Channing Tatum Wraps Up ‘Dear John’ Press Tour in NYC and Takes Theaters By Storm Across the Country

In case you missed it, Variety and tons of other news outlets are reporting that Channing Tatum’s romantic drama ‘Dear John‘ is now officially the first movie to take on Avatar and WIN!

Against all estimates, odds, rain, and what’s being call “the storm of the century” in the North East, Chan’s fans showed up in droves to the sold-out midnight screenings all over the country and packed theaters during the day to help the film reach $13.8 million on Friday. The movie is now projected to make over $30 million for the entire weekend, beating everyone’s original estimates by leaps and bounds.

Regardless of the final weekend number, ‘Dear John‘ has already set records. It’s the highest Friday opening for Screen Gems and is also the highest opening for a Nicholas Sparks adaptation. The last two Sparks films, 2008’s “Nights in Rodanthe” and “The Notebook,” charted opening weekends just north of $13 million, which is what ‘Dear John‘ made on Friday alone.

I couldn’t be happier for Chan and everyone involved with the film. Their hard work is paying off and fans are loving the movie. This kind of success doesn’t come easily and both Chan and his ‘Dear John‘ co-star Amanda Seyfried have been working non-stop to promote the film across the country.

They just wrapped up the New York leg of their ‘Dear John’ press tour yesterday after stops in Fort Bragg, Charleston, Philadelphia, Toronto, Chicago, San Fransisco, and Los Angeles.

Below you can check out some of the new photos from fans and the media for this interview-packed stop that included appearances on Regis and Kelly, The Today Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and a fan Q&A with Amanda Seyfried at the Soho Apple Store. Enjoy!!!

Fans can also CLICK HERE to check out a ton more photos from New York City and HERE for the entire ‘Dear John’ press tour in the CTU Photo Gallery.

Here’s what one fan had to say about her fan encounter with Chan outside the Soho Apple Store appearance on Thursday…

“I went to see Channing Tatum at the Soho Apple Store for the Dear John Q&A. I actually got to meet him on his way in, he was generous enough to pose with fans and chat up a bit. The Q&A was not allowed to be recorded or anything, and will be available on itunes soon. Channing has such an amazing charm that made the Q&A so much more entertaining. I hope to meet him again soon enough! - Chelsea”

Chelsea also sent a couple of videos from that day. You all can watch videos of Chan and Amanda graciously signing autographs for all the fans both inside and outside the packed event…

As Chelsea said, fans were not able to record the Q&A, but I talked with Apple and they are planning on posting an enhanced podcast on iTunes with audio and photos from the event