How Gwyneth Paltrow domesticated the 'gorgeous and hilarious' Jake Gyllenhaal... (it involves spandex)

Jake Gyllenhaal's movies are awash with glorious, heated chemistry. For me there is a great exception proving the rule. It will come as no surprise to you that, in my opinion, this is Proof and the (lack of) chemistry with Gwyneth Paltrow. I wrote a post on it almost two years ago to the day. It seems that some ghosts were laid to rest, at least publicly - although privately things may have been settled a long time ago - at the Elle Tribute to Hollywood Women on Monday night.


Jake generously and warmly introduced Gwynnie as follows: '"Bottom line, she is not a mere mortal like the rest of us," the actor, 29, said in his introduction. "She is an Internet-savvy, award-winning, lifestyle guru, making all of us look lazy. She doesn’t just find a nice guy to settle down with -- she marries a rock star and then domesticates him. She doesn’t just cook -- she goes to Spain with Mario Batali and then domesticates him! She is not just a lifestyle guru, but she invents a whole new fitness movement and then convinces me to try it, and I do it, and I am, therefore, domesticated ... sweating my ass off in spandex, which is humbling and embarrassing."


'When Paltrow, 38, took the stage, she said she didn't have a speech because, "I kind of wanted to speak from my heart." And she was more candid than ever. See more pics from ELLE's Women in Hollywood event. "Jake is gorgeous and hilarious and when we worked together in Proof, I was pregnant and I was a f****** nightmare hormonal mess, but we managed to stay friends through it anyways," she said.


'Since Proof, she said, "I had my kids and everything really changed for me, so I feel so honored that you are honoring me because I feel like I have shifted focus so much. "I have this really great guy [Coldplay's Chris Martin], and these two great kids, and I feel like that was all a process of getting me to where I am. I am a woman in Hollywood and I am a mother in Hollywood and I come from a woman in Hollywood, my mother Blythe," she concluded. "I think that she did such a good job teaching me how to be a woman in Hollywood, teaching me god values, and I hope to pass that on to my kids." Source.


There are some videos from the event here and they include little moments of Jake.



There is another video here.

I had a relatively close encounter with Gwyneth a couple of years ago - if you can call sitting in the second row of the Jonathan Ross show during her and Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man special a close encounter. RDJ charmed me far more even though Gwynnie had a go at drinking a pint of stout. She claimed she didn't watch movies just documentaries. You can read the full account of mine and Ruby's serendipitous adventure here.


And finally...

It looks like Jake Gyllenhaal is definitely back for business as a tweeter from MTV movies this evening mentions that he will be interviewing Jake and Ed Zwick tomorrow. You could send along some questions!

And even more finally...

The WDW GyllenForum Pub opened for business last night. This very informal and small forum aims to continue all those conversations that we always seem to cut off every time Jake heads out to another restaurant. So, if you're in the mood for a chat with some like-minded Jakers, pull up a chair.


Many thanks to IHJ for the pics!

Jake Gyllenhaal shines at Elle's Tribute to Women in Hollywood, 18 October 2010

Wasting no time at all after his arrival back in LA, Jake Gyllenhaal took the earliest opportunity to look into the camera and shine and dazzle. The occasion was Elle's 17th Annual Women in Hollywood Tribute held yesterday (18 October) at The Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Women in Hollywood are a fortunate bunch indeed.


As well as taking to the stage (was Jake the prize I wonder...), Jake was able to catch up with Hilary Swank and, showing that he's managed to block Proof completely from his mind, there were kisses for Gwyneth Paltrow.


Admittedly they were funny kisses...


And there was much beauty. It's not known if there was any food available.







Many thanks to IHJ for the spectacular pictures! There are many more there.

Behind the scenes at the Edible Schoolyard & the beginnings of Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway's 'long history together'

Jake Gyllenhaal's last day in New York City was spent productively. He added his name to the support of Edible Schoolyard and then he shaved most of the beard off. A casual look at the photographs and at a news video from the event (which makes no mention of Jake at all), demonstrates that Jake did not push himself forward. In fact, with many thanks to Ned, the editor of Sheepshead Bites, we have an account of what happened. And it's also thanks to Ned that we have many of these great pictures from the day at all! Appropriately enough, the photos below are Ned's as are the words:


'The event was actually kind of funny. Jake was not supposed to be there, and word is that he dropped by because he was in town and had already done fundraising for the project. No one really acknowledged him, and when I first saw him sitting up front with the Councilman, I said, "Oh, look, a guy that looks like Jake Gyllenhaal." Then I didn't pay him any additional attention.'

