According to The Hollywood Reporter, quality Now is mounting the Make Equality Reality Gala, a virtual event scheduled for Dec. 3 to support the organization’s mission of fighting for an equal world for women and girls. The event’s program will feature a tribute written by Gloria Steinem and read by Meryl Streep in honor of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose work for legal equality has inspired Equality Now’s global work, per the organization. Other honors include the activists and filmmakers of On the Record, Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering’s documentary exploring the sexual assault allegations against Russell Simmons, and a third annual Changemaker Award presented by Gucci and Chime for Change that will be accepted by Egypt #MeToo activist Nadeen Ashraf. Confirmed to appear during the gala are Jane Fonda, Kate Hudson, Jameela Jamil, Karamo Brown, Margaret Atwood, Marisa Tomei, Alicia Vikander, Paul Reiser, AnnaSophia Robb, Rob Reiner, Carmen Ejogo, Aasif Mandvi, Karen Robinson, Jess Glynne, Heather McMahon, Linda Perry, Christine Lahti, Scarlett Curtis and V, who was formerly known as Eve Ensler. “This has been an incredibly challenging year for women and girls worldwide — from the clampdown on reproductive rights in Poland and the United States to the rising rates of child marriage in Kenya and India, 2020 has had a profound impact on the status of gender equality,” said Yasmeen Hassan, global executive director of Equality Now. “These setbacks mean the work of human rights advocates and activists around the world is more crucial than ever. Equality Now is inspired by the incredible cohort that is participating in our first-ever virtual gala, and look forward to working with them to help ensure that women and girls have access to justice regardless of what stands in their way.” More information about the event can be found here. Many thanks to Alvaro for the heads-up.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Meryl Streep is among the Hollywood stars nominated for best spoken word album at the 63rd Grammy Awards, revealed by the Recording Academy on Tuesday. The actress received a nod on Friday for her reading of E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. Among the other nominees are Ronan Farrow for his nonfiction thriller Catch and Kill, which explored the decades of sexual misconduct by imprisoned media mogul Harvey Weinstein, and Jeopardy veteran Ken Jennings for Alex Trebek — The Answer Is … Rachel Maddow is also nominated for Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry On Earth; while Flea is nominated for Acid for the Children: A Memoir. Nominees in the comedy album category include Tiffany Haddish for Black Mitzvah, Patton Oswalt for I Love Everything, Jerry Seinfeld for 23 Hours to Kill, Bill Burr for Paper Tiger and Jim Gaffigan for The Pale Tourist. Trevor Noah is hosting the Grammy Awards on Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. on CBS. Many thanks to Glenn and Alvaro for the heads-up.

On Thursday, Meryl Streep was tasked with presenting Amal with the 2020 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award at the online ceremony for the DPJ International Press Freedom Awards. The lawyer was being honored for her work defending journalists and their legal rights at the United Nations last year. During her acceptance speech, Amal told Streep, “You are an inspiration as a woman, as an artist, as a press-freedom advocate.” Clooney jokingly added, “I know I can’t ever hope to win the number of awards that you’ve won, but it does occur to me that we have something special in common, which is that we’ve both been married to my husband. And honestly, the fact that you did it as Mr. and Mrs. Fantastic Fox just makes that so much less awkward.” Amal is of course referring to her husband’s voice role opposite Streep in Wes Anderson’s 2009 stop-motion animation film Fantastic Mr. Fox. Meryl’s introduction and Amal’s speech have been uploaded by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

On Nov. 18 at 7 p.m., Citymeals on Wheels will be hosting their first ever virtual event: a coming together of recipients, volunteers and city celebrities to celebrate the charitable work of the organization. Special segments will include a behind-the-scenes look at volunteer efforts and a day-in-the-life-of a Citymeals Chef. A star-studded guest list including Tina Fey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bernadette Peters, Meryl Streep, Sterling K. Brown, Liam Neeson, Billy Crystal, Michael Douglas and Adrienne Warren will read recipient thank you letters detailing just how meaningful and to what extent the service has helped the elderly in our communities. Culinary star-power will be present too, with Daniel Boulud, José Andrés, Charlie Palmer and author Gail Simmons all planning attendance to the online event. Comic relief will be provided by Colin Jost, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka and Mario Cantone, amongst others. Citymeals on Wheels has been a charitable pillar in NYC for almost three decades and will continue to provide enhanced help to vulnerable communities throughout the COVID pandemic. Their trusted Board of Directors covers all administrative costs, so if you decide to donate to Citymeals on Wheels, rest assured that 100% of your donation is going toward the preparation and delivery of meals for your neighbors in need. To learn more about the event, donate or become a heroic frontline volunteer, visit www.citymeals.org/morethanameal.

