Angels in America (2003)
Originally aired on HBO
A lot of people will watch it in order to be enraged by it. A lot of people will watch it, not knowing what they're going to see, and will be enriched by it. A lot of people will be. . . n-n-n- what is that? Oh my God! What are they doing? (and that's good too!) Most things can be reduced, and most things are reduced. But this can't be reduced, it's more than the sum of its parts. It was really fun, it was fun to play a lot of characters. I play four little parts of it, but the whole thing is really extraordinary. I hope you come away with "That was six hours? I can't believe that was 6 hours! I want to see that again! That was AWESOME!" This is a chunk of your life. You're going to invest in Angels in America, you're going to dive in for the whole meal.
-meryl streep
Directed by Mike Nichols, Angels in America stars Meryl Streep (in four roles), Al Pacino, Emma Thompson, Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Ben Shenkman and Patrick Wilson
Angels in America is actually based on two full-length plays:
Part I: Millennium Approaches won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This play explores "the state of the nation"--the sexual, racial, religious, political and social issues confronting the country during the Reagan years, as the AIDS epidemic spreads. Two of the main characters have AIDS. One, Prior, is a sane, likeable man who wonders if he is crazy as he is visited by ghosts of his ancestors, and selected by angels to be a prophet (but the audience sees the ghosts and angels too). The other main character, Roy Cohn, based on the real political figure, is a hateful powerbroker who refuses the diagnosis of AIDS because only powerless people get that sickness. A rabbi opens the play, saying that in the American "melting pot" nothing melts; three Mormons try to reconcile their faith with the facts of their lives. Belize, an African-American gay nurse, is the most compassionate and decent person in the play, along with Hannah, the Mormon mother who comes to New York to try to untangle the mess of her son and daughter-in-law's marriage. In contrast to their commitment, Prior's lover, Louis, abandons him in cowardly fear of illness. The play portrays a wide range of reactions to illness, both by the patients and by those around them. Included is the realization that much of the nation's reaction is political and prejudiced.
Part II: Perestroika (winner of a Tony Award), continues the story, with the angel explaining to Prior that God has abandoned his creation, and that Prior has been chosen to somehow stop progress and return the world to the "good old days." Prior tells the angel he is not a prophet; he's a lonely, sick man. "I'm tired to death of being tortured by some mixed-up, irresponsible angel. . . Leave me alone."Ironically, Belize is Roy Cohn's nurse, as Cohn--even as he is dying in his hospital bed--tries to manipulate the system to get medication and special treatment, and to trick the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg into singing him a lullaby. Meanwhile, the Mormon mother, Hannah, manages to help save the sanity and integrity of her daughter-in-law, Harper; and she also is a good caregiver for Prior. At the end of the play, we see Prior, Louis, Belize, and Hannah sitting on the rim of the fountain in Central Park with the statue of the Bethesda angel. They say that when the Millennium came, everyone who was "suffering, in the body or the spirit, [and] walked through the waters of the fountain of Bethesda, would be healed, washed clean of pain." These four characters represent Jews and Christians and agnostics; homosexuals and heterosexuals; blacks and whites; men and women; caregivers and patients; two generations--the American mix, in this case, caring about each other. Somehow, although the real angels in this play seem inept and reactionary, these folks together at the Bethesda angel fountain seem competent contributors to the future.