'Later, while photographing the kids in the garden, the NY Post photographer said to me, "So did you get a photo of the actor?" I asked what actor, and he said "The guy with the sunglasses over there." Standing in front of Jake was a huge fat guy with sunglasses, who I happen to know is a city worker. So I said, "You have no idea what you're talking about. That guy's just some bureaucrat." Then the fat guy moved, and the Post guy says, "No, it's Jake something-or-other."'


'Then it all clicked, and I got a bunch of photos.'

'He's very approachable. He hung around even after most of the media was gone, and people were just chatting with him. Seems like a good guy.'

This is just the account that I love to hear and, although it puts a big smile on my face, it doesn't surprise me in the least because we know all too well that Jake is indeed a good guy. Thanks, Ned!


The Big Apple

The business of opening edible schoolyards and shaving meant that this was one of the very few days from Jake's visit to the Big Apple when he wasn't spotted at a restaurant, cafe, foodshop or milkbar - or even Sun in Bloom. Fortunately, there's one thing about the Edible Schoolyard that is bound to appeal to Jake: it's edible.



Intimacies and complexities

Vogue's feature on Anne Hathaway is now available to read online and it includes a marvellous interview, which demonstrates that the filming of Love and Other Drugs proved to be a cathartic experience for Anne and, no doubt, Jake had his part to play in helping her through a rough time. As can be seen in this excerpt:

'“I tried not to like the script as much as I did, because it scared me,” Hathaway says. “What if it becomes a melodrama? What if the audience doesn’t find these challenging characters charming? There were so many things that could possibly go wrong with it.”'


'If it’s a mismash of genres, the film is held together by the old-fashioned movie-star glamour—and chemistry—of its leads. Reuniting five years after Brokeback Mountain, they further develop what Gyllenhaal calls “the intimacies and complexities between Annie and me, because we have what’s starting to be a long history together, professionally and as friends.”'


'Hathaway says that she “fell in love” with her character, a free spirit who, faced with a life-changing illness, shuts down emotionally. “I heard her voice so strongly in my head, and when that happens I just can’t tune it out,” she says. “She feels like a girl you might actually know.” One of Hathaway’s most salient qualities, of course, is that she herself feels like a girl you might actually know. With her thick mane of hair, Bambi eyes, and huge smile, Hathaway is capable of generating serious allure, but she has always been more of a friend’s kid sister all grown up than an unapproachable screen siren. As Lone Scherfig, her One Day director, says, “She has some of the quality of Elizabeth Taylor or Judy Garland or someone who is not iconic because of her beauty or her goddess status but because of her warmth and depth and humanity. She’s not a Hitchcock blonde—she’s a real person.”'


Fingers crossed that this is indeed just the beginning of a silverscreen partnership between Jake and Anne.

Pictures from Sheepshead Bites, Vogue and IHJ.

Jake Gyllenhaal back in LA without the Face Pet!

We knew the day would come. We knew we just had to be strong, to be patient... Jake Gyllenhaal flew back into LA yesterday and he forgot his Face Pet. Yes, Sasquatch is no more. No longer will small children hide in their mother's skirts at the sight of Big Foot roaming the restaurants of NYC. Suddenly, a remake of Big Foot and the Hendersons seems less likely.



But, while we celebrate the re-emergence of one of the finest chins and set of lips this side of Jupiter's moons, let us take a moment to pause and reflect on the Bear, which, just a couple of days ago, was having the time of its life, little realising that it was doomed. However, the shadow that remains hints that its time may well come again.


Many thanks to IHJ for the pictures.

I just posted a review of Despicable Me at MovieBrit - very funny film.

Jake Gyllenhaal digs up Gravesend (or opens Edible Schoolyard in NYC)

Update: Looks like Jake is leaving the Big Apple today with this from everyone's favourite organic foodie place Sun in Bloom: 'Jake Gyllenhaal stopped by Sun In Bloom to say good bye & pick up his breakfast & food for the plane. He's been so supportive and is a delightful human being! It's energizing to be surrounded by light'.

