Friday, November 30, 2007

King Rocker


Looks like Austin is playing the bad boy on the small and large screen. The word is that Noah will be doing more than a little editing with Julie on tonight's FNL (9:00 PM EST), and the description of The Informers' Martin makes him quite the naughty fella as well. " Who better to mold your role as a 80's bad boy after than Billy Idol.

Austin has has the hair - sorry there are no pictures of the blonde version yet, the sharp features, and the 80's long lean body . The casting - point on. It is now about the execution. The best way to describe Billy is pure sex with a snarl poured into leather pants and let loose. Pure hedonism. Take what you want and make no apologies. Totally 80's indeed. It will be interesting to see Austin tap that part of himself. A departure from the Austin we see, but sure that at least one person has seen this side of him. ; )

NBC - Friday Night Lights

IMDB - The Informers

55 comments:

Special K said...

Please check the Welcome message here at OMG regarding anonymous posts.

If you do post without a name it will be deleted.

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Anonymous said...

I thought that middle picture WAS Austin! They look so much alike.

Special K said...

King Rocker -- Generation X song

Generation X writer -- Ellis

Now, old schoolers who was the lead singer of Generation X?

Anonymous said...

Our man Billy Idol, of course! ;)

Good morning, love this post. Yay! Wow, there is quite a resemblance between Austin and Billy. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, love this song too. I've got a thing for big Western guitars. ;)

Blue Velvet said...

Now I'm confused. I thought Austin was playing the part of Martin, Graham's friend. Is Martin also the rock star? I haven't read the book yet so I'm not sure about any of it, but the description of Martin doesn't sound like he's also the rock star. I thought they were two different characters.

Special K said...

You might be right Blue Velvet. The whole storyline of the Informers confuses me.

I do know that Austin described himself as looking like a Billy Idol with a tan.

Anonymous said...

Yeah BV, if I remember correctly he's going to play Martin.

But if you read that book, you'll notice that almost everybody in it is blond, tanned and stoned, lol!

Anonymous said...

For a minute there I thought you did have a picture of blond Austin! And AG, good post in the previous thread. I've always said I'd be bothered by Jeese even if he was straight and I was just watching this play out on the gossip sites like any other tacky relationship.

Special K said...

Ok guys... amended and revised the post. Thanks for setting me straight.

Blue Velvet said...

I also thought the photo was of a blond Austin - the similarities are amazing. According to wikipedia, Martin borrows money from his friend's mother (the Kim Basinger character) so that he can buy tickets to a Billy Idol concert.

Special K said...

Ahhh.. emulating the pretty Brity bad boy.

Have to say there is not much that stands in my way of Billy's concerts either.

Anonymous said...

Wow, the thought of Austin playing sexy makes me crazy. Can't wait to see that.

Re the feud over the make up artist story, it does seem to me that Jake would be a tad irritable these days, since he's not getting what he really wants. That story leaked too fast to be true as well.

Anonymous said...

blue velvet,

Martin also sleeps with his friend's mother as well. He also sleeps with his friend's girlfriend or rather his friend accuses his girlfriend of that but then they both realize they don't really care all that much if they sleep with others.

Martin is the best young male character in the book. Later on, he's directing a video of the band that opens for the rock star (which is probably why Austin was in Uruguay).

Wicked said...

I am really looking forward to seeing Austin in this part. I want to see him do the sneer!

NETB- if you like this song, you should think about getting the whole record- Pretty in Black, released in 2005.

Blue Velvet said...

Thanks, Broadwayfan. This role keeps sounding better and better. I used to like sweet, cute Austin. I'm starting to see the allure of the sexy bad boy side of him.

Wicked said...

dlisted reports that today is Billy Idol's birthday. He is 52 (!) today. Wow! Happy birthday, Billy!

Anonymous said...

Wow, Happy Birthday, Billy Idol!

Thanks for the info on the Raveonettes' CD, Wicked. I'll add that to my to-buy list. I'm seeing a pattern here - Blacklisted by Neko Case, Pretty in Black by the Raveonettes. I guess I like that C&W noir style. And Massive Attack - thanks, Max! ;)

Special K said...

