Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:11:29 -0800
From: Stephen Phelps <dnsphelps@mcsi.net>
Subject: Michael and Jake Epilogue
Disclaimer: I do not know, nor do I claim to know Jake Gyllenhaal, nor do I
know or claim to know any other celebrities that may wander through these
pages, and I do not know or therefore mean to imply any knowledge of their
personal lives and/or their sexual preferences. This story is a work of
fiction. The character of Michael is my own creation, and therefore any
use of him outside of this story cannot be done without first gaining my
permission. If you are under 18 years of age, or you are bothered by the
prospect of a homo-erotic relationship between two men, or it is illegal
for you to be reading this where you live, then I highly recommend that you
go and find something else to read on another web-site. There, I think
that that takes care of the C.Y.A. part of things.....
Kelly's POV
I pulled up to the gate and put my window down. I was just
reaching out to press the button when a voice came through the speaker,
"Welcome to Burger King, may I take your order?"
My hand froze in mid-air. "Um, I'm here to see Michael, Jake,
Paul, and Shane?" I could hear the sound of laughter coming from the
speaker, and a voice in the back- ground saying, "Michael, stop teasing the
poor girl!" before Michael's voice once again came from the speaker, "I'm
sorry. I always wanted to do that. Come on up...." and then the gate was
gliding silently open.
I guess I should start by introducing myself.... My name is
Kelly Harper, and I work for Rolling Stone Magazine. I'm the proverbial
"new kid on the block", and as such, I had the luck to be the one picked to
do this interview. This interview being an interview with Michael Orsini,
Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Walker, and Shane West, on the 10TH Anniversary
Director's Cut Re-release of "Obsession", both in theatre's and on DVD.
The film had won three Academy Awards for music, and four for
acting before running away with the big prize of the night, Best
Picture....
As I pulled up in front of the house, I noticed an older guy up
on a ladder stringing lights along the gutter. He had a mustache, and his
dark blond hair was cut short in a buzz-cut. A pair of aviator glasses
shielded his eyes from the December sun. I took a moment to admire his
jeans-clad ass before I went up to the front door and rang the bell. I
immediately heard the barking of dogs coming from inside, and the sound of
the guy climbing down the ladder coming from my left.
The sound of a voice could be heard inside, calling off the
dogs, and then the door opened, and I had my first ever
up-close-and-personal view of Michael Orsini.
He was only a few inches taller than I was, and he still wore
his red hair on the long side, but with his straight nose and strong
jaw-line, it all seemed to work together with those green eyes of his to
form one hell of a compelling man, even at thirty-six years of age.
"Hi, I'm Michael, won't you please come in...." He stood back
to allow me entrance into his home.
The first thing that I noticed was the tree.... It was probably
close to 15 feet tall, and lush and full and green. That was when it
dawned on me that Christmas was just over a week away.....
The tree was in the process of being decorated by 3 teenagers
and 6 small children. The teens were Paul Walker's 18 year old daughter,
Meadow, and Michael's 17 year old twins, Ryan and Michelle. The 6 little
ones belonged to all three of them, the result of donated eggs, and
in-vitro fertilization.....
So now, they all 3 had twins, a boy and a girl each, 4 of whom
all had Michael's fiery red hair: his own, and the 2 he had "fathered".
Michael was father to one of Jake's and one of Paul's, Jake was father to
one of Paul's and one of Michael's, and Paul was father to one of
Michael's, and one of Jake's.....
The air was redolent with the scents of pine mixing with the
smell of sugar cookies baking as I watched the three older teenagers
helping their younger siblings to put out the multitude of decorations that
seemed to overflow from their boxes. I turned my attention to the tall
glass case that stood in a niche in the wall under the balcony just off to
the right. A single light in the top shown down on the golden statues
inside. In all, there were probably about 16 Awards in there. 6 of them
were Emmy Awards, and the rest were Oscar's.
I turned from the display case to look at Michael. He was
dressed simply, in a pair of well worn Levi's, a blue cotton chambray
shirt, and worn looking cowboy boots. He was watching the kids with a
contented smile on his face. Of course, everyone knew his story....
