This is the verdict on Jake: 'It might seem like we only love him for playing a gay rancher in Brokeback Mountain, but really, we love Jake Gyllenhaal for being our favorite boy next door. Born and raised in L.A., Jake grew up around the business; his father was a director and his mother was a screenwriter. Not only is he sexy, but, before moving to Hollywood, Jake was saving lives as a lifeguard. Bet you didn’t know he’s sweet, too? (He gave ex girlfriend Kirsten Dunst a lovely little kitten for her birthday one year. Altogether: "Aaawww....") Jake is a matinee idol with legit acting chops (he was nominated for an Oscar for Brokeback) and a genuine respect for his gay fans; not only did he make a surprise appearance at this year's GLAAD Awards, but he also dedicated a rousing (and impressive) performance of Dreamgirls' showstopper to his gay fans — in drag — on Saturday Night Live."
Maggie takes on Katie
I fear that neither Jake nor Maggie were on Tom and Katie's party list for the Welcome Posh and Becks to LA Bash. Maggie has been heard throwing some doubt on Katie Holmes' thespian prowess as Rachel Dawes in Batman. According to WENN, Maggie said: "I’m not walking into Katie Holmes’ performance,... I’m thinking of it as an opportunity to play somebody who’s alive and smart. Chris (Nolan the director) asked me to do this because he wanted me, not because he wants some generic lady in a dress.” Of course, we all know how easily innocent remarks can be taken out of context but Maggie's statement does seem to me to have an edge to it and no-one could ever accuse Maggie of not being brave enough to express an opinion.
The Nantucket idyll
Talking of Maggie, she and Peter have recently been spotted in 'a Nantucket love nest', 'in one of those charming rose-covered cottages at the Summer House in 'Sconset.'. As is my wont, this set my mind wandering to the idyll that is the Summer House, which includes white beaches, elegant and historic streets and cottages, and the Pineapple Inn, which was 'built for prominent whaling captain Uriah Russell and has been completely restored as a grand traditional inn featuring four poster canopy beds with goose down comforters, handmade oriental carpets and 19th century antiques and artwork. The bricked patio with its pineapple fountain and the formal dining room each offer a unique ambiance to linger over a cappuccino in the morning along with fresh squeezed orange juice, home made muesli and pastries that rival any bakery.' For the culinary amongst us, here is a menu from the restaurant. The whole place sounds absolutely delightful and relaxing and conjures up memories of reading Moby Dick - one of my favourite novels - as well as visiting B&Bs in the English countryside. A strange mix but it seems to work.
Includes pictures from IHJ and JJ.
A strange mix but it seems to work.
ReplyDeleteThat describes this site perfectly, WDW :) I love how you blend so many different subjects into one post so seamlessly.And it definitely works every time!
I can't disagree with AfterElton's verdict, except to say that it's not just Jake's gay fans who appreciated his SNL Dreamgirls performance. My video tape of it is close to wearing out, I've played it that often. And I sincerely hope Jake was nowhere near anything do to with that awful Beckham woman, she's a talentless attention seeking media whore and an embarrassment to the UK.
Summer House does indeed look idyllic. I never knew this place even existed and I'll never be able to afford to set foot in it, but a girl can dream...;)
Oh, and thanks for the Guardian pic of Jake! It's one of my faves- something about the way he's biting his lip makes my knees weak *swoon*
Thanks Twisted Logic - that's very kind of you. I do enjoy doing the meandering posts - they reveal a whole new world that, like you, I like to dream about. And this place sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteJake's Dreamgirls is to be appreciated by everyone and I think it is - even Mr WDW was in awe when he saw it ;D Oh yes, absolutely agree when it comes to the UK's latest export - at least we may have lost them here now?!
That's one of my favourite pics too :)
I wonder, will we ever find anything we disagree on?;)
ReplyDeleteSadly I don't share your hope that we've seen the back of Mrs Beckham, there seems to be more media coverage of her than ever!