I knew it was Billy's birthday, glad someone else mentioned it. I didn't was to look too obsessed over Billy. LOL.

Anonymous said...

LOL Special.

Wicked said...

Spesh, it's okay. We KNOW you're obsessed over Billy!

Special K said...

Sadly you only know a small smidgen of it. : )

Anonymous said...

I think I can imagine Special; I've had a few obsessions in my life. :0

Anonymous said...

How would the you're fantasy of Jake coming out of the closet? Would he give an interview to "People" or to "The Advocate". What if he and Austin are over and out, and he's dating hot young beautiful west hollywood men. You know the type. Do you believe that HW would give him the "A" parts. Would he still have your respect?

Anonymous said...

((Someone Who Knows said...))
(Despite all the gossip, Jake does NOT have sex in public. He's very private about it and actually kind of shy.

November 30, 2007 1:19 AM)

hummm, Are you male or female??

Anonymous said...

Unless you've had sex with Jake (which I seriously doubt unless it's in your dreams--hey, it's in my dreams too), you couldn't possibly know that.

Anonymous said...

"How would the you're fantasy of Jake coming out of the closet?"

Time Magazine.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who is honest - even tardily honest - about their gay/bi sexuality would have my respect. I would imagine he would still get interesting but not as lucrative Hollywood roles, which sadly makes me conclude that the current Jake straight-bot is only in it for the money.

Anonymous said...

((Someone Who Knows said...))
(Despite all the gossip, Jake does NOT have sex in public. He's very private about it and actually kind of shy.

November 30, 2007 1:19 AM)

#1, from where did you get that quote anyway, since it is not on this thread?

Anonymous said...

I think Jake should just live his life openly, I don't see any need for big announcements or magazine covers. The fact that someone is gay shouldn't be a news event (which is not to say I don't read those stories).

Wicked said...

I think he shouldn't come out at all. At least not announcement-wise. He should just live his life, spend his time with the person he wants to spend it with, and when big events come to which he wants to bring a date, he should bring the person he really wants to bring. Not really a coming out but more of a non-staying-in.

Special K said...

I would like to see Jake and Austin have the life they want to have.

How disheartening to realized that being with the person you want to share everything with is the life you are hiding away.

Just live it and let it be for what it is.

Anonymous said...

Yes, yes and yes, destiny, wicked and Special.

Enjoy your FNL Austin fix tonight(?) Lovely post and song *

Anonymous said...

I agree with you all, it should be a non-event and he should just be able to live his life; but sadly, we know they would be approached with questions and requests for interviews. If that happens, I would like to see it in a serious news publication that would handle it with the respect and sensitivity the subject deserves. It goes without saying he would have my respect and admiration; he has it now.

Anonymous said...

I just love the idea of a 'non staying in'. It would be great if Jake woke up and made the decision to follow this path. Here's hoping.

(Also thanks for the B.Idol pic, Austin is a pretty good match, lets hope he looks that good in the Informers).

Anonymous said...

What if Jake is caught in a compromising position? Something like a sex tape. Would he become more popular AKA Paris Hilton?

Anonymous said...

With our luck, it'll probably be Jake and Reese or Natalie or Jessica Biel or ____(name of gal).

But I'd still watch it--for Jake of course.

Anonymous said...

Re the sex tape question, while I would love to see one, I dont think this would affect his popularity. Public taste is fickle. You can be the it boy one moment and out of favor just as quickly. Demonstrated talent is not always enough. Some actors have a certain presence - like Denzel Washngton, Johnny Depp or and early Harrison Ford. Jake does not quite have that. He does not command the screen. Popularity might bring a certain crowd to a movie's opening weekend, but after that reviews and word of mouth take over.

Love the idea of Jake just living his life, ideally with Austin, but with whatever male he loves if it's over, and letting people just deal with it.

Anonymous said...

" What if Jake is caught in a compromising position? Something like a sex tape. Would he become more popular AKA Paris Hilton?"

