Friday 31 July 2009

Extras wanted! Film with Jake Gyllenhaal in Pittsburgh this fall

If the summer's catching you on the hop with still no holiday booked, there is time yet for an Autumnal fall break. If you're not certain of the place, let me throw a few names around - Pittsburgh, for instance (just plucking a random name out of the air). It was revealed today that Jake Gyllenhaal's Love and Other Drugs will be filming in the Pennsylvania city from September to early December - they even have an office. Clearly, Pittsburgh is quite a pull for the movie business because, as this article shows, two other big films will also be blocking streets this autumn. Never has there been a better time to be a Pittsburgh Starbucks barista.


Hopefully, there will be no repeat of Sienna Miller's faux pas uttered when she recently filmed in Pittsburgh with Peter Sarsgaard. Wanted posters can still be seen scattered around the town.


And if you run out of money during your stay in Pittsburgh then do not worry - you can get a job as a Love and Other Drugs 'silent bit'. Mosser Casting has put out a call for LOD extras: 'EXTRAS NEEDED FOR “LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS” A FEATURE FILM STARRING JAKE GYLLENHAAL AND ANNE HATHAWAY!! “Love and Other Drugs”, directed by Edward Zwick will be filming in the Pittsburgh area starting in mid-September until early December of this year.'


'We will be looking for people between the ages of 15 and 75 to work as extras, stand-ins, photo-doubles, and silent bits. The pay rate will vary depending upon what you are cast as. A stand-in is a full-time position, and to be considered you must be available everyday for 12 hours and have reliable transportation. Everyone else should be prepared to work at least one full day or several days in a row.'


Obviously I would qualify, being between the ages of 15 and 75. The commute might be a problem. Pittsburgh gym membership anyone?

Thursday 30 July 2009

It's an epic! Empire's Prince of Persia (with snood)

At last the day has come - the day when finally we get to see Jake Gyllenhaal in a snood! I knew it was just a matter of time...


Today, Empire magazine has hit the shelves, revealing secrets from the mysterious ancient city of Alamut and new words from the 'Indiewood's King of Quirk', Jake Gyllenhaal, who reveals that he has indeed played the original playstation game. Hopefully he's better at it than me. 'To see how the character moves was important... But what's so nice is that you have an opportunity to create a whole different character. In a lot of respects, I think we're separating ourselves from the game, in that this is a legitimate epic movie! And it's not what you'd expect of a typical video-game adaptation. It's an unlikely group of people to be making this story in a lot of ways, which is why I was so intrigued by it. I wanted to know why Mike Newell was so interested in this, and when he told me, it was fascinating.'

And then there's the running up walls: 'There's a lot of acrobatics - running up walls and jumping on things. It requires muscularity, but a lot of aerobic ability too. After this is over, I plan to get fat!' The article gives some tantalising glimpses of the exotic sets we might expect in the film - 'glittering minarets' and 'murky, cavernous dungeons'. I cannot wait for more. Click on the scans below and they shall be bigger. Still no ostriches... or camels...






Pictures from Empire and scans by WDW.

Wednesday 29 July 2009

Iconic shirts, Jake's green fingers, Nailed for 2010?

The Brokeback legacy continues. The entwined shirts of Jack and Ennis, which symbolise both loss and love, have become iconic. As such, it seems fitting that they should be displayed in an exhibition designed to explore and mark the 'LGBT community’s contribution to the West and the Western genre.'


'Two cowboy shirts worn by actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in the movie Brokeback Mountain are heading to The Autry National Center in Los Angeles. The two shirts have been intertwinded to represent "the struggle between heritage and acceptance in gay cowboy culture."'



A good cause


Jake Gyllenhaal is putting his green fingers to good use. The LA Times reports that a number of schools in Los Angeles are planting gardens and Jake, already known for his involvement with the Green Schools Initiative, is a mentor for one such project.


'The Environmental Media Assn. and Yes to Carrots have partnered with LAUSD to sponsor 10 new school garden projects, one of which will be at Saturn Elementary in L.A.. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal will be their mentor, and architect Rogerio Carvalheiro, who worked on the Getty Villa and Union Station, will work pro bono on the design. Once completed this fall, they hope to add a "scratch kitchen," where children will prepare the food they grow.' Teaching children about the environment and healthy living in a practical and outside setting is a great cause for Jake to be involved with.


Nailed out 2010?

The actor David Ramsey has just been interviewed about his role in the TV series Dexter but David was also asked about another recent role of his, that of Rep. Harshtone in Nailed. 'You mentioned the film Nailed with Jessica Biel and Jake Gyllenhaal. What can you tell us about that film and your role in it? "Catherine Keener, myself and Paul Reubens, a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman, play kind of the group of nemeses for Jake Gyllenhaal. It’s a political satire. And it was a lot of fun. We shot it over a year ago in Columbia, South Carolina and again, it’s another charactery role where I kind of get to play. David O. Russell directed it and he let me play. I’ve been fortunate to get to work with directors that let me play.."'


And the all-important question: 'Do you know when Nailed will come out? "Nailed is supposed to be out hopefully next year."' Hopefully indeed.

