Parkour! Jake Gyllenhaal hints at what's in store

Remember this description of the original Prince of Persia script? 'Parkour is finally going to be given a worldwide audience with Prince of Persia. Because of the incredible athleticism and shape you have to be in to practice Parkour, I would think that narrows down the choices to play Prince of Persia’s lead character – DASTAN.' Well, here, reminding us - should we ever need it - that we are in for a treat next summer, is Jake Gyllenhaal modelling a PoP memento.



Many, many thanks to IHJ for giving us another look at Jake out and about yesterday (February 27) - this time visiting a medical centre in Beverly Hills. And as if the front view isn't enough...

Bedhead Jake needs coffee, Peets 27 February

The net might be buzzing at the prospect of an all singing, all dancing, all baseball playing Jake Gyllenhaal in Damn Yankees - hot on the heels of his hip hop video debut - but yesterday (27 February) Jake focused on what really matters: getting a coffee at favourite haunt Peets in Santa Monica. Or is it a nice cup of tea? Yet again, Jake gives us cause to celebrate the demise of the beanie.





Many thanks to IHJ for the pics - you can see more there.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Jim Carrey to star in musical Damn Yankees!

Breaking News! According to Variety, Jake Gyllenhaal is to star with Jim Carrey in the film musical Damn Yankees! All the signs have indicated that Jake has a musical in him and this sounds like a big one - who knows, it may even come out on time...


And they say: 'New Line Cinema is playing ball with Jim Carrey and Jake Gyllenhaal on "Damn Yankees," attaching both actors to star in a contemporized film transfer of the classic musical. Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel are set to write the script. The musical is being produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the duo behind New Line's musical "Hairspray"; a sequel to that film is in the works.'


'"Damn Yankees," which bowed on Broadway in 1955 and won seven Tony Awards, focuses on Joe Boyd, a happily married middle-aged man whose devotion to a hapless pro baseball team prompts him to make a Faustian bargain with the devil to help the team. He's transformed into slugger Joe Hardy, in exchange for Boyd's soul. Boyd can break the deal, but the deadline occurs during the World Series. For good measure, the devil engages Lola, a gorgeous lost soul, to seduce the slugger and seal his fate. The plan is for Carrey to play the devil, and Gyllenhaal to play Boyd. It's the first musical for each.'


'The producers tried but struck out on a version of "Damn Yankees" five years ago at Miramax, where they made "Chicago." The rights lapsed after Harvey Weinstein exited that studio. After two years of rights negotiations, "Damn Yankees" is moving forward with Toby Emmerich's New Line. The trick is finding a balance that retains the show's classic tunes like "(You Gotta Have) Heart" and "Whatever Lola Wants," while injecting a contemporary feel on a musical that is firmly rooted in the 1950s.'The intention is to get a script from Ganz and Mandel before meeting directors, and actresses who'll want to play Lola.'


Early days but maybe the time will come when we'll be dancing and singing along with Jake in the theatres. So, how about Anne Hathaway for Lola?

Stay tuned!

Pictures from IHJ.

Jamie and Jake together again - the premiere of the Blame It video

And now, at last, here is the video to Jamie Foxx's Blame It, featuring one very cool Jake Gyllenhaal. Of course, while in my opinion, the video features too much man with a panda head and not enough Jake, it's good to see Jake in this kind of company, red lights and all. Next time I'll watch it with the sound on... (only kidding!).



Thanks to IHJ for some rather lovely screencaps...

A taster of the Jamie Foxx video and Jake's nose picked

I have a sneaking suspicion that Jamie Foxx's Blame it video will be released to us a second at a time, maybe a minute a week if we're lucky. Today, we got just a little bit more - a video taster of its Hollywood Heavies. And first among them is designated driver, Jake Gyllenhaal. You can see the clip here.


The article mentions that the video is to be premiered on iTunes today (25 February). I can't see it there yet, so is this yet more wishful thinking? Or just a case of timezones?

While we tap our feet and wait, another poll came out today. Various online dating organisations rustled up a list of the celebrities singles would most like to sleep with, should their understanding partners (I sense a contradiction in terms) give them the go-ahead. One wonders what the understanding partner gets out of it (their own celebrity sleepover perhaps?).


Jake is on the list, but with a rather irrational 6.5% - Sean Connery gets 16.1%. It seems to me that either the voters are 96 years old or they would prefer to keep Jake entirely secret from that understanding partner. Meanwhile, 17.2% of men have hypothetical partners who would let them have it away with Reese, while half of all men approve of Brad Pitt's choices.


