Jake Gyllenhaal's Man vs Wild to air 11 July (see pictures) and Jake watches U2

Jake Gyllenhaal and Bear Grylls will pit Man vs Wild on Monday 11 July at 9pm ET. At last we have a date for Jake's daring do against the might of rivers, storms and beast. All while looking rather lovely in dashing red.


According to the press release 'For two days, Bear and Jake embark on a survival experience neither will forget, to an Icelandic landscape dominated by mountains, huge glaciers and some of Europe's most active volcanoes. Jake will have to go where Bear goes, eat whatever Bear eats, and on occasion even take the lead, if he's going to cope with some of the worst conditions known to man. "For me, it's all about discovery," said Gyllenhaal.


Said Bear about the experience, "The wild is always very revealing - not only physically but mentally. You've got to smile when it's driving horizontal hail and be able to face your fears and just get on and do it -- and on both of those accounts, Jake came up strong."


Many thanks to Pop Culture Zoo (via IHJ) for these wonderful images from the show. As for that photo of Jake on the rope crossing the river... Don't look down! I love Jake's movies but I could quite happily live off this TV appearance for months. I hope it's the beginning of a trend - I want to see Jake do some animal documentaries as well. Documentaries about anything, to be honest.


U2

Last night (18 June), Jake was one of the many celebrities seen at the U2 concert in Anaheim. You can see more details here, as well as the other celebrities that turned up. Here's one of them.


Thanks to IHJ for the wonderful pictures in the post!

Jake Gyllenhaal to film 'Trip of a Lifetime' (aka UMP) in Eastern Europe? And you can go too! Brothers Oscar buzz and U2's Winter

If you have enough of the green stuff (or, if you're in Britain, purple stuff with some silver, a bit of blue and maybe some dark grey bits) you could bid for a day on the set of the new Doug Liman production. Not only that, you could get to flutter your eyelashes and test your chat up lines on its star, Jake Gyllenhaal!


Yes, there is a new auction up and running and it's important for several reasons (aside from the fantastic oppportunity of being able to distract Jake from his next shot with your 'I love you, Jake' tattoo): 1) This movie may still be going ahead after all (at a time to be determined); 2) It's no longer Unnamed - it's 'Trip of A Lifetime' (I think I prefer UMP); 3) Part of it is to film in Eastern Europe. Full details here - on the understanding that if you bid and win you have to take me. Вы понимаете меня? (apologies if that was accidentally rude...)


Brothers has had another TV Spot which you can see here (thanks Monica!). There's little new in it but it does strengthen my view that, as far as this film's trailers go, less is more. It also has more kissing in it - I like that in a trailer.


Brothers is starting to gather that sweet aroma of Oscar fever (a reference to Jake's appearance on Heart FM a couple of years ago). One site has seen a confirmation of category placements and this is what we see:

Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart - LEAD
Seth Rogen - Funny People - LEAD
Meryl Streep - It's Complicated - LEAD
Alec Baldwin & Steve Martin- It's Complicated - SUPPORTING
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince - pulling the same campaigning as "The Departed," it has it listed as For Your Consideration 'THE ACTORS'
Max Records - Where the Wild Things Are - LEAD
Tobey Maguire - Brothers - LEAD
Jake Gyllenhaal & Natalie Portman - Brothers -SUPPORTING


So, not only do we have Jake Gyllenhaal, we have Maggie, and we also have that same old situation of Jake being in a Supporting category potentially up against some fine actors, including a brother-in-law and a co-star (Peter Sarsgaard and Alfred Molina). Perhaps they could share.

Another Brothers Oscar possibility comes from its closing song - U2's Winter. No argument here. Enjoy.



Includes pictures from IHJ.

Every war is different, every war is the same

The yellow sun, well it took the hand
Of a country boy to a city in a far off land
We made no mark, no shadow at all,
On the ancient holy streets, where I learned to crawl.

I'm 25 and trying to stay alive
In the corner of the world with no clear enemies to fight.
It's hot as hell, we're like butter on toast,
But there's no army in this world that can fight a ghost.

