be a few scenes in black & white. Meryl isn’t featured in this featurette, but I’m sure there’s more to come.

“August: Osage County” has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray today in the USA. If you haven’t seen it yet, or want to revisit Meryl’s latest Oscar-nominated performance, be sure to grab your copy. Screencaptures from the Blu-Ray have been added to the image library with many thanks to Lindsey.

Yesterday, Meryl has (finally) been a guest at the UMass Lowell’s Chancellor’s Speaker Series. Her appearance was originally planned for February 05, but got postponed. She answered questions, reflected on her storied career, offered advice for breaking into films, posed for countless photos, pulled an April Fools’ prank before a crowd of 3,600 and raised more than $230,000 for scholarships. Pictures from the event have been added to the image library. Scroll down for more information and a video. Edit: Pictures from the Q&A, which took place before the evening’s conversation, have been added as well.

Streep held court before a capacity crowd at the Tsongas Center in an event billed as “A Conversation with Meryl Streep” that was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Andre Dubus III. Earlier in the day, she held an hourlong question-and-answer session with 100 English and Theater Arts students at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, touching on subjects from how she prepares for roles to how she got her start as an actress. By turns witty, thoughtful and quick, she held her audience rapt as she discussed her career. Dubus, a New York Times bestselling author, wanted to know how she is able to disappear into her roles. “Acting is a very mysterious craft,” Streep said. “The (actors) I admire, I have no idea how they achieve what they do. When you are working with them there’s a seamless exchange of thought, emotion and physicality. You can’t parse it when you are in the moment.” UMass Lowell has posted a video with highlights from the conversation, which can be watched in the video archive.

The movie stills have been reorganized in the image library (many have been replaced with better quality pictures) and some nice additions have been made as well. Updates range from films between “Julia” to “Falling in Love”. Since almost everything has been updated, simply browse the albums for everything new, or click one of the previews below.

From April 3-5, 2014, New York’s Lincoln Center will once again pulse with live, journalistic storytelling as inspiring women leaders share their stories of courage and determination. Tickets for the three-day event are on sale now—you can also watch live on The Daily Beast. Joining Tina Brown as co-hosts will be Laurene Powell Jobs, Executive Director of United Nations Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Diane von Furstenberg, Alyse Nelson, Mellody Hobson, Meryl Streep, Barbara Bush, and Ambassador Melanne Verveer.

And on September 19, Meryl will be performing a special, one time only concert with Takács Quartet at Princeton University. The program was conceived by Edward Dusinberre, the first violinist of the Takács, in close collaboration with Philip Roth, after Ed read the Roth novel “Everyman”. Ed calls it “an exploration of the theme of death; Roth’s powerful meditation Everyman, placing Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” in an unusual and inspiring context.” Meryl Streep will read passages from Everyman and the Takács will perform Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” and also music by Arvo Part. More information can be found at their official website.