In the wings and behind the scenes - time to get on stage

If you get the right festival, the right event, you can get far more than the price your ticket promised. You not only get a glimpse through bobbing heads and shoulders of bands more at home in stadiums than muddy or sandy fields, you not only get an expensive plastic pint of beer and fish and chips in cardboard (with ketchup that can't be squeezed out of its plastic). Sometimes, if things go really right, you see a bigger star in the wings than the one before you trying to hold your attention on centre stage. Sometimes side stage is where you want to look.




Who knows who you may meet while popping out for that fish and chips...


Of course, sometimes, side stage becomes centre stage and the cameo eclipses the leading man or lady.



Coachella has come to an end, having been thoroughly enjoyed by the media for its turn out of Hollywood stars. Arguably, the festival has proved a mixed bag of fortunes for Jake Gyllenhaal, with initial fluffy pictures (albeit mixed with the humour afforded by an open fly) replaced by photographs of Jake giving the finger to paps, video of a bum 'pat' and a report (totally unsubstantiated) of narrowly avoided fisticuffs - why anyone would want to talk their way through a concert is beyond me. I'm ready to see more pictures of Jake back at home, or, even better, on a film set - how about a red carpet? We're due one of those.

[Updated] Coachella - desert rock

Say 'Music Festival' to me and memories of mud rivers, leaking tents and porterloos fill my mind. But the Coachella Music Festival is near Palm Springs and that means heat, a spot of golf and no crawling under a hedge to get in. This weekend, Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon and friends are among the stars enjoying the Ting Tings. Oh, and Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, the Killers and Franz Ferdinand (I'd stick in the beer tent for the Cure). My own festival tip for Jake and Reese: mark your tent with a scarf and take a picture of the surrounding landmarks.



Er, and I have another suggestion...



Jake was reported as being at the MIA set while Jake and Reese were seen enjoying the Fleet Foxes.



They were also among the audience for Jenny Lewis, with Jake looking a thousand miles away.





Jenny was, of course, Jake's date for the Hollywood premiere of Donnie Darko back in 2001...


Includes pictures from IHJ and Getty.

ETA: Thanks very much to IHJ for all the further pics from Coachella yesterday (you can see them there), which include photographs of Jake and Reese with Jenny Lewis herself. The new pictures by the pool (presumably back at the hotel) suggest that the photographer was far more interested in Reese and her pina colada than in a shirtless Jake. What an opportunity.... lost....