Chasing Jake Gyllenhaal around Hyde Park, Jake was 'constantly shirtless' and making PoP memories

'I put Jake in a 10kg weighted jacket and then chased him through Hyde Park' - while I thought that the government had banned Jake Hunting in British parkland, I would like to give the speaker some advice. If you put Jake Gyllenhaal in a 30kg weighted jacket you have much more chance of catching him. These words were spoken by Jake's Prince of Persia trainer Simon Waterson in June's edition of Men's Fitness, in a feature that is different from the online version that I posted here a couple of days ago. But before we get to the article, who'd have thought the day would come when we would see the Prince of Persia using a gym ball? Not me, that's for sure.



But follow these excercises and you too will look like a noble warrior. Click and they shall be bigger. Incidentally, this issue of the magazine will also tell you how to 'build biceps with kebabs' and gives you 5 good reasons why going to the pub is good for you. I can think of at least 8...



Jake was rightly proud of his princely physique and we hear more about that in the new issue of US Weekly which reached the UK today, two days late thanks to a certain eruption. A 'source' tells us: 'He was very proud of the way his body looked... He was constantly shirtless.'


Duncan Jones gave us some more information today via twitter. While less than a week remains for the Source Code shoot, Jake's part is done: 'we wrapped Jake yesterday'. You do not want to know what images this puts in my head. I just hope it was with a nice bow. May all of Jake's future directors are adept social networkers. I realise that the image below does not depict someone in a movie that involves a train.


The cover of the American GQ was received by some with less than 100% appreciation. For me this was because of the suit; for others it was to do with the size of Jake's head. The Russian GQ, however, put all this right and has given us a cover to love. The only problem is you can't get your hands on it for love nor money. However, I'd like to point out that the American GQ is bloody well better than what British GQ will probably give us. It won't be Jake, it won't even be a bloke. Thanks to IHJ for the cover and for the lovely poster above!


Tomorrow is WDW's 3rd birthday - I'll be reading and writing before you know it. I'm spending much of the day on an old motorbike touring the castles and medieval abbeys of the Welsh borders. So I'd like to begin celebrations now by posting some of the images of Jake that have been my desktop wallpapers over the last few months. There's something special about images that you pick to look at the first time you turn your computer on in the day. Recently, it's been all about Dastan, but the next time I want to share a few of those older pictures which are saved in that 'only to come out on very special occasions' folder. Please feel free to bake a cake...







Includes scans from WDW and pictures from IHJ.

Jake Gyllenhaal watches the hockey - Is Jake to film Jack the Giant Killer? - and PoP premiere news

I think that this post should be written by a couple of WDW's NE Americas readers because it includes mention of 'ice hockey' - a sport I know even less about than I do about tadpole racing. Neverthless, I shall persevere. Last night Jake Gyllenhaal was seen by a bunch of excited tweeters in Montreal watching the Cabs Caps versus the Habs. I do learn one thing from this - only teams that rhyme almost rhyme play against one another. Thanks to ET Canada, we also have a picture of what must have been a good moment (when the puck soared through the air before landing in the hoop).


It has been mentioned to me today by a friend who looked at this picture that Duncan Jones may have been tampering with Jake's ears. Surely not!


We have some intriguing possible news today in a throw away comment from The Playlist. They discuss a project set to film this summer in London and Iceland called Jack the Giant Killer and they drop this little teaser (in parentheses no less!): 'we've also heard that Jake Gyllenhaal may somehow be involved in the cast, file that one for later.'


So, not only may we see Jake in a 3D movie, we may also see him as a very large 3D giant! Or, I suppose, as a not very large 3d non-giant. One to watch certainly and hopefully The Playlist will give us more information out of brackets soon. If Jake's gonna be a giant this summer, we need to know about it.


This post is illustrated with some images of Prince Jake Dastan Gyllenhaal from a new Disney featurette for Prince of Persia which contains much that we've seen before but it's now set to Alanis Morisette's PoP theme. It's lovely to look at and listen to - even the non-shirt moments.



We've had Volcano Issues - while this did at least have the benefit of removing much of the pre-election shenanigans from the news, it has had the downside of disrupting the UK's entertainment schedules, including the Iron Man 2 premiere and something involving somebody called Miley something. The Prince of Persia London world premiere on 9 May may have been the next casualty to The Ash Cloud and it has indeed been removed from some listings. Grabbing the Mouse by the Ears, I asked Disney UK today if the premiere was going ahead as planned and they replied: 'I'll have news for you next week!' What one assumes from this is that they're watching over the weekend to see if the skies remain open and then they will confirm. And then Jake's appearance on the Jonathan Ross show on the 7 May can also be confirmed. If not, there will be words...