In January, the Beverly Hills Institute of Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery released its fourth annual Hollywood Hottest Looks list - presenting those bits of stars that its customers most want to have added to their own faces. It's no surprise to see that Jake's features feature. But, while we have reflected on the beauty of Jake's eyes and the sensuality of his lips, it appears that men most admire Jake's face for his nose and that is the bit of him they picked. The exception was in 2006, when Jake's eyes got a look in.


With an image in my head of a lot of people walking round BH with Jake's nose, I was slightly surprised to see that Sean Penn's hair features high on the wants list for 2009. Maybe everyone needs to take a closer look at how all of Jake's features come together.


Includes pictures from IHJ.

Stars shine on Oscar's night

Arguably, the chief function of the Oscars is to serve as an appetiser for the Post-Oscar Party. With many presenters banished from the Oscar red carpet this year (quite possibly a good thing considering that there were at least five presenters per award), the parties gave media and fans a good look at some of Hollywood's most beautiful while enabling them to engage in that most enjoyable of activities: frock-bashing.



The two main parties of the night are the Vanity Fair Oscar Party and Elton John's now traditional AIDS Foundation bash. However, the supremacy of the VF event becomes clear when one considers that Elton auctioned off a ticket for the Vanity Fair party at his own party, upon which, Elton, partner David and auction winner ($60,000 lighter in pocket) hot-tailed it over to the Sunset Tower.



Whether the VF Party can strictly be defined as 'A Party' is another matter - in the words of Mickey Rourke: 'Party? That was just a lot of people standing around kissing ass.' Nevertheless, despite the absence of dancing and the last minute trip to the off-licence, the VF Party provides the unique opportunity to witness a bottleneck of stars, each waiting to enter the party at their allotted time.


But this great article, outlining the philosphy of the Vanity Fair Party, shows that the party succeeds because it gathers in these exotic moviestars on an even, democratic (albeit it beyond the reach of normal mortals) keel - it's impossible to get a ticket so, if you are invited, you will be surrounded by your peers: 'For a couple of years we had this phenomenal dance band from Havana, and pretty much the only fool cutting the rug was me. So it wasn't the dancing they stayed late for. Hollywood people being Hollywood people, all they wanted to do was meet one another. They couldn't stop hatching deals, exchanging business cards, flirting, lying about how they loved the other person's last movie, and just … talking.' Mingling on a Hollywood scale. And yet, like so many partygoers across the world, they also nick the table decorations. The seating plan also presents a challenge...



The accounts of the goings on at this year's VF party make engrossing, if not necessarily flattering, reading. Snippets reveal that Heath Ledger's family was there while Anne Hathaway was a centre of much appreciated attention for being able to hold that last note in the Oscars' opening number.



This video of the 2009 party contains a glimpse of Jake Gyllenhaal in conversation with a very happy winner - Sean Penn. If you can't see the video below, try this link.




Jake, of course, has been assured of his invitation through the years, as can be seen from the photos in this post, courtesy of IHJ.



And many thanks to Metizzl.

After the emotion comes celebration - Jake and Reese at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party

After the heady emotion of triumph and disappointment comes the time for congratulation and commiseration, accompanied by a glass of something sparkly and the flash of camera bulbs - the Vanity Fair party. Cancelled last year, the party re-emerged in 2009 at the Sunset Tower and we were given the always welcome treat of Jake Gyllenhaal in a tux.


Reese was one of the surprise presenters at the Oscars and, after the ceremony, she and Jake did what we all like to do at a party (second only to drinking cocktails and dancing to Abba)...




... they mingled.







This one slipped in... I suddenly feel tripdation for the Nailed red carpet (should we get one, of course).


Includes pictures from Popsugar and here.

Hollywood's standing ovation for Heath Ledger - and an Oscar!

Well, Heath did it and, with a warning that this clip may have you tearing up at your work desk, here is the video of the moment when Hollywood got to its feet and saw Kim Ledger, Sally Bell and Kate Ledger celebrate their son's excellence in his craft and his acceptance by his peers.



Kate Ledger: 'Heath, we wish you were here - but we proudly accept this award on behalf of your beautiful Matilda.' When she is 18, the Academy will present the award to Matilda.



Many congratulations, also, to Kate Winslet and to Sean Penn!

Jake appears to have been absent from the Awards last night, although as I left home this morning, partygoers were still arriving at Vanity Fair.

ETA: Jake and Reese were at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, alongside old friends such as Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz. You can see lots of photos here.