Meanwhile, film and sports sites are now reporting that Jake's role is confirmed for the Joe Namath biopic due to its appearance on IMDb. However, while any news on this is good news, it's worth bearing in mind that IMDb is simply reflecting information about the project which has been on IMDbPro for quite some time. And there has been no update there. But it is good to see a buzz about any project of Jake's. One can also hope that such projects - including Nailed - may get a bit of a boost from all the PoP exposure (and I use the word in every sense!).


Includes pictures from IHJ and links.

Tuesday 28 July 2009

Playing catch up - and falling for Atticus

After all the excitement of new PoP images of Jake Gyllenhaal wet and in a hurry, time to take a brief pause and catch up. Jake is in Philadelphia while Reese films and both have been enjoying the city's dining establishments. Last night they were at Alma de Cuba, a restaurant with a formidably delicious menu, and someone snuck a photo. Not the best shot but it's a picture...


Edited to add: 'The couple both sipped a black cherry caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil, then Gyllenhaal switched to Red Stripe beer and the couple dined on a ceviche sampler, King crab salad, empanadas and a corn side dish.'

Before Jake left for Philadelphia, he was seen in LA spending some time with Atticus and today a lucky blogger posted an account of their encounter with Jake and the floppy-eared one. 'I looked at the docile eyes in this dog and ‘fell for him’ instantly. I got the dogs’ attention and he leaped up a bit to come near me. The owner said, “Atticus!” It was his way of having the shepherd obey and ‘stay put’. I still managed to pet him a little.'


'I whispered to Alan, “How cool. He named it Atticus. I bet he named it after the Gregory Peck character in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, one of my favorite movies.” It was our turn to order our coffee when I looked to the side and recognized the dog owner. He was with a tall, chubby blond guy but the owner had a white ski cap and sunglasses. It was obvious to me that he was slightly disguised but he was none other than actor Jake Gyllenhaal.'


Meanwhile preparations for Love and Other Drugs continue encouragingly apace: 'Casting forces on "Love and Other Drugs" put out a notice for a real-life Parkinson's patient for a sequence involving a Healing through Humor lecture. Anne Hathaway is playing a woman afflicted with Parkinson's Disease in the Ed Zwick-directed film, also starring Jake Gyllenhaal as the pharmaceutical salesman who falls for her. It's based on Jamie Reidy's humorous memoir, "Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman."'


Back to Wet Jake...


Includes pictures from links and IHJ.

Monday 27 July 2009

New sizzling Prince of Persia pictures - the prince is wet!

Empire has released more photographs of the Prince of Persia to accompany its feature in the September issue - and these come with a serious health warning. Not only is Jake Gyllenhaal hot, he's also wet. And there's chest. And action. And he's wet. And hot.



I think Gemma might be in the photos too but I'm not too sure. Let me know if you can spot her.

Sunday 26 July 2009

On the road with Pilot

Ten years ago this week, there were jobs going as extras on the new Jake Gyllenhaal movie. But to fill the bill, you had to have a certain look, which went something like this: 'Jeans, baseball caps, T-shirts, flannels and tie-dye. Props such as candles and flowers are encouraged.' While no fee would be paid, the best costumes would win prizes, including snowboards and mountain bikes. If there's any film of Jake's that would require its extras to bring along candles and flowers, it would be Highway.


Back in July 1999, the production crew of A Leonard Cohen Afterworld, as Highway was then known, descended on Seattle to recreate the Kurt Cobain vigil of 1994. While this was a source of excitement for Nirvana fans (and for that rare beast in 1999 - the Gyllenhaalic), it didn't go down too well with the rest of Nirvana: '"The real problem is that the average kid listening to the radio or reading the paper has no idea that we're not involved with this... offering door prizes as a means of getting people to 'look grunge' for the camera." Novoselic added, "It's the same old story, people trying to exploit everything Nirvana stood for -- and continues to stand for -- just to turn a buck." A representative of the Estate of Kurt Cobain also weighed in on the subject, adding, "We are not participating in this film. We find it without merit and boring."'



In response, the film's production told Nirvana's fans '"We are not in any way attempting to recreate the memorial service in any way that denigrates the memory of Kurt Cobain. If anything we're trying to do as much justice to that time as possible. In our script, that memorial serves as the backdrop for major life-changing moments in our main characters lives."


Filming continued in Las Vegas for eight days. Of course, this wasn't Vegas at its shiney best. This was the trailer park from which the two heroes had to escape: 'After all, as one character observes, "Las Vegas in the day is like a showgirl without her makeup."



But filming for Highway didn't just attract attention in Seattle. It also drew stares in the small town of Wilkeson in Washington, which was taken over by the film for two days that summer. It didn't just get attention because the scene involved cutting the top off a perfectly decent car, but because Jared Leto's girlfriend at the time, Cameron Diaz, who sat and watched the scene from across the street. A 'quick-thinking neighbor dashed into Wilkeson Grocery, the town's general store, grabbed its rental copy of "Mary," and persuaded Diaz to autograph the box. It now sits in a place of honor on a shelf behind the checkout counter ... right next to the box for the store's copy of "Prefontaine," which bears Leto's autograph.' I hope that now at least they would stop to get a Jake signature.