Jake Gyllenhaal on Prince of Persia: 'This is the beginning of us all!' (Empire May Edition - fabulous)

It's Empire Day! The May edition has just arrived in my letter box, sandwiched between yet another pizza delivery flyer and my Sherlock Holmes DVD. Robert Downey Jr has had to wait, however, because there in technicolour print is a six-page feature on our favourite Prince 'You can call me Jake' Dastan. And there are new pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton along with the assurance that while Jake has stuntmen doubles (you can see one of them in one of these pictures holding Jake up), the parkour is all Jake.


You can embiggen these pages with a click to read it all for yourself and it's full of treats and not a little humour, plus some more info about Mike Newell - even Jerry Bruckheimer, it is revealed, speaks of his director in hushed tones.


Jake, we learn, is 'entirely comfortable as a rope-swinging swashbuckler' and is adept at exploding flaming oil on enemy troops. Mike Newell also reveals Prince of Persia's secret weapon: 'It actually has a broader appeal than you would expect... Jake. All the girls like Jake.' This is indeed as true as night following day, as 2+2 equalling 4 and artichokes being inedible. Mike goes on about Jake and Gemma: 'You have a kind of traditional star power from these two people who weren't stars when the movie started. With both of these guys we took considerable risks. There is a lot of money riding on their heads. And the audience likes them, which is great. It means I did my job.'


Jake and Gemma's characters get cosy in tents one imagines: 'The relationship's destiny is, naturally, a foregone, smoochy conclusion, but there's chemistry here. And comedy.' In Jake's words: 'Comedy is really what I enjoy the most... And it's what I find hardest. earnest is fucking easy. Finding the comedy in a situation is always the hardest thing, and I think as an actor you should try and find the hardest thing.'


'We have this kind of banter anyway, as Jake and Gemma... So that kind of transfers to the characters. There's a lot of witty remarks, cutting each other down...' Says Gemma. 'And also, when we need to be romantic...'


As for the 'Is it really Persia?' thing (it does, after all, say a lot more about video games than it does about history and geography), Gemma says: 'But it's completely detached from reality. It's a completely fictional world.' And Jake: 'It's not necessarily one culture... I think that's what so wonderful about it. That's actually what Mike said to me from the very beginning: this is all different cultures. This is the beginning of us all!'


Interestingly, the feature says that Prince of Persia: Sands of Time must have a sequel because it has a colon in the title. This is even more reliable than having 1 or I in the title.


Meanwhile back in the real world of moviemaking in Montreal, Jake was seen out about in the city on Saturday (narrowly avoiding BBMISwear and Ted who spent the weekend in Montreal wine tasting) with Atticus. You'll note there's no Atticus in the picture below...


... this is because Atti is taking a comfort break in order to let Jake have a little time to himself to whistle and pace for the cameras. Here's a different view.


Pictures from Empire and iPhotoLive; scans by WDW.

[Updated] Dining with Jake Gyllenhaal - Old Montreal, old friends

It seems rather appropriate that, on the day when every single pub in Britain is full to the rafters with mums being taken out for their annual treat (Mothers Day here), to revive an old WDW favourite - Dining with Jake Gyllenhaal. Jake may be filming Source Code in Montreal but clearly this is just an excuse to discover restaurants and bars in the Old Town, while revisiting others from his Day After Tomorrow long stay.


Last night, Jake was seen, and indeed photographed, at the Cabane à sucre au Pied de Cochon, a sugar shack, where you eat food cooked with maple syrup during the sugar season. Thanks so much to Olympia for getting me into the right restaurant and providing the local information. I must say that does sound rather... sweet. Many thanks to CleanEvolution for sharing their picture.

You'll see from their tweets two other things worth mentioning - 1) the desserts were good and 2) Kirsten Dunst also showed up. Jake and Kirsten were also spotted at Forever 21. Kirsten recently said that she and Jake do not talk now, although she would like to. Maybe, with both of them filming in the city, there's the chance to clear the air and catch up.


Jake was also seen at Vauvert in Old Montreal. This rather posh French restaurant encourages its coustomers 'to let go and forget the idea of service for the purpose of eating a meal... Sit, have a bite, talk with friends, enjoy yourself and make it an evening-long experience.' On Thursday, Jake was seen in a bar by a happy martini sipping tweeter in Old Montreal. Martinis and Jake Gyllenhaal? That's what I call a night out...


Updated to add that Jake was today seen at Beauty's Restaurant for brunch before he moved on to a cinema. A picture here.

Happy Mothers Day to all Brit Mums!

Source Code beauties: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Atticus! On set 10 and 11 March

Double Whammy Friday! Not only do we get pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal on the Source Code set in Montreal, we get pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal on the Source Code set in Montreal with Atticus! Good to see you boy(s). This also gives us the chance to get a good first look at Colter, Jake's character, and it's a hit (thank you, Duncan). And Michelle Monaghan looks pretty good too - nice boots.

