Good morning! As Los Angeles settles down (or gets going) for the night, we wake up here in Britain and Europe to a veritable Gyllenfeast of photographs and videos from last night's Hollywood premiere of Prince of Persia. You can see below the recorded streaming from the red carpet and see Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton shine. I particularly liked Jake's Tom Ford suit complete with spotty tie.
This was a premiere with a difference - Jerry Bruckheimer was honoured with a hand and foot ceremony in front of the theatre and some big names turned out to see it, including a very casual Tom Cruise plus Nicholas Cage, Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Voigt and an old favourite of mine, Jonathan Pryce. Plus a bunch of others I have to look up.
Call me old-fashioned, but when I see a big premiere in Hollywood, I much prefer to have it all about the leading man and the leading lady - especially when it's these two. Jake and Gemma Arterton looked amazing. Gemma even had a matching brolly. There is chemistry galore between Dastan and Tamina and it's overflowing here, too.
Many, many thanks to IHJ for having the pictures so soon! I will be back!
Obligingly continuing the sporting and fitness theme of recent days, Jake Gyllenhaal was one of several stars who saw the Lakers take on the Denver Nuggets at the Staple Center yesterday. Front of house honours went, this time, to Tom Cruise and his son. You can see some of the other famous faces here.
Unfortunately, Jake was not a good mascot for the Lakers - the result was a close one and ended the Lakers' 24-year winning streak against the Nuggets.
Thanks to Monica for the heads up and a gold star for anyone who can recognise the chap with Jake! Thanks to IHJ for the pics.
I'm sure many of us are familiar with the video of Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard in which they discuss the true meaning of a Jarhead - something to do with a bamboo shoot - and warn us that 'Jarhead' must never be used in the plural. So I was very happy to come across another interview from the same British press junket. There is something about watching Jake and Peter strike sparks off each other and, as can be expected, there are some very funny bits, including something about Troy and cowboys, and Swoff and Troy ('Is that Alan Troy?') being 'friends out of wedlock'.
There is also a fuller discussion of how the movie Jarhead plays with the concept that soldiers learn about war from movies - ironically, in this film, the marines learn that movies (Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, The Deerhunter) can never prepare them for the reality of being a soldier-in-waiting. I hope you enjoy the interview.
As I'm taking a trip down memory lane, I thought I'd take a look at an event that took place back in the golden year of 2004. On 2 June, Jake was given a New Power accolade by Premiere magazine, in the Forbidden City restaurant in Hollywood. This annual event, which was hosted by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner, celebrates 'hot film industry innovators under the age of 35'.
Jake's award was presented to him by Mark Ruffalo and, according to Fashion Wire, Jake had this to say about the event: '“I know you guys came to see me tonight, not Tom Cruise,” kidded Gyllenhaal, whom presenter Mark Ruffalo crowned “the new punk rock movie star,” “This award means a lot to me because my girlfriend and my sister already have one. But it really does look like a penis. Oops, sorry ‘Premiere.’” Here below, is a picture of Jake and Mark with the award so you can judge its appearance for yourselves...
I liked the detail provided by Variety that 'guests and presenters including Naomi Watts, Mark Ruffalo and Marlon Wayans enjoyed cosmopolitans, cartons of Chinese food and free back massages.' All at the same time? What kind of an awards ceremony was this?? Variety also tells us that the event lost power for a while.
Incidentally, Mark Ruffalo had originally played the part of Warren in This Is Our Youth, the role that Jake took over. In the Daily Mail back in 2002, it was reported: ''I'm a little scared to be doing theatre in London,' Gyllenhaal confessed to me recently. 'I met Mark Ruffalo and he admitted he was nervous about anyone else playing Warren in This Is Our Youth, but he was happy to pass on the torch,' he said. In fact, I also bumped into Ruffalo in Los Angeles, and he was choked about not coming to London. 'I'm too old now, otherwise I would have jumped at the idea,' he told me. 'Jake has my blessing, though, and I might try to get over to see the play.''