He broke into the business at the age of 15 with a minor role on
the still-popular daytime soap, 'Another Life', where he pretty much grew
up on camera. After taking a year off the show, during which time he spent
a year attending school over in France, Michael came into his own, and
returned to the U.S. having become quite the hunk! Imagine the shock
everyone must have felt when he publicly admitted his homosexuality!
But Michael came out the same way he did everything else in his
life, on his own terms, and in his own time. Along the way, he became the
legal guardian of his late co- star's twins, and eventually adopted them.
Then, about 11 years ago, in the space of about 2 weeks, he won
a huge-ass lottery jackpot, inherited a big old Victorian mansion in New
York City, and then met Jake, and not long afterwards, he met Paul
also.....
After that came the films.....'Inferno', and 'Obsession', which
led to 'The Hobbit', a supporting role as Paul's younger brother in the 4th
'Fast and Furious' film, as well as parts in 'Ocean's 14', George Lucas'
'King Kong' trilogy, and Peter Jackson's last 'Star Wars' trilogy for all
three men. The final 'Star Wars' installment also marked Michael's final
appearance in front of the camera. After 15 years, he left 'Another Life'
and formed his own production company, called La Rouquinne Productions, and
began producing feature films and documentaries.
Eventually I found my gaze wandering around the rest of the
space..... There, on the fireplace mantle amidst the pine boughs, stood 2
framed photographs, one on each end.....The one on the left was a stark
black and white. It had obviously been taken at their commitment ceremony,
for they were all three wearing identical suits, and standing very close
together, eyes looking right into the camera lens. Paul stood on the left,
toe- to-toe with Michael, who was being hugged from behind by Jake..... The
photograph on the other end was in color, and featured all three
families.....
I turned and was startled to find Jake standing across the room,
arms crossed as he leaned casually against the wall, watching me. Gone was
the trademark stubble. Instead, he sported a neatly trimmed mustache. His
dark brown hair, though slightly disheveled, showed no immediate signs of
turning gray. I found myself held captive by his intense blue-eyed
gaze.....
The spell was broken by the opening of the front door, as Shane
West strode into the house along with, was that Wes Ramsey?
"Look who I found skulking around outside?" this from the guy
who's ass I had been admiring earlier. He took off his glasses and I felt
the blush rise up from my toes when I realized I had been ogling Paul
Walker!
"Yay, the gang's all here! Let's go out by the pool," Michael
suggested, and led the way out through the sliding glass door in the
vaulted music area. We made our way around the pool to the umbrella
covered table at the far end and all took a seat, except for Wes, who
kicked off his flip-flips, dropped his shorts, peeled off his t-shirt, and
dove into the pool, all as if he did this all the time..... Shane followed
my gaze.
"We're together," he said. It was a simple statement of fact.
"Okay, before we get into this, would anyone like anything to
drink?" Michael asked, getting up from the table
"Yes, please, thank you," I replied.
"I'll take a beer," Shane said.
"You'll take what I give you," Michael replied as he walked past
Shane, who reached out to smack him on the ass in retaliation as he passed.
Michael came back out several minutes later carrying a tray. He
stopped to place 2 bottles of Sam Adams on the table by Wes' discarded
clothing, and then continued back to the rest of us. The tray contained 6
more beers and 2 glasses plus a pitcher of iced tea. Jake, Shane, and Paul
each grabbed a beer while Michael poured a glass of tea for he and I.
I pulled out a mini-cassette recorder and started it. Okay, so
call me old-fashioned, but I liked to be able to tape my interviews, and
then go back and transcribe them. I had also brought a digital camera with
me.
"Okay, so, tell me about the movie," I said, to start things
off.
"What do you want to know?" Jake asked.
"Whatever y'all feel like telling me," I replied.
Michael looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "The first
time I read the script, I thought for sure that the finished film would get
slapped with an 'NC-17' rating."
"Seriously?" I questioned.
"Yes! I mean, hello, the blow-job behind the bar scene? If that
didn't guarantee it, then I thought for sure the love scenes would, I mean,
they were pretty graphic!"
"True," I agreed. I decided to ask the question that everyone
still talks about, "So, did you? Give him the b-j behind the bar, I mean?"
"I didn't answer that question on Oprah 9 years ago, what makes
you think I'm going to answer it now?" Michael said.