As if the film didn’t already have a star-studded roster, Adam McKay’s upcoming meteorite satire pic Don’t Look Up has expanded its cast with the additions of Emmy winner Tyler Perry, Melanie Lynskey and Golden Globe winner Ron Perlman, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, which is being written and directed by McKay (Vice, The Big Short), will center on two low-level astronomers who have to embark on a media tour around the globe in an effort to warn mankind of an approaching asteroid that is going to destroy Earth. The cast for the film will be led by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as the central astronomers alongside Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Himesh Patel, Timothée Chalamet, Cate Blanchett and Rob Morgan. In addition to this ensemble roster, the Netflix film will feature a number of cameos including Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Matthew Perry and Tomer Sisley. McKay has had a successful run in the satire genre over the past few years, earning one Oscar nomination and one win for 2016’s The Big Short and three Oscar nominations for 2018’s Vice, including Best Picture. The 52-year-old filmmaker will produce the project alongside partner Kevin Messick via their productions banner Hyperobject Industries. Don’t Look Up is set to begin filming in Boston next week.

According to Variety, Netflix’s “The Prom” is another awards season hopeful that could crack multiple acting categories. In an exclusive to Variety, Netflix has confirmed the acting submissions for the upcoming Academy Awards. Three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep and newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman will be submitted for lead actress, while Emmy winner James Corden will seek consideration in lead actor. Keegan-Michael Key and Andrew Rannells will be submitted in the supporting actor categories. Ariana DeBose, Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman and Emmy-winner Kerry Washington will look for love in supporting actress. Adapted from the Broadway musical, “The Prom” tells the story of a troupe of self-obsessed theater stars who swarm into a conservative Indiana town to support a high-school girl who wants to take her girlfriend to prom. The acting category submissions for “The Prom” match the Broadway production, which was nominated for seven Tony awards in 2019. It garnered three acting nominations for Caitlin Kinnunen and Beth Leavel in best leading actress in a musical, which mirror Pellman and Streep’s roles, along with Brooks Ashmanskas for best leading actor, which Corden portrays. The best actress race is very competitive this year, with many former winners delivering outstanding performances, like Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Sophia Loren (“The Life Ahead”) and Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”). With Pellman campaigned alongside her in her feature film debut, she’s likely to face an uphill climb. Double nominations in the best actress category have only happened five times in Academy history. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, who were both nominated for “Thelma and Louise” in 1991, was the last occurrence. A similar arduous path seems likely for Corden, although the HFPA may bite for this picture in a big way. Directed by Ryan Murphy, the film is written by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin, who also co-wrote the musical book. “The Prom” will be released on Netflix on Dec. 11.

The promotion for “The Prom” is slowly starting – and while we’re still waiting for a full trailer, posters etc., Variety makes the start with an interview with director Ryan Murphy, who talks about shooting during the pandemic and discovering Jo Ellen Pellman and Ariana DeBose. Murphy saw a January 2019 Broadway production of “The Prom” at the Longacre Theatre, and he knew right away that he wanted to make a film adaptation under his production deal at Netflix. Very quickly, it received the green light. By early February he had all the actors, producers and a plan to begin filming in December. By shooting time, the Broadway production had already closed, not recouping its investment of $13.5 million, but still, Murphy wanted to bring its positive message to the Netflix global community. In an interview with Variety, Murphy spoke about the journey of getting the musical adaptation to the screen. In his third directorial feature, Murphy, a six-time Emmy winner, has found the perfect vehicle that marries all his creative expressions with this musically moving material. After he saw the Broadway show, Murphy reached out to his first choices, which included James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Kerry Washington, and pitched the idea to them. Within one week, the four actors were on board. The full article can be read Variety – don’t miss Murphy’s quote on a new song written especially for Meryl Streep.