At 21 I was born a son, and on that day I knew I could kill,
To protect the ones, we put bullets in guns,
Or anything it takes, to take a life.
Until it's still.


A song that we will hear in Brothers, Winter, reminds me that Jake Gyllenhaal's brave movie choices over the years are to be celebrated. Although we've yet to see some projects come to fruition, or even, once made, to the screen, Jake has taken a mighty leap into the fantasy world into which Disney leads us, he may sing and dance on the screen to millions, he has made love to a cowboy, he's put himself in bootcamp, he's addressed extraordinary rendition - he's even been willing to suffer the Davids - O Russell and Fincher.



With Brothers, there is every reason to believe that we will have another film to make us even prouder. Its excellence is hinted at by the fact that its soundtrack includes such a song as Winter, a winter that's 'hot as hell'.



Winter isn't on the No Lines on the Horizon album, available from today in the UK. But, if you buy the limited edition, you will be able to download many extras, and these include the song and video to Winter. Soon we will see the brother with the tattoo...


'Rhymes they sprang in me, summer sang in me,
But summer sings in me no more.'

Includes pictures from IHJ.

Lego Jake? and Bono's Jarhead inspiration

It was announced today that Lego and Disney have come to a deal which means that the Prince of Persia movie will have its own line of Lego Construction Toys. While I'm all for a Build Yourself A Life-Size Prince Dastan Lego Kit (which replicates to the last millimetre the body of model Jake Gyllenhaal) - in fact, I might buy enough for a football team - but Prince of Persia Construction Toys? I'm not particularly familiar with 6th-century Persian construction vehicles and, therefore, I am prepared to be amazed. I'm also prepared to get a fleet of them.


When PoP appears in the late spring of 2010, it is quite possible that we will be able to fill our homes with PoP-inspired merchandise. A Jake Gyllenhaal towel perhaps? A pillow case? Maybe a complete set of bedding? While every mantelpiece, shelf and windowsill can be used to reenact the film's scenes with armies of little Jake figures. We will have to get used to sharing Jake and seeing him on the sides of buses.


We are still waiting for Jamie Foxx, although one site today suggested that the video will be seen in March, not February. But while we wait, there is a little bit more information about U2's contribution to the Brothers soundtrack. It appears that Bono was inspired in the composition of White as Snow by Jarhead. 'After watching Sam Mendes's film, Jarhead, Bono decided the song should evoke the thoughts of a soldier dying from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.' You can read more here about U2's 'most intimate song'. I sense it will grace Brothers. We will hear the song during the first week of March.


While we're talking dates, it wasn't a surprise to see that Pro IMDb has put UMP back to 2011. And then add some...?


Includes scans from WDW.

U2 to contribute music to Brothers

Happy Boxing Day! It's the Day After Yesterday - the miles back home have been safely driven, the cheese and the chocolates have been banished and there's nothing left to eat but Christmas Pud left overs, filo pastry parcel things and three bottles of single malt. Fortunately, this day of indigestion and poor TV has brought with it some good news. My favourite band U2 will be continuing their relationship with fellow Irishman Jim Sheridan and are contributing to the soundtrack of Brothers. Yet again, as with almost all Jake's films, this sounds like a soundtrack that will be well worth having.


In March, 2009, U2's new album New Line on the Horizon will be released and on it is the track Winter: 'Echoes of Simon & Garfunkel in this poignant, acoustic string laden ballad about a soldier in the snow of Afghanistan. Due to feature in the new Jim Sheridan film, Brothers, starring Tobey Maguire, about the emotional fallout of the war. Edge on backing vocals with Bono for Winter.'


Personally, as a big fan of U2, I usually remember their tours by how many hours I spend on the phone failing to get tickets, but one of the perks of Jake Gyllenhaal's job is that he can always get them (frontstage and backstage). The last time was on 1 November, 2005, when U2 played the Staples Center in LA as part of their Vertigo tour. On Conan O'Brien, shortly afterwards, Jake enthusiastcially remembered Bono and the Edge duel with Send In the Clowns. Here is a video of this moment from the tour, but from Madrid.



Includes pictures of Jake at the November U2 concert from IHJ.