'Wilkeson seemed to be taking the filming in stride. Crowds were small at Chuck's - just clumps of people really, looking on and occasionally taking snapshots. One young woman asked Leto, Gyllenhaal and Blair to pose for her, and with a smile they complied.'


'Why the roof amputation? "Road trips are best done in convertibles," said Guy Riedel, one of the picture's two producers.'


This post is dedicated to Pilot's many devotees - and one in particular (I think she knows who that is). Includes pictures from IHJ.

Saturday 25 July 2009

Prince of Persia at Comic-Con: Jake Gyllenhaal 'was bigger than his stunt doubles'

Yesterday, Jordan Mechner, Todd McFarlane and Nachie Castro (editor of the Disney book group) took to the Comic-Con stage to discuss the Prince of Persia grahic novel and, happily and inevitably, the movie that has inspired and shaped it. Castro: 'it’s going to blow everybody away'. And then there's the prince himself, Jake Gyllenhaal.


McFarlane of Jake: the 'dude’s in fantastic shape. My wife, always a big fan, said he went from handsome to stud. I think divorce papers are in order now. He’s acting the part, but he looks the part. It’s superheroic. He was bigger than his stunt doubles. We’ll have the toys, too!'

You can read a full account here. Many thanks to Monia for the heads up on the new Disney Prince of Persia webpage, complete with moving art.

Friday 24 July 2009

Comic-Con enjoys Doctor Parnassus and Gilliam remembers Heath

While we wait to hear what happened when Jordan Mechner took the Prince of Persia stage at Comic-Con today, there is time to take a breath and remember that PoP is not the only film at Comic-Con this year with which we have a connection. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is also getting a great deal of attention and today Terry Gilliam received an honorary ink pot from Comic-Con before he settled down to discuss his film along with cast member Verne Troyer.


You can read a full account of the panel discussion here. A snippet: 'Early into the audience questions, a fan asked Gilliam and Verne to share their experiences while working with Heath. Verne shared his thoughts first, explaining how although he only worked with Heath for a short time, he felt as though they were old friends. Verne continued to say it was an “honor and a privilege” to work with Heath. An emotional Gilliam added how Heath was “an exceptional actor and human being.” He ended with sharing how he thought Heath displayed a “wisdom beyond his years” and a how he had a playful and fearless approach to his work.'



The video below captures a little of the atmosphere during Gilliam's discussion of his film and of his 'lucky charm' Heath Ledger.



In an interview today, Gilliam said: 'It's hard to know what to say. You've got Heath passing and the other guys coming in, the whole thing is so extraordinary and it's never been done before and not going to probably happen again, where the main actor dies and three actors come in and take over. It's extraordinary. But it does tell you how much they cared about him.'


And what about Jake? Yesterday a twitter spotted Jake Gyllenhaal at the Jim Henson lot in LA, suggesting Jake is intriguingly busy...


Coincidentally, I watched The Dark Knight this evening - what a fine film...

Thursday 23 July 2009

Jake Gyllenhaal at the Dodgers game with Peter - and Iron Man!

As we know Jake Gyllenhaal watched the Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds last night in LA. I'm glad to say we now have a picture and we learn that Jake was at the game with Peter Sarsgaard (fresh from the premiere of his new film) and hat. But just wait a minute - is that a Spider-Man t-shirt Jake's wearing? It certainly looks comicy, dare I say Comic-Cony. Edited to add it's an Iron Man shirt, thanks to Gretchen for the ID.


Here is the shirt...


The night before a totally gorgeous Jake was seen leaving Toscana restaurant in Brentwood where he'd dined with Peter, although Jake didn't attend the Orphan premiere that evening.


Talking of Comic-Con...


More PoP lego in the post below from earlier today.

Many, many thanks to IHJ for the new pics and to lego for the Lego.

Prince of Persia lego revealed! We have camels...

While Jake Gyllenhaal watches the Dodgers win in LA (and I sigh about the lack of operational cameras in that fine city), the Prince of Persia action is heating up at Comic-Con in San Diego. Feast your eyes on Little Jake! I love the detail in the armour and on the face (note how I'm ignoring the drunk one at the back). Little did I think that one day I would be able to fill my home with Jake Gyllenhaal lego. Click on him and he shall be embiggened.




As if a Mini Jake isn't enough, we also get camels and ostriches. Apparently, they're prototype camels and ostriches... We can also expect Persian sets and a whole range of accessories.



What next from Comic-Con?


With thanks to Lego's Flickr, Pixelated Geek and ComingSoon.

Orphan's premiere

Edited to add photographs from Orphan's premiere which took place in Westwood on Tuesday. Peter Sarsgaard was there, as was Robert Downey Jr, whose wife Susan was a producer of the scary movie. You can see a video (with interviews) from the red carpet here.





Orphan pictures from the Daily Mail and Celebuzz.