Never mind the Oscars - Jake Gyllenhaal is the Most Kissable Man

Never mind the Oscars, it's time to get down to the awards that really count. For today it was announced that Jake Gyllenhaal has been awarded the Most Kissable Man award. The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentists who clearly know a lot about smiles and, it would seem, also about kissing, put Jake above Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Denzel Washington, all three of whom are relatively kissable, just not as kissable as Jake Gyllenhaal.


Actually, seeing that picture above reminds me of the interview from which it was grabbed, back in Rendition days when Jake was in London and turned everyone to mush. Versions of this video no longer work across WDW and so here is a replacement:



I digress... back to the Most Kissable Man:







Then there was Emmy Rossum's famous audition for The Day After Tomorrow, during which she adopted the direct approach.




Anyone who has seen Love and Other Drugs wouldn't have failed to notice that there is a fair amount of kissing in it. I look forward to proper analysis on the arrival of my blu ray, which is currently in the post.

Jake Gyllenhaal Part 2: When the right role comes along 'I go after it like a wolf!'

After a break for jogging and while Jake Gyllenhaal irons his shirt, collects his dry cleaned suit and ponders over which shoes to wear for tomorrow's Golden Globes, here is the second part of the sensational and lengthy interview conducted with Scott Feinberg. In this part Jake covers the 'teenage in transition' roles, the big movies of the mid 2000s, living privately in the public eye and his pride in Love and Other Drugs. As before, there are times when words are unclear and/or muffled and I've done my best and so, as previously said, any mistakes are mine and not Jake's. Over to Jake:


Teenager in Transition

'I just remember being pretty confused! There was a lot coming at me and I didn't... and I think that was what Donnie Darko was born out of, Bubble Boy was born out of that - the question of confusion of adolesence and growing up and being out there on my own for the first time. And even the movie Highway that I did with Jared Leto which never came out at the the theatres. The Good Girl really. All of these characters came out of, I think, a sense - I think I have always tried to just,... but I guess I just learned from the lesson of the moment... where I was in that moment I think, that I kept on questioning...'


I care very deeply about what I do and I think that leaves me very vulnerable in a lot of ways

'It's funny but I've seen over the past five years the image of an actor really sort of change. What an actor does and what people expect from them. Being outside scrutiny, and the internet and all these things - you have to maintain integrity (laughs). There are a lot of different things that changed since 2005 to 2011, you know what I mean? In terms of what it is to be an actor and what young actors think it is to be an actor. There are people acting all the time, all over the place, themselves, really. For me, I think I saw, there was definitely a phase in there with Proof and Jarhead and Brokeback Mountain - those came at me in way that was just like kismet. There was just a real... being at work with those movies. And yes the beginning, trying to find a real ease in the acting process and I think that ease translates maybe into being an adult.'


'And then with Brokeback and what Brokeback became, that was... all of us in that process, that was overwhelming. I see that a lot with people involved in movies that are such... and become these huge things in culture and that happens, it does happen. I think there was a little bit of searching after that for me. I was like, Ok, there's Rendition and then there's... I did Zodiac, which was, looking back on it, particularly the honour to be working with David Fincher and Mark Ruffalo and Tony Edwards and Downey, and seeing where Downey was, that was a really special time. There was searching in that, for me that's what it feels like when I think of that.'


'And then even with Prince of Persia there was a search in there, figuring that out. And then I think when I did Love and Other Drugs there's a... to be there's a real clarity actually, just knowing the character, finding a character that, a real character that I fell in love with. And for the first time... there are a couple I'd say - Donnie Darko and Jarhead and Brokeback, even October Sky, there are a couple of characters in there that I felt sure about and when my instinct comes up like that I go after it like a wolf! I mean I really do! And I did with that. Imagine me with... that for me was Love and Other Drugs. That, that marks the beginning of something else for me and that's why I feel so proud of it and that's why the character and the role I feel... I feel at ease with it. Like when the movie came out, there's usually a lot of... I like to think that they're only there... I care very deeply about what I do and I think that leaves me very vulnerable in a lot of ways to some people's responses but with this one, with Love and Other Drugs, I was like I didn't really care... and that's the beginning of another phase for me, which is different than I've ever felt before.'