Defending Our Daughters: The Rights of Women in the World (March 1998)
Originally aired on LifeTime Televison
. . . FIRST DO NO HARM (1997)
Directed by Jim Abrahams
complete credits"I knew Jim Abrahams, his wife, and their family when we were living in California for a little while. I made three movies out there, and our kids were in school together. And their son, Charlie, developed epilepsy in his first year. I watched them negotiate the labyrinth of care for him, and I was witness to their frustrations and their anguish. They got swept into this whirlpool. Charlie was not doing well at the end of the second year. They had access to all the best medical advice, the best conventional wisdom; and it was on the eve of brain surgery for him that Jim discovered the ketogenic diet in the library--very similar to what happened to this family [in the TV movie]. They flew to Johns Hopkins, which was the last place on earth that was still administering the diet. Charlie was having ninety seizures a day and was medicated, wearing a football helmet all the time because he had no motor control. So they went to Johns Hopkins, and what happened was just absolutely a miracle and dramatic and ultimately infuriating because the information about this diet exists. Most doctors know about it--but it's not something that's emphasized in medical education, in doctors' training--and it's debunked. He went from ninety seizures a day to none. And he's been free of seizures for, I guess, up to the present. Jim sort of put his career on hold and started a foundation to get information about the diet out to the major pediatric neurological centers around the country. People started writing to him and then Dateline picked it up. So through that network of parents, who were just eating this information like starving people, he found this family whose story he dramatized. This is about a family who doesn't have access to all the best medical people on both coasts and in between--sort of at the other end of the economic scale, people at the mercy of the health-care system. The diet consists of a lot of fat, meat, selected carbohydrates. So it's high in protein and fat. It has something to do with the body going into ketosis, which is like the fasting state. When they put children on this, they fast for two to five days. They don't feed them anything, and very often these kids are slight and frail to begin with. So that's kind of the hardest part. Then, when the body is more receptive, they slowly introduce certain foods, and the effects were dramatic in this case. It was just shocking that it wasn't immediately presented to the family as an alternative, because there's a lot of talk now about complementary medicine and how it can be incorporated into the legitimate gains of twentieth-century medical technology. But it doesn't work for everyone. With a third of the kids, their seizures completely go away. With another third, they're dramatically reduced. And for one-third of the kids, the diet has no effect at all on their seizures. But two-thirds are pretty good odds. The diet can be used in adults too. Our movie is full of ketogenic success stories. A lot of the faces you see on-screen--there's a woman who did it in the twenties who's a grandmother now and has no seizures. They've known about it for a long time. There was a lot of talk about making First Do No Harm a feature (film), but we all thought that it would be better if it was seen by a lot of people; and you can't count on that in this movie climate. So we took it to TV. It's the populist medium, where we get out what we're trying to say to the most people. When Meryl was asked, "How do you relate to the character you play? The production notes call her "fiercely determined," she responded: Yeah, she's forced to be. But basically she's somebody who is going along in her life, the way we all do, happily, and then reality flips--and that's when you find the measure of your character, in adversity: what happens when it all goes bad. So, she's probably somebody who believes in everything that her doctors tell her--and that they are telling her the whole truth and nothing but the truth--but her faith is shaken along this journey. And then she realizes, as we all do, that you're in charge of your own destiny and of your child's health, and that there are a lot of answers out there, but that it's always going to be up to you to sift through them.
You do solemnly swear,
The Charlie Foundation
1223 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(800) 367-5386
each man by whatever he holds most sacred;
That you will be loyal to the Profession of Medicine
and just and generous to its members;
That you will prescribe regimen
for the good of my patients according to my ability;
And my judgment and above all else first do no harm.Related Links:
Johns Hopkins
Holocaust: The MiniSeries (1978)
Directed by Marvin J. Chomsky
complete creditsThis 9 1/2 hour Emmy award-winning miniseries on NBC. The cast featured Tom Bell, Joseph Bottoms, Tovah Feldshuh, Rosemary Harris, Ian Holm, Michael Moriarty, James Woods, and Meryl Streep. Based on the best-selling novel by Gerald Green, the series dramatizes Nazi atrocities committed against Jews between 1935 and 1945.
Meryl won the Emmy for her work in the miniseries.
Related Links
In Our Hands Documentary (June 12, 1982)
One Million People.. . One Voice. . .This 90 minute documentary about the June 1982 anti-nuclear rally in New York City featured speeches, music, and appearances by Helen Caldicott, Benjamin Spock, Pete Seeger, Carly Simon, Peter, Paul & Mary, Holly Near, Roy Scheider, Ellen Burstyn, Jill Clayburgh, Orson Welles, Meryl Streep, and many others.
King of the Hill (Animated Series)
(Original Air Date: November 14, 1999)A Beer Can Named Desire: Meryl Streep plays Bill's Cajun Aunt Esme and the Dixie Chicks voice three "desperate, childless widows" in an episode in which Hank can win a million dollars by throwing a football through a target. En route to the event in New Orleans, Hank's minivan full of friends and family visits Esme, who lives with the widows -- each of whom makes a play for Bill, and it gets complicated! At the SuperDome, Hank must decide whether to go for it all or let Don Meredith (as himself) make the throw for $100,000.
