Wednesday, February 13, 2008

G. I. Jake

The end of 2005 found Jake starring in three films. Most will say the triumph was Brokeback. With no one knowing what the unknown potential was for Brokeback, the buzz for Jake that fall was on his role in Jarhead. It was that Jarhead buzz early in the fall, that was saying a leading actor nomination for Jake for his role as Tony Swofford.

Rolling Stone said, "It's the best acting Gyllenhaal has ever done (and he triumphs in the upcoming Brokeback Mountain). Gyllenhaal is the heart and soul of a darkly intense and ferociously funny movie that sets its sights on soldiers under the gun of doing nothing."

Jarhead had a stellar cast including Oscar winners Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper. Peter again brought an incredible performance and it make you wonder when will he be finally recognized for his work. Jarhead was the supposed Jake's Oscar vehicle. No one expected Brokeback to be the phenomenon it became.

It wasn't the lack of Oscar worthy performances that held Jarhead back for nominations, it was more of the overall theme of the film. Jarhead never took a position on the war, Sam Mendes did this intentionally, leaving it up the audience, but the audience it seemed was looking for a statement one way or the other.

Unfortunately Jarhead sometimes gets overlooked while it is yet another great performance from Jake on his growing list of credits.

94 comments:

  1. Great post! JH is a favorite of mine. And Peter, yes. I love his voice. And I'm shallow, I admit I watched the Santa Dance over and over and over and over and over and over....because I really liked that song, OPP. :o

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  2. When I saw Jarhead, one of my first thoughts was- wow, Peter is really underrated.

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  3. I am way, way cuter than this dog!

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  4. ^^Now don't go dissin' on Uno, Tinkerbell, I thought he was a beauty! Beagles are one of my favorite breeds. I love the Westminster Dog Show,the beautiful dogs and the great Pedigree commercials. I have a Siamese cat, but I'd love to get a dog - Siberian Husky or that pretty girl the Great Pyrenees, or a German Shepherd like Atti. Decisions, decisions!

    I loved Jarhead, and not for the reason(s) you think, although Jake's a knockout in that way. It's a great film, and I agree, Peter's a wonderful actor too. I loved the book, beautifully and lyrically written by Anthony Swofford.

    Thanks for Gang of Four today, love this song. Yes, I love a man in (and out!) of uniform. ;)

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  5. I wonder if BBM and Jarhead were both not released in the same year if Jake may have been nominated for Jarhead. It has been a while since Jake has given two performances like he did in those two films. He must be hungry for those type of reviews again.

    Uno is the man..........

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  6. He is, isn't he? ;) Tom, did your friends ever find their dog?

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  7. Netb I still dont know. No one has seen the couple who owned the dog.

    OT Cool hayden Christensen is on Regis and Kelly tomorrow and NPH on Friday. Have to catch it before I head to the pool. Hopefully the sun will return.

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  8. It's difficult to remember now, after the phenomenon that was Brokeback, that Jarhead was supposed to be Jake's breakout Oscar film.

    After we watched Jarhead, the Mrs. turned to me and said about Jake, "Okay he can really act!" Prior to that, she had not been too impressed with him.

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  9. Hey since Tink is grounded fur life I oughta go out with Uno. Wouldn't be the furst time I humped a male. Yea that Uno looks pretty good.

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  10. Yeah well....let Uno have his day. We all know who's the Hot Slut the rest of the year. heh

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  11. Uno is dlisted's Hot Slut of the Day.

    That is so cute, he really is a livin' doll. :)

    I've wondered about Paris too. Just horrible. :(

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  12. Tinhat here, what is the Open ID option? I haven't seen that before.

    I thought the negligent pet owner BI was Britney but it would be easy to believe Paris. It is so wrong to treat dogs like fashion accessories. Get a stuffed dog!

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  13. Tinhat -- you can use Name/URL and just put in your name -- you don't have to put in a URL

    Sorry I haven't check out the Open ID thing yet but it seems you can use your id from blogger, livejournal, wordpress, aim etc.

