stunning jake zodiac la premiere dining

Stunning Jake - Zodiac LA premiere - Dining with the Gyllenhaals

The first time I saw Jake Gyllenhaal I couldn't believe that he was

even more stunning in real life than in photographs or even on the

silver screen. But he was. And it wasn't a fluke. Each time it hit me

anew. It turns out I'm not the only to insist that there is a radiance

about Jake that will always make him stand out, even among other movie

stars (and I have seen a few for comparison - including Brad Pitt when

he was over in the UK filming a few years ago). Lawrence Toppman, the

movie critic for The Charlotte Observer has listed the movie stars

that have made the biggest impression on him for a range of reasons

and Jake is there as the 'most stunning'.

'Most stunning: Jake Gyllenhaal. Virtually all actors look better

onscreen than in life. Gyllenhaal, chiseled and magnetic, is a rare

exception. His female counterpart would be the jaw-dropping Bryce

Dallas Howard.' Others include 'Most thoughtful: Ang Lee. The

soft-voiced, slow-spoken "Crouching Tiger" director wasn't afraid to

look into his past or his psyche to figure out why he has one of the

most diverse, satisfying bodies of work in film.' By contrast 'Most

stuck on himself: Ben Kingsley. Insisted on being called "Sir Ben" and

explained in finicky detail the differences between being a

classically trained actor and an actor with classical training. Not

exactly Gandhi, eh?'

So without doubt (and no bias here, of course..), Jake is the most

stunning of film stars, but what is he like? At the very beginning of

March, the LA premiere of Zodiac took place behind closed barriers at

Paramount Studios and without the presence of Jake. But, even in NYC,

Jake may have felt his ears burn. In the first video (which also

features interviews with John Carroll Lynch, Chloe Sevigny and

others), Robert Graysmith is asked what he thought of Jake's

performance: 'I love Jake's performance! Am I the luckiest man in the

entire universe?'

In this second video, Chloe is asked if she kept Jake's character in

check: 'I tried. He was really a sweet boy, very young, surprisingly,

but he had a great spirit and enthusiasm and professionalism and

that's all you can hope for... Not an inflated ego, he was actually

very... a really nice boy.'

Dining with the Gyllenhaals

According to a sighting, Jake, Maggie, Peter, Ramona, Naomi and

Stephen had dinner together on Christmas Eve at Babbo's in Greenwich

Village in NYC. Babbo's is run by family friend Mario Batali who is a

big believer in having a family experience around the dinner table

while enjoying Italian food (with local, handy ingredients) and fine

Italian wines. I should point out that I'm writing this post at dinner

time and I have yet to eat...

The desserts at this restaurant are legendary so I've been through the

menu and selected my favourite: 'Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Orange

Sauce and Hazelnut Gelato $12'. For main course it would have to be

the Grouper but without the pancetta (not a very veggie or fishy

menu). The wine philosophy speaks to my heart - it encourages sampling

and discovery. And there are almost 2,000 to choose from. The wine

list is reason enough to make a reservation - a month in advance, to

the day.

And finally...

This picture below is irrelevant but I was reading a review of Chris

Rock's current tour of the UK and it reminded me of this photograph.

Includes pictures from IHJ.

Posted by Wet Dark and Wild at 18:37