The Nobel Peace Prize 100th Anniversary Concert
Hosted by Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson
U.S. Television Broadcast Premiered on Popular Arts Channel TRIO, Sunday, December 16, 2001
Encore Telecast on USA Network, Friday, December 21, 2001Paul McCartney, Destiny's Child, Natalie Imbruglia, Wyclef Jean, Youssou N'Dour, A-ha Popular arts channel TRIO, in association with sister network, USA Network, will present the exclusive U.S. broadcast of "The Nobel Peace Prize 100th Anniversary Concert," hosted by Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson. The announcement was made today by Bill Haber, CEO and President, TRIO. This annual concert, which is broadcast globally to approximately 500 million households, is a musical tribute to the year's Nobel Peace Prize winner. The two-hour U.S. broadcast, which is produced by TWI, in association with TRIO, will premiere on TRIO on Sunday, December 16 at 8:00 PM, EST/5:00 PM, PST. An edited one-hour encore performance will air on sister network, USA Network on Friday, December 21 at 3:00 PM, EST and PST. The event features artists from around the world in celebration of a global desire for peace. This year's international all-star line-up will feature performers representing every continent including (in alphabetical order): A-ha, Anastacia, Barbara Hendricks, Destiny's Child, Jan Garbarek, Kodo, Natalie Imbruglia, Paul Bateman and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Paul McCartney, Russell Watson, Wyclef Jean and Youssou N'Dour. (Additional acts to be announced at a later date.) "On this, the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize for Peace, the world is not yet at peace. TRIO takes pride in presenting this very special concert event in tribute to the millions across the globe who continue to strive against great odds to make the Earth a better and more peaceful place," said Mr. Haber. This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded equally to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the United Nations. Annan will attend the concert and join former Nobel Peace Prize Laureates who are present in Oslo for the Centennial celebration. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway will open the Nobel Peace Prize 100th Anniversary Concert. The Nobel Peace Prize 100th Anniversary Concert will be filmed live at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway on December 11, 2001.
ABC'S OMNIBUS: America the Beautiful
Aired June 15, 1980 on ABCWhen Meryl Streep was asked by ABC's "OMNIBUS" to perform "America the Beautiful," she assumed, of course, that they wanted her to sing. She is sitting this morning in her dressing room during a break from the taping of a segment which will appear on the ABC Television Network's new version of "Omnibus," Sunday, June 15 (8:00-9:00 p.m., EDT). She has just checked in to see how her infant son, under the watchful eye of her own mother, is doing in these new surroundings. Satisfied that all is well, Meryl has taken a moment to discuss her participation in the ABC special. She seems calm, happy and quite comfortable in today's dual role of mother/actress. What the creators of ABC's "Omnibus" had in mind, she explains, was a recitation of "America the Beautiful" performed to the accompaniment of the National Theatre of the Deaf whose members would sign it. "At first," she says, "I thought it was going to be very sentimental, a soapy kind of thing. It's not that at all. It's very clear and very beautiful." Indeed, the performance, moving, often poignant, seems to bring greater meaning and eloquence to the time worn "America the Beautiful." Meryl also signs the last stanza with the group and appears particularly adept at the art. "Meryl is wonderful, it's magic," says National Theatre member Ed Waterstreet, through the company's interpreter Nikki Kilpatrick. "We don't feel the separation. She has become part of us. She cares about the work, she doesn't just imitate. She inspires and touches me . . . And I hope she gets the Oscar," he adds adoringly. The admiration is mutual. Meryl has followed the work of the National Theatre of the Deaf for many years, her interest strengthened by the fact that Elaine Bromka, the only speaking-hearing member of the company, is a long-time school chum (they attended Dartmouth together). "They use signing as total communication," she offers. "They use it to express all sorts of subtleties, not just to get the words out." As she speaks it becomes clear why she is so often praised for her intensity and hard work. ("She keeps trying to hit the perfect ball," Dustin Hoffman, her co-star in Kramer vs. Kramer told Newsweek.) "They make each voice different," she continues. "They all sign differently, and I can see they all speak with their own voice. That's very interesting to me. It was something I never thought of before." Since Meryl studied singing for a number of years under the tutelage of Estelle Liebling, opera singer Beverly Sills' voice teacher, it would not have been so far afield to have the Oscar-winning actress lend her vocal talents to "America." But alas, Meryl has not vocalized for some years and her serenading is now confined to moments "in the shower or with very intimate friends." Meryl Streep and the National Theatre of the Deaf made "America the Beautiful" simply beautiful. Source: ABC's Feature Public Relations Release
Race to Save the Planet (1990)Meryl hosted this landmark ten-part series on global environmental issues:
1. The Environmental Revolution: Examines the two major revolutions that have changed how human societies use resources; the agriculture revolution and the industrial revolution. The program suggests that a third revolution, a global awareness of human impacts, is beginning to cause change in society as evidence of worldwide environmental damage becomes too obvious to ignore.
2. Only One Atmosphere: Focuses on how human activities are altering the earth's atmosphere. The program examines the damage to the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect.
3. Do We Really Want to Live This Way? Profiles the pollution problems associated with the world's most affluent societies.
4. In the Name of Progress: Examines the environmental price of conventional industrial development in Third World countries, examines population growth and its relationship to levels of economic development. The second section focuses on human activity that have implications for the global environment and describes efforts to choose technologies and approaches that will be less damaging to the environment.
5. Remnants of Eden: Considers ecosystems -- the role of humans within them and the diversity of plant and animal species they support. This program also addresses extinction and restoration and protection of biological diversity.