I decided to push the proverbial envelope. "Because, that was
on Oprah 9 years ago, and this is Rolling Stone, now," I said, holding my
breath.
Michael looked thoughtful again for a few moments. I guess he
still wasn't going to answer the question.....
Jake had just taken a healthy swig of beer when Michael quietly
said, "I did it....." which caused Jake to choke on his beer!
Paul let out a bark of laughter and reached out to slap Jake
soundly on the back.
"Shit! Michael-!"
"What?! It's not like I hadn't done it numerous times before!"
Michael exclaimed. "And I didn't notice you complaining very much at the
time!"
By this time, both Paul and Shane were both shaking with
laughter. Even Wes was laughing from the lounge chair he was relaxing on.
"Oh Jesus.....!" Paul said, finally managing to catch his
breath.
"And I swallowed, too!" Michael stated with a self-satisfied
smirk.
"Oh man, I so did not need to know that! And you!! You keep
your mouth shut!!" Shane said, whirling around in his chair to glare at
Wes. Wes just raised his hands, palms outward, and shook his head, a
shit-eating grin on his face, eyes hidden behind black mirrored sunglasses.
"I didn't say a thing!"
Michael leaned back in his chair and called out to Wes, "I take
it he still hasn't learned how to keep his mouth shut while he's ahead?"
"Nope," Wes replied. "But as long as he opens it up at the
right time, and watches the teeth, I don't care!"
"Oh! You are so dead!" Shane retorted.
"Oh come on, you know you love it when we flick you crap," Jake
chided.
"Jake, this movie was your first time producing, correct?" I
asked once everyone had calmed down.
"Yes."
"How did you arrive at the final cast?"
"Well, as Michael pointed out, the script made alot of the women
who'd read it think twice, if not outright refuse, to do it. I mean, the
subject matter was pretty heavy, even back in '06 when we shot it....."
"So, all except for the role of KC, the cast was in place?"
"Yeah, pretty much......"
"What made you think to have Michael do the part? I mean,
wasn't it a huge risk?"
"Yeah, of course it was....."
"As I recall, we were at your hotel, and Paul stopped by to
visit, since he was in town anyways, and the two of you decided to read
through the script....I only read the other parts to round things out...."
"I was so impressed with how he did that as soon as Michael
excused himself, I told Jake he needed to get Michael to audition for a
part, any part," Paul said. "He totally had the look, and the air of
innocence about him that was needed for the part of KC."
"So, before Michael came out to L.A. for the Emmy's, I talked
him into flying out for a weekend to audition, and we found out that his
agent had for several years been turning down offers on numerous
parts....Needless to say, he did 2 auditions, got both parts, and fired his
agent," Jake said.
"That wasn't pretty," Michael said.
"I know that this is going to be a totally random question, but,
how did you go about choosing the music for the Soundtrack? I mean, even
now, 10 years later, it's still one of the few top selling albums out
there....." I asked.
"Alot of the songs were chosen as the film was being shot, so
that they went with the scene that they were used in," Jake explained.
"Such as?"
"Well, starting at the top, the opening credits were shot
panning the camera around the bar, and KC's apartment. Those sets were lit
so that the lighting came through with a filtered blue look to it. We got
the beach shots early one morning just after it got light out, before the
crowds showed up....
"The next song, Another White Dash..... The first thing you see
is Michael's feet and legs as he's running to catch the bus, and then bits
and pieces of the rest of him as he gets on the bus and finds an empty seat
and drops down into it, setting his backpack next to him-"
" 'something about having everything you think you'll ever
need, sitting in the seat next to you.....' " I sang, and then blushed.
"Exactly," Jake said, smiling. "6 Underground, by the Sneaker
Pimps.....Something about that song just screams out 'lazy Sunday
afternoon', or brings to mind a rainy day at the beach, so we used it for
the montage where KC is at the beach one rainy day, the scene where he
rents his studio apartment, and when he has his job interview.....
"Freedom is used when he's fixing up his apartment, painting,
finding furniture and what-not. Very up-beat....."
"When KC is standing behind the bar with Tony one afternoon
before opening, they're discussing the pitfalls of temptation and giving in
to it when KC suddenly leans in and kisses Tony. Meredith Brooks' What
Would Happen is playing in the background, and fades into Erotica as KC
drops down out of sight.....We shot that scene in one take, on a closed set
with just me, Jake, Shane, and 2 camera men.... Thank God neither of them
broke character....." Michael said. The 3 of them were all blushing as
Paul and Wes snickered quietly in the background.