With barely time to digest his food after the Edible Schoolyard dinner and auction in NYC on Thursday, Jake Gyllenhaal yesterday attended the opening of the first Edible Schoolyard in New York City. In Gravesend to be precise, which as a Brit, did give me something of a doubletake. Edible Schoolyard is a programme that aims to bring schoolchildren as close as possible to the source of their food so that they know and understand what they are eating. It also provided Jake with the perfect chance to get a little bit dirty with a shovel once again.

The benefactor of this Schoolyard, contributed to by Jake, is John Lyons, the president of production at Focus Features, the company behind, of course, Brokeback Mountain. The four pictures below are from Sheepsheadbites and you can read a full account of the event there.

New York City Council has posted some photographs from the event on Flickr. There are a couple here and you can see all the others here.


The great thing about these photos from yesterday is that, for the first time in a while, we can see Jake's beautiful smile. On a side note, I have no doubt that Jake's recent experiences living as Sasquatch in a cave outside LA has helped his credentials for this project no end. Fortunately, Jake did get the chance to eat something.


Update: Thanks to IrisGirl for the information that Jake's edition of Shalom Sesame is the episode on Passover which, if the DVDs follow the pattern of Jewish holidays, will be out in the spring. Thanks for the info!

Pictures with thanks from Sheepheadsbites and NYC Council.

[Updated] Edible Jake Gyllenhaal, more from Leadville and Anne Hathaway covers Vogue for LAOD

After the invitation and the glimpse in yesterday's post, today we get the official pictures from this week's charity dinner and auction for Edible Schoolyard in NYC. While providing Jake Gyllenhaal with the perfect opportunity to eat and talk food, it also gives us a good look at the Face Pet for the first time. The bear has clearly been tamed while retaining an element of feistiness. Please note how I'm not mentioning the shoes.


We hear more details and see another picture at WWD: 'Alice Waters held her second fundraising dinner for her Edible Schoolyard organization at Craft on Wednesday night, with the help of co-hosts John Lyons, Fernanda Niven, Jonathen Sheffer, Brett Williams and Jake Gyllenhaal. It turns out the actor is a voracious chef: he most recently whipped up a veal stew. "I love to read cookbooks and I subscribe to a lot of cooking magazines. I scour the internet for interesting recipes," said Gyllenhaal, who shops for the local and seasonal. "There's a [food] co-op at my niece's [Ramona, daughter of Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard] school," he said. "We get a lot of stuff from there."' Big thanks to a reader for the link.


While ignoring, as a veggie, the 'veal stew' reference, I did notice this: 'I scour the internet for interesting recipes'. I have great confidence therefore that the scouring will reveal the below for Jake.

The WDW Veggie Saturday Special

Ingredients
1 large egg, some plain flour, 2 lemons, a lime, just the right amount of milk, not too much granary sugar, tequila, a brush of oil (the memento Leaning Tower of Pisa oil bottle is optional), triple sec.

Put a medium heap of plain flour into a mixing bowl. Dent the top and add a large egg. Mix it in roughly and then add just the right amount of milk and vigorously mix until it has the texture of a watery mud slide. Heat frying pan and a touch of oil (not necessarily from a miniature Leaning Tower of Pisa bottle) until it is very hot. Pour about a half of the mixture and spread around the pan. Heat. When a golden brown on the underside flip. Or get someone else to flip and stand back. Maybe do it over a sink or a big work surface. Do the other side.


Meanwhile take a cocktail shaker and add one generous measure of tequila. To it add a measure and a half of Triple Sec. Squeeze a lemon in (avoid pips). Add a little hint of lime. Add approximately five largish ice cubes. Shake.

Remove pancake from pan and as you dress it, repeat the process with the other half of the mix. Sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over the pancake and squeeze the juice from half a lemon and spread. Dab a few drops of tequila across the pancake and add a hint of lime. If you have cointreau handy in your cooking cupboard, this may be added now. Roll pancake and repeat with second cooked pancake.

Finish shaking cocktail and pour into a suitable glass. Add a slice of lime. Salt around the rim is optional. Insert Prince of Persia DVD into DVD player. Settle back and eat, drink and indulge with the WDW Saturday Surprise. (c) WDW.


[Update] For a great account from someone lucky enough to eat pizza with Jake and Anne Hathaway in NYC, take a look here. A taster: 'When Donnie Darko walked past us I (and the rest of the women and men in Franny’s) couldn’t help but notice how darn attractive he was. Tall & brooding, part of that attraction was absolutely due to the way he was dressed. He looked like a movie star. Navy sweater paired with a brown overcoat and knitted scarf. Dress shoes and jeans. Mr. Brokeback looked stunning.' I love that Anne eats pizza and I love that Jake and Anne have pizza together.