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  14. I wish I had seen Jarhead in a theater. Most of the reviews when it came out were along the lines of a movie about war being boring is also boring, and it came out in that pre-holiday rush when there were tons of movies out at once. It then disappeared before I could see it.

    I really like Jarhead, but after BBM the fact that Jake was good did not suprise me, although I was very happy to see him doing something so different from his other roles. For me the real revelation was Peter.

    I think they were both great in their roles, but given the so-so reviews I think that regardless of when it was released it would have never been an Oscar contender. The lack of an audience for it on top of the reviews didn't help either.

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  15. Where in the world are Jake and Austin right now? What do you guys think?

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  16. Both Jake and Reese are not working right now. Probably getting ready for the show tomorrow night.

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  17. Both Jake and Austin aren't working right now. I hope Jake uses his razor soon.

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  18. He is also her "beloved" and she followed him out to CA. Don't get me started on her.

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  19. Oh, go ahead, websurfer!

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  20. Gotta Do/Get:

    Videos
    The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
    Fistful of Dollars
    Once Upon A Time in the West

    Wine
    Tenuta della Luia
    2003 Rosso di Toscana (2)

    Dinners to go from Angelini Osteria

    Baci's

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  21. is Ryan talking about his divorce from Reese. Wonder why people are so interested in this?

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  22. Ryan has a movie to promote.

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  23. P.S. A movie with Abbie Cornish.

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  24. Interesting comment from Ryan:

    "I certainly understand the level of interest that comes along with a public marriage, and with being married to someone like Reese, who so many people love with good reason. People want answers," he says. "But I think sometimes they wouldn't be happy with what the answers would be."

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  25. Yea websurfer, spill it. Are you thinkin whut I'm thinkin? That Papa SG hasnt been seen in a while but Mama NFG has and is lookin real good, like a woman does when she's jilted? I mean she had waaay more sex appeal than her son when they were snapped outside of Joans on Third a month ago, heh? Methinks/my opinion is a Ma and Pa 'situation' is whuts been dragging Jakey down from the start. Reese was more than happy to do the consoling and Jake was desperate to take it. The Jeese public assumed romance, the Reekes cried fauxmance - and they were all wrong.

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  26. Said, you've explained why Ryan wants to talk to People, not why people want to read about him. I didn't think he was considered too terribly interesting.

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  27. Oct 2007

    SF: Would you like to have a family of your own?

    JG: Sure it's one of my aims for the future. A value that I put at the centre of my life: my parents are still together after thirty years.

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  28. Italian VF interview- there is a big difference between publicly together and privately split. Just as there is a big difference between real relationships and fauxmances.

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  29. Publicly together and privately split?

    The only people who care about their marriage are their children, relatives and friends.

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  30. Jake Gyllenhaal and a couple of buddies, hitting the Rufus Wainwright concert at the Wiltern theater in L.A..

    http://www.eonline.com/gossip/planetgossip/detail/index.jsp?uuid=deb7616b-770b-4597-bc2c-64e7009ad9b5


    Maria

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  31. AGAIN?!!!

    *laughs hysterically*

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  32. Btw Maria, I'm not laughing at you or your post. Thanks for the info/link. Just laughing at how many times the boy can see Rufus, ya know? Looks like Rufus is in NY for Valentines so maybe Jakey will be taking Reesey to see the Pet Shop Boys after all.

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  33. Destiny, do you get the feeling like I do the Buddies might be the 2 Bookstore Buddies (if Austin wasn't there)?

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  34. Come on Austin not there, please you know he was.

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  35. Cooper you sure love to play pop psychologist don't you? *rolls eyes*

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  36. Please....if your definition of pop psychologist includes me saying my opinion, which I clearly stated when I said "Methinks/my opinion...." in my post, well then, YEP. Means everyone is a pop psychologist, eh?