"For the split screen scene where you see the 4 of us working
out, we used Keane's Is It Any Wonder. I liked how at the end of the song,
they all kind of end up at the bar at the same time, still in their workout
clothes....." Jake continued on.
"We used Wishing I Was Lucky, by Wet Wet Wet, for the first
actual club scene....I liked those scenes not only because of the music,
but because there was alot of unspoken communication going on. It was all
in the eyes. The Lucky One starts out with KC on the piano, and slides
through several different talks with Tony and Danny, as well as another
club scene. During those 2 songs, you can see that Danny is falling in
love with KC, who is in turn, falling in love with Tony, all the while,
Shane's Lawrence character is becoming more obsessed with KC....It's all in
the eyes.....
"I Love You, by Sarah McLachlan, was used for the first love
scene, the fantasy scene between Tony and KC.... It's very romantic.....
"The first time they actually have sex is nothing like KC's day
dream, because for Tony, all it is, is just sex....a warm body, which is
why we used Michael's version of I Can't Make You Love Me."
"So you actually sang 3 of the songs yourself?" I asked
Michael.
He nodded uncomfortably while the others chuckled.
"I like to call the 'big' club scene 'Spot that Celebrity'. A
half hour, give or take, of un-interrupted music and dancing, with just
about every major celebrity and star that was popular at the time making a
cameo," Jake explained. "We used Robert Palmer, a couple songs, by
Madonna, Laura Branigan, Bryan Ferry, 50 Cent, and Christina Aguilera for
that scene, and we got it in one take, with about a half dozen hand-held
cameras, at least, and no bruised egos."
"Or cat fights," Michael murmured as he took a sip of his tea.
"For the scene where Lawrence is with some girl, but keeps
seeing KC, we used Billy Idol's Flesh For Fantasy. Lawrence's confusion
and state of distraction leaves him unable to 'perform', so his date bails,
leaving herself frustrated, and Lawrence just a bit angry.....
"When he goes into work the next morning, the bar is empty, and
KC is in Tony's office to pick up his paycheck. Lawrence, still feeling a
bit miffed from the night before, since he had actually spent a good deal
of time dancing with, and grinding on, KC, before hooking up with his
eventual date, blames KC for his issues from the previous night, and since
he spent part of the time thinking about KC anyways, he sort of just snaps,
and rapes KC right there on the desk in Tony's office, with Alanis
Morissette's Uninvited playing in the background.....Just the music with no
lyrics.....
"The whole time, he's got KC bent over on the desk, face down,
arms over his head, crying..... When he's done, he turns KC loose and
takes a step back, a sort of sick, satisfied smile on his face, and KC just
reacts.....
"He grabs the first thing he can get his hands on, a
lethal-looking letter-opener, and rears up off the desk, arm swinging back,
and Lawrence doesn't even have a chance to react before he's stabbed in the
throat.....
"He pulls it out and aims for the heart..... When Danny shows
up a few minutes later, he finds Lawrence dead on the floor, and KC huddled
in the far corner.....
"For the aftermath of the rape, we used Temple by Beverly Klass.
It just seemed to fit the overall mood we were trying to create..... KC
coming to terms with everything that had happened and slowly beginning to
realize that maybe, just maybe he could actually fall in love with Danny,
which leads to the realization that he never really loved Tony, he had just
been in love with this image of Tony that he had built up in his own
mind.....
"Once he realizes this he goes to Danny, and agrees to leave
town and move up to Oregon with Danny. He gives Danny a tiny little kiss,
and then another, and things just kind of flowed from there.....
"If people talked about the sex scenes in 'Brokeback', they
really had something to talk about after this movie..... The scenes
between Tony and KC were nothing compared to the love scene at the end of
the movie, between Danny and KC. Michael did Songbird..... It was the
perfect fit.....
"For the closing credits, we did a split screen, with a montage
running across the top half, and the credits scrolling up running in the
bottom half. For that, we used J.C. Chasez's version of Father
Figure....."
"Wow!" I said.