Running Jake

Christopher McDougall, the author of Born to Run, has been shedding a tiny bit of light on Jake's appearance at Leadville this summer: 'Q: There are a lot of rumors out there about your book being turned into a movie. Apparently, last August, you were in Leadville with Jake Gyllenhaal, who might play you in the film. Can you shed some light on this subject? A: You know, there’s stuff going on, but from what I understand about Hollywood, there’s always stuff going on and most of it turns into nothing. All I can say right now is that there are people interested. They are exploring it, but it hasn’t gone beyond the level of exploration. At this point, there is nothing confirmed or set up at all. There is a screenwriter working on a script, but I don’t know where that’s going to go.'

'Q: So was Jake with you at Leadville? A: Yes. He was there sort of checking out the scene. He hadn’t been familiar with ultra running. He came with his brother in law, Peter Sarsgaard. I’ll tell you one thing: those dudes can run. They are very strong runners.' So it sounds like Chris did do some running with Jake and Peter.


And finally...

Jake's Love and Other Drugs co-star Anne Hathaway is on the cover of November's Vogue to mark the release of the film. Beautiful! All it needs is a dash of Jake. Source.


Includes pictures from IHJ and links. Thanks IHJ!

Jake Gyllenhaal on the menu - and a whole lot more including Shalom Jake and a sexy romantic

Jake Gyllenhaal is, you may have noticed, quite a foodie. So much so, anyone else who ate out that much would be wider than they are tall. It's only appropriate then that Jake should be involved with a food charity. Last night, the Edible Schoolyard hosted a private dinner in New York City with chef Alice Waters as guest of honour. And there at the head of the menu is a particularly tasty morsel - Jake Gyllenhaal.


For $1000, diners not only drank cocktails for a good cause, their appetite was given a boost by mingling with Jake Gyllenhaal. Very fortunately, a tweeter at the party captured an image of Jake and Alice Waters (a longtime heroine of his) together. Many thanks to Julie. As you can see, Jake also brought the Face Pet along but it was very well behaved and even looks like it may have had a trim.


Shalom Jake

The DVDs are now being released bit by bit for Shalom Sesame. Jake is one of several well known faces to appear in the series, which introduces children to Jewish culture and Israel. I'm not sure yet which episode will feature Jake - not one of the first to be released - but, in the meantime, we have a taster. Last seen in the Street with an octopus stuck on his head, we now get another look at Jake as he was then. In one of the scenes - and you won't be surprised - Jake appears to be chewing.




A very attractive make romantic

Last not seen naked on the Love and Other Drugs poster, Ed Zwick has been talking some more about his much anticipated movie. 'Part of my job is to be aware of what actors are out there and what they're doing, look at their work. I'd seen Annie do Jonathan Demme's movie ("Rachel Getting Married") and I'd seen her do Shakespeare in the Park, and she was really fantastic and brave and ambitious artistically. And Jake had done this movie a friend of mine wrote called "Jarhead," and I'd seen his work before that. I got to know him a little bit and realized that to know him was to have (witnessed) something that movie audiences hadn't necessarily seen, which is the depth of his charm and his humor and this very attractive male romantic... and I felt, "Oh hey, you know what? I'm going to show that to people." Because it's there.'

You can read much more here.


You will not believe it...

...But Mills and Boon readers think Simon Cowell is sexier than Jake and Gyllenhaal and Johnny Depp and that Jeremy Clarkson is only slightly down the hot list than Jake! 'The mega-rich X Factor supremo secured 17% of the vote among swooning females who named him as their ultimate hero in a Mills And Boon book. Simon edged ahead of actors Johnny Depp and Jake Gyllenhaal, who each secured 12%, while Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson came fourth with 10%.' I know, I didn't believe it either but you can read the whole sorry tale here.


Jake and Kathryn Bigelow

Variety reported today: 'After "The Hurt Locker," it's not surprising that actors want to work with Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal on their next project, but even for jaded Hollywood, the roster of actors they've been meeting with is impressive. Will Smith, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Christian Bale, Javier Bardem and Jake Gyllenhaal have either asked Bigelow and Boal for a look at the script or taken meetings to discuss the film.' I have to say, it's hardly surprising.

But it's good to know Jake's hungry for a good script.


Includes pictures from IHJ and links.