Baddie Ben - and living up to Jake

It was bound to be the role for him, but now Variety has confirmed that Ben Kingsley is to play the part of the evil Vizier 'Nizam, who plots to kill his brother King Shahrman and blame it on Prince Dastan so he can take the throne.' One trusts that Nizam's dastardly plot comes to a sticky end, but not until Prince Dastan has proven his credentials as a scimitar-wielding, princess-wooing, minaret-leaping hero with sky-blue eyes and an unwaxed chest.


Meanwhile, it looks like Nailed is ploughing on. According to posters on IMDb, today there is filming going on at the State House in Columbia, while yesterday there was film action at the 'corner of Ott and Duncan.'


Jake was better

We've been talking about the progression of Jake Gyllenhaal's career until now, when he is in a position where younger actors are beginning to view him as a role model. Jake is (has been and will be), of course, major competition for actors of his age, such as Kieran Culkin, who was another of the actors with promise who took to the London stage with This Is Our Youth. His experience was not the same as Jake's.


'Culkin, for his part, wanted to be told where he was going wrong. He was desperate to be directed, corrected and affirmed. When he came to London as part of the third imported cast in Kenneth Lonergan's hit play, This Is Our Youth, he was completely thrown when the director went back to New York when it opened and left them alone.'


'Lonergan was going to come, but couldn't. There was nobody to talk him through it. He was convinced they were no good until the last couple of weeks, and absolutely sure he was never as good as Jake Gyllenhaal, who played the same part in the first cast, because he would ask people who had seen both versions and they'd say it straight out: yep, Jake was better. "They didn't feel they needed to lie," he says. "But I would ask, so I had it coming."'


'He also found the process of performance so exhausting that by the time they were a few weeks into the run, he would get out of bed when he needed to go to the theatre and go home to bed as soon as he was finished. He was sleeping incredible hours. "And when I got home, he says, "I slept for, like, a week."'


'Perhaps because of This Is Our Youth, he and Jake Gyllenhaal are often lumped together in magazine articles that dub them the new Holden Caulfields, the current incarnations of that hardy perennial, the disaffected boy at large in a skewed world. Steers has acknowledged Salinger's anti-hero as an inspiration for Igby, so this is probably inevitable. It also seemed pretty cool at first, Culkin says. But now that he's read the same argument about 20 times, it really doesn't seem cool at all. "The whole Holden Caulfield thing is totally overdone," he says wearily.'


Includes pictures from IHJ and Jakegyllenhaal.org.

Just call him Jake - 'I have things to say, and I'd like to say them to a lot of people'

My storage of all things Jake has reached near capacity and so I've been having a sort out this evening to see just what I've got and put the scanner to work. We seem to spend quite a bit of time here discussing Jake Gyllenhaal's clothes - what he should wear, what he shouldn't and when he should just go without. So this feature, published in GQ back in June 2004, tickled me because in it Jake comments on the clothes that he's put in. There is, of course, a lot more than that, and around Jake's comments on his clothes are some others on his world. All from an interview in a hotel room amidst 'an explosion of laundry and luggage'.


Of the picture below, for instance, Jake comments: 'I do the H&M inside-out thing. You know, you buy something from there, you don't really love it completely, but you love what it's kind of doing. So you turn it inside out - like Bill Murray in Lost in Translation.'

'A lot of people say, 'You don't look like you're from LA.. I don't know what that means. LA gets a bad rap; Hollywood deserves the bad rap.'


And of Jake's childhood and the illustrious visitors to the family home: 'Yeah, she was Jamie Lee Curtis to everyone else, but when I was like 3 years old, she was Jamie to me... I've known her since I was born. It's definitely different, but it's not like my parents bought me a Mercedes for my first car. It's not that warped sense of the world.' 'My parents fought a lot when I was growing up... They didn't, to my mind, seem to treat each other very well. That affected me a lot. People go, 'Oh, fuck him, his life is so good - I couldn't ask for anything more. It doesn't mean that it wasn't the end of the world when I was 4 years old and my parents were fighting... I have a belief... that pretty much everyone - I don't care how happy they say they are, or how great their supposed upbringing was - everybody has enough pain to draw on from after they're 4... For a long time, I was like, 'Oh, I wish someone I knew died, so I could have something to work with.'

