Jake Gyllenhaal gets on his bike and a WDW historic interlude!

All is quiet on the Jake Gyllenhaal front. IMDb appears to confirm that Jake may well be appearing as Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods (lucky Cinders) but otherwise Jake has been focusing on living his life in NYC. But he has been glimpsed and that was cycling about the city. Thanks to IHJ for the photo (taken on 23 May).

WDW historic interlude

In the absence of news, I thought I'd 'entertain' you with a few photos from our very hot and sunny Bank Holiday weekend. It's been raining persistently for days but kindly it decided to take a rest for the three-day holiday. The downside of this is that I now look like a giant red blushing lobster. The weekend had a historical theme, which meant it started off with Chedworth Roman Villa.

We then drove down the road to Hailes Abbey, a beautiful abbey that once housed a reliquary said to contain the blood of Christ. Cromwell had it tested, found it wanting and wreaked havoc on the buildings during the Reformation.

Next to the Abbey a small church, older than the Abbey, survives and it contains the most wonderful wall paintings.

The next day, we watched the famous Sealed Knot re-enactors redo the English Civil War  battle for Woodstock at Blenheim Palace (the site of the old palace of Woodstock during the Middle Ages). It's many years since I've spent a day cheering on Royalists and Roundheads (can never make up my mind between them) with the Sealed Knot. I can certainly vouch for their taste in real ale. It appears to give them the powers of eternal life - not one was killed and stayed killed...

It was then time for the really important business - cricket.

Jake Gyllenhaal makes New Yorkers fit and has a chat with Jude Law plus more An Enemy stills

Jake Gyllenhaal is not only personally responsible for making us all want to plant our own vegetables, he's not single-handedly making the men and women of NYC fit. Attendance at Soul Cycle classes has sky rocketed since Jake began to frequent them. There is however a downside. One might get fit but one also might get a broken leg: 'I nearly fell off my bike when I spotted him' said one poor Soul (Cycle) to the media.  A full fitness report can be consulted in the New York Daily News.

Meanwhile, Jake has been spotted having a chat with Jude Law in the streets of NYC, no doubt Jake was signing Jude up for one of his classes.

Yesterday, Jake was back out in NYC, in the rain but with a smile on his face.

On 26 April, Jake walked round NYC reminding us of Spring...

And we have some more stills from An Enemy (Enemy Within), thanks to IHJ!

Good times! Thanks very much to IHJ for the pictures!

Jake Gyllenhaal - Edible Schoolyard, much food talk, Words of War, a bit of basketball

Jake Gyllenhaal is, I think you'll agree, very edible. It's therefore extremely appropriate that he should be honoured by Edible Schoolyard at its inaugural Spring benefit on 15 April at Essex Market in NYC. This event, hosted by a charity with which Jake has long been actively involved, was supposed to happen last October but was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy.

In the New York Observer: “Seriously, it’s one of the areas of my life where I hold everything with love and no judgment,” said the actor. “Anything that is fresh from a garden is my favorite food.” Mr. Gyllenhaal’s mother, screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, corroborated his story. Apparently he didn’t even object to broccoli as a kid: “He was very adventurous, and always, from the time he was really little, a spectacular cook,” she said proudly.'

The Wall Street Journal:  'Mr. Gyllenhaal grew up with gardens in his homes in Los Angeles and Martha's Vineyard. We wondered, who had a greener thumb, he or Maggie? "Me," he said, after a short pause. As brothers cannot always be trusted to assess superiority over their sisters, we asked Naomi Foner, Mr. Gyllenhaal's mother. "It's Jake," she said. "He helped me plant our vegetable garden and worked really hard at it."

'Ms. Foner is also a fan of the organization. "Most kids in New York don't see gardens," she said. "And people only know what they know. When you expand their horizons, you're giving them an enormous gift." She then sought out a photo from her iPhone depicting her granddaughter, Gloria, mauling a garden-grown tomato. "I mean, is there anything better than a warm tomato that you grew yourself right off the vine, maybe with a little bit of salt and olive oil?"'

Jake also had this to say during his speech: '“It’s about more than just what you eat—it’s about being connected to the earth,” he explained. “Like, what would New York City be without Central Park? I mean, there’s not much edible food in there…but still. That idea exists within the city, and it should exist in every public school.”

At the event, Jake also mentioned his teenage job as a busboy on Martha's Vineland. His boss was asked all about it in New York Grub Street. 'Well, he was very young. I think he had just turned 16 at the time. On Martha’s Vineyard in July and August, it’s crazy-busy. Every night is like a busy Saturday night, so you need everybody to show up to work, right? He had his mother call into the restaurant to say that he was sick for the day. My buddy and I who ran the place were like, "Oh my God. I can’t believe that Jake’s mother just called to say that he’s home sick and can’t come to work."'