6. More for Less: Looks at human uses of energy resources and how heavy reliance on fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) has put earth's climate at risk and also explores how communities have met their needs through improved efficiency, and increased reliance on renewable energy sources.
7. Save the Earth-Feed the World: Looks at world food production and the challenge of feeding a growing population. The program discusses the environmental damage caused by conventional farming and the worldwide movement to replace conventional methods with low-impact, sustainable agricultural practices.
8. Waste not, Want Not: Examines the mounting problem of waste disposal and compares different countries' methods of managing solid waste, toxic waste, and sewage.
9. It Needs Political Decisions: Profiles three countries that have chosen to address the challenge of environmental sustainability at the national level: Zimbabwe, Thailand, and Sweden.
10. Now or Never: Presents the search for sustainability at both the individual and international level. The program examines how new environmental problems are causing nations to redefine their concepts of security.
The Deadliest Season (CBS, 1977)Meryl's television debut was as Sharon Miller in "The Deadliest Season," directed by Robert Markowitz; from the story by Ernest Kinoy and Tom King. Cast featured Michael Moriarty, Jill Eikenberry and Patricia O'Neal.
The Simpsons (Episode 2F04: Bart's Girlfriend)
Guest Starring
as Jessica LovejoyBart Simpson falls in love with Reverend Lovejoy's daughter Jessica. When Jessica fails to notice him, he re-enrolls in Sunday school and sits next to Jessica, hoping to impress her by behaving. Before long, Principal Skinner nabs Bart in a detention sting operation, and Jessica takes pity on him.
Jessica: Hi, Bart. I saw the way they set you up. That was really unfair!
Bart: [groans] Oh. . .
Jessica: Want to have dinner at my house tonight?
Bart: Really? Uh, sure . . .
Jessica: Great. [giggles] We eat at 7:00. [walks off]
Bart: There's only one thing to do at a moment like this. Strut.
["Stayin' Alive" starts playing]Jessica invites Bart to her home for dinner, and during dinner Bart uses the word "butt" and is promptly kicked out of the house. Jessica finds herself attracted to Bart and the pair travel through Springfield causing trouble. . . but believe it or not, Bart turns out to be no match for Jessica's insatiable appetite for mischief.
Jessica: Hey, Bart. [Bart looks away] What? What's wrong?
Bart: Well, Jessica. . . I don't think we should hang out together anymore. You're turning me into a criminal when all I want to be is a petty thug.Bart finds himself in trouble for things Jessica talked him into doing (Jessica is never suspected because she is the Reverend's daughter). When Jessica steals money from the collection plate at church, the congregation immediately suspects Bart, who becomes a pariah throughout Springfield. Determined not to allow her brother to take the blame for something he didn't do, Lisa addresses the congregation and urges them to search Jessica's room for the missing money. After members of the church rush to Lovejoy's house and recover the money, Jessica admits her guilt, and explains that all she really ever wanted was attention.
Bart: Hi Jessica.
Jessica: Hi Bart. Come to watch me suffer?
Bart: I just wanted to let you know that even though this was a difficult experience, I really learned a lot. I'm a little wiser, and a little less naive.
Jessica: Well, I learned that I can make men do whatever I want.
Bart: Well ... don't you see, Jessica, then you really haven't learned --
Jessica: Um, would you finish scrubbing these steps with me?
Bart: [enthusiastic] _Will_ I?
Boy: [riding up on bike] Hey, Jessica!
Jessica: Coming! [runs over to him; they ride off]
Bart: Poor sucker. It's amazing what some guys will do for a pretty face! Not me, though. [sly] Wait till she sees the second-rate job I do on these stairs. [laughs to himself]This episode can be found in Season 6, now available on DVD.
Uncommon Women and Others (1979)
(Originally aired on PBS on June 20, 1979)Wendy Wasserstein's Yale thesis play was Uncommon Women and Others, a comic drama about the hopes and terrors of eight Mount Holyoke women facing adulthood at the height of the women's movement. Though virtually unnoticed at Yale, it was the play that would launch her career. In 1977, while Wasserstein was making a meager living doing odd jobs in Manhattan, Uncommon Women caught the eye of Andre Bishop, director of a small off- Broadway theater. ''What drew me to Wendy's work was its underlying seriousness and sadness,'' says Bishop. ''I think in the early days she was thought of as funny and goofy, with some talent. People didn't take her seriously. But I thought Uncommon Women was funny and touching. I knew she had the gift.'' The play had a well-received off-Broadway run, then was sold to PBS, where it was made into a TV movie that is now a cult classic: in 1978, Meryl Streep, Swoosie Kurtz & Jill Eikenberry taped their successful NY production of Wendy Wasserstein's play in the Connecticut Public Television studios in Hartford.
