A face in the crowd

Jake Gyllenhaal celebrated his Drama League nomination yesterday by joining the other 19,032 nominees at Madison Square Garden to watch the Celtics/Knicks playoff game.












Looks like Jake got a kick out of Spike Lee:

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The first still from An Enemy:

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Random shots: Jake on the street:





Jake with Glen Hansard prepare for the Poetry & the Creative Mind benefit last week:



Jake at the Edible Schoolyard benefit last week:

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(Thanks to Jake Gyllenhaal Brazil/Monica for the second shot, which looks lke a screen grab of Jake on the jumbotron. And to Stephanie, as always.)

Spring fling

The Edible Schoolyard New York's inaugural spring benefit was held last night at the Essex Street Market. Jake Gyllenhaal was the man of the hour.



There was also an auction of unique culinary experiences, including:

LOT 5: JAKE. YOUR EDIBLE SCHOOLYARD TOUR GUIDE

Yes, that Jake. Jake Gyllenhaal, actor, our Spring Benefit honoree, and longtime supporter of Edible Schoolyard NYC, is taking you and your friends on a private Edible Schoolyard at P.S. 216 tour. He knows the garden well — he planted a pear tree in it at the groundbreaking ceremony in 2010. Oh, and he’s staying for lunch! Famed Brooklyn restaurant Roberta’s is transporting its pizza oven to P.S. 216 to prepare lunch from the garden, in the garden, for you and your guests.

Since 2008, Roberta’s has been serving some of Brooklyn’s finest fare, with an emphasis on local, sustainably sourced ingredients. In August 2011, The New York Times named Roberta’s ‘one of the more extraordinary restaurants in the United States.’

For up to ten people. Date to be mutually agreed upon. All food costs included. No alcohol permitted.

The winning bid was $14,000, though that did not draw the night's biggest prize.

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Photo of Jake and Anna Kendrick from the weekend:

Sweet charity

Business Week interviewed winners of celebrity charity auctions, including a woman who got to meet Jake Gyllenhaal:

Hang out backstage with Jake Gyllenhaal
Winner: Linda Boileau, political cartoonist at the State Journal, Lexington, Ky.
Site: Charitybuzz
Paid: Will not disclose

I’m a fan of Jake’s and was looking around online for what was going on with him. I knew he was doing a play, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, and came across Charitybuzz offering tickets to see it and do a meet-and-greet with him. I won, so they told me when I got to the theater I should call, and he’d come take me backstage. Jake was just wonderful. He’s so kind, not egotistical. I knew he had dogs, so I did a caricature of his dogs. He was really interested that I was a cartoonist. We went back to his dressing room and just talked, sat for about half an hour. We talked about his dogs and the play and Kentucky, where I’m from. He didn’t rush through anything. I didn’t ask him any personal questions—I didn’t want to seem goofy. I wasn’t thinking it would be hours of walking around the city or anything. He grew a really big beard for the play and had long hair, but he’s still a really nice-looking guy.

We saw the photo from the play in the fall, but it's nice to get the story behind the story.

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In December, Jake participated in ICAP Charity Day:


2012 ICAP Charity Day by GyllenBabble

You can see him at about the 2'10" and 3'55" mark

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In April, Jake is going to be honored for his work with Edible Schoolyard.

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In November, Jake did a reading at a free performance for the military and their families:

The Sexiest Farmer Alive

Who needs People Magazine?



Jake Gyllenhaal has been dubbed the "Sexiest Farmer Alive" by the people at Fashion Week Daily.

We know you're probably here because we're a fashion blog, but today we've got an EXCLUSIVE! Actor/Hottie/Farmer Jake Gyllenhaal chats...vegetables! Take that, Entertainment Weekly! Eat your heart out, Bon Appétit! Last night, designer Lela Rose hosted a swanky $1000-a-seat dinner party at her gorge Tribeca mecca to support Edible Schoolyard, which encourages kids to eat healthier and change their food habits. The most perfect man alive (the aforementioned JG) was a special guest, and we grabbed him for a quick chat pre-dinner to discuss veggies, farmers and besties.

It's a pleasure meeting you. You're one of our favorite actors in the world.

That's very nice of you!

[Chic sighs....catches breath] Tell us about your involvement with the Edible Schoolyard.

I've been involved with them for a couple of years. I'm titled by Alice Waters, the ambassador of the school yard. I got involved because the dinner table was always a place, since I was a young child, where we got to get together, and I actually got to know my family there more than any other place in the world. I grew up growing my own food in our family garden. One of my best friends is a farmer. It's been a primary focus of my life.



We love food!

I didn't realize that I grew up in the slow food movement. I see children who didn't know any of these things—that they can grow their own food and learn about vegetables when they are at a primary level. It was everything to me, so I wanted to be involved. Since knowing about this organization, I've done everything I can.

What's your favorite vegetable?

I'd say right now, after an extensive search over the years and living the wonderful life that I've had so far, and after tasting many, many vegetables...cavolo nero. It's like a really soft kale. You can eat it any form: cooked, raw...



We trust anything you say. Let's backtrack...How do you know a farmer?

I was raised in Los Angeles, but I spent my summers, since I was born, in Martha's Vineyard. My best friend, since we were little kids, lives there, and he's a farmer. His whole family farms. I know it might seem odd, but it's what I love more than anything. Being in gardens have been some of the most wonderful times of my life. Washing lettuce and watching things grow...you feel connected to the world. You'd be hard-pressed to find anything that connects you to the universe in the same way that planting a seed does.

That's so sweet! And now you've got a beard like a real farmer.

Seeds of growth!



You can read more about the party here.

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New bonus photo of Jake on the subway, 10/28:



Bonus fan photo of Jake in NYC, posted on FB on September 34:



(Photos, as always. courtesy of IHJ. Cavolo nero photo from Souvlaki for the Soul. Train photo from tumblr.)