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  37. I hope someone was on hand again to check out everyone's hair!

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  38. Rufus played the Wiltern yesterday. I wonder if there will be any mentions of Jake at this concert anywhere else.

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  39. specially on natural brunettes turned blond gone back to brunette!

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  40. I wonder if there will be any mentions of Jake at this concert anywhere else.

    Defamer, perhaps?

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  41. So much for my dreams of seeing Jake at Rufus tomorrow night. And I can totally identify with Jake on this one as I can be quite obsessive when it comes to seeing certain singers and bands; tomorrow night will be my fifth time seeing Rufus in the past two years.

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  42. I'll jus curl up and dye if I don't get mentioned after all the friggin bleachin and shit he's put me thru!

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  43. Destiny Austin could still be in NYC. Keep your eyes wide open. Would you die or what.


    I quess one Rufus concert was enough for his lady love.

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  44. But Destiny, this is Jakes 4th time (that's known) in a few months!!!

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  45. Funny that this sighting comes from the same columnist who wrote about Reeke sitting by the fire after a Rufus concert.

    And Tom, don't you worry, my eyes will be wide open, just in case one Rufus concert in one week wasn't enough.

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  46. Ot but is DC Forum down?

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  47. He Can't Stop Coming, if I had Jake's money and time.....plus, I save my truly compulsive concert-going for U2.

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  48. destiny, take your night seeing goggles. or heat-seeking. either works. :o

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  49. Can u imagine a OMG sightin of the two lovebirds at a Rufus concert in NYC. He could be waiting for him there. oops of course I mean jeese.

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  50. It's down for me, question.

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  51. Wainwright on Heath Ledger's death: "I wrote this song for Rivers Phoenix when he died. Now I sort of see it as Heath Ledger's song. Like my friend said, 'They always die after playing a gay person.'"
    (…)The crowd was fantastic. At one point in the middle of the show, Rufus was standing at the microphone trying to say something, but we are screaming so loudly and wouldn't let him speak. He loved it. He said, "I feel like Obama." The LA crowd definitely made him feel loved.

    It was a seated venue, but a lot of the crowd got on their feet for 14th Street and Beautiful Child. It was fun to see Jake Gyllenhaal two rows behind us standing, dancing and singing his heart out to 14th Street. After Beautiful Child Rufus said, "when I wrote that song I thought how the hell am I going to sing that!......I sing it every night now."

    http://boards.rufuswainwright.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=live&Number=546398&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=3

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  52. Color me blushing but yesterday I forgot to drop by to give my warmest congrats to Special and Wicked for six beautiful months of OMG. With all the work you've put into it and the action we got it must have felt like six years! Hope we'll get many more months all together. :* :* :*

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  53. OT but DC is really down, I get this: "Table 'smf_messages' is marked as crashed and last (automatic?) repair failed"

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  54. Maybe they're doing some maintenance.

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  55. Very nice post, Maria, about the Rufus concert. Thanks! And I can identify as well with wanting to see a favorite artist many times. :)

    I had wanted to see Jarhead at the theater as well - I had seen the previews and thought it looked interesting, and I always see war movies because I like to think about the different perspectives, why we get into them, the thoughts and feelings of those who fight them. I fell in love with Tony's book. But with the holiday rush, I couldn't see everything and I chose Brokeback. I wish now I had seen Jarhead at the theater too. WHY do they have so many movies out at that time? I'm not a big fan of renting; I much prefer going out to a movie. :)

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  56. "It was fun to see Jake Gyllenhaal two rows behind us standing, dancing and singing his heart out to 14th Street. " Aw it sounds likew he has a lot of fun with his friends/buddies. I bet they joined in too. [Can't say I see Reese doing the same. she seems like a uptight wet blanket]

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  57. A little quicky before supper:

    Some of my favorite scenes from Jarhead:

    1) When Swofford pwut-pwut his way through You Are the Sunshine of My Life.