I think that whatever respect Jake still has in this film industry will vanish if a sex tape emerges.

But the fact that we're even having this conversation points to then utter dysfunctionality of the fauxmance. It has been poorly staged and managed; it doesn't have a natural, organic quality to it. Perhaps that's a good thing because it suggests that the real Jake is still in there somewhere, struggling to get out.

In fact, this fauxmance is like the 9/11 of Jake's relatively short career. The central pillars of his life - his family, best friend and personal integrity - almost collapsed, brought down by industry forces, jets that you could see coming over the horizon back in August.

Now we look at the wreckage - this pathetic fauxmance - and all that we're left with is apparitional and ephemeral : mist, dust, innuendo, mood-swings, memory, staged photo-ops, unsubstantiated rumors, silence, smoke, odd coincidences. Jake's real fans are trying to erect a symbolic light where the towers used to be.

All we can do now is wait.

Will he take a wrecking ball to what's left of his promise as an actor and role model, obliterating the lights left on his behalf in the process, or will he erect a new, stronger tower where the old one used to be?

I don't know the answer to this question, but I'm pretty sure that the path to renewal does not go through an airplane bathroom or a pathetic sports bio-pic.

Anonymous said...

Good lord, piers! That's an awful lot of speculation about something we know little if anything about.

But..."take a wrecking ball to what's left of his promise as an actor and role model..." That's pretty heavy stuff. You're condemning his career before he's had a chance to mature into it. A little harsh wouldn't you say?

Anonymous said...

That was me above at 10:26. Blogger didn't seem to recognise my nick first time around I reckon.

Special K said...

Thanks Jib for letting us know that.

Anonymous said...

In fact, this fauxmance is like the 9/11 of Jake's relatively short career. The central pillars of his life - his family, best friend and personal integrity - almost collapsed, brought down by industry forces, jets that you could see coming over the horizon back in August."

Piers (and I was a TB), I think you're WILDLY overexaggerating. My impression is that Jake is definitely where he wants to be with--with moviedom's highest paid female, benefiting from her connections and success. He probably feels thrilled to be the numero uno in Reese's life. As much as I hate it, I bet he feels his personal and professional life have never been more promising.

I'm sure he's seen his family and friends but Reese is his priority now because she's so perfect and wonderful you see. Whatever...

Anonymous said...

" Anonymous said...

Good lord, piers! That's an awful lot of speculation about something we know little if anything about.

But..."take a wrecking ball to what's left of his promise as an actor and role model..." That's pretty heavy stuff. You're condemning his career before he's had a chance to mature into it. A little harsh wouldn't you say?"

I've always believed that Jake's dalliance with bearding was foreseeable. His emotional life was weakened (plenty of evidence available to support this claim), Nichols' made a few major mistakes over the summer that compromised their relationship, gossip columnists started inventing stuff and the gay community did nothing to correct the record, a play/potential movie was stolen from him and two brilliant movies tanked at the box-office. I think that Jake emerged from this summer angry and determined to take control of his life and career, regardless of the cost. You could see the train coming down the tracks by Labor Day.

Rendition tanking and the easy availability of Reese in Rome was the the tipping point. The towers collapsed soon thereafter.

I'm not condemning his career, but I am questioning his career choices. It does look as if the writers strike has created an extremely conservative casting environment in Hollywood because so many sexually ambiguous actors are linking up/bearding now. At lest in part, Jake is just responding to the new political realities in Hollywood.

But you can also look at the events of his life during the past nine months and see momentum building for a major change in the direction of his life and career. Now, as I said before, he has a few choices before him, and he has to make a decision. Unfortunately, he probably thinks that he's stuck between a rock and a hard place : go back to the life he had before, with all of its compromises, vulnerabilities and loneliness, waiting for promising scripts to appear, or continue bearding in an attempt to appeal to more mainstream audiences. The problem is that this mainstream audience is homophobic, vicious, fickle and cruel. Just look at this website if you don't believe me :


http://www.barkingcarnival.com/scipio-tex/jake-gyllenhaal
-a-regular-broadway-joe

This is a slice of Jake's future demographic :

"Dear Hollywood,

You’ve gone and done it now. This is war. WAR!

