"Before Maggie Gyllenhaal, before Parker Posey, there was Adrienne Shelly. Around 1990, when the first wave of the Sundance-era indie-film revolution was cresting, Shelly was the queen of the scene. With the one-two punch of The Unbelievable Truth (pictured) and Trust, she and filmmaker Hal Hartley had made put each other on the map, and those deadpan romantic comedies had made the lush-lipped actress a pin-up among indie film fanboys. She'd go on to specialize in portrayals of waifish, fringe-dwelling women who often seemed to hide a ferocious intelligence behind an offbeat exterior. In recent years, she'd largely given up acting for directing (though she appeared on screen this year in Matt Dillon's Factotum), including a movie she'd recently directed and submitted to the 2007 Sundance Festival called Waitress,starring Keri Russell.
It's worth going back and watching the Hartley movies or Joel Hershman's Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, and Deran Serafian's The Road Killers in order to recall what a singular, sharp but sweet presence she was in movies. Meanwhile, let's hope Sundance screens Waitress and finds a way to pay tribute to Shelly; after all, she helped lay the fest's foundation". Source: Popwatch.ew.com
23rd Annual Spirit Awards 2008: BEST FIRST FEATURE 2 Days in Paris Director: Julie Delpy
Great World of Sound Director Craig Zobel
The Lookout Director: Scott Frank
Rocket Science Director: Jeffrey Blitz
Vanaja Director: Rajnesh Domalpalli
BEST SCREENPLAY Ronald Harwood The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tamara Jenkins The Savages
Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner Starting Out in the Evening
"Actor Jake Gyllenhaal has generously decided to auction a second chance to visit the set of one of his upcoming movies AND have lunch with him, with proceeds benefiting the ACLU of Southern California! The winning bidder may bring one guest to share in this experience!
The winner of this auction lot will visit Gyllenhaal on the set of "Brothers", filming in Santa Fe, New Mexico through mid-January 2008. "Brothers" is about a young man who comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan. The film also features Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman.
With talent and instinct beyond his years, Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal is speeding down the fast track of stardom. Currently, he can be seen in New Line Cinema's "Rendition" along with Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep. Even in the early stages of his career, he starred opposite several of today's most respected actors, such as Dustin Hoffman, Laura Dern, Holly Hunter, John C. Reilly and Susan Sarandon.
[...] Gyllenhaal earned his first Oscar nomination for the role of "Jack" in the highly acclaimed Brokeback Mountain. The film, which chronicled an intense relationship between two Wyoming stockmen, was directed by Ang Lee and co-starred Heath Ledger.
[...] A true testament to his character, Gyllenhaal's official website includes a section on causes he cares about, with links to College Summit, NION and the ACLU. He has even spoken out on the film industry's responsibility to address political issues. Along with his parents Naomi Foner - Gyllenhaal and Stephen Gyllenhaal, and sister Maggie Gyllenhall, Jake received the ACLU Foundation Torch of Liberty Award in 2003". Source: Charityfolks.com
"Jake Gyllenhaal has treated lover Reese Witherspoon to private cooking lessons.
The couple - who met on the set of their film 'Rendition' earlier this year - fell in love with Italian food during their recent break to Rome, so Jake arranged for a top chef to visit his house and show his new girl around the kitchen.
A source said: "Reese fell in love with Rome and Italian food reminds her of the great time they had together. Jake knew Reese would be thrilled to learn how to make some of the dishes herself. She loves cooking for her children."
Reese has two children with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, eight-year-old daughter Ava and four-year-old son Deacon.
The Oscar-winning actress is believed to have been dating Jake for months, but the couple only went public with their romance in October.
That same month, Jake joined Reese and her children to go trick or treating on Halloween (31.10.07).
The 31-year-old actress was dressed as a witch, as was daughter Ava. Jake, 26, was dressed in a gorilla suit, while Deacon wore a superhero outfit". Source: People.monstersandcritics.com
"One of our favourite celebrity style makers, Kirsten Dunst, has been signed up to front Miu Miu next season. She has just shot the spring/summer 2008 campaign in LA with fashion shutterbugs Mert and Marcus (who were nominated for a British Fashion Award last night). Miuccia Prada has always been fond of using celebrities for Miu Miu campaigns – previously casting Kim Basinger and Lindsay Lohan – although last season model Laeticia Casta starred in the ads. Miu Miu is set to expand even further in the US next year with new stores planned for New York and LA, so it was the perfect time to inject some Hollywood glamour into the brand again". Source: Elleuk.com
"Reese Witherspoon ranked number one on The Hollywood Reporter’s annual list of the highest-paid actresses. The 31-year-old actress commands $15 million to $20 million a movie.
Angelina Jolie came in second, and Cameron Diaz came in third with a $15 million-per-movie requirement.
While Angelina and Reese are now asking for $15 million-$20 million per movie, they frequently agree to “no-quote deals” — deals in which the studios actually pay them far less than their usual fee". Here’s The Hollywood Reporter’s top ten list:
1. Reese Witherspoon — $15 million-$20 million 2. Angelina Jolie — $15 million-$20 million 3. Cameron Diaz — $15+ million 4. Nicole Kidman — $10 million-$15 million 5. Renee Zellweger — $10 million-$15 million 6. Sandra Bullock — $10 million-$15 million 7. Julia Roberts — $10 million-$15 million 8. Drew Barrymore — $10 million-$12 million 9. Jodie Foster — $10 million-$12 million 10. Halle Berry — $10 million Source: Justjared.buzznet.com
"Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath was the first football player to find rock-star status.
Universal Pictures will turn the life of Joe Namath into a feature film, with Jake Gyllenhaal playing the Hall of Fame quarterback.
David Hollander will write the script once the writers strike is over. Mad Chance's Andrew Lazar will produce. Jimmy Walsh, who runs Namanco Prods., exec produces.
Walsh said he and Namath OK'd the movie after a long pursuit by Lazar, a strong take by Hollander and the belief that the athletic Gyllenhaal was the right actor to play him.
While other quarterbacks racked up bigger lifetime stats, Namath became the first football player to achieve rock-star status. The pic will tell the story of how the golden-armed kid from Beaver Falls, Pa., became Broadway Joe, the New York Jets quarterback who became a '60s cultural figure.
[...] Gyllenhaal, who is coming off "Rendition" and "Zodiac," is currently shooting the Jim Sheridan-directed "Brothers" with Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman and will follow that by teaming with Doug Liman on an untitled project at DreamWorks that revolves around a moon expedition". Source: Variety.com
"Before Maggie Gyllenhaal, 
before Parker Posey, there was Adrienne Shelly. Around 1990, when the first wave of the Sundance-era indie-film revolution was cresting, Shelly was the queen of the scene. With the one-two punch of The Unbelievable Truth (pictured) and Trust, she and filmmaker Hal Hartley had made put each other on the map, and those deadpan romantic comedies had made the lush-lipped actress a pin-up among indie film fanboys. She'd go on to specialize in portrayals of waifish, fringe-dwelling women who often seemed to hide a ferocious intelligence behind an offbeat exterior. In recent years, she'd largely given up acting for directing (though she appeared on screen this year in Matt Dillon's Factotum), including a movie she'd recently directed and submitted to the 2007 Sundance Festival called Waitress,
starring Keri Russell.