    2) When Swofford gets really angry at his fellow marine - what a brilliant tirade!

    3) When Swofford whispers softly "it's alright" to that poor horse that appears out of nowhere in the middle of the desert.

    And THAT other one... come on, you know what I'm talking about don't you? ;)

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  58. I hope Jake dont have to work tomorrow or this weekend. Are you with me netb?

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  59. ^^Yes, I'm glad about that too. I hope he's feeling better. Buddies, hmmmm? I hope a certain one in particular was there. :)

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  60. Yea, thanks maria.

    And late Congrats to Wicked and special for the 6 month anniversary. 1 year is paper or clocks, should I get you a half page of onion skin or parchment paper or if you want half of the clock do you want the little hand and 6 of the numbers?? (If you want the big hand you only get 3 numbers).

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  61. ^^I'm with ya, Tom! ;) Hope he's got the day off.

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  62. 3) When Swofford whispers softly "it's alright" to that poor horse that appears out of nowhere in the middle of the desert.

    Frenchy, this scene is one of the reasons I wish I had seen Jarhead on the big screen - it was just so incredibly beautiful in every way - visually, and the words.

    And THAT other one... come on, you know what I'm talking about don't you? ;)

    Ohhhhh, that other one . . . I was dumbstruck. My concentration was completely gone at that point. ;)

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  63. Albert "Barky" Lyle, Reporter from It's A Dog's Life:

    Uno, Uno! Over Here! Is there anything anything you'd like to say to everyone about your historic win as the first beagle ever to win Best In Show at the Westminster Dog Show?

    Uno: Oh Gosh, thank you, I'm just so overwhelmed by this honor, I could just howl with joy -

    First of all, I'd like to thank the members of the WKC, my owner and handler, my littermate brothers and sisters, and my wonderful Mom and Dad, without whom none of this would have been possible!

    *takes a bow and is off for a dizzying schedule of guest appearances on talk shows and news programs, red carpet premieres, fancy-schmancy restaurants, the opening of the NYSE and then off to Disney World!*

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  64. Tuff Decisions- I want the little hand and 6 of the numbers! I'll treasure it always!

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  65. Can I get something now or do I have wait the our year anniversary to get my half?

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  66. OT: The Gay People’s Choice Awards Winners!

    Favorite Out Gay Celebrity:
    Among AfterElton.com readers, the favorite out gay celebrity is Neil Patrick Harris. However, John Barrowman received an astounding 82% of the write-in vote — which makes us think we were seriously remiss in not listing him in this category.

    Favorite male movie star:
    It was a landslide victory for Johnny Depp, who received 36% of the votes in this category. In second place, Matt Damon made a respectable showing with 22% of the vote. Among the write-ins, the most frequent names were James Marsden, James MacAvoy, Jake Gyllenhaal, and yes, Zac Efron!

    http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/20368585.html

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  67. Is it even humanly possible for a guy to be straight when he goes to as many Rufus concerts as Jake has in the past 12 months?

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  68. Every time I listen to Rufus' "Release the Stars" I can't help but think that he's sining for, and to, Jake.

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  69. Every time I listen to Rufus' "Release the Stars" I can't help but think that he's singing for, and to, Jake.

    So sweet; I put that CD in the player after reading your comment RW Fangirl! :)

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  70. incredulous said...

    Is it even humanly possible for a guy to be straight when he goes to as many Rufus concerts as Jake has in the past 12 months?


    Gosh, I don't know. I used to follow Melissa Etheridge all through the midwest. Doesn't make me lesbian. Makes me a fan.

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  71. Nice to hear Jake is out and about with someone other than Reese. I was beginning to wonder if he had given up all his friends.

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  72. Doesn't make me lesbian.

    That's what they ALL say!

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  73. UGO: What can you tell me about your upcoming moon colonization project?