In the next picture, Jake discusses the imposing Cartier watch on his wrist. 'That watch is awesome. It looks heavy, but it's light and it's not too bulky. It felt really great to wear. It came with its own security guard.'


Jake once mentioned that he didn't care for dinosaurs and, speaking as a dinosaur lover, I wanted to know why. Here is a bit more explanation when Jake is talking about his Columbia career: 'I was taking a class in dinosaurs... We had to memorize every bone in every dinosaur. And I remember sitting in this class, like, 'What the fuck am I doing here? I have this huge opportunity in front of me.' So I just went from movie to movie, because I didn't want to go back to school. [My parents] both freaked out about it: 'You gotta finish college, Jake.' And I was like, 'No, I don't.' That was incredibly freeing for me.' (It's a lot more fun excavating dinosaur remains, Jake, honest.)

I know that the red jumper in the picture below is beloved by many. So what did Jake think about it? 'At first I wasn't so into the teeny-tiny Ralph Lauren sweater, but now I am, because it ended up looking really great in this photograph. But, yeah, it's pretty fitted.' I don't think it's just the sweater that ended up looking great in this photograph...


There is an interesting anecdote in the magazine about, what was then, a very recent incident, in which Jake and Kirsten Dunst 'decided to duck in to one of [the Sundance Festival's] makeshift spas for a supposedly relaxing scrubdown. Yet, when it was over, Gyllenhaal walked out and realized he had been duped into this... thing. This promotional, stand-next-to-this-product-and-smile photo op. It was one of the more whorish trade-offs of fame, and when Gyllenhaal recounts the incident the next day over lunch, his expression veers from guilt to confusion to acceptance. He doesn't want to take such blatant advantage of his celebrity, smiling for the camera in exchange for a massage and some free products. But then again... 'Then again,' he says, 'It was a really, really good massage.''


''My desire is not to change who I am,' Gyllenhaal admits with the tentative defiance of the almost famous. 'I don't want to do that right now - I don't want people to not like me. It's just a message I want to put out there. I don't want to be something that I'm not.''

And here you can match your 2004 taste in music to Jake's - I have eight of them on my MP3, but best not to admit which!


'I would really like people to know how to pronounce my last name. Correctly. Everywhere.'

Pictures from GQ, June 2004. Click and, as always, they shall be much bigger.

Nailed's final push

There are troubles afoot - if that's the right expression. The wondrous thing that is the internet has decided to make hay in the sunshine, leaving WDW in the lurch, with only sporadic connection and little comfort other than about 25 levels of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time to battle through - and that's a lot of demonic sand creatures and scarab beetles, I'm sure you'll agree. My consolation is that this will stand me in good stead when Jake Gyllenhaal wants some advice later this summer on scimitar technique. So, while the going is good, a post...


You may recall that Nailed has had some problems... Well, as sure as day follows night, the problems continue. But there is some hope (again) of resolution. Nailed was supposed to go back to work last Thursday. It turns out that, although the finances were settled as reported, it took longer than expected to get things up and running. Work was rescheduled to begin again today and, according to posters at IMDb, the Nailed trucks and trailers came rolling back into town today and Jessica Biel was spotted in a local cinema watching Sex and the City. Another poster says he is an extra and has been called back for work tomorrow.


But there is no doubt that things are serious and Hollywood Reporter tells us that the shoot has to finish on June 22 or Nailed will lose its stars - we know that Jake has a busy summer ahead. No doubt, Jessica also has plans.


There is also some concern about whether the new financial settlement will cover the project when filming is complete. There is still a long way to go until Nail hits the cinema screens. However, the report is hopeful - the shoot will maintain its Thursday-Monday schedule and David O Russell has '"been an absolute dream, literally the glue that's held the film together," said Persistent Entertainment's Matt Rhodes.'


The worries associated with getting Nailed safely into the theatres make quite a contrast with the growing excitement surrounding Prince of Persia. Let's hope we get to see both Howard Ryder and Prince Dastan in 2009.


Includes pictures from IHJ.

