'A friend indeed' - Cowboys in love, cowboys alone

Many miles away from here, in Perth, it is now early Saturday morning, which means that, as far as we know, Heath will be laid to rest in a few hours, among family and friends, in a town he loved and which still loves him.

This post will be constantly updated as more information becomes available about today.


The neighbourhood where Heath's mother lives looks to be almost under siege, by both police and photographers - the intense privacy of Heath's family at uncomfortable odds with the media's preoccupation with their son. After all, this isn't Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, this is Applecross, Perth, and this is a normal loving and private family. A local paper said that Jake has arrived in Perth, but this is as yet unsubstantiated, and little mention of his presence has been made.



According to a report, Heath's 'parents Kim and Sally Ledger want to follow a sombre ceremony with a celebration on Cottesloe Beach in their native Perth, Australia. Childhood friend Paul Mullert tells The Australian Times newspaper Ledger was "the quintessential Australian, who loved nothing more (than) slipping on a pair of boardies and his (flip-flops) and heading to Cottesloe Beach."' Here's the beach - what a place to spend a hot summer's evening. Of course, Heath won't be there - by then he'll be buried in Karrakatta Cemetery.


Here are more details of the family's farewell this evening. Love as always to Heath's family, friends and fans, especially during the next few hours and days.

The cowboy in love now a cowboy alone

In 2006, Jake Gyllenhaal appeared on the cover of Italian Vanity Fair as part of the promotion for Brokeback Mountain. The legend on the cover calls this stunning young man a cowboy in love, a theme that is continued on Jake's new Italian Vanity Fair cover, but now that cowboy is alone. Here are both covers, as well as the beautiful picture inside the 2006 issue, here divided into two, of Ang Lee with both Jake and Heath. I know this is a favourite picture of more than one reader here, myself included.



A huge thanks to Xenia and Sonia who have done great work in translating this interview for us all - thereby throwing light on the mystery of the never ending supply of cappuccinos brought to the hotel suite where the interview took place. I hadn't realised at the time, but the feature begins with the description of Jake sitting quietly in the director's chair on the set of Brothers, staring into space, trying to take in what had happened. A whole new level is added to Jake's words, which, so often enigmatic and open to interpretation, now are poignant reminders of a friend lost.



Jake has talked about Heath before, most recently when Jake appeared on the Jonathan Ross Show, but here he describes how much he cares for him: 'Ours has been a blind date. In the movie we had to play the part of two lovers, but we had never exchanged more than a couple of words, we had no idea if we would have been fine together. But Brokeback Mountain worked because we found that “feeling”. In the story, Jack and Ennis don’t know each other, and fall in love slowly and in the same way we have slowly liked each other. And have become friends. Friends indeed: I think you can see this in the movie.' As the cover says: 'Brokeback Mountain has given me the most important experience of my career, and a friend indeed.'

As always, noone can flirt like Jake Gyllenhaal, and, right at the beginning, when the interviewer introduces herself, Jake's response is: 'mmm... Just Gorgeous.'


And finally...

Farragut North is off - as far as Jake's concerned, and as far as Mike Nichols is concerned. Now, Doug Hughes will direct the play, with performances beginning in the summer. Jake seems to have a busy year ahead of him as far as movies go and maybe there wasn't the time for this project. I would have loved to have seen Jake on the stage - and at the stage door - but the idea of 2009 full of Jake movies is a happy one.


Includes pictures from IHJ, ATC, Vanity Fair.