Blue Bananas

You might have seen Jake and the Banana Boyz already



but is once enough for a performance of this caliber?

But don't think you've seen this yet. This is Jake and Jimmy during the commercial break.



In the web exclusive they talk about the Banana Boyz, and acting, and oh yeah make a couple of promos between the giggles.

UPDATE: Here is Jake's interview with Jimmy.







Speaking of Breadcrumbs

Have you notice there seems to be a trend in tweets

Yes Neyteri. We are mated before Eywa. It is done. I see you.
Friday, November 19, 2010

Guess what they call this gun? R2-D2 with a hard-on. Not a joke. http://twitpic.com/37r9el Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Nothing makes me happier than dollar taco night. Well maybe Harrison Ford and blue light-up frisbees. Monday, November 15, 2010

Cinema Wisdom: Every romantic comedy has a running scene. When you screw up, you HAVE to run to get your love back!! Sunday, November 14, 2010

Cars break down, its hard to get a taxi. So you have to steal a motorcycle or a horse and ride to your loved one. And profess your love. Sunday, November 14, 2010
(a nod to the scene in LaOD (and Jake not in London?) )

My nipples get hard when I see the TRON trailer. I want a suit with blue lights. And a deadly frisby. Saturday, November 13, 2010

Maybe this explains his love of exclamation marks. Ha!

Something else of interest.

Rolling Stone did a piece about the music compilation for The Gulf, Gasoline Rainbow, that Austin heading up with his co-star. It's good buzz for the project but there is something that jumped off of the page.

The name of the record label.

Roark Records

It is not uncommon for people to create small independent labels especially for special projects. And the name of this little label points straight to Austin.

Why? Howard Roark is the protagonist of The Fountainhead. It is also a book that Austin was so into that he turned into a book club selection that he said with everyone through Southern Gothic.

And it says a lot about Austin that he would name a label Roark Records (and not for the alliteration quality like his partner in fundraising might think)

Howard Roark

Roark choose to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision. He is the example of free will — the theory that an individual has the power, by virtue of the choices he makes, to control the outcome of his own life. He the a first hander an individual who relies on his own thinking, who does not place the beliefs of others before the functioning of his own mind. He served as a champion for Rand's life philosophy based on selfishness ("the commitment, in action, to one's self, i.e., one's own values; a persistent quest to achieve — and the refusal to betray — one's values for any reason") which she called Objectivism.

Howard keeps his integrity the whole time and ends up living happily ever after.
He seemed to have the hardest life all in the book but ended up the happiest of all of them.

So what is Austin trying to say about the man behind the music?

Popping Pressure Stressing Less

Some people love to travel, some not so much. But everyone is always looking to make their travel easier and less stressful. Looks like Jake does too and takes a homeopathic approach. Having to go way back for actual interviews with Jake (since he hasn't done any since Rendition) I came across one he did for a travel program called Getaway, which appears on the Nine MSN, an Aussie site. You can read and watch a video snippet it here. They discussed his first time filming in Morocco (for Rendition) and the most remote place he's been to and his travel tips.

What's your number-one travel tip?

Jake: I always feel like water and exercise, like exercising as soon as you get to the place where there's jetlag that's essential. But water makes you keep your sanity.

Is there anything you would never leave home without?
Jake: EarPlanes, and Doctor Bach — what's it called? Stress spray or whatever it's called. It's a homeopathic stress remedy thing for flying.

OH LIKE A SPRITZER?
Jake: No it’s like, comes in drops or whatever. It's called Rescue Remedy, yeah Rescue Remedy.

EarPlanes are ear plugs that relieve ear discomfort, clogging and popping with a filter that regulates air pressure naturally. They were developed by Drew O'Connell in conjunction with the House Ear Institute, the world's leader in hearing research and ear surgery are recommended by flight attendants, frequent flyers and doctors.

Rescue Remedy is homeopathic and natural stress reliever that contains five flower essences: Rock Rose for terror and panic, Impatiens for irritation and impatience, Clematis for inattentiveness, Star of Bethlehem for shock and Cherry Plum for irrational thoughts.

Created over 60 years ago by Dr Edward Bach, who recognized the need for an emergency treatment to help people cope with such everyday stressful situations.

Initially marketed to women, it is now used world wide for stress relief. While Jake uses the drops in a glass in a water, the authors of an article for Time Out Chicago tried out the Rescue Remedy spray for an article. They tried it and found the spritz had familiar taste. "Tequila?" one editor said to the author, turns out the spritzer is at least is 27% alcohol. Not sure about the drops.

Makes you wonder if Jake popped in his EarPlanes and asked for cup of ice and poured the whole bottle of those Rescue Remedy drops on his last flight from Paris.



You think frequent flyer Austin has become a fan of them too?

Getaway Nine MSN
EarPlanes
Rescue Remedy
Time Out Chicago (PDF)



More from A Smaller World:
The main character in The Fountainhead is Howard Roark. Jake's fathers name is Stephen Roark Gyllenhaal.

Dancing about Architecture

BIG OOPS! Forgot about the JFC discussion starting tonight.
Look for the discussion to start tomorrow. Thanks guys! 6:06EST

They say that writing about music is like dancing about architecture, but I think that talking about art can fall into the same category.

But what about writing philosophy using architecture ? Are you dancing in pairs then?

And what the hell does it have to do with Austin Fridays?

Well it leads us to the Austin's SoGoprah book club pick of The Fountainhead.

Austin says introducing the book says that it's about "Idealism and the price of compromise." And in one sentence. Austin wrote a whole book about dancing about architecture or the story of Hollywood.

The Fountainhead is the story of Howard Roark, an idealistic young architect who chooses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision. The book follows his battle to practice modern architecture, which he believes to be superior, despite an established practices.

Why architecture? The reason Rand used architecture is because it unlike other professions it combines art and science. Were the main character Howard Roark an artist of another sort (canvas painter, illustrator, author, etc.), any study he did of materials and any knowledge he had of cutting expenses without compromising durability, would be inconsequential to the price customers pay for the artist's product. However, shelter being vital to human survival and comfort, and it being the most expensive financial outlay for the majority of people, Roark's ingenuity has repercussions for all of society. Roark's need to feel aesthetic satisfaction toward his work synthesizes his art with his knowledge of science, and with it, unifies art and science as such in the book, and so too merges Roark's character with the two key aspects of his profession.

Austin is no different. As an actor/artist he needs to feel aesthetic satisfaction toward his work, synthesizing his art with his knowledge of the science of success in Hollywood. Because it is a science, there is a formula, there is a method, there are outcomes. Do you compromise your art for success or do you not follow the method/system for your art? A rock and a hard place.

But here's the deal, it's obvious that he's reading it (most likely again), you can tell from recent pictures he's almost half way through it.

But why is he letting others know he's reading it? What is he trying to tell people? Is it about himself? Is he letting fans who are unsuspecting that there is a system to Hollywood? Is trying to say something else about Hollywood? (To those who have read it think the character Gail Wynand and his tabloid, The Banner)

Or is he saying that he is trying to find his balance and doing to so he can have both on his own terms? Trying to impart some wisdom other, that all of us do the same, trying to find the balance.

An Austin Friday about architecture, or art, or Hollywood, or finding the balance in life, or maybe just dancing.



Photos: Austin Nichols Journal, OTH forums, RileyCat12 Thanks bunches!