'So the next morning, we went to the drugstore and bought a baby bottle and a little pacifier, and when he came back to work, we gave him so much shit. We just didn’t let up. Every day for the rest of the summer, we kept on giving him water in a baby bottle. He was just telling me how that kind of resonated with him in terms of work ethic, so I thought it was kind of cute.'

Sounds a right hoot... I can see why Jake took up lifeguarding.

Words of War

On 8 May, Jake will take part in another charitable event - Words of War hosted by the Headstrong Project at IAC HQ in NYC: 

'This cocktail fundraiser is designed to further support the mission of the Headstrong Project, to help veterans recover from the hidden wounds of war in order to lead full and meaningful lives. Specifically, “Words of War” will support comprehensive mental healthcare for military veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. The evening will include a war poetry reading by Jake Gyllenhaal.' 

There are more details here

In NYC

There are wonderful new old pictures on IHJ of Jake in NYC back in 2011. Last week, though, Jake was also in the city. Jake and 'Jay-Z kicked back at the rapper's 40/40 Club in New York City Monday night, watching the NCAA championship basketball game in the Owner's Lounge. The two, joined by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, exchanged a big hug when they met up, then spent the evening snacking on the club's signature wings and sipping D'Usse cognac.'

Many thanks to IHJ for such fab pics! It's so good to see Jake out and about again, past and present.

Jake Gyllenhaal breaks his New Year's resolution already

As we go into 2013, it becomes clear that Jake Gyllenhaal is not doing his bit to keep the New Year Resolutions that I so kindly made for him. Jake might be working off the holiday feasting by going to the gym (along with three quarters of the population) but what he has not done is a) despatch the Face Pet and b) abandon all ugly shoes. Clean Shaven With Nike is my 2013 motto for Jake.

On New Years Eve, Jake decided to give my birthday invitation a miss. He instead attended a concert by Jay Z and Coldplay.

On 4 January, Jake was spotted leaving Soul Cycle in NYC. The committee is still out, trying to determine the exact nature of what it is that Jake has on his feet but it's pretty clear - I can spot a Christmas present at 50 feet.

Speaking of the holidays, I was delighted to see that Female First have voted as one of their 12 Men of Christmas.

Thanks to IHJ for the first pics of 2013!

I've been doing some movie reviews over the last couple of days:
The Impossible
Quartet

Jake Gyllenhaal nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award

Jake Gyllenhaal is back in NYC, hard at work on If There Is.... to earn enough to buy all his fans a big pressie for Christmas, and so this is perfect timing to bid adieu for the week. I'm off to Italy - Tuscany, to be more specific - tomorrow and will return in a few days, hopefully to find Jake nominated for countless numbers of shiny gongs. It's begun with the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, for which Jake is nominated for Actor in an Action Movie award.

Thanks to IHJ for the lovely pic of Jake taking a walk in NYC on 7 December. See you in a few days!

WDW Exclusive Part 1! Jake Gyllenhaal at the Arts in the Armed Forces event in NYC on Sunday - a special report

On Sunday 11 November, Jake Gyllenhaal was one of the stars who appeared in the Arts in the Armed Forces event in NYC - an evening of staged monologues from American plays which was free to military service personnel and also open to civilians for a donation. I am thrilled that WDW had its very own reporters at the event who have done a brilliant job of not only enjoying themselves but also scribbling down full and thorough notes about the evening so that we can share it too. Of course, I mean Ted and Lisa!

Here, then, is their full account, along with scans of the programme. But, even better, this is just part one of two because Ted and Lisa also attended another Jake event at the weekend and details of that will follow in the next post. Over to Lisa and Ted (the photo below is of course of Ted, Lisa and a certain actor from the famous Nailed set visit):

'Ted and I attended the Arts in the Armed Forces charity event that Jake took part in on Sunday evening. The intimate 200 seat theater was filled with military members and their families but a small number of tickets were held aside for civilians who were willing to donate to this organization, which Ted & I were happy to do. Once again we found ourselves in the front row center and were blown away by the diverse group of actors that took to the stage reading passages from a variety of plays both old and new. 