Thanks to IHJ, we do have some more new Jake, albeit tux-less. Here is Jake leaving a business meeting in Brentwood on Friday, 20 February. One can but hope this meeting was in connection with the release of a movie.



Thanks to Sheba for her live Oscar commentary last night!

Pictures from IHJ and Faded Youth Blog.

Fingers crossed for a night to remember

There's not much more we can do now but wait and see what tonight brings. So, wherever we are, I earnestly hope that we will end the day or begin the new day with the news that Heath Ledger has secured an Oscar so utterly deserved for his reinvention of the Joker.


This moving article charts Heath's progress towards the Oscars - 'he will not be at the Kodak Theater, but his presence will be hard to miss.' One's thoughts have to be with Heath's family who, it is believed, will be attending the ceremony and perhaps collecting the Oscar, should Heath win, for Heath's daughter.



And the ceremony itself has been rearranged - to give the Best Supporting Actor more prominence by rescheduling it later into the event? - and many of the presenters are to be kept hidden, away from the red carpet.

ETA: With thanks to Monica, here's the schedule of awards, with Best Supporting Actor at 7:03pm (PT).



I also want to wish best of luck to Kate Winslet and David Fincher.

Includes picture from Vanity Fair.

Get a glimpse of The Prince of Persia poster

We owe many, many thanks to WDW reader, K, who has sent me a video clip of The Prince of Persia Poster from Confessions of a Shopaholic. It may be quick, you won't want to blink, but now we can all see it and get a glimpse of Jake Gyllenhaal in character (admittedly this way, you won't get the free nail varnish...).



On a personal note, I'm away on a Jaking Weekend with Ruby, Mr Ruby and Anouska and the champagne is flowing. This is great timing!




Please ask me before if you want to post (email on the front page). Thanks to you K!

Sparkling vintage and Spring is in the air

While we still tap our feet and wait for a certain video to be released (with only behind the scenes clips to tantalise and frustrate), maybe Jake's interest in this retro world, has enticed him to a new club in LA, h.wood, which is just a skip and a hop from the Oscar's Kodak Theater. According to the New York Times, the club's dress code is 'Depression dominatrix: bowler hats, suspenders, vintage that sparkles. “No coat or tie,” said John Terzian, an owner. “You just have to look right.”'


Spring in the air

I don't know about you, but I'm still in the recovery position after the truly gorgeous pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal helping out with the National Green Schools Initiative this week. Not only did we have a cleanly shaven, freshly haircut and charismatic Jake (sans hat), we also got to see Jake in the environment - with plants, trees, shovels and compost. Surely no other movie star can model both greenery and muck with such joie de vire.


Known for walking around town wearing caps advertising landscaping services, Jake told Welt Online that: 'Since I don't define myself by my work, I wouldn't have problems doing something else. If it makes me feel better then I could earn money to be a gardener.' Seeing Jake's tenderness with these shoots, our loss would be their gain.


Back in the days of Moonlight Mile, when Jake was interviewed on Martha's Vineyard radio, Jake was asked what he was going to do next on the island: 'I'm going to do a little gardening, maybe go to the beach, take a proper vacation and play some basketball with some friends at the end of the day.'


Gardens aren't simply a gallery for flowers, they're also the source for fresh ingredients for the table, and Jake is one actor who can tell his parsley from his coriander: 'Well, my parents have a garden in their house on Martha's Vineyard. I like to go to the first market and buy fresh fish caught that day and take some vegetables from the garden and just make something fresh with it. I consider myself sort of the American equivalent of The Naked Chef.'


The other side of luscious greenery is sticky mud. One cannot fail to remember the relish with which Jimmy earned his 500 dollar by leaping into the mud pit for a little wrestling, but Jake also told Cosmo: 'Last night I dreamt that I was at a crazy party in Central park. There was a mud bath and no-one wanted to get in.' Crazy is the word to focus on here. And with a good luck cry for David Fincher on Sunday night, Jake once told his director friend: 'See, if you put me in mud, you'd see how much fun I could have.' Unfortunately, several of Jake's movies have been somewhat sandy in their locations, but there is hope for the future.


I will finish with Jake's famous gardening analogy for paps from Jetzt: 'I do my best to look at it pragmatically: I have chosen this way of life, so I have to deal with the shit that comes with it. It's basically like having a garden... Imagine you have a garden. There are tomatoes and lettuce and beautiful flowers, the really nice things, but there are also worms and all sorts of insects that are disgusting. But they do have a function, like eating vermin.' Lettuce has a function?


Includes pictures from IHJ and New York Times.