I'm just as guilty of being interested in the people that I admire

'I approach all this stuff with great trepidation because I always feel that I never know how my words will be interpreted which I think is the weird irony like I said of being an actor because ultimately the only thing I see that I want to see from actors is vulnerability and I want to see them open their hearts. And when somebody tries to do that in their work and other people know very little about what's actually going on and tend to paint a very, very simple picture. I'm not necessarily sure why that happens but I think it's just... we're all part and parcel of it, do you know what I mean? I'm just as guilty of being interested in the people that I admire or somehow I find as interesting as the next person. I do happen to be a part of that, of some people's interest.'


'But I think, to be really honest, which is hard to be, I think it is kind of really... I think for a while there I thought it sort of impacted my life in a way and then I realised like, you know,... I'm a very private person. I try - the irony about all of this is that I really try to be a very private person and I definitely am, in choosing what I want to do, giving up that privacy, which is already confusing (laughs). But I think that... I think what I've noticed is that it's so hard for anybody, whether they're under scrutiny by a photographer or by some tabloid, or whatever, any journalist, whatever you might do, it's hard for anybody to find themselves, really their true selves. It's just frustrating when people have intentions and the intentions are... They've made it so, so simple when it's a so complicated, fascinating, extraordinary thing. And that's what I see movies moving away from too - it's harder and harder to have people make movies about complicated, fascinating... because that's not what's being consumed as much but actually it feels like maybe there's talk about it this year, that maybe people are really wanting that. That they really do want that... I realise, as I said, that it can be seen like 'Why the hell are you in these things every week?', they might not like that.'


'There is something that I would love... I love that people understand that it's a funny thing, I think, in the end and you hear about celebrities getting upset at the photographers and I understand why! (Laughs) I don't know what it is but it's just a real... it's made it impossible for people to be totally honest because when you're honest it's manipulated.'


Love and Other Drugs

'When Annie came on the project, as what happens when anybody who's a great actor, they're looking for the reasons for why their character exists. That's the first real question you always have to ask and sometimes actors I think can fit themselves into something that's the way they've been given weight to, they can create weight themselves. Sometimes the weight's already there entirely written by the writer and they just show up and read their lines and somehow the story creates something even deeper than you could have imagined. But in the case of Annie and that role, it wasn't as much and I made a decision, which was great advice from a lot of different people who had read the story, that the strength of the script was always - and I believe the strength of the movie is too - is its love story and all the rest of it, not that all the rest of it can go away, but in a way it could.'


'And what I think mattered the most as an actor is going towards the thing that works. Its seen for any created thing, that anybody who has any great success in the movie business, moving towards the thing that works and that is the most honest. And when Annie came on, she was like 'what the hell is this girl doing here?' I don't understand. Is she just like a thing... to create sympathy?' And we worked on it to make it a real love story and we just started cutting things, that the story used to be a story about this guy who goes through a journey and then it became a love story.'


'And I think it really was born out of Ed, Annie and I all deciding that that was something... At any point along the way me, or Annie or Ed could have said 'I'm out of here. No, this isn't the story I wanted to tell.' I could have said I wanted to be that guy who learned something and Annie could have said this character isn't developed enough and if it's not about her I'm out of here, and Ed could say any number of different things. But I think we were all on the same page with it and Parkinson's is what she deals with and I think the movie deserved a trememdous amount of more weight than it had been given initially in the script. So we just went that way and I hope that answers your question.'


Thanks

'It means a lot that you like the movie. To me, Annie, Ed and I tried so... we tried so hard to make something special with this movie and the fact that people respond to it makes me... how much hard work was put into it and how much we care about these characters. It means a lot, thank you.'