The Prince of Persia gets his Evil Vizier - And fashion goes POP

Great POP news today. After a great deal of speculation concerning the identity of the actor to play the Evil Vizier, who would try and commit dastardly deeds against our hero Prince Dastan, Variety has just revealed that Sir Ben Kingsley (whom I have heard likes to be referred to as Sir Ben on set) is the likely choice. Sir Ben's character has not been named, but it is believed he will be the baddie. Obviously, British actors are a popular choice to play the nasties in Hollywood movies (even though we Brits are quite nice actually) but there is no doubt Sir Ben can do the job and at least he makes a change from Gary Oldman.



Any worries that this news may be another example of stereotypical casting of Baddie Brits now seems irrelevant because it is becoming apparent that Jake Gyllenhaal may well be one of the few non-Brits in this production - both in front of and behind the camera.


And showing yet again what a small world this world of Hollywood and film making is, the other casting news today is that the wonderful actor Alfred Molina will be Prince Dastan's mentor Sheik Amar. Alfred Molina has most recently been working on An Education alongside Peter Sarsgaard, and he also starred in POP director Mike Newell's Enchanted April, in which Alfred was superb. Here is a revisit to a set visit with Alfred Molina on An Education, in which Alfred plays father to the heroine Jenny.


With actors of such calibre, and with such excitement surrounding the leading actress and future Bond Girl, Gemma Arterton, Prince of Persia is not a blockbuster to be taken lightly. Not least because of its Prince.


Intriguingly, there is also speculation that this film, inspired as it was by a game, may itself be turned into a game. So, not only will you enjoy watching Jake on the big screen, you may also get to play at being the Prince, as Jake, with perhaps a narrative by Jake. Get your consoles at the ready.




So next summer, all may be Persian in the theatres, so does this mean that Persian styles will also be hitting the high street shops? Maybe so. Last night was the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards (CFDAs) and it was noted that 'the most bizarre trend of the night were the billowy trousers that Naomi Campbell and Maggie Gyllenhaal sported. Normally it wouldn't be that noteworthy if someone slipped up on the red carpet, but since both Naomi and Maggie are usually a bit ahead of the couture curve, I worry that they're just giving us a taste of what's to come. Is this where fashion is heading? Will skinny jeans be kicked aside for roomy pants worthy of a Genie in a bottle?' Hmmm, you have to wonder... Maggie appeared onstage alongside Victoria Beckham and Eva Mendes and any doubt about Maggie's outfit was as nothing compared to the Posh look.




Includes pictures by totally360.com, Vogue, NY Mag, IHJ and links.

Fresh in our minds

Big thanks to Twisted Logic for letting us know that Empire has yet again proven itself a wondrous publication by putting Heath Ledger on the cover of its summer The Dark Knight special edition. Alternatively, you can buy a Batty version of the cover but I think I'm going to stick with this one.


I have also scanned the other images of Heath from the article, as well as the photograph of Rachel Dawes, or Maggie Gyllenhaal. You can read a full transcript of the article here (many thanks to them!), and its tributes to Heath, who, as immersed as he must have been in this extraordinary role, must have been an incredible presence on the set, leaving lasting impressions and memories.


Director Christopher Nolan says of the Joker: 'I like to say he cuts through the movie the way the shark does in Jaws. He just kind of comes and goes and causes complete mayhem.' Christian Bale drew pleasure from his opponent: 'It's a funny meeting of these two characters," reflects Bale. "Batman I always kind of view as having this slight urge towards sadism and having to control himself in that, but the fact is, he's got an opponent who's a sadist and a masochist. Batman can punch The Joker all he wants and he knows he's actually giving him a great deal of pleasure! So he's a new kind of opponent. It's been very good and entertaining for me to do those scenes with Heath.'


But that's the Joker, as for Heath, his death 'is understandably a sensitive one for his colleagues on The Dark Knight. "It's so fresh in my mind, I'm not comfortable talking publicly about what has happened to him," says Bale. "It was devastating. It's still unbelievable. It's difficult for me to talk about Heath in the past tense," offers Aaron Eckhart. "It's so hard to talk about how it's affected me personally," explains Maggie Gyllenhaal. "It's been really hard for me. And the media has shocked me with the way that they've been disrespectful in some ways." She's referring, at least in part, to the speculation in both the press and the blogosphere that taking on the vicious, twisted role of The Joker might have somehow pushes a troubled Ledger over the edge. This is unlikely. It ignores the fact that this was a role Ledger had long since finished with (The Dark Knight wrapped in November), as well as one which, by most accounts, he enjoyed.'