Mr WDW clearly has very good taste :) Even if I wasn't a fan of Jake's I think I would've been blown away by SNL. He sure can belt out a tune! Not to mention he looks hot in a dress and I never thought I'd say that about any man! Those arms!!!*double swoon*
Seems clever of Maggie and Peter to be close enuf to family for a visit, but not on MV. If Jake is still on MV I'll betcha he's gonna
ReplyDeletebe on the beach at 'Sconset, also.
Okay pia keep your nose out of J's business. whadda I know? Nada!
Thanks WDW - yeah, picture of Jake biting his lip!
WDW have you seen Sherrybaby yet?
Possibly not Oh Spooky Twin :D
ReplyDeleteMr WDW is prepared to exhibit some good taste on the Jake front in return for being allowed to exhibit a large photograph of Joanna Lumley on my kitchen notice board (below a much bigger calendar of our Jake).
I know exactly what you mean by the dress. I doubt anyone else, with such physique (and it is such physique), could have carried it off so well. I think I may have to pay a little visit to YouTube...
Hey positively pia - I thought exactly the same thing. Maybe a bit of a family gathering there (hopefully without the dramas of Marin County).
ReplyDeleteAhh, a Jake-biting-his-lip fan... I'll have to look out for those.
I've not seen SherryBaby yet as I'm involved in plans to see it with some Jakers - and with some booze ;D
I've just been watching the SNL video again. Thanks for putting it in the sidebar, I don't even have to go to YouTube;) I must have seen it a hundred times, but I never get tired of it. I love how he's camping it up! It's just so funny, but at the same time it's obvious he can really hold a tune. He definitely should do a musical.
ReplyDeleteOh it's back on the sidebar? I'll have a look at that right now. I've been Rufusing again... :) We are so lucky to have these gems!
ReplyDeleteYes, thank God for the internet! I prefer to watch it on the TV cos it's bigger but at least when the tape finally gets worn out I'll still be able to watch it:D
ReplyDeleteAnd I can't believe I wrote my name wrong before- that's the effect Jake has on me, he makes me forget my own name;)
I better hit the hay now. goodnight! :)
I'm off too now. I've just been watching the Vanity Fair photoshoot off the sidebar. Just beautiful and defying all words. Good for dreams - talking of which, g'night *)
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat when I signed on today and brought up WDW. I definitely love meandering here. Not only did I see that our sweetie is also AfterElton's number one, I loved the info on that beautiful inn on Nantucket. The menu is delish and the guestroom is beautiful. Perfect for romance *sigh*. And Zodiac comes out on DVD tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteI also recorded the SNL Dreamgirls performance, and I play it every once in awhile. I really thought it was great - I love to hear him say how much BBM meant to him and when he calls the fans of Brokeback unique. We know how wonderful he is, and the rest of the world will too, if they haven't discovered his talent already! And noone looks hunkier in a gown . . . it highlights his masculinity. I definitely *swoon* too! The Guardian pics were beautiful, but I've yet to see a pic of him that isn't. Those sidebars on WDW are definitely a plus. :D
Thanks WDW and have a good night!
Fantastic posting, as usual, WDW..those photos of Jake in the button down shirt are exquisite. How long ago were those photos taken? I am not up on all things Jakey..that is why I rely on you, my dear WDW. I notice that, not only is Jake wearing the livestrong bracelet, it also appears that he is wearing a kabbalah bracelet. I know he is Jewish, but I this is the only photograph I have ever seen where I noticed that he might be wearing a kabbalah bracelet. I find it intriguing...thanks again...Michele
ReplyDeleteLovely posting, WDW!!!! I am delighted to know Maggie, Peter and Baby are spending quiet time on Nantucket. It's a very relaxed place. And it looks like a lovely resort. Having a baby is a MAJOR life-change. To go thru it with the paparazzi tracking you down in the hospital lobby while you are in labor, and have them ringing your doorbell 24/7 the day you come home, is a nightmare. Then you have a new movie to shoot, and your partner is working and out of town! (Then you try to get away for the Christmas holidays and the lodge burns down!) So after all the turbulence, it is nice to have some time to yourself. And Nantucket is a perfect place for it. (Pap free.)