Personally, I am delighted to hear Jake mention Zodiac. It sounds that now Jake looks back on that as an important part of his career. I'm thrilled with David Fincher's success with The Social Network, including victory at the Critics Choice Awards. And so good luck to Jake and Anne for tomorrow night's awards!

Includes pictures from IHJ.

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: Actor, Movie Star, Heart throb - WDW Guide Part 2

After yesterday's hors d'oeuvres, tonight we move on to the first course in our delicious, decadent and tasty Jake Gyllenhaal banquet. So, pull your seats up to the table, spread the napkin on your lap and tease those taste buds as you prepare to sample part 2 of the Gyllenfeast.


Title: The Day After Tomorrow
Date: 2004
Role: Sam Hall (aka Wet Sam)

Hotness: 9/10
Mascara-proof? Yes (unless you have a weird sentiment for wolves)
Chemistry: 7/10 (Emmy Rossum - her mind was on future musicals)
Sex scenes: No (it was chilly)
Hair: 8/10
Bonus features: stuffed animals, layered clothing, Manchester United

The Day After Tomorrow marked a significant step in Jake's career. No longer was he the older thinking woman's toy boy, he was now for everyone. He may have been the son in the film and not the lead but there's no doubt that all eyes were on Wet Sam's valiant struggles to save himself and his friends (at the expense of a lot of valuable books). Personally, this was the film that made me a Gyllenhaalic - it was something to do with the curve of the lip. The film may have taught me absolutely nothing about the environment and global warming but it did teach me an awful lot about snowshoes, Russian ships and public telephones. This is the Jake film that I have watched more than other (partly as it's on TV every week) and whenever it's on I always say to Mr WDW 'Ooh, I should watch that, I've heard it's very good'. Question though: Why did they burn the books and not the furniture? Another good sountrack.

WDW rating: 9/10


Title: Brokeback Mountain
Date: 2005
Role: Jack F******g Twist

Hotness: 9/10
Mascara-proof? Absolutely not
Chemistry: 10/10 (Heath Ledger)
Sex scenes: Yes (in a pup tent no less)
Hair: 8/10
Bonus features: bears, beans, August snow, hats, buckles, cool streams

Never mind those PoP ostriches, if you want something to tear your heart out look no further than Brokeback Mountain. How little I knew when I saw this film in January 2006 - Wet Sam transformed into Jack Twist, a cowboy that could melt your soul with one look from those eyes, matched unbelievably by Heath Ledger's Ennis Del Mar and all set against magnificent skies. I chuckle now when I think that I originally went to see this film because of the scenery... For the first time, Jake played the role of boy, man, husband, lover and father, all the time supporting and supported by Heath. And one mustn't forget Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams. This wasn't 'just' a film, it was a life-changing experience and it's only now, four years on, that I can actually watch it and appreciate Brokeback Mountain as a film and realise how magnificent it is. Soundtrack: superb with etra points for Rufus Wainwright.

WDW rating: 10/10


Title: Proof
Date: 2005
Role: Hal

Hotness: 9/10
Mascara-proof? Yes!
Chemistry: 1/10 (Gwyneth Paltrow)
Sex scenes: Yes (thank heavens)
Hair: 9/10
Bonus features: mathematics, glasses, running, drums, nice coffee?

Proof... what a contrast to Brokeback. The hair was good, the look was great but, for me, this is the least enjoyable of all Jake's films, saved only by his extreme levels of hotness and a great love scene - marred by Gwyneth inexplicably crying through it. Gwyneth was pregnant through this film, not that she let anyone know at the time, and her mood permeates almost every scene. There are saving graces - thinking the drumming, the kiss, the love scene and the running. Lots of great Jake running here. However, only watch this film with a remote control, just so you can enjoy the Jake scenes. They are so easy on the eye. I didn't learn much about mathematics either.

