Tell me what to do …”So a typical Q&A with Black might go something like this:German journalist, one of eight writers sitting at what the film company calls an “international press round-table interview”: “You are, if you don’t mind me saying, a bit of an oddball And now you are getting parts in King Kong. His eyes have a slightly unfocused thing going on that might be disconcerting if he wasn’t so cuddly looking, and he speaks in a dry, quiet, slightly monotone manner except when he wants to say something funny. At those moments, Black will switch to a way of speaking that can only be described as a larger-than-life, out-of-this-world Comedy Demonic-Possession Voice. fToday, just a stone’s throw from his current home and a short drive from where he grew up, Black is at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons hotel where he is giving interviews to the world’s press ahead of King Kong’s release. So Black has yet to watch the finished film and can’t wait to see the actor Andy Serkis’s performance, covered in “hundreds of electrodes”, as he is CGI’d into the titular ape (Serkis is an old hand at this, having already been the animation marker for Gollum in Lord of the Rings).

He is sporting a small strand of facial hair that runs vertically from his lower lip to his chin and is relaxed and dressed in every-Joe clothes of jeans and a Ben Sherman shirt. “I can do obsession,” he told Jackson, and the deal was done.Despite spending seven months (“I could have made three movies in that time”) in New Zealand filming, the real magic in Jackson’s films tends to happen when the live action is wrapped and the computer animators set to work. But next week sees this most unlikely of Hollywood leading men taking things to a whole new level, with a starring role in Peter Jackson’s first film since completing the Lord of the Rings trilogy: a remake of the 1933 classic King Kong And, no, he’s not playing the ape, thank you And yes, he has heard that one before. But when Jackson (who was given $20m, the highest salary ever paid to a director up front) asked him if he might be interested in the part of the obsessive film-maker Carl Denham, Black jumped at the chance to work with one of his heroes. And if the performances seem perfectly natural, that’s probably because these roles are not really any great stretch for the “real” Jack Black.Aside from “Shallow Hal guy”, which was “more the Farrelly brothers’ sense of humour” than his own, Black is immensely proud of all the “guys” he has played so far. The School of Rock cemented his reputation as a safe-but-edgy leading man and in all his major roles to date Black has somehow blended the inner teenage imp with a man on the verge of emotional maturity. He also acts in movies, and very successful he is at that too.

The D, as the pair are affectionately known, sing frat-boy-funny songs that, were they the only thing Black ever did, would still have him marked as a very funny man able to make a decent living out of one great persona – the born-to-rock heavy-metal obsessive who can lose himself in graphic novels, fantasy-adventure games and listening to songs about Satan and becoming a Rock Love God (and in the D’s world, it goes without saying that such terms take capital letters).
But Tenacious D is not all that Jack Black does. Bring to the boil, skim off any scum that forms and simmer for 2 hours. The gravy may need topping up with water to keep the ingredients covered Skim occasionally as required. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and remove any fat with a ladle Check its strength and reduce it if necessary. If the gravy is not thick enough, dilute some cornflour in a little cold water and stir in.. Apache Tomcat/5.5.25 – Error report HTTP Status 503 – Too many incoming HTTP requeststype Status reportmessage Too many incoming HTTP requestsdescription The requested service (Too many incoming HTTP requests) is not currently available.Apache Tomcat/5.5.25. A goose weighing about 4-5kg should be enough for 5-6 people

If they’ll fit in your oven I would suggest getting a couple of birds for more than 8-10 people.

The secret of rendering down the fat is to begin the cooking process with the breasts facing down in the pan so that the skin fries in the hot fat released from under the skin. The mistake people make is to just bung the goose in the oven for hours on end hoping for the best. That’s how you end up with a dry fatty bird.
Judy Goodman recommends removing and seasoning the legs, smearing a bit of goose fat over them, covering them in foil and roasting them ahead of the carcass. Then roast the bird on its back for an hour; turn it over on to the breast to finish the crisping process for another 45 minutes or so Then put it breast up again for the final 15-20 minutes. I’ve tried lots of different ways of roasting a goose over the years and found that unlike a duck, the legs need more time to cook.

By roasting the bird this way, the breasts get cooked to medium – while the legs are slow-cooked and crispy, almost like confit legs. This process will also render enough fat from the goose to get your roast spuds going. 1 goose Salt and freshly ground black pepper for the stuffing 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped 1tbsp sage, chopped 60g butter 100g fresh white breadcrumbs 1tbsp chopped parsley The livers from the goose, or the equivalent of chicken livers For the apple sauce 1kg cooking apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped 2tbsp caster sugar 50g butter To make the stuffing, gently cook the onions and sage in the butter for 2-3 minutes without colouring, then remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs. Meanwhile season and fry the goose livers in a hot frying pan for a couple of minutes on each side, remove from the heat and leave to cool a little. Chop the livers into rough smallish pieces and mix into the breadcrumbs with the parsley and season to taste. The legs can be cooked hours before you’re eating and reheated nearer the time Pre-heat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3. Remove the legs from the goose by pulling them away from the bone and cutting at the joint.