'Hairless and pretty' - Jake Gyllenhaal's hands

One expects an actor to know how to express himself with his body but even so, the artistry with which Jake Gyllenhaal puts his hands and fingers to work when put before the camera is spellbinding.




Whether it's to animate a funny anecdote, to emphasise a passion, or simply as part of a self-portrait, Jake's enthusiam in interviews and press conferences pours through his fingertips.



As David Fincher says in his Zodiac commentary (for the scene when Jake translates and writes out the Zodiac code in the San Francisco Chronicle office to Avery): 'We had to retouch the knuckles of this scene because Jake's hands are very hairless and pretty. The double that we had doing a lot of the writing and drawing had much hairier hands, so we went back and retouched the knuckles so Jake wouldn't feel like we'd done him a disservice!'






Sometimes with rings, more often without, with an occasional freckle and despite nails sometimes chewed, Jake's hands and fingers are beautifully expressive and reflect perfectly his animated conversation and gift for communication. I hope that soon we'll enjoy this again.





As for the most perfect example, look no further - I need only say Jakes on a Plane.



Tent don't look right

Last night was Pet Shop Boys night in the O2 arena, or Millennium Dome. If there was a theme it was cubes Dancers and set wore boxes of colour. It wasn't an emotional show - the duo didn't connect with the massive audience - but it was perfectly choreographed and executed and it was a work of art. As for the Dome, I didn't know what to admire more - its construction with the great orange/yellow struts or for its array of restaurants. It even had dodgems...


And finally

Thanks to PlayUSA, my copy of Confessions of a Shopaholic arrived today and so time to settle down, with the pause button handy, to this.



This post is dedicated to Gretchen and all other lovers of Jake's hands. Includes pictures from IHJ.