Shop for Jake part 1 - Handy in the kitchen

Whoever invented late night shopping on Thursday for Christmas shoppers has just lost themselves their place on my Christmas card list. However, the congestion on the roads, in the streets, on the pavements and in the shops has reminded me that the countdown is on - Jake Gyllenhaal's birthday is fast approaching and I'm sure you are all keeping your eyes open for that special gift.


So what to buy the man who wants for nothing? Judging by all the articles in which Jake has discussed his love of cooking, it is very possible that his kitchen is awash with every known gadget and widget, enabling Jake to prepare and cook each ingredient in 963 varied ways. Cooking magazines and books no doubt fill the shelves, the walls will be hung with pans and onions and herbs will grow in the windowboxes. Admittedly, all of these items will have been a little forlorn this year with Jake so long gone from home, but that could soon be at an end.


It seems appropriate that the first of the season's Shop for Jake posts should focus on Jake's love for cooking. According to Maggie: '"My brother is actually an astonishing cook," sister Maggie Gyllenhaal says. "I'm a pretty good cook – I'm like the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper kind of cook. He took it to the next level. My brother makes roast beef in a béchamel sauce. When I'm in L.A. I stay with him and he cooks major meals."


I must include the rest of the little feature: 'But even when Jake's taking care of her, Maggie can't help herself from being the protective older sister. "I really lost it when they show him getting beaten up (in Brokeback Mountain)," she told us at New York City's Spotted Pig restaurant, where she was celebrating Reebok's "I Am What I Am" campaign (she's a spokesperson). "He's my brother so maybe I felt it even more acutely. I thought, 'Why hurt him? What has he done?'"'


OK! magazine this week have produced a pictorial guide to shopping for Jake, although they have sadly neglected Jake's abiding loyalty to Nike.


Of course, you could always get Jake a DVD.


And when you have bought the perfect gift for Jake, Maggie may be full of wrapping tips. In these pictures, we see Maggie last night (3 December) at the launch of the Duracel 2008 'Help Power A Smile' Campaign at the Children's Museum of Manhattan in New York.



Includes pictures from IHJ, links and scan from WDW.