I like Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon. Both are fine actors with sweet onscreen and offscreen personas. Despite my affection, I can't seem to muster up an emotion either way about their rumored (and subsequently retracted) split. I'm sure it's the lack of controversy that makes these two the big yawn - drama always makes for a much more interesting story. Regardless, word on the street is that Jake and Reese have split and they definitely merit a mention. Pour another cup of coffee and prop some toothpicks in your eyelids - it's time for the details, via People Magazine: Witherspoon, 33, and Gyllenhaal, 28, costarred in the 2007 movie Rendition, after which rumors started flying about them as an off-screen couple. By the summer of 2008, however, the rumors appeared to be confirmed, thanks, in part, to an extended Bastille Day holiday in Paris - followed, the next month, when they were seen in Marrakech, spending a Saturday strolling hand-in-hand, checking out bazaar stalls, before stepping into the shade for lunch, according to reports.
By that fall, Witherspoon was telling Vogue about Gyllenhall: "He's very supportive. Suffice it to say, I'm very happy in life, and I'm very lucky to have a lot of really supportive people around me who care very much for me, and, you know, that's all you can hope for in life. I am very blessed in that way."
This spring, in April, the two enjoyed a steamy escape to the Southern California desert, where they looked cozy together at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. "Reese looked cute in a hat and bikini," an eyewitness told PEOPLE. "She was in a great mood and kept chatting with Jake between sips of a piña colada." And as recently as last month, things still appeared to be running smoothly between the two, with Witherspoon telling InStyle, "We spend the weekends outside L.A, in Ojai, where I have a farmhouse. We have chickens and we grow cucumbers and tomatoes. I love it. It reminds me of where I grew up in Tennessee."]
People Magazine is generally acknowledged as being a reliable source, as far as tabloid-ish journalism is concerned. They wouldn't have gone out of their way to report the "news" if it wasn't well-documented; that's definitely not the magazine's style. However, the breakup was quickly denied by both the actors reps. Did true love triumph? Was it just too much of a pain in the ass to split during the holiday season? Is it a case of convenient timing? Both Jake and Reese have a stake in the December holiday entertainment profits. Witherspoon's Four Christmases DVD release is just around the corner and Gyllenhaal has two upcoming films to promote (Brothers and Prince of Persia). In the end, does anyone care either way? I want to join my cat for a nap just thinking about it. I feel like I did after my recent (delicious) Thanksgiving dinner - I've consumed too much and now I'm just tired. Can't those crazy kids just be happy?
[Photo Credit: They are freaking cute - no one can deny it.]
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