Please note how I am not mentioning Jake's bum.





Loving the jacket...



The pictures of Jake and Michelle on set were taken on 10 March - the pictures with Atti on the 11th...




Thanks to iPhotoLive via IHJ.

Jake Gyllenhaal back in Montreal and Na'vi Jake...

It looks like Jake Gyllenhaal is back in Montreal. With principle photography set to begin next Monday, according to the tweet of director Duncan Jones (quite a reliable source, I'd say), Jake has only five full days to find a yoga class. Only then will he be able to contort his bare-chested 'thinking woman's action hero' frame into mesmerising poses, now so famous in the gyms of LA and Berkeley. I know it's a bit of a commute, but Oxford in England has some fine yoga classes at - ooh, thinking off the top of my head - my gym, for instance.


Jake did, however, leave his mark in New York City. At the Hungry in America Project bash on Sunday, Jake not only monopolised the chef to such an extent that the Hungry in America Project went hungry, he also talked over a film shown there and was shushed by a fellow member of the audience. Further disruption was caused by Natalie Portman's giggles. It is a possibility, however, that shushing Jake may be something to add to our How to Attract Jake's Attention List.



The story that Jake and Matt Damon turned down a half-hearted offer to be Na'vi Jake in Avatar has resurfaced today. With thanks to Monica for the heads up, here is a look at what we might have enjoyed in 3D these past weeks. I'm inclined to think that it's not just the Tree of Souls that had a lucky escape...


And finally...

For those of us who might accidentally have bought a range of Prince of Persia Jake Figurines last night, here is a closer look at the dagger toy. Although it doesn't turn back time itself, it does glow - almost as useful, I'm sure you'll agree.


Includes pictures from IHJ and here.

[Update] Jake Gyllenhaal's Peter Movie moment of the decade, Jake arrives in Canada not to compete in the Winter Olympics, etc!

[Update] Stars describe their favourite film moment of the decade and there amongst them is a very hot (and sexily black and white) Jake Gyllenhaal describing his favourite as Peter Sarsgaard in An Education: 'Any performance by Peter Sarsgaard. God, I'm such a kiss ass! I would pick An Education. I don't know what he does for a living; he seems to be into cellos; likes really young women! That seems to be my best description...' Perfect!




On with the post!

Jake Gyllenhaal is in Canada! Contrary to popular opinion, he is not in Vancouver to compete in the Super G, he is in fact in Montreal to do whatever it is actors do to prep a movie. Source Code director Duncan Jones is already in the city, where he is, according to his tweets, pinching food off the desks off fellow crew members. Good man! As for Jake, he might have a handy pouch, but he wants that coat - he really wants that coat. And that's despite Olympia's assurances that temperatures are set to soar in Montreal to 30 degrees F. Many thanks to IHJ for the pics and the heads up!


Duncan has also just tweeted that principal photography starts in two weeks and a moment ago said: 'Just met with the lovely Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright. Feeling quite thrilled to have two such scorchingly good actors in Source Code!' (The excellent Jeffrey Wright was, of course, Felix in Casino Royale.) Meanwhile, would it be untoward if I wondered what Jake was keeping in his pouch?


Duncan is a nominee at this Sunday's BAFTAs for his superb debut movie, Moon. He is intending to be in Covent Garden for the awards. One wonders if he might be accompanied on the flight over by a possible BAFTA presenter?



I have to say that it was extremely obliging of Jake to go to Canada because this visit coincides perfectly with my Winter Olympics report! I have received, just today, photographs from the piste of one of the Games' more serious contenders, who is competing in not just the Downhill but also the Ice Hockey. He doesn't even need a team, that's how good he is.




So while Jake and Elmo settle down to enjoy their cheese fondue, here is a little bit of Jake news...

Firstly, the 'Epic Adventure Issue' of Total Film hit the UK shelves today - or at least the mini cute 'airport edition' did. The good news is that the article inside is just the same as in the Collectors' edition and the only difference is that the cover has 'Prince of Persia [in non-scannable gold] - Inside 2010's biggest blockbuster!'. It looks fabulous.


With thanks to Shoe for the heads up, it looks like Jake is involved in Natalie Portman's 'Hungry in America' project. Whether he will attend the NYC or LA gala isn't known but you can see details here.

We saw pictures of Jake and a friend yesterday in photos dating to the 15th. Maybe this was the event that they were going to/returning from: Jeff Bridges bringing Crazy Heart to life at the LA Club. Maggie was also there. One must admire Jeff for putting his heart and soul into Crazy Heart - incredible.

And finally...

...and slightly off topic (because there's little PoP in this post)... I was running errands today and stumbled across these critters.




Many thanks to IHJ and Olympic correspondent BBMISwear for the pics. Others by WDW. No ostrich was hurt during the production of this post - it had already snuffed it.