When we arrived at The Lucille Lortel Theatre there were only a handful of people gathered outside waiting for the doors to open. Jake came out of the theater and milled about for a bit on the sidewalk (wearing his Boston Red Sox cap much to my delight!) When it was time for the patrons to enter we did so (Jake was still outside) and were happy for the general admission seating and seats again in the front row. After getting settled there was time to spare so Ted strolled out to the lobby while I stayed in my seat and spoke with a woman about the private reception that was planned for later that evening. Ted came back to his seat and informed me that Jake was hanging out in the lobby (believe me it was hard to remain in my seat after hearing that but that’s what I did). A few moments later Jake came walking toward the stage and crossed right in front of our seats – Ted said hello to him as he passed and Jake stopped, smiled, shook his hand and said hello and asked how he was. Ted said he was great and I looked up in pretty much disbelief (how on earth did I not see him walking toward us)?! I said hello as well – he did the same and he shook my hand and I couldn’t hold back a quick “Hey, Red Sox!” as I pointed to his cap – he chuckled and gave an enthusiastic “Yeah”! In hindsight I can’t imagine why either one of us was showing excitement toward the Red Sox based on the 2012 season but I guess that doesn’t matter all too much! Jake headed backstage from there and that was that. It all happened quite suddenly and was pretty surreal.

Shortly thereafter the event began with a lovely introduction by co-founder Adam Driver and some amazing readings by thirteen actors, including Frances McDormand and Michael Shannon among many others as well as two musical interludes by a talented musician. All the actors sat in folding chairs that were placed on the stage and watched and listened as each person performed center stage and joined the audience with great rounds of applause as each actor completed their reading. There was such a wonderful vibe on stage as well as throughout the theater. Similar to the Q&A earlier in the day, Jake scanned the audience a lot and seemed to look at every single audience member. I’m not sure if he does this because he is looking for people he knows or just likes to get a handle of the type of audiences he is speaking to – very interesting.

Jake was the 12th actor to read – he read the following excerpt from Arthur Miller’s play “All My Sons”:

It takes a little time to toss that off. Because they weren’t just men. For instance, one time it’d been raining several days and this kid came to me, and gave me his last pair of dry socks. Put them in my pocket. That’s only a little thing…but…that’s the kind of guys I had. They didn’t die; they killed themselves for each other. I mean that exactly; a little more selfish and they’d’ve been here today. And I got an idea - watching them go down. Everything was being destroyed, see, but it seemed to me that one new thing was made. A kind of…responsibility. Man for man. You understand me? - To show that, to bring that on to the earth again like some kind of a monument and everyone would feel it standing there, behind him, and it would make a difference to him. (pause) And then I came home and it was incredible. I…there was no meaning in it here; the whole thing to them was a kind of a - bus accident. I went to work with Dad, and that rat-race again. I felt…what you said…ashamed somehow. Because nobody was changed at all. It seemed to make suckers out of a lot of guys. I felt wrong to be alive, to open the bank-book, to drive the new car, to see the new refrigerator. I mean you can take those things out of a war, but when you drive that car you’ve got to know that it came out of the love a man can have for a man, you’ve got to be a little better because of that. Otherwise what you have is really loot, and there’s blood on it. I didn’t want to take any of it. And I guess that included you.

It was a very moving piece and Jake read it from what looked like a fairly small piece of paper that he had folded in his pocket.

When the readings were complete Adam Driver stepped up to thank the actors who all stood together and got a big round of applause. He also thanked the audience which prompted the actors to applaud as well – a happy occasion indeed! It was a very relaxed and intimate event where the actors and audience felt comfortable mingling together, this seemed to be the goal of the organizers who wanted an event that focused on the readings and what they meant.

The actors milled about a bit afterward in the aisles of the theater and on stage – Jake was on stage chatting with his fellow actors so we chose not to interrupt (although that was hard to do)! We filed out and chatted with other patrons on the sidewalk in front of the theater. When Jake came out he had on his jacket, backpack and Red Sox cap and greeted two friends who looked to be waiting outside for him. He talked to them for quite a while and then we moved along with some of the crowd and headed to the private reception being held at the Cowgirl Café which was around the corner. Jake never made it to the reception but we had a fantastic time talking with many people there – from actors to musicians to Marines. When we spoke to William Jackson Harper we learned that some of the actors did not receive their reading assignments until as late as that very morning. We noticed that Jake read his excerpt right from the paper with not many moments looking up at the audience. We thought that not only was he probably not given a lot of notice regarding his reading but also having a matinee performance that day he must not have had a lot of time to digest the material. But he did a great job nonetheless as did everyone!'

Part 2 to follow! Thanks so much to Lisa and Ted for going to so much trouble.

Jake was also in the Sunday Times on Sunday - thanks to IHJ for the scans.