    DL: It's with Jake Gyllenhaal. We're still in development on it. It's a script I wrote about ten years ago. I think the greatest accomplishment in our lifetime really was the Apollo program. And rather than just tell a history of the first lunar landing, I want to make it relevant to a young audience by having the group today recreate what the Apollo program did forty years ago.


    Scroll down to the bottom

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  74. (...)I think the greatest accomplishment in our lifetime really was the Apollo program. And rather than just tell a history of the first lunar landing, I want to make it relevant to a young audience by having the group today recreate what the Apollo program did forty years ago.

    Thanks for the update MPN.

    Not a great fan of Bourne and Smith but if that Moon project is in the same vein as Apollo 13 then I'm eagerly buying.

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  75. is Zodiac on cable yet?

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  76. And rather than just tell a history of the first lunar landing, I want to make it relevant to a young audience by having the group today recreate what the Apollo program did forty years ago.

    I think this is a great approach - I'm interested! :)

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  77. is Zodiac on cable yet?

    Haven't seen it advertised.

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  78. Wicked: I want the little hand and 6 of the numbers! I'll treasure it always!

    Special K: Can I get something now or do I have wait the our year anniversary to get my half?


    Uhoh I'm saving the gift for the 1 year anniversary. So you don't argue and break up and delete the blog. :( But then again seeing you two in a girl fight might be kinda fun. I wonder who would win. We could take bets! :D

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  79. http://www.observer.com/2004/transom

    Jake hits Austin with a snowball during the promotion of "The Day After Tomorrow"

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  80. 6th month anniversary. Congrats girls. Awesome job. I know Wicked and Special work very hard to keep the site interesting and and fresh and take it very seriously. We have been going through some tough times and they have kept us all together.

    It was nice to hear that Jake was out with friends. With the high profile films that Jake has on the horizon it sure makes me think about the tremendous amount of pressure he must be facing from these powerful studios. I dont have to like what he has been doing lately but can understand why. His whole life and dreams are at stake. Right now I am feeling like I am the one who has been selfish and not Jake.

    I still hope Jake comes out soon and that we see him and Austin together again but I am going to try harder to be more patient with Jake. It sure will be interesting to see were we are 6th months from now at OMG's 1 year anniversary. I have no quess at this point but hell it should be interesting.

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  81. Thanks photo analyzer for the article, I'd never seen that before. More evidence of our smitten kitten.

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  82. A good day for a change. Jake having a rockin good time with buddies at a Rufus concert. Hopefully with Austin, and letting the gay out a bit. Plus the article about the snowball fight showing the comraderie between that existed between J&A. Maybe there will be a new BI re Toothy and the recent concert.

    Re cantara, yea, my 6th sense says something is up there. Even back at the time of the jake watch fiasco, something seemed off about the way she wrote about Stephen. She was way too interested in him. Whether he reciprocated is unknown.

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  83. God, I hope he didn't reciprocate. I like to give him the benefit of having a modicum of taste.

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  84. Cantara memorializing Heath (and still making it about Jake's father!)

    http://cantara.squarespace.com/bildung-in-hollywood/

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  85. GG all she needed in her headline was "second cousin three times removed" - sheesh. LOL

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  86. Thanks for the Observer-link!

    "Co-star Austin Nichols turned to The Transom and began to offer his assessment of Mr. Gyllenhaal:

    "I can't say enough good things about Jake-"

    POW! A snowball hit him in the face. A few yards away, Mr. Gyllenhaal cackled impenitently.

    "So, I take that back," Mr. Nichols said.

    "I meant to hit Teddy Roosevelt," the film's star protested by way of an excuse, gesturing to the statue in front of the museum. "I almost managed to hit his ass, but I don't think I got it."

    Boyish teasing while talking about men's asses. Hmmm, what could that mean?

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  87. How about this comment-

    In the movie, Mr. Gyllenhaal manages to save his love interest from impending doom (oh, as if you didn't know!), but how about in real life? What if he could only save one thing? "A cucumber," the former Columbia student deadpanned. "It's an important vege-er, fruit!"

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