WDW rating: 3/10


Title: Jarhead
Date: 2005
Role: Anthony Swofford (Swoff)

Hotness: 9/10
Mascara-proof? Yes
Chemistry: NA(although the chemistry with us feels pretty hot)
Sex scenes: A flashback (but plenty of other things to compensate)
Hair: NA (if pushed, 3/10)
Bonus features: scorpion racing, footsteps in the sand, Christmas

Never mind Proof, Jake was right back on track with Jarhead, a film that Jake led, despite being outranked by Jamie Foxx. By Jake's side was Troy, Peter Sarsgaard, and the familiarity of their real life friendship united the two in front of the cameras - despite the real and virual fights. The photography here is brilliant, demonstrating for the first time how well Jake suits desert spaces. The raining oil, the horse, the death road - all have an ugly beauty. The moments of intensity and tension are offset by the times of inaction, repetitive exercise and doubt and suspicion about loved ones back at home. Obviously, this film will always be known for Jake's santa hat dance - a fine example of its type - but there is even more to it. And the score by Thomas Newman (also composer of the Brothers soundtrack) is perfect.

WDW rating: 9/10


And so we continue!

Includes pictures from IHJ.

[Updated] Jake Gyllenhaal: Movies and stories 'can move people and change lives. They've changed my life'

[Update] Tweeters are now putting Jake in Pittsburgh! As so often happens, the first clues emerge from a city's coffee house. 'Quad Americano?' translation please... Great to think that soon Jake, fully caffeined, will be back in front of a camera.

All those movie journalists who can't decide between the extravagant beauty of Venice's Lido or the accessible enthusiasm of Toronto's Yorkville have now reached crunch time. Closer to (my) home, the movies for London's festival are about to be announced. One could be forgiven for thinking it's festival time! There may be no Jake Gyllenhaal at TIFF, VIFF or maybe even LIFF this year but I'll take this opportunity to meander down that bar-lined, theatre-decked, red-carpeted, fan-enraptured memory lane.


Let's go back to TIFF 2005, when Jake did more interviews than someone who gets interviewed a lot because he had not one, not two, but three films doing the rounds. All credit to Jake that at any one time he knew which film to talk about, which director to praise and which co-star to extol (or avoid mentioning at all). This interview from the Detroit News (December 2005) has been dug up from the muddy WDW archives. I like how the article starts: 'Jack Twist is a tall drink of water, a young cowpoke with dreamy eyes who rides rodeo when he can, herds sheep when he has to and plays awful harmonica by the campfire at night. And, oh yes, Jack's in love. With a guy named Ennis.' Here are some more exerpts.


'But Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays Jack opposite Heath Ledger's Ennis, doesn't see the gay angle getting in the way of audiences appreciating "Brokeback Mountain." "Maybe I'm naive or something. I grew up in Los Angeles and that might make me naive," he says. "My two unofficial godparents are a gay couple. I grew with my friends who, when I was 15, 16, were coming out. Maybe I took it for granted. "I understand that people have a response that's either pro-pro or con-con and I get that, but no... I have a feeling we're going to be surprised at who responds to this movie," says Gyllenhaal, who turns 25 on Dec. 19.'


'"I had been given the script by my agent when I was 16, saying, well, there's a gay cowboy movie. And I had said I don't want to go anywhere near that," Gyllenhaal recalls. "But then when Ang came on to it, I just knew what type of movie he was going to make," Gyllenhaal says. The result is frank, passionate and almost devoid of soppy sentiment. "I just knew he was the type of filmmaker who would get that and walk that line," Gyllenhaal says. "And that was the only way the story should be told... Heath and I were very, very clear about how we wanted both these characters to be portrayed. You do see these two men kissing, they are being intimate together, but there's a real aggression and a real masculinity from both of them," Gyllenhaal says.'


'His eyes flash as he remembers a scene where Jack and Ennis are reunited after a few years apart. "He throws me against the wall, I throw him against the wall. There's a real love and a passion between them, too, and a fearlessness that comes from the two of them," Gyllenhaal says. "It's not like what you would consider some sort of quote unquote gay kiss. It's very complicated and more interesting."'