Jake Gyllenhaal takes a stroll in NYC and appears in a special evening for military personnel as we remember

Any doubts as to which continent Jake Gyllenhaal might be on right now (one report had him flying from LAX to London yesterday) were dispelled by photos and news. On Friday 9 November Jake was spotted walking hand in hand in NYC with The Mystery Brunette, who we have seen in pictures before, with old friend and Day After Tomorrow co-star Austin Nichols along for the walk as well.

Thanks to IHJ for the lovely pics!

Today is the day that many nations stop and remember those who gave their lives for us and are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Jake is one of several well known names taking part in a free performance tonight for military personnel in NYC which will feature staged readings from American plays. The night is intended to bridge the gap between the military and performing arts worlds.



And finally...

Congratulations are due to The Shoes who won two awards at the UK Music Video Awards this week for Time to Dance - Best Dance Video and Best Editing. If there had been an award for Best Actor in a Video, I'm pretty sure they would have won that too. Congratulations, The Shoes!

My review of Skyfall is now up on MovieBrit!

Jake Gyllenhaal Backstage and On stage

What a week! Jake Gyllenhaal has been making the NYC stage his own during this week of previews for If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet. I do recommend you look back over the comments for the last couple of posts. A number of WDW readers have been lucky enough to see the play and they have been filling in some of the details for those of us an ocean or more away.

Jake also appeared on the Late Night with Letterman Show - the video can be seen in the last post - and so we have some photos from that as well as a stunning portrait of Jake to go with the play.

Jake graces quite spectacularly the cover of the Fall issue of Backstage. In the magazine he talks about the importance of doing something for five months which would have his full attention. He also reaffirms his long broken promise to himself to do a play for every three movies. Hopefully, this time, this will happen and in more cities too.



“To feel like you’re a part of a family that is truly relying on each other to stay afloat—that idea is what drew me in,” he says. “I had no real explanation for not doing a play for essentially a decade, but I intend not to make that mistake again. Hopefully, ideally, it will be three plays for every movie.” 

Jake also explains to Backstage about how and why he moved from LA to NYC: '“Somebody was trying to get an angle on why I moved to New York, and I was like, ‘Because my family is here and I love them. And I want to be with them and they mean everything to me.’ This is the best possible place for me to be, to be near my family, doing a show about the mess of a family, and then maybe having my family come watch it.”'

Many thanks to WDW reader Adele for her thorough and brilliant account of seeing If There Is this week. If you're going to see the play yourself then you might want to wait until afterwards before reading it, but for the rest of us it's packed full of the details we want to read - about the set, this water that we keep hearing about and the humour. Here's a quote from the review but I urge you to read it in full. I love the references to Wetherspoons - I heartily approve of their megacheap veggie breakfasts (served with beer if you want it) and I'm delighted to hear its fame is spreading!

'Jake Gyllenhaal plays Terry, who returns from his vague and mysterious travels, presumably attempting to outrun his somewhat troubled past, and lopes into the family home in Adidas shell-suit, slicked back hair and baggy jeans, all rangy physicality and blackly comic one-liners. (His very convincing English accent, if triangulated, places Terry somewhere between Shoreditch High Street, Super Hans, and Ricky Gervais. It’s flawless and hilarious.) His body language swings between self-protective and endearingly casual as he breaks apart the tightly-strung lives of a pre-occupied family and forces them to re-evaluate what is important. Jake masters the comic timing and Terry’s endearing likeability and undermines it with flashes of anger, drunkenness and helplessness as George accuses him of being just a “scared little boy”.'

'Terry’s presence is a final catalyst for troubled, bullied, overweight niece Anna, and their slightly uneasy, sometimes awkward, yet affectionate relationship provides the heart of the play. Anna’s dramatic breakdown after a disastrous date (at the local Wetherspoon’s, no less – a reference to a ubiquitous chain of British pubs which I wondered if anyone who hadn’t been subjected to them in the UK would truly appreciate) ends up throwing all the tensions between George, Terry and Fiona into sharp relief, and leaves Anna drowning in plain sight. Fiona, distracted by struggles with her elderly mother and George’s manic preoccupation, loses sight of how to help her daughter. “She means the world to me,” Fiona laments, and this is where we see Terry’s point that “saving the world” might not be so far removed from saving the family.'

Thanks so much Adele!



Finally, do watch through to the end of this video with Anna Kendrick talking about filming End of Watch with Jake. Thanks to BBMISwear for the links! Thanks to IHJ for the pictures!

Jake Gyllenhaal still sporty? And a catch up

The Olympic Games is over and while this means that life in Britain can return to something approaching normality, one also hopes that it won't lose all of the magic and happiness that has transformed the place over the last 16 days or so. Great Britain has been a wonderful place to live and it's quite possible it won't be the same place again. The Olympics has rather got in the way of blogging, however, and so that is one thing I can put to rights. So thank you for your patience!