At what point during your Hotel Bel-Air mid-wine flight post-synagogue movie pitch to Harvey Weinstein did you get the idea that Joe Willie Namath should be played by Jake Gyllenhaal, a confirmed cinematic sodomite?

Right after the course of foie gras, I’ll bet.

No David Hasselhoff? No Joe Penny from Riptide? What about, like, Wolverine? You could have offered us the simple courtesy of casting the Brokeback pitcher instead of the catcher. Heath Ledger was masculine and phenomenal in A Knights Tale.

Let’s get this straight. Joe Willie is no man’s frogurt receptacle. Even in lockup. Or dead drunk at an Erasure concert. If you were to find yourself in the hoosegow with Namath it is you that would be servicing him. Willingly. Cheerfully. Even if you were only in there for a couple of hours for an unpaid traffic ticket."

I've never seen such vicious homophobia. And notice what they're calling Jake even *after* Reese and Rome. What were they calling him before?

This is the Scylla and Charybdis facing Jake. The third alternative is unknown. That's what we're still waiting for. And we won't have to wait very much longer, ie. 10 or 15 years to know the direction that Jake's career is likely to take. We should have an answer fairly soon.

He's my favorite actor, bi/gay or otherwise, but I'm not optimistic.

He's a tough, courageous guy, but he's only human.

Anonymous said...

I've always believed that Jake's dalliance with bearding was foreseeable. His emotional life was weakened (plenty of evidence available to support this claim), Nichols' made a few major mistakes over the summer that compromised their relationship, gossip columnists started inventing stuff and the gay community did nothing to correct the record, a play/potential movie was stolen from him and two brilliant movies tanked at the box-office."

Piers, your argument would be a lot stronger if you didn't constantly paint Jake as this woeful victim and please stop attacking Austin. It takes two people to make a relationship and to also break it.Plus, who knows if they even HAD a real relationship. I think they were just good friends (maybe still talk to one another) who slept together a few times in between the girlfriends/lean times.

Oh yes, Austin made major mistakes-not Jake (HELLO REESE!!!) Austin was barely over the drinking limit when he got busted for a DUI--he just made a bad judgment call. But I suppose next to Jake the Perfect, no one can compare?

And Rendition was NOT a brilliant movie--the subject was worthwhile but the screenplay was third-rate, full of stereotypes and mediocre. Zodiac was far better but WAY too long; unfortunately, Jake's character was the dullest in the film. Whether we like it or not, I think he's delighted at the turn in his professional and personal life. And I wouldn't doubt it if he asked Reese to marry him when he was in Rome. Maybe he asks her to marry him everyday on his blackberry.

Anonymous said...

No David Hasselhoff? No Joe Penny from Riptide? What about, like, Wolverine? You could have offered us the simple courtesy of casting the Brokeback pitcher instead of the catcher. Heath Ledger was masculine and phenomenal in A Knights Tale.

Let’s get this straight. Joe Willie is no man’s frogurt receptacle. Even in lockup. Or dead drunk at an Erasure concert. If you were to find yourself in the hoosegow with Namath it is you that would be servicing him. Willingly. Cheerfully. Even if you were only in there for a couple of hours for an unpaid traffic ticket."

What are you talking about? Joe Namath was (and is) a very interesting, colorful sports figure. Who knows? Maybe this might be good.

And in addition to there being Austin fans on this blog, there are also HEATH fans on this blog who won't take kindly for your jabs against him either. So please remember where you're blogging.

Anonymous said...

"Whether we like it or not, I think he's delighted at the turn in his professional and personal life. And I wouldn't doubt it if he asked Reese to marry him when he was in Rome. Maybe he asks her to marry him everyday on his blackberry."

There are two major problems with your argument. The first is that it completely undercuts the popularity of this board and the intense backlash against Reeke.

