Just what have our favorite ladies been working on lately?

KATE MULGREW

There is a rumor floating about that Kate will soon start shooting on a part in the comedy The Best and Brightest with Neil Patrick Harris and Amy Sedaris.  The film centers around a young couple scheming to get their kindergartner into one of the best schools in NYC.  It is unknown what role Kate is performing, as there are several possibilities: a conniving “educational consultant,” one of the school’s premiere donors (a Senator), or the school’s headmistress.  We look forward to finding out!

It is also rumored that Kate is in casting talks for a role in The Incredible Story of Joyce McKinney and the Manacled Mormon, based on a true story about a former Miss Wyoming who stalked her Mormon missionary lover, kidnapped him and held him hostage.  Once caught, she jumped bail and hid out as a member of a mime troupe!  Kate would be performing the role of Joyce McKinney Today.

JERI RYAN

Jeri herself states she will be reprising her role as Patrice Larue on Law & Order: SVU in the upcoming season; at least for two more episodes.  And with both the surety that Michaela McManus will not be returning as ADA Kim Grelek and the uncertainty of Stephanie March’s future with L&O, wouldn’t it be lovely if Dick Wolf gave our Jeri an opportunity to jump over to the prosecution full-time?

MERYL STREEP

Meryl is a busy, busy woman!  Here are the facts:

Her next movie, Julie & Julia, is due in theaters in the U.S on August 7, 2009.  She plays Julia Child opposite her The Devil Wears Prada co-star, Stanley Tucci.

The animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox is in post-production with a projected release of November 13, 2009.  Meryl lends her spectacular voice to the role of Mrs. Fox, performing alongside George Clooney, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Anjelica Houston, and Bill Murray! 

Meryl is currently filming in an, as yet, untitled Nancy Meyers project.  Her filming has taken her from NYC to the west coast; very near the home of our own Gloriously Tabu, who had some rather fascinating run-ins with the icon!

Now in production is The Ice at the Bottom of the World, where Meryl is rumored to star along with Jennifer Connelly and Charlize Theron. The film is about a retired Navy captain who returns home to find that his long-time absence has taken a huge toll on his family.

It is rumored that she will perform in the developing films Dewey (about a stray kitten who becomes the mascot for a small town library in Iowa) and Downsizing (a comedy also rumored to star Reese Witherspoon, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Paul Giamatti).

ANNE HATHAWAY

Anne, too, has been an extremely busy woman.

She will be performing as the White Queen in Tim Burton’s upcoming Alice in Wonderland, also starring Johnny Depp, Michael Sheen, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman.

She is set to film in Garry Marshall’s romantic comedy Valentine’s Day, along with notable stars Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, and Ashton Kutcher.

Anne is rumored to feature in four upcoming projects: Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, as Judy Garland, Get Smart 2, reprising her role as Agent 99 opposite Steve Carell, The Opposite of Love, a romantic comedy about a commitment-phobic attorney and her ready-for-marriage boyfriend, and The Fiancé, another romantic comedy, this time about a woman who is seemingly engaged to the “perfect” man but decides to call off the wedding in order to find herself.

So what have our favorite ladies been doing lately?  A LOT!

Come one, come all! To our first annual TUXEDOS AND TAILCOATS TAG-TEAM CHALLENGE. J7Faction.com and the DWP LiveJournal Community are joining forces to sponsor this writing challenge. The idea is to team up J7 and MIRANDY writers to come up with short stories that put Seven of Nine and Andy Sachs in white tie and tails. We’ve also cooked up some ‘audience participation’ ideas, so even if you don’t write you can still play a part.

Check out the Challenge Boards on the forum now!

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We were hosed again! Once more, Marvelous Meryl was denied the Best Actress Oscar she so richly deserved. We’re distraught, but not so much that we can’t organize a Motivator Challenge to ease our pain. Check out details in the OSCAR PARTY thread.

Look out! The gorgeous and super-talented JERI RYAN, Star Trek Voyager’s 7 of 9, makes a long awaited return to the convention scene as she headlines Creation Entertainment’s GRAND SLAM: THE SCI-FI SUMMIT Convention beaming into Los Angeles on May 1-3, 2009 (one week prior to the release of the new Star Trek feature film!)

Check out the Current Events thread for more information.

Ruari’s First Annual Valentine’s Day - May It Not Suck - Challenge is complete. We’ve had icons, banners, wallpapers, motivators and new fan fictions submitted. Stop by The Faction and check them out!

For those of you who haven’t been near a TV or had access to a computer for the past 23 hours, MERYL STREEP won the SAG® Award for Beast Actress in a Leading Role Sunday evening (25JAN2009).

We’ve posted pictures from the awards ceremony, the official after-party and the red carpet for all three ladies of The Devil Wears Prada. There’s also an uploaded video of Meryl’s award and acceptance speech which needs to be seen to be believed.

The win was obviously unexpected for Meryl (just watch her face when her name is announced!) so we’ve started a discussion thread about how winning the SAG® Award relates to the upcoming Oscars®. Join in and let us know what you think!

Kate Mulgrew will star in the Paper Mill Playhouse’s production of “Master Class”, directed by Wendy Goldberg. The play will run March 4 - April 5, 2009.

The play is set during a master class in which legendary opera star Maria Callas instructs three young singers, while also recalling the story of her life, including her stormy relationship to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

For tickets and information, call 973-376-4343 or visit www.papermill.org.

Ruari has thrown down the gauntlet to all of us. she’s challenged everyone to come up with J/7 AND MIRANDY fics, manips, wallpapers, videos, banners and avatars for St.Valentine’s Day.

So check out the CHALLENGE threads and get busy. It’s not like there can ever be enough J/7 and MIRANDY fanfic, manips, wallpapers, videos, banners and avatars!

The Faction’s Secret Santa program is in full swing. Elves are dashing around the forums leaving wonderful holiday treats for our members. The Gift Exchange will be around the 21st of December when the Secret Santas will reveal themselves to all and sundry. They’re loading the sleigh right now!

The BACKDOOR CHALLENGE pieces are completed, posted and available to read! Check them out at the Faction’s eFiction archive, at ASTROMETRICS or at 70,000 Light Years From Home. Thank you to everyone who took part in the challenge (offering story ideas, campaigning for your favorites, writing or just generally having fun with it) for making it the overwhelming success it was!