Jake Gyllenhaal of course, speaking of sport, told Details magazine that his days of working out were behind him. Fortunately, Jake must have been crossing his fingers because the tweets have been in full flow (here is another one) about how Jake has been distracting the Soul Cycle devotees of NYC. Would his presence in the class make you spin faster? Or would you just freewheel?

Jake has also been spotted walking around NYC. According to the NY Daily News 'Jake Gyllenhaal's famous face did not get him special access to the set of “Smash” Wednesday night. The hunky movie star was strolling down Mercer St. in SoHo with a mystery woman when the pair stumbled upon the set of the hit NBC show starring Katharine McPhee and Debra Messing. The street was closed to the general public, and when Gyllenhaal, sporting black gym shorts and a hat, and his pretty brunette babe tried to walk down Mercer they were stopped by security. According to our eagle-eyed spy on the street, after inquiring what was going on, Gyllenhaal was told by security he had to take a detour, and the actor complied humbly.'



Anna Kendrick has been promoting her film Paranorman and took the chance to speak about what it was like to improvise on the set of End of Watch: 'Actually, in places, it was difficult to remember that, because we were improvi[s]ng so much for so long. And there would be times where we would allow a real conversation to just bleed into a scene. So there would be times when Jake [Gyllenhaal] would be telling me that something happened in his home town and I'd think, 'Wait – YOUR hometown or Brian's hometown? But that was exciting. Then it's trying to remember, ‘Okay, once we are in a scene I am this character and I am not myself.’ Because, yeah, the line started getting really blurry. But that was exciting.'



Thanks to IHJ for the picture.

Jake Gyllenhaal biking on the Very Good Girls NYC set

Well, who'd have thought it? It turns out that there was a perfectly rational explanation for Jake Gyllenhaal's rolled-up trouser leg that didn't involve strange cults or bathing preferences - it was a bicycle after all. Jake either cycled along to watch his mother filming Very Good Girls in NYC or he's got a bit part as Cyclist 3. No doubt he did it very well. The tongue will no doubt get him a little extra screen time too.

And how appropriate on this glorious day for cycling - congratulations to Bradley Wiggins for being the first Brit to ever win the Tour de France! What are you going to do with all those lions...

Thanks to IHJ for the pics.

My non-spoilery review of The Dark Knight Rises is now up at MovieBrit.

Jake Gyllenhaal with Dakota Fanning on the NYC set of his mother's Very Good Girls

Jake Gyllenhaal had such a good time on the NYC set of his mother Naomi's movie Very Good Girls, he was back again the next day. In the new photos from 19 July, there is an especially stunning image of Jake with Very Good Girls star Dakota Fanning.

The photos also highlight that Jake's membership of a certain historic esoteric society is in fine fettle. Please see earlier picture from the previous decade for comparison. Please note that the rolled up trouser leg has moved from left leg to right leg - obviously significant. Thanks to IHJ for all the pictures.

Jake was also photographed in NYC this morning with a friend. You can see that photo here. Be warned: it's a No Hat Pic.

Jake Gyllenhaal in NYC and a WDW London Interlude

You've got to love the summer, especially when it means that Jake Gyllenhaal gets out the white t-shirt and shorts. If he were in the UK he'd be in wellies with a brolly. On 30 June Jake continued his pattern of spending weekends in NYC, taking his regular breaks from filming An Enemy in Toronto. On this particular Saturday in the Big Apple, Jake was seen sharing a very animated discussion with a friend.

Many thanks to IHJ for the wonderful pics, of which this is my favourite.

WDW London Interlude

Yesterday, taking full advantage of some warm sunshine, we headed off to London to spend a few hours walking along the busy Thames, which is a river transformed from its stretch that flows through Oxford and is known as the Isis. While there were clues to the upcoming Olympics, we also had a look at the Golden Hind, the alarmingly small vessel on which Sir Francis sailed around the globe in the 1570s before being knighted on its decks by Gloriana, Elizabeth I herself.

In 1921, Shackleton's ship The dock where Shackleton's ship The Quest was fitted out at Hay's Wharf before its great journey south. This dock is now preserved as the striking and elegant Hay's Galleria (tasty bagels).

Other landmarks old and new stood proud and round or tall or taller.

Finally, thanks to Borough Market, there was cake... (thanks to Mr WDW for the final shot!).

My review of Ice Age 4: Continental Drift is now up at MovieBrit.