Mark Ruffalo and Jake at "Zodiac" Cannes Film Festival Premiere. Jake with Mark Ruffalo at NYC "Zodiac" Screening.
I hate to communicate these tragic news, because I can't imagine how much Mark Ruffalo must be affected by his brother's loss. I've always been a follower of Mark's career and loved his performance (as usual) in "Zodiac", so here I give my condolences to Mark Ruffalo, my heart goes out to him and his family.
"Scott Ruffalo, a married hairdresser, died late Monday after he was taken off life support, one week after he was found with a gunshot wound to the head in his Beverly Hills condo. He is the kid brother of "You Can Count on Me" star Mark Ruffalo".
"JAKE GYLLENHAAL, all pumped-up and studly, is still shooting Disney's "Prince of Persia" in London. But his 28th birthday is on Dec. 19, and Jake's beloved, Reese Witherspoon, had planned a lavish party for him in LA. Both stars, who are super-professional, know the importance of keeping to schedule, so they didn't hold much hope of being "together" on Jake's natal day - at least not as Reese had planned.
Good work is rewarded, however. The studio said, "Go, have a blast!" The 19th is a Friday, and Jake will probably be back in his prince costume by Monday morning, the 22nd.
SPEAKING OF Jake, his leading lady in "Prince of Persia" is British knockout Gemma Arterton, seen most re cently dallying with Daniel Craig in "Quantum of Solace." (She was the delightfully named Strawberry Fields.) Gemma is only 22, but her romantic life is already colorful.
Gemma was keeping company with handsome Spaniard, Eduardo Munoz, who was hired to train her horseback skills for "Prince of Persia." They discovered other skills in the course of events. Gemma and Eduardo quickly became a couple during the shoot in Morocco. However, when the company moved to London, his job was over. They missed each so much that Eduardo flew to Britain to be with her. It was terribly impulsive and romantic.
Sadly, "Quantum of Solace" had to open. Gemma is suddenly hot, in demand. Between scenes on "Prince . . . ", Gemma now looks glum. Eduardo is back in Spain. Success - it has its price". Source: www.nypost.com
A BIG THANK YOU TO THE AFI FOR HONOURING HEATH LEDGER WITH THIS TREMENDOUS TRIBUTE, which gives him much deserved and overdue recognition. Watch the crowd pay their respect with a standing ovation and Heath's mother, father and sister accept the AFI award on his behalf. Note: The award is being presented by Michael Caton (lead actor in 'The Castle').
"Milk" includes the fight against the Briggs Initiative, a 1978 California ballot initiative that would have stripped gay and lesbian teachers of their jobs, and even taken away the jobs of those teachers who supported them. Black, Van Sant and Penn show us how Milk worked to stop the initiative with persistence, perspective and humor; refuting the idea that gay teachers 'recruit' kids, Milk notes that "If it were true that children mimicked their teachers, you'd sure have a hell of a lot more nuns running around," making a joke and the point. There's been some question if releasing Milk before the November 4th elections might have 'moved the needle' against the vote for the recent passage of Proposition 8 in California; it's hard to say, but what Milk makes clear for any follower of modern activist politics was that Harvey Milk succeeded because he failed, because he knew how to turn every loss into a chance to take what he'd learned and apply it to the next race.
Milk shows us the joy of victory, and the pain of what victory can cost; it shows us the agony of loss, and the opportunities to re-think, re-organize and retrench that loss can give us. Milk repeats one of Harvey Milk's best-known lines: 'You gotta give 'em hope." Milk understands not just what hope can do but also the hate, fear and ignorance that make hope required. It shows the struggle for gay rights in the '70s, but it also makes it clear that there are too many groups -- and too many people -- who are still treated as if there are asterisks and escape clauses hidden in the Bill of Rights denying them the chance to try and attain life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Milk isn't a hollow Hollywood exercise in hero-making, and that makes it all the better: Van Sant's film succeeds so well because of its complexity, its ambiguity, its devastating combination of sorrow and joy; walking out of Milk, you'll be energized and excited, moved to feel and moved to act, amazed at one man doing so much and painfully aware of how much there is left to do". Source: www.cinematical.com
A video featuring scenes from "Milk" and interviews with James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Gus Van Sant, Victor Garber, Diego Luna, etc.
A musical video featuring images and stills of Emile Hirsch, in very good company. Songs "Falling in love again" by Kevin Ayers, "Discretion Grove" by Stephen Malkmus and "I must be high" by Wilco.
"Italian gay rights' group Arcigay on Tuesday criticised the censorship of the award-winning cowboy movie, 'Brokeback Mountain', by the country's state television channel. The movie was shown on Rai2 on Monday without controversial gay sex scenes. "We want to know who decided to show 'Brokeback Mountain' yesterday evening with such blatant, 1950s-style cuts," said Arcigay's president, Aurelio Mancuso.
"The film won the Golden Lion Award at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, as well as three Oscars and four Golden Globes," said Mancuso.
"Who had the presumption to think an adult public could not handle the sight of kissing and intimacy between two men?"
Mark Ruffalo and Jake at "Zodiac" Cannes Film Festival Premiere.
Jake with Mark Ruffalo at NYC "Zodiac" Screening.