Halloween
It's that time of year again... Kate Hudson (who was also given one of the New Power awards with Jake in 2004) has held her Halloween party again and details are just emerging. While we have photos of Gwen Stefani dressed as a fried egg (and her husband as bacon), we are so far spared photos of Jake and Reese in costume. And that is just as well, because according to OK! 'Also invited, and dressed as cats, cheerleaders and other ghoulish figures, were Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, Dax Shepard, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, Sean Hayes, David Spade, Lukas Haas and Jennifer Meyer.'
NOTE: It now looks like this could be a false report, and OK! combined party lists from this and previous years - for reasons only known to them.
Tonight's post is a personal post about what it's like when you try and see Jake, thousands of miles from home and without any hope that you may actually see the person you came for. Tonight, I tried to see Jake at The Night Before party at the glamorous Beverly Hills Hotel. I spoke to more than a few people tonight - staff and guests at the hotel - and all agreed that this year's party and this year's Oscars were different. Nobody was quite so keen on the fan being involved.
At the Beverly Hills Hotel it was extremely difficult getting into the hotel, let alone seeing anything. I arrived early as I had an idea of what it would be like. I got there at about 3pm and walked through the gorgeous hotel bungalows, with the red flowers and the meandering pathways. What a stunning place to stay! I could see why Brad Pitt etc would stay nowhere else. I got lost around the tennis courts but a member of staff took me to the lobby and I managed to get into the Polo Lounge before they closed it.
Because of the rain, the Night Before party couldn't be held at the pool as planned. Instead, it was moved into the small second bar. I was early enough to get into the Polo Lounge and set up a position on a bar stool to see what might happen. All credit to Greg the barman - what an amazing guy - holding fort on his own with the crowds increasing. He told me that he'd seen Tom Cruise that morning, proudly walking around with his baby in his arms and having breakfast with her. Greg said that some stars had been in for lunch but now they were out having their massages and manicures before this evening's party.
I spent much of the evening chatting away with bar staff and guests, each taking their turn to try and have a look around the lobby. This wasn't easy. A mass of security guards manned the entrance. At one point I was chatting to a party of four (all with strict instructions to look out for Jake) and one of them went out to the lobby to see what was going on. She was not allowed back in so, after a frantic text message or two, all left to try and find her. The toilet block was sealed so that the 'special' guests could use it, leaving the rest of us to use the washroom downstairs, but soon even this restroom had a man at its door.
But then Nicole Kidman walked into the restaurant looking extremely radiant and with a neck longer than I could believe. Absolutely stunning. Her blonde hair was lifted up and tied with a clip. She sat a few feet from me and for a couple of hours I could see her having a very animated discussion with two other guests. As she walked out the entire bar looked at her. A real movie star. A very handsome producer came to the bar and was waylaid by quite a few ladies but he made his escape.
Finally, I realised that I was never going to see anything. The party was probably underway and the stars were being kept so segregated from everybody else - guests or otherwise - that there was little chance. Also the bar was extremely full and I was being chatted up by a transport millionaire from Detroit, who 'used to be in the movie business'. Time to escape, believe me.
On the way outside from the bathroom I peeked into the small sushi restaurant and there was Neil Gallagher from Oasis, chatting away and laughing with a friend. I went outside and hid behind a rail of drycleaned suits (the things I do), knowing I would be spotted at any moment. Finally, I got thrown out - I told them I was just waiting for a cab (I was the only non-member of staff around so I must have stood out) - but not before I saw Orlando Bloom getting out of his car. He looked really good - smart with a kind of goatie beard and slender. A totally different build to Jake. I didn't see Jake - I was unable to - but it was good to see someone. And just being in the same hotel as Jake has got to be good.
What a night!
Apart from this evening's adventure, I walked down Melrose today, stopping at Urth Cafe, to Fairfax and then went to the Grove and Farmer's Market. On the way, I saw some signs warning about no parking and I later found out that this place - the Pacific Design Center on Melrose - will be the site for tomorrow night's Elton John AIDS Foundation party. I also went to the Fred Segal shop - where Jake bought his Art is Alive shirts - and spent too much money. I later found out that Britney visited the shop with her mother this week. Other places I saw were JAR restaurant, the Beverly Center and Orsos.
