Esquire rates Jake (and sticks him on the cover) and Happy Birthday Maggie!

Some great news today - Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the actors featured in and on December's Esquire for giving one of the six best performances of the year. This 'Genius Issue' ranks Jake's portrayal of Douglas Freeman alongside performances by the likes of Robert Downey Jr, Denzel Washington, Cate Blanchett, Javier Bardem and Emile Hirsch. There are two versions of the cover and, while one decides to put the crease straight down the centre of Jake's head and body, the other displays a pleasingly whole and unmarked Jake, standing next to Robert. A huge thanks to Stephanie of I Heart Jake for scanning both versions.



Inside, alongside a stunning photograph of Jake (in a Gap t-shirt!), is this description of Jake's performance in Rendition: 'It's a near-silent performance, apart from some minor heroics near the end, and most actors would likely have felt the need to signal their disapproval to the audience via exaggerated winces. Gyllenhaal refrains, allowing us to project our own turbulent, conflicted emotions onto his placid expression. Knowing when to do nothing is one of the least appreciated of an actor's skills; here's one who's learned quickly.'



Thanks to Stephanie, and UV for the tip.

Happy 30th Birthday Maggie!

Many congratulations to Maggie Gyllenhaal today on the occasion of her 30th birthday. While some of Maggie's fellow cast members (without Heath, though, I believe) have moved The Dark Knight filming roadshow to the adoring streets of Hong Kong, Maggie appears to have finished filming, at least temporarily, and some days ago returned to NYC from London. Last Monday, Maggie, looking absolutely stunning, had a night out at the opening of a Chopard boutique on Madison Avenue. And, according to Your Celebrity Source, her date was none other than her Dad, Stephen.


Stephen at Trinity College's Film Festival

Talking of Stephen, last Friday he took part in an event at Trinity College, Hartford in Conneticut, to promote the college's desire to have a film programme. Four of Stephen's films were screened (A Killing in a Small Town, Paris Trout, Homegrown, and Waterland) and, that evening, he also participated in a poetry reading.


'For Gyllenhaal, poetry is very much a form of therapy. "My shrink told me to write down my thoughts. Poetry made me sane," he told the students at Friday night's poetry reading at the Fred. He read a few poems about the Hollywood lifestyle ("Careful There, Pardner"), and one about having a heart attack. He even read two poems he had written about his children, Hollywood stars Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal. "I wrote some poems about my kids, but I don't like to read them because it makes me uncomfortable. Fame and all that is so f***ed up. I don't recommend it to anyone," he said while introducing a poem about missing his son's performance in Oliver in London, called "On Opening Night." He also read a poem about his daughter called "Watching You Strip/My Daughter," a retort at the critics who panned Maggie's performance in the play Closer. In between reading his poems, he had students come up and read their own poetry. Later, he moved on to reading some prose, excerpts from a few novels currently in progress: Sycamore Row, a semi-autobiographical story about the trials of a family of eight, and a modern-day retelling of the Arthurian myths.' As someone who spent a long time studying Arthurian myth, I am particularly intrigued by the latter.


Includes pictures from Esquire, IHJ, Getty and Your Celebrity Source.