Of the Brokeback, Jarhead and Proof triptych: 'How did he land three such films at once? "I don't know," he says. "Either really good representation ..." and then he breaks into laughter. "I did make a deal with myself. I had worked with a lot of directors who were first-time directors, and I had a lot of success working with those directors. And then I just said I kind of want to hold out for those stories that really moved me and those filmmakers that I would be thrilled to work with," he says. "So I held out... It seems all this just happened (in theaters), but it took three and a half years and six months between projects. There was a lot of free time in all of it," he says. "I took my time, I said, I'm going to try for these things, and if I don't get them I don't get them."'


'Ask him if he's ready to be a movie star, and his answer is concise: "Yes." And then he breaks into laughter. Did he take specific classes for that? "Yeah, I've got my degree on the wall," he says, laughing on. But then he gets serious. "I know it sounds strange. I've been auditioning for like 12 years now for things, and even though I'm like really young, it has been since I was 13 years old. And I just feel like you get the hang of it, you understand," he says. "I feel like when you look at (stardom) like it's just another lesson in your life, when you have that perspective on it rather than it's something that you want or you've always dreamed of or any of those things, then I think you're ready... I've been taught since I was a young kid, growing up in the family I grew up in, movies and stories of any kind are powerful and extraordinary. They can move people and change lives. They've changed my life."


'Of course, with great power comes great responsibility. "(Being a movie star) just gives me a power that I hope I can do good with, that I'm not going to abuse, that I'll appreciate. And I feel mature enough now to deal with it," Gyllenhaal says. "Yeah, I'm ready."'


Includes pictures from IHJ. As always, article available as a pdf.

Jake Gyllenhaal's Ed Harris memory and respecting Jake naked

Ed Harris... I'm going to let that name hang there for a moment or two. Never mind Gene in Apollo 13, never mind Mitch in National Treasure 14... I have my eye on you, Ed 'what's up with Edward anyway?' Harris. Brace yourselves, Gyllenhaalics, here's the story but, be warned, it's not pretty:

'Gyllenhaal’s father, the director Stephen Gyllenhaal, let him hang around the set of Paris Trout (1991), which starred acting alumni such as Dennis Hopper, Ed Harris and Barbara Hershey. “There was one time when Ed Harris was in this big scene in a courtroom,” says Gyllenhaal. “I was there. I think I was making a noise or something at some point between takes. Ed turned and shouted, ‘Can you tell that kid to shut up!’ I remember running out crying — I was so sad.


'“That night I got back to my Dad’s hotel room, and under the doorway was a note. It said ‘Jake’ on it. It was a letter from Ed, saying he just wanted to apologise for yelling, telling me he was just preparing for the scene. Those moments of watching people like that go through a process I completely understand now — it really is a process. When you grow up watching, it’s hard not to want to do it yourself.”'


Clearly, a vivid memory from Jake's childhood - what do you want to bet that Jake has memorised each line of that note? And these difficult experiences, told with such honesty here, do help shape our lives but, nevertheless, I'm dusting off the boxing gloves.

This is a great interview with Jake, one of the few for Proof, but still drifting off in more interesting directions. This is hardly surprising considering Proof's 2005 competition - Brokeback Mountain, Jarhead. Jake does recall a more positive experience from his childhood - 'His mother, Naomi Foner, is the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Running on Empty (1988). “Watching Martha Clinton and River Phoenix rehearse with director Sidney Lumet in that film — that was a big influence on my life,” Gyllenhaal said.'


Jake's answers regarding getting naked in Brokeback Mountain are interesting because a) they're about Jake being naked and b) Jake manages to have a go back at the cast of Dreamers who (well, mainly Eva Green) had been getting little digs into interviews about Jake's supposed squeamishness. 'Asked about dropping The Dreamers yet taking up the equally risqué Brokeback Mountain (Gyllenhaal appears naked, although in a fairly distant shot), the actor perks up. Clapping his hands, he smiles: “Now it’s my time to retort!”