"I don't think I've done a scene that's been so demanding, at
least emotionally, before, or since....." Michael said. "I'm glad we shot
it separately from everything else, and I'm glad I was a part of that
movie."
"I don't think it would have turned out the way it did with
anyone else in the roles," Shane said. "Oh sure, it would have been good,
but the 4 of us just....got it"
"So Michael, any plans to return to acting?"
"Who knows..... If the part is right. Right now, I'm really
enjoying producing."
"And now the Golden Globe nomination, and talk of an Academy
Award nod as well," I prodded.
"It is kind of exciting. I mean when I read the story on the
'net years ago, I always thought, 'yeah, this would be cool,' but to
actually do it. And to be able to get these 2 to do it. I just wish....."
Michael said wistfully.
Of course, everyone was surprised when Michael had optioned the
rights to produce and direct a sequel to 'Brokeback Mountain' based on a
story he had read on the 'net, this time featuring Jake as an adult Bobby
Twist, who has more in common with his late father, Jack, than he could
have ever realized, and his lover, Charles "Charlie" O'Roarke, played by
Paul, searching out Ennis, played by Richard Gere, to find out the truth
about his father's past, and in turn, allow Ennis to heal himself....
"Heath could have lived to see it....." Jake finished for him.
"Yeah....."
After that, we moved on to other things, and before I knew it we
were done, and after snapping a few pictures, we headed back into the house
where Michael actually walked me out to my car and opened the door for me,
and closed it once he was sure I was securely buckled up. He even stayed
there until I disappeared around the curve in the driveway..... A true
gentleman!
Michael's POV
We were laying in bed later that night, Paul spooned up behind
me, Jake pressed tightly back in front of me, when he rolled over facing
me, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together.
"Do you ever regret having met me?" he asked.
"Nope," I replied without hesitation. "If we had never met, I
probably wouldn't be alive today....."
"What?" Jake and Paul said in unison.
"Lucien...." I reminded them. "If we hadn't met, Luc would
have come back into my life, and probably would have succeeded in killing
me eventually....If we hadn't met, I never would have met Paul, I never
would have done those 2 movies, or met Shane....
"If we had never met, you wouldn't have had the affair with
Reese and we wouldn't have split up, I wouldn't have met Wes, and Paul and
I wouldn't have ever gotten together.....
"The three of us wouldn't have gotten together, Wes and Shane
wouldn't have met and gotten together..." I paused, looking at rings
sparkling in the darkness on my left hand between Jake's fingers. "We
never would have had our commitment ceremony, or done the other movies
together.....
"If we hadn't met, I'd never have had the courage to strike out
on my own and form 'La Rouquinne'-"
" 'The Redhead' ", Paul whispered in my ear, giving the English
translation to the French term I had used to name my production company.
"No ego there," Jake chuckled.
"Hey, anytime anyone has asked what La Rouquinne meant, I've
told them!" I defended. "But to finish answering your question, I don't
have a single regret. How could I? If we had never met, I wouldn't have
Stephen and Cheryl, and I wouldn't trade the last 10 years for
anything....." I said, leaning in to give Jake the reassuring kiss he so
desperately craved. I felt Paul's hand close over the back of the one Jake
was holding, lacing his fingers over mine, through Jake's.
"Neither would I," Paul said as he kissed the back of my neck,
and tightened his grip, squeezing my hand between his and Jake's.
"I love you," I told Jake, "and you too," I said, turning my
head slightly to address Paul.
"Ditto. Now, go to sleep," Paul said, lightly shaking our
linked hands.
"Well, if you're sure..." Jake said, and I could hear the smile
in his voice.
"Go to sleep!!" Paul and I said in unison.
"Alright. I love you guys too," Jake said rolling back over and
snuggling back against me, his right hand over his left elbow, all of our
hands still linked together as we drifted off to sleep, together.....
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Okay, that's it, it's done..... Please write and let me know what you
thought, good or bad. Email is dnsphelps@mcsi.net and I can also be found
on several IM's. Yahoo is twains_fan_03@yahoo.com MSN is
twains_fan_03@hotmail.com AIM is guyoregon8 and Myspace is
www.myspace.com/dnsphelps
Please be sure to include the story title so that you're not deleted,
blocked, or ignored!
Thanks,
Stephen