In the latest issue of InStyle magazine, Reese Witherspoon opens up on her life outside of the Hollywood spotlight — saying that her and boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal enjoy a bit of downtime in the country.

“We spend the weekends outside L.A, in Ojai, where I have a farmhouse,” she says. “We have chickens and we grow cucumbers and tomatoes. I love it. It reminds me of where I grew up in Tennessee.”

Granted, California is no substitute for the real thing — and Witherspoon admits it can be tough. “Sometimes it’s really difficult for me, being far away from home. I never imagined that my children wouldn’t grow up next door to my brother’s children. Or my mom and dad wouldn’t constantly be around. At least I have a lot of southern friends in L.A.—I gravitate toward them.”

Witherspoon is on the cover of InStyle’s November issue, on sale Friday.

Is she vegetarian? Is she vegan? Get ready for some more “What’s Natalie Portman eating?!” news!

The LA Times recently interviewed the 28-year-old actress in a vegan restaurant in downtown Manhattan, (nibbling on a soy-cheese sandwich no less) and got the scoop that Natalie is once more vegan. There had been doubts this was the case in a recent interview she gave with Jake Gyllenhaal, but that’s all cast aside now, and we have author Jonathan Safran Foer to thank for it. Portman scored an early release of his upcoming non-fiction work Eating Animals and switched from vegetarian to vegan immediately after reading it. Here’s a brief description of the book:

Brilliantly synthesizing philosophy, literature, science, memoir and his own detective work, Eating Animals explores the many fictions we use to justify our eating habits-from folklore to pop culture to family traditions and national myth-and how such tales can lull us into a brutal forgetting.

You might remember Safran Foer for his incredible book (which was made into a movie starring Elijah Wood) titled Everything Is Illuminated.

Anyways, Portman reveals that as a result of the book, she plans on becoming much more involved with animal rights. “There are certain things you can have different opinions on, but then other things, like torturing animals, [are] just wrong,” she said.

We couldn’t have said it better. Check out the rest of the interview here or preorder “Eating Animals” here.

Please say this isn’t true. Please say this isn’t true. Please say this isn’t true.

One of my all time favorite vegans, Natalie Portman, recently sat down with Jake Gyllenhaal for a chat in Interview Magazine. Half way through the piece, Gyllenhaal asks Portman about her favorite foods. Here’s how it went down:

GYLLENHAAL: Okay. What’s your favorite food?

PORTMAN: Well, I don’t think you can really improve upon Carvel ice cream cake.

GYLLENHAAL: I’m more Baskin-Robbins style myself.

PORTMAN: Oh really? I am so Carvel. Did I just bring us back to 1985 Long Island?

Now don’t freak yet! Natalie is a fairly new vegan and just because she likes Carvel, that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s still eating it.

What do you think? Is Natalie done with the vegan thing? Put on your detective hat and tell us what you think!

You can read the whole interview at InterviewMagazine.com.

via Treehugger

Yesterday, as a kick-off to their green school initiative, Global Green USA was joined by Jake Gyllenhaal for Green Service Day at Manual Arts High School.

Gyllenhaal and Global Green CEO Matt Petersen inspected a garden, composting effort, and other initiatives taking place at the school. The organization hopes to raise money to help schools around the country become more sustainable and add programs that teach green skills for future jobs. To learn more about the effort, click here.

To see more pics of Jake getting green and dirty, hit PopSugar here.

Where would you be without us rounding out your morning with spy shots of Jake Gyllenhaal picking up some “C&P’s Organix Canine Adult Formula Dry Dog Food” from a pet store? The actor hit up a PetCo in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles yesterday. Nice to see Jake feeding his pets green!

For those of you still interested, Organix Dry Dog Food is made with “Certified Organic Chicken as the #1 Ingredient in both the Canine and Feline Formulas that meets the USDA organic labeling regulations. With over 70% organic ingredients and a high meat content, you can be assured that your pet is benefiting from an outstanding diet that’s highly palatable and highly digestible. No pesticides, no growth hormones, no synthetic fertilizers, no antibiotics, no bioengineering, no by-products – all are true of our organic ingredients.”

For more, jump here.

Photo credit: INF Photo

The dog in question is a German Shepherd named Atticus who at one time belonged to Jake and ex-girlfriend Kirsten Dunst. However a source revealed to the National Enquirer that, “Atticus now lives with Reese full-time. He is great with her kids and makes her feel safe when Jake is away. It was totally Reese’s idea to give Atticus a role in the wedding. Jake has fallen into the role of stepdad to her kids, so it is only fitting that Reese has more or less adopted Atticus as her own too!”

No wedding plans have been announced yet, but the pair just recently purchased a $5 million Los Angeles home so chances are the wedding isn’t too far away. 

What do you think about Reese and Jake’s doggy decision? Chime in and tell us what you think! 

via: femalefirst.co.uk

These days, if you’re an actor/actress, chances are you also have hubraic dreams to a.) create a line of perfume, b.) start your own fasion label, or c.) open up your own restaurant. It’s the later that we’ll be focusing on today — having gathered what we believe are the top 5 most delicious eco-friendly celebrity restaurants.

Hungry? Let’s hit the first course!

“Friends claim that Gyllenhaal, who has appeared on Mario Batali’s US cookery show Molto Mario, has always vowed to open a restaurant before he turns 30. A source told Life&Style: “Cooking is [Jake's] big hobby and his passion.” The actor is said to be planning a cycling holiday in Tuscany with girlfriend Reese Witherspoon to help develop ideas for the menu.”

A Tuscany-inspired menu? Awesome. Thought I have a feeling most will be venturing to this new scene for less the menu and more the side dish of eye candy.

via digital spy

Justjared.com, a friend of Ecorazzi and a popular online gossip site, is reporting that yesterday Reese and Jake enjoyed a meal at Prune restaurant in New York City and: The couple dined and laughed with four friends and even shared a steak for two! They “were really cute,” adds the source. “They were really sweet together and they looked really in love.”

Hold up! Stop the car! Halt the train! Freeze the beat! A STEAK FOR TWO? WTF! True, this could just be gossip, but a quick trip to Prune’s less than vegetarian menu leaves me less than optimistic.  Say it ain’t so Gyllenspoon…SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!