ReplyDeleteI think People magazine is becoming more and more irrelevant.
Afterelton is obviously much more in touch with what people are thinking. I certainly find nothing to fault in their choice! LOL!
Love these posts on MV & Nantucket, WDW--I seem to see the writer in you coming out in all the sea-splashed details of historic inns, brick-laid walkways, and sunny gardens. Must be what draws you to Moby Dick (one of my favorites too)--Melville's incredible attention to coastal mood and setting. The same sea washes your shores as ours, and I can feel it in your words.
ReplyDeleteEveryone's earlier thoughts on AfterElton's verdict and on Jake in a dress started me thinking:
Can a person respond to Jake from the perspective of both a man and a woman at the same time? Because that is what seems to happen to me, and maybe that is what is behind his universal appeal. I'm sure Jung would say something complex about our psyches here, but Twistedlogic seems to have nailed it best with "Not to mention he sure looks hot in a dress, and I never thought I'd say that about any man!" That seems to capture both the double appreciation I feel--as if my eyes were both a man's and a woman's--as well as Jake's marvelous ambiguity.
Now about the kabbalah bracelet Michelle picked up on--anyone have an answer to that?
Finally WDW we continue to hear about the floods and hope that things are beginning to improve. The power station seems to have been saved so maybe you all have power?
Hi everyone :)
ReplyDeleteHey Marina - Summer house looks perfect for romance, doesn't it? And with all that care for attention, in the cottages and in the menus.
And yes, Jake in a dress, who'd have thought he would look so masculine in it.
Hi Michele - the blue shirt photo with the bracelet was taken in 2004. I don't know more than that. This will be from the time that he first started wearing the LiveStrong band.
The kabbalah bracelet is interesting and I don't believe h wore it for any length of time. Of course, there was a time around then when wearing such things was 'trendy' - I remember seeing quite a few youngsters in the street wearing them, clearly not aware of what they were. I suppose, as Jake is Jewish by birth he is probably more informed than many - of course he's also a student of religion - but I see little evidence that he did anything but dabble in this line of belief and has moved on. Of course, I'm only thinking out loud and speculating!
Jake's use of jewellery has always interested me. He plays with labels, which I find so fascinating because I do exactly the same thing.
Hi Bobbyanna - it is so good knoing that Maggie is getting the peace and quiet she's been missing. As you say, what a time she's had of it lately.
Hey Kim - you're so right - I adore the light and the open brightness of that whole area and the names of places are enormously evocative to me. I'm fascinated by how the people have manifested their relationship with the sea - which can be so dangerous - into their architecture, language and daily life. I can see all of that in Moby Dick - the first time I read that book it was on a daily commute into London and the worlds couldn't have been more different.
I am a big fan of wide open spaces - I love deserts and oceans and have never got on with mountains and forests :D
Your desciption is beautiful, Kim, sea-splashed details of historic inns, brick-laid walkways, and sunny gardens. - that's it entirely. And it also reminds me a little of coastal towns in California with their elaborate wooden water towers.
Thanks for this too: Can a person respond to Jake from the perspective of both a man and a woman at the same time? Because that is what seems to happen to me, and maybe that is what is behind his universal appeal... the double appreciation I feel--as if my eyes were both a man's and a woman's
Jake's ambiguity is definitely intriguing and marvellous as you say - and also clever. When Jake put that dress on he would have known that it showed off his masculinity to perfection, enbling him to appear as all of us - male, female, straight, gay - would wish to see him. So he was everything to everyone. I can't imagine anyone else in the public eye being able to do that - he also sang with that high voice but it was full of male power produced from that incredible chest! Jake's ambiguity is one of the most attractive elements of Jake and is one of the reasons why I will never tire of discussing him.
The floods seem to be moving downriver now towards London. It peaked here last night and I think the levels are starting to go down. A lot of homes are without water, and some without power, but I've been very lucky.