We wrote a song that was a sad song, but it didn’t fit with the tone of the movie. And then we got to the end of the movie, with the end-credit design sequence. When I saw that, I think we needed an end-credit song that’s about the women. It’s about the female power in the film. I told the songwriting team and the composer, “Let’s do something upbeat, that we can send people out in a celebratory fashion, and let’s have all the women do the vocal tracks. Furthermore, let’s have Meryl Streep rap.” They were like “What?” I said, “I want her to rap. I need her to rap.” They laughed, and they went off and wrote the song “Wear Your Crown,” and it’s optimistic and makes you feel good. It has a message of fighting intolerance and being proud of who you are. We wanted to leave young people with that feeling. I think Meryl fans are going to go crazy for it. I have a video of Meryl rapping. She was so good that we used her first take, which just goes to show you there’s nothing that Meryl Streep cannot do. (Ryan Murphy, Variety, November 16, 2020)

Early December will be early Christmas for all Streep fans – not that we don’t deserve an extra dose of blessings this year. HBO Max has finally released the trailer for “Let Them All Talk”, which will premiere, wait for it, on December 10, a day before Netflix releases “The Prom”. Steven Soderbergh’s film stars Meryl Streep as Alice, an award-winning author whose two oldest friends (Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest) join her on a voyage across the Atlantic. As the three actresses revealed to EW earlier this year, the film was shot in just two weeks aboard the Queen Mary 2 in 2019, with the actors improvising almost all of their dialogue. “They would give us the outlines of a situation, and then we knew where we had to end up,” Streep explained. “But they didn’t tell us how to get there.” “When it was over, I thought for a while that I had dreamt doing the movie,” Bergen added. “It was over so quickly.” “Let Them All Talk” also stars Lucas Hedges as Alice’s nephew and Gemma Chan as her agent. The gabfest is the first in a series of projects for HBO Max and HBO from the prolific Soderbergh, who has already begun shooting his next movie for the streaming service, a crime film titled No Sudden Move. You can watch the trailer above and in the video archive. Screencaptures, along with the film’s poster, have been added to the photo gallery.

According to Yahoo, Meryl Streep is showing her support for the freedom of the press by honoring Amal Clooney at the prestigious CPJ International Press Freedom Awards. The Oscar-winning actress, 71, will present the human rights lawyer, 42, with the 2020 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award during an online award ceremony on Nov. 19. The award ceremony will showcase the work of this year’s awardees — which include four journalists from Bangladesh, Iran, Nigeria and Russia who have faced arrest or prosecution for their work. Streep will highlight Clooney’s work as counsel for many journalists under threat.

In times of unprecedented uncertainty, it’s journalists who are out there, gathering the facts and trying to help us make sense of it all. By asking tough questions, and pursuing the truth at any cost, they are essential workers – serving the public and protecting democracy. That’s why I’m proud to take part in this year’s International Press Freedom Awards and to continue supporting the vital work of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Clooney will also be interviewed by reporter and 2018 Gwen Ifill Awardee Maria Ressa. The lawyer previously defended Ressa when she was persecuted in her home country of the Philippines for reporting on government corruption. The award ceremony will be hosted by NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt. He’ll be joined by several other notable journalists such as Christiane Amanpour, Margaret Brennan, David Muir, Yamiche Alcindor and others. Rosamund Pike, Samantha Bee and journalist Ronan Farrow will be included in calls to support press freedom. The 2020 International Press Freedom Awards will be broadcast online at www.ipfa2020.org as well as NBC News, CBS News and ABC News on Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. EST.

The New York Times has an in-depth article on Hollywood’s recent revival of musicals, with a focus on the upcoming “The Prom”. The complete artcile can be read over at their website: On a sun-nuzzled February morning earlier this year, “The Prom,” Ryan Murphy’s film adaptation of the Tony-nominated musical, prepared for a location shoot in a high school gym on the eastern edge of Hollywood. Basketball hoops kissed the ceiling. Rubber matting and webs of cables carpeted the floor. Beside the snack tables, James Corden, Kerry Washington and Meryl Streep, in a wig the red of a cocktail cherry, practiced a dance number, sashaying through the same steps at not quite the same time. The filmmaking, Corden said, once he had spun his final spin, had been amazing, joyous, nearly as much fun as “Cats,” particularly these song and dance rehearsals. “You feel like you might be in the greatest touring production of all time,” he said. The stage version of “The Prom,” a story of a young woman who wants to take her girlfriend to a school dance and the Broadway stars who debatably come to her aid, has scheduled an actual tour for January, Covid-19 permitting. That’s a little more than a month after Netflix releases Murphy’s film, which tells the same tale with a starrier cast, fancier sets, delirious wigs and an orchestra that includes four French horns, four more than the Broadway pit could afford.