Additional pictures from the 14th Annual Monte Christo Award have been added to the image library.

Appearances – 2014 – Last Uploads – 14th Annual Monte Cristo Award – Arrivals(April 21, 2014)
Appearances – 2014 – Last Uploads – 14th Annual Monte Cristo Award – Ceremony (April 21, 2014)

Meryl Streep and Neil Young will help pay tribute to Hollywood heavyweight Jonathan Demme at The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) in Pleasantville on June 14. Streep will present the JBFC Vision Award to the legendary director of films including “Philadelphia” and “The Silence of the Lambs.” The Westchester resident will not only be recognized for his Oscar-winning work, he will also be celebrated for his ongoing involvement with the nonprofit cultural arts center. “Whether working with students at the Media Arts Lab, mentoring our faculty and staff, hosting our monthly Rarely Seen Cinema series, or serving on the JBFC Board of Directors, Jonathan’s impact on the Burns has been nothing short of transformative,” the center said in its announcement. “We are joyful and grateful for this opportunity to publicly thank and celebrate Jonathan for his many contributions to the JBFC and world of cinema.” Neil Young and other special guests will also participate in the tribute, which will be part of the Jacob Burns Film Center’s 2014 Anniversary Celebration. The event, including a cocktail reception and seated dinner, will benefit the center’s film, education and outreach programs. To learn more about invitations and tickets, visit the Jacob Burns website. Many thanks to Glenn and Frank for the heads-up.

Three new video clips have been added to the video archive. There’s a compilation of news reports on Meryl receiving the Monte Christo Award by the Eugene O’Neil Theatre Center. Then, a report on the Indiana University Honorary Degree. The third clip is an excerpt from the 30th Anniversary roundtable discussion on “Sophie’s Choice”, which will be featured on the film’s Blu-Ray, out on April 29 in the USA.

Many thanks to Luciana for sending in scans from the May 2014 issue of Marie Claire South America, featuring a great vintage picture of Meryl from the 1980s as well as an article. If you’ve finished reading, make sure to visit Luciana’s Winona Ryder fansite, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary.

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.