Thanks to everyone for their concern and love :D
Glad you still have power, WDW. The noon news here sure painted a bleak picture of southern England.
ReplyDeleteAm looking out on the sea right now as I post this, and thinking of what you said above about "wide open spaces."
Those are the places that invite us to create, right? I had a prof once who said he loved the desert because there was nothing between him and it--just his imagination.
Maybe this is why we love Jake as well. He's a wide open place too, and each of us can find there what we seek. "When Jake put on that dress he would have known that it showed off his masculinity to perfection, enabling him to appear as all of us--male, female, straight, gay--would wish to see him." I like how you nailed his conscious choice in that--his cleverness. He's definitely a partner with us in what we see.
Oh you can see the sea Kim? - how wonderful. There's definitely something in that - about the desert allowing you the space to think. In contrast, I love the sea because of its sounds. Both spaces have the light.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Jake certainly appears as a wide open space, or as a fascinating book with some of the pages unclear or carefully removed. Jake is most assuredly our accomplice in this :D
great posts! yes Jake leaves wide open spaces, yes he is "our accomplice" - in what? shaking up assumptions that keep us bound to old conventions. whatever!
ReplyDeleteI too love the SNL number. I was dazzled by his wisdom in giving all of us, not just the gay community "what we need" - it's in my library and I watch it regularly, and always say: sonuvagun, he did it! did what? Im not sure! it's okay for a guy with biceps like that to be a woman? it's okay for a woman to be a woman? I dont understand why I am so moved by number, but know I love him for it.
Hey positively pia - that's it exactly - with SNL we know he's done something incredible, but defining exactly what is another matter.
ReplyDeleteshaking up assumptions that keep us bound to old conventions. - Jake is so good at this :D
"Jake is most definitely our accomplice in this"
ReplyDeleteYes, I like that! I said partner and was thinking about the sexuality of that--like a dance. Accomplice takes it to another level--suggests mind as well as body and brings in an element of mischief.
Yes I live on the east coast and am looking right out at you all over there-- Great open space and movement and yes, WDW's light. Though I love the fog as much as the light. Lots of mystery--like those blank pages in the book, or in Jake, which tantalize us.
Hi Kim - for some reason I often associate Jake in my mind with mischief and I really do feel that it's a game on many levels.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds wonderful where you are - I love the sea in all weathers, a rough sea as well as glass still, but fog terrifies me! It really does!
"--Melville's incredible attention to coastal mood and setting. The same sea washes your shores as ours, and I can feel it in your words."
ReplyDeleteThese words caught my attention and made me think of the sea in a larger perspective. Stretch your mind a little and you see it's the same sea that washes all our shores. Go a little deeper and you will know that we all emerged from that primordial ocean. Sometimes the thought overtakes me when I read of the flooding all over that the same ocean will swallow us all up. But I believe that our thinking of ourselves as "one world" and collectively embracing the gifts of nature will help us overcome these threats and turn the elements into our friends again.
WDW your posts here draw a lot of attention to nature and the environment in all its interpretations, not just physical. The seamless blending that twistedlogic refers to is reflective of your thinking process on larger and deeper issues. The discussions here reverberate with the understanding that the physical environment is a metaphor for the social, emotional, ethical "ecosphere". You have succesfully opened the borders that separate "within" and "without".
This post taken in entirety with all the comments is a masterpiece of collective wisdom, poetic insights and surprises strewn like treasures over a beach after the tide has gone out. I cannot do justice to it through any comment. The best tribute I can give is just to link to it which I have done. I know I will keep coming back to the words of so many of you here and learning something new each time.
Incognita - thank you so much. This is a fine compliment that I'll treasure: This post taken in entirety with all the comments is a masterpiece of collective wisdom, poetic insights and surprises strewn like treasures over a beach after the tide has gone out. And I am very grateful to everyone who comments here and gives us so much food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI am extremely aware and in awe of the environment and nature and this has led me on a few memorable adventures in my life. I think this sometimes subconsciously affects what I write.