If we, the devotees of a web-blog devoted to the proposition that Jake is gay/bi and deeply interested in having some kind of intimate relationship with Austin or some other man, firmly believed that "[Jake was] delighted at the turn in his professional and personal life", then we probably wouldn't be here. There is a staggering contradiction in your argument, at least as it applies to this board and WFT. Neither cognitive dissonance nor masochism can explain the contradiction implied by your argument.

Second, there is plenty of evidence that Jake is *not* happy right now. Someone who is happy does not put his head down on someone's shoulder in an airport in front of everyone, publicly distance himself from his family and best friend for an extended period of time, look so bloody miserable in LA 98% of the time (which is not NAPA or Rome), or ask for separate bedrooms during a supposedly romantic retreat with his paramour.

Yeah, Jake's happy alright. There's a whole chapter in the DSM on this kind of happiness.

I'm sure that Jake is realizing, at least in the short term, professional benefits from the fauxmance, but I'm not convinced that Jake is a total political whore, or that he has resigned himself to a life without genuine emotional and sexual intimacy.

Now of course, if you believe that he's getting this fulfillment with Reese, then why are you here? Obviously because you don't believe it, and neither do I.

When I was in the closet, the only thing that kept me sane was the belief that I wouldn't have to stay in the closet forever, and that I could have a better life outside.

I suspect that the only thing keeping Jake sane is the belief that he can have a better life some day, out of the closet and extremely successful. For now, he'll settle for the latter, but I think that he sincerely wants both.

Anonymous said...

Someone who is happy does not put his head down on someone's shoulder in an airport in front of everyone, publicly distance himself from his family and best friend for an extended period of time, look so bloody miserable in LA 98% of the time (which is not NAPA or Rome), or ask for separate bedrooms during a supposedly romantic retreat with his paramour."

Jake did the same thing with Kirsten (check out the old IHJ shots) and I do believe they had a real relationship. And just because he hasn't been photographed lately with his family or best friend doesn't mean he doesn't see them. Wasn't there a sighting recently of Jake having dinner with his family?

As for separate bedrooms--my impression was that they had a large suite that had several bedrooms.

I'm on this blog because I got hooked into the Toothy Tile saga and even though I do think Ted exaggerated and fabricated some stuff (ie. Baby Tile??), I believed that Jake was bi/gay. I don't think it's strange for him to be in a relationship with a woman now given his history but yes, I'm disappointed. But clearly, he wants to be with Reese. Sigh...

I think I'd be more appreciative if it were Natalie Portman, Ann Hathaway, Scarjo--someone around his age, who's not a Type A monster and has no baggage.

Anonymous said...

Gossip Girl, you seem to want to be pretty nasty about Jake compared to what Piers said about Austin. As for what you have to say about Jake, Piers. How do you know? I'm sorry but all these wild accusations and judgements about him have no basis in actual facts. Again we don't know what is really going on in Jake, Reese or Austin's life.

Anonymous said...

Again we don't know what is really going on in Jake, Reese or Austin's life."

Amen.

By the way, this is a great song. Just wonderful.

Anonymous said...

I am not sure who is making the wildest speculations here, piers or gossip girl. I think it is a tie! Basically, lots of bs on both sides, considering noone knows a thing.

Anonymous said...

I've put up screencaps from the episode of FNL. Just one scene with Austin, but that didn't stop me from doing a whole bunch of caps. See them here. :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you hjulia, I was just looking at the nbc sites for these. Another lovely shirt and tie combo, Austin seems to be getting more gorgeous by the week.

(It would be nice to think the Jake watched the show, might remind him what he seems to be giving up).

Anonymous said...

I'm with sheesh. Piers's 9/11 analogy is tasteless. As though the trajectory of a multi-millionaire's career is even comparable.

Using people's surnames only always sounds hostile. And what other mistake has Austin made that anyone knows about?

Less histrionics, please.

Anonymous said...

gossip girl, piers was quoting from a jock website to demonstrate the quality of Jake's future demographic, not having a go at Heath :)

Anonymous said...

Again we don't know what is really going on in Jake, Reese or Austin's life.

Thank you for stating the obvious. Geez!