2011 - a review! As another GyllenYear comes to an end and another one begins

The end of another year and, as usual, I don't want to leave it without a brief look at some of its highlights before we move on to the next and we can start working out in which event Jake Gyllenhaal will be competing in the London Olympics.

It's not been the busiest of years - one film to promote and another to make. But when Jake and Duncan Jones went on the road with Source Code we were spoiled with goodies. Duncan an his partner Ro blogged their way through the tour which saw them travel across the US before moving on to some of the capital cities of Europe. That meant one extra bonus - more of Jake's fans, including quite a few from here, were able to see Jake face to face and hyperventilate. In April, a few of us had tickets for the gala in Berlin, which meant we not only saw Jake but could also consume big glassfuls of fine German beer. Result.

Also in the early months of 2011, Jake was whisked off to Iceland by Bear Grylls. Despite the promise of lazy hot days on volcanic beaches, one of the biggest snow storms of the year hit the place and instead Jake had to inch his way across ravines on thin ropes, dismember rotten sheep and cross icy rivers. What we could see through the blizzard looked very frightening and it's no wonder that Jake went to Hawaii later in the year. Much more sensible. Note there's been no more talk of walruses this winter.

A probable highlight for Jake in a non-worky sense was his Railroad Revival Tour with Mumford and Sons. They travelled across a number of states in character train carriages, performing as they went. Jake earned his keep, of course, accompanying the band on trumpet and accordion during the very loud bits. Apparently, Jake wasn't expecting to travel with them and so had to wear one set of clothes for the trip. This was to serve as great training for later in the year.

There have been times over the last year when Jake has been virtually indistinguishable from the Yeti. In fact, several sightings of the Sasquatch may have been Jake Gyllenhaal. It's not known if he succeeded in imitating any other mythical beasts but this may be an indication of how good he is at it. Nevertheless, the sasquatch look had to go and Big Foot Jake was replaced by Baldy Jake for the summer.

End of Watch took up most of Jake's summer, which meant daily photos of Jake looking identical in a police officer uniform with a shiny head, with or without Michael Pena. Added interest came from photos of Jake and Anna Kendrick looking like they may have eloped - with the entire filmcrew - to Las Vegas. But, alas, these things often on't last.

For much of the last third of the year, Jake has been living quietly, moving between LA and NYC. With the exception of local film festivals, Jake has mostly been seen keeping up his calorie intake in restaurants and cafes and then working them off at Soul Cycle.

We have had glimpses of Jake through the year, largely because of his enthusiastic work for good causes - New Eyes for the Needy and Edible Schoolyard have been just two charities that Jake has been an active figurehead for over 2011.

Recent months may have been a time of reflection (he did take up wearing glasses after all) - Jake gave up his manager and there appears to be little lined up movie-wise on the horizon. That we know of. Jake's continued interest in the world of movies is shown, though, by his selection for the jury of the Berlin Film Festival in February 2012. It's not known yet when End of Watch will be released. However, what is certain is that 2012 will be a fascinating time as we watch and see what Jake will do next as he embarks on his second decade of keeping us all entertained.

I must thank you all, new and old friends, for reading WDW and for keeping me company over 2011 during a year that has had its very busy moments and its very quiet. I'm particularly thrilled that I got the chance to meet more of you in person in the spring. Thank you to everyone who sent me their own stories and photos from meeting Jake and for any emails that have made looking after WDW much easier.

And so I wish us all, including Jake, Maggie and Peter, a wonderful, healthy and happy 2012!

Includes pictures by me, Flickr, and the lovely IHJ.

My list of the best, the less good and the horrible movies of 2011 over at MovieBrit! Hope you like it!