When will "Let Them All Talk" be released?

HBO Max will launch at the end of the month (27th). For a while now I've been assuming that Meryl's second movie with director Steven Soderbergh, Let Them All Talk, might be a perfect product to help attract early subscriptions. But as we near the date, there is no indication that the film is even finished with post-production, much less that it will be part of the new platform's launch strategy.

My assumption continues to be that if the film is indeed shown on HBO Max (which owns the rights), that it will then technically be a TV movie, and eligible for Emmys, not Oscars. Knowing that the Emmy year ends on May 31, I was hoping they'd release it by then. That would mean that Meryl would possibly be up for two Emmys when the nominations are announced in July. I think she's a pretty strong contender for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for HBO's Big Little Lies. 

Who knows, maybe they'll end up giving the film a theatrical release? But I doubt it. One small piece of info about the film I happened to notice today is that the name of Streep's character in the film, a famous author, will be Alice Hughes. Very writer-y.

Update on Emmy predictions for 2020

In the midst of what may possibly be the most monumental worldwide event of our lifetimes, one thing that is allowed to continue is TV watching. The deadline for Emmy consideration ends on May 31, with nominations to follow on July 14.

I posted back in October some speculation about Meryl's chances. I happened to take another peek to see how things were shaking down in regard to updated predictions on Gold Derby. While Meryl is still listed in the majority of predictors of whom they expect to get nominated, I'd say she averaging about third place in predictions.

As expected, Helena Bonham Carter is leading the pack for her portrayal of Princess Margaret in Netflix's The Crown. Hot off her Oscar nomination for Harriet, Cynthia Erivo is nabbing a few mentions for her work in The Outsider. Julia Garner is very popular as well on Ozark, and several think Ann Dowd will show up nomination morning for The Handmaid's Tale. Laura Dern is still showing up on some lists as well (Big Little Lies), but I actually think she's less likely to be nominated after having just won the Oscar for Marriage Story. I expect some people will think she's had enough recognition this season.

It's kind of a slow time for Meryl news these days. Please offer any suggestions on topics you'd like to hear about or anything you'd like to see discussed!

Stay safe and healthy.

No 'individual' SAG nom for Meryl

The Screen Actors Guild announced it nominations this morning for the best in TV and film for 2019. Sadly, Meryl was left off the list for individual work. Big Little Lies was recognized with an Ensemble nomination in the Drama Series category. Other than that the show was SHUT OUT.

I keep forgetting that SAG doesn't do supporting categories for television, only film. It's pretty understandable how Streep wouldn't get in for her supporting role in Big Little Lies, when more borderline performances like Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown) and Patricia Arquette (The Act) are out there. Both happened to receive nominations, while up to this point, and no doubt at the Emmys next summer, they've been nominated in supporting. But not even Nicole Kidman?! Regardless, I'm optimistic for Meryl's chances for a supporting nom at the Emmys.

Speaking of shut out, that was also the case for Little Women. No ensemble, no Saoirse Ronan, no Florence Pugh. I have to say that if I were told one of these two projects would be shout out at SAG, I would've expected BLL to get something before Little Women. This doesn't bode well for Academy Award chances, but there's still the BAFTA noms the first week of January, where I think Little Women will fare better--at least in the acting categories. If it does not, it's probably game over with the Oscars.

Streep to go supporting for "The Laundromat" after all?

Awards prognosticator Clayton Davis from Awards Circuit tweeted this yesterday regarding Meryl's category placement for The Laundromat:

As explained in this week's "Oscar Circuit," award category submissions for Netflix expect to be:

"The Two Popes" (Pryce in Lead, Hopkins supporting)
"The Laundromat" (Streep is supporting and comedy)
"The Irishman" (DeNiro lead, Pacino/Pesci/Paquin supporting)

(cont.) #Oscars pic.twitter.com/jJf9MjqHiV

— Clayton Davis (@AwardsCircuit) July 31, 2019

While historically Davis isn't necessarily super reliable with info such as this, some at Awards Watch are suggesting that he's correct, in that he may be privy to Netflix's official submission plans.

Supporting seems the more likely category for Meryl, considering what we've heard so far of her screen time and the overall length of the film. This placement also makes it more likely that she'll actually be nominated.

Might we see Meryl up against Laura Dern for both TV and movie awards next year (both for their work in Big Little Lies and Dern for her supporting role in Noah Baumbach's upcoming Marriage Story)?

Episode 7 of "Big Little Lies"

That's it, folks. Seven weeks never went so fast, and with it, the second season of Big Little Lies is in the history books.

They didn't waste any time getting to the scene we were all waiting for. Celeste went at Mary Louise hard on the witness stand, painting her as the genesis for why her son Perry turned into the monster he was. It was probably predictable that Celeste would get custody, but I found it nerve-wracking regardless. I have to admit that I started to feel an ounce of sympathy for Mary Louise--a credit to Meryl of course, when she started to feel the guilt of her responsibility in how she raised her son. The part where Max and Josh were sent over to give her a hug after the judgement put a little knot in my throat.

Thank God Ed and Madeline just buried the hatchet already. Glad to see that Renata dumped Gordon, and Jane looks like she might be happy to pursue things with Corey. I was totally ready to see a scene at the end where Bonnie drives herself off the road, or Mary Louise sees her in the car and runs her off the road or tries to crash into her, killing herself and Bonnie in the process. Instead, we see the Monterey Five respond to Bonnie's text and join her in walking into the police department, no doubt to confess and bring some closure to all.

The ending leaves things open for a third season, and there are reports recently of Nicole Kidman saying she'd be up for it, but I don't see it happening. HBO bosses have already gone on record saying it's unlikely. Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing this show continue, but the cast probably just won't be able to all get together to make it happen, even if they all had interest. And Meryl likely wouldn't really be involved regardless.

Wild to think that it will be a year before we know how it fares for Emmy nominations. But there are of course the Golden Globe and SAG award noms coming up in just over four months!

I'll leave everyone with this little gem of an exchange between Meryl and the great Laura Dern:

First reviews of "Big Little Lies" cite Streep as standout

We're exactly a week away from the debut of the first episode of season 2 of Big Little Lies. A couple of days ago, reviews started to come in from critics, whom I believe were made privy to the first two episodes. The general consensus is that the second season is very good. More excitingly, Streep is being singled out for Emmy love in most accounts I've read. Not that this is particularly shocking...Meryl is usually best in show. But up alongside the likes of Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and and Laura Dern, it's still a tall task to stand out.

There are only five official reviews on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, but the season is charting at 80% on RT and whopping 81 on MC. Certainly we'll get more reviews once the show actually airs and everyone gets to see all the episodes. But so far, things look pretty promising for how viewers are going to react to the quality of round two of the series. 

Can't wait 'til next weekend!