'He did, he says, have “questions” about The Dreamers: “I think Bertolucci and I had different views on it. It could be considered that I’m inexperienced and I should just trust someone who is truly experienced. But even somebody like Ang understands that it’s a very uncomfortable thing to do — to be naked. The fact that I could express my concerns and he was going to listen to them made me think he respects me and me getting naked... To me it’s a story about how hard it is for two people to love each other,” Gyllenhaal says. “The issue of love is a hard bull’s-eye to hit. [In film] the idea of love having no bounds is such a cliché now. We can’t tell the story any more, heterosexually — we have to tell the tale between two guys in order to get the idea across again.”'

'He adds: “I don’t really care about people questioning my sexuality because of the film. Of course they are going to. In the same way people confused me with Tobey Maguire — and thought I was Spiderman.”' You mean he wasn't? Damn.


But, where was I? Oh yes, I have my eye on you, Ed Harris...

Includes pictures from IHJ.

Jake's Friday - back to the Medical Center and lunch with Reese

Tonight, British Summer Time begins, not that you'd know it with that northerly wind. But, despite the chill, all is good because we get to enjoy the warmth of that LA sunshine through Jake Gyllenhaal. He must know he's doing us good, because there are more pictures of Jake from yesterday, including another visit to Jake's second home, the Medical Center. One can't help but wonder if these visits may be linked to an imminent project. Either that, or Jake has a part-time job...




Following on from the run (see this morning's post), Jake and Reese sat in the sun for lunch.


A note to the Brits: Brokeback Mountain is on Channel 4 tonight at 9.15pm (followed by Heath's Monster's Ball). Tomorrow night, Proof has its British terrestrial TV movie premiere - BBC2 at 10pm.


Many thanks to IHJ for the wealth of pictures!

Mix and match - Jake Gyllenhaal's Proof

My Proof issues are well-documented. While some Gyllenhaalics are adamant that Proof was a sensitive examination of loss, depression and trust, others - well, me - have trouble getting past the sleepy lack of chemistry between Gwyneth Paltrow and Jake Gyllenhaal. Fortunately, the film's sex scene and the general dreaminess of Jake in Proof means that there are some scenes that we can all agree upon being endlessly rewarding. I just need the fastforward button to get to them.


I raise the topic of Proof because a) I don't discuss it very often, b) I have regular attacks of Proof-guilt, and c) this week a site listed Proof as one of the top five Gwyneth DVDs : 'While this film isn't as popular as the others, Paltrow turns in a tight performance, starkly frightened by the very real possibility that all she has loved will be taken from her. Jake Gyllenhaal falls into place amiably as a fellow mathematician investigating the elegant mathematical proof, and it is through his gentle prodding and support that Paltrow finds herself, as well as the truth of her father's life and work. For a film that deals with longstanding familial drama as well as the complexities of paranoia, disbelief and acceptance, the potential for disaster is always high. Yet, Proof falls squarely in the hands of the capable Paltrow, and it is unconditionally one of her best performances.'


Realising that I should talk about Proof more, I now turn my attention towards the mysteries of past roles that were once auditioned for and are now callously cast into the rubbish bin of fundless movies. A google message today advised me that Jake and an old chum, Matthew McConaughey, were in talks with Robert Altman to appear in his movie The Widow Claire opposite Winona Ryder. Further investigation revealed that these talks dated to 2003. Not only that, it was revealed that Jake was in talks to star in a movie - 'The Rip' - about the plot to steal diamonds from the Millennium Dome in London. The mind boggles.


Confusingly and perhaps intriguingly, the plot of The Widow Claire sounds very familiar in a Brothers way: 'Set in the backdrop of World War II, a young widow with two children is caught between the affections of two men. One is a sweet soldier about to go to war and the other is the town's most sought-after playboy.'


And finally...

As the winter continues relentlessly, the need to keep warm is paramount. While Jake has the advantage of being in LA, where frost and snow are known only from Weather Channel reports, I am sincerely grateful to Ruby for her most helpful suggestion for unshaven Jake, should he risk the wintry climes of less amiable spots. The mix and match element is particularly convenient.


Includes pictures from IHJ.