'Indeed, when Empire met Ledger at the LaSalle Street production base back in August, he had this to say about The Joker; "It's the most fun I've had playing a role. I'm really surprised Chris knew I could do it, or thought that I had something in me like this. And I don't know how he came to cast me. but, yeh, it's the bomb. Definitely the most fun I've had, and the most freedom."'


Christian Bale tells one story that certainly bears this out. He recalls their first scene together, in which Batman interrogates The Joker down at Gotham P. D.. "It was wonderful," Bale says, chuckling slightly, "because you're doing it, and you're into it, and someone in the crew will have a question and it pulls you right out, and you turn around, and they have these two-way mirrors, so everywhere we looked we were looking at ourselves, and you suddenly see what you're looking like to everybody else. And we were just a couple of freaks!" He laughs loudly. "I'm standing there in the suit and he's there, you know, with his Chelsea smile, and it was just a couple of complete nutters. We both couldn't stop laughing!

"He was very good company, Heath," continues Bale. "I really enjoy it when somebody is pushing the work as much as he did. You can see how much he loved it."


Nolan, meanwhile speaks of his own "huge sense of responsibility to make sure that the film is as good as Heath's performance", and confirms that The Dark Knight will be dedicated to Ledger. He stops shy of predicting that this will stand as Ledger's greatest performance, though. "I think that Heath has some pretty amazing performances under his belt. Certainly, his performance in Brokeback Mountain was that most impressed me of what he'd done. Monster's Ball as well. This performance is completely different from anything he'd ever done before. I just don't think that people will even recognise him. He's a completely different guy: the voice, the movements, what's going on in his eyes... It's completely different. i think it's his most iconic performance. In taking on The Joker I suppose that's inevitable, but the fact that he pulls it of... I think it's a pretty stunning piece of work. Honestly."' Can't wait to see it.


Pictures from Empire magazine.

Jake Gyllenhaal wins the After Elton Hot 100 title again!

Jake's only gone and done it again - for the second year in a row, Jake Gyllenhaal has been voted top of the AFter Elton's Hot 100 List! By all accounts, John Barrowman (Captain Jack himself) was a close second but he drew consolation from Jake's victory: 'I’m thrilled with the results. Who wouldn’t want to come in behind Jake Gyllenhaal?' Congratulations, Jake!



And here is what they say: 'What accounts for Jake’s ongoing appeal to gay men? His doe-eyed, boy next door (yet somehow smoldering) looks certainly don’t hurt, but we suspect what really makes gay men go for him is that he doesn’t have an issue going for us. From playing gay in Brokeback to appearing at a GLAAD award show to not feeling the need to distance himself from his gay fans (remember the shout out to us done in drag on Saturday Night Live?), Jake has done as much as any actor to show straight guys there isn’t a good reason to be afraid of gay guys (or gay roles).'


Pictures from IHJ.

Get ready for summer

Today being the 1 June, thoughts may be turning to summer, with the hope that soon we may get weather to match. As June arrives, the media likewise turns its attention to the sunshine and addresses the serious matter of what we should be wearing to cope with the climbing temperatures. We are helped in our choices by the example of the stars and their stylists - take Jake Gyllenhaal for instance...


The UK's Daily Express recently ran a feature on that all-round garment - shorts (these being the 'shorts' you wear in public) and that dilemma of what you should wear with them - and what you should not. While the feature demonstrates that shorts can be a very bad look - particularly when worn by London's new mayor - someone who wears them very well indeed is the 'dazzling star Jake Gyllenhaal'.


The LA Times today ran a feature on the 'man behind the look of Maroon 5', Aristotle Circa, who has also, the article states, been a stylist to Jake. Aristotle makes some suggestions here for how to wear that other, sometimes difficult piece of clothing, the short-sleeve shirt. In today's feature, for the first day of June, I thought I'd take a look at Jake in shorts, searching for any tips for how to look relaxed and ready in a number of summer situations.


When exercising one's animals




When you want to blend in




For staying cool


For school


When you can't make up your mind



When you're in a rush




When you're hot


Include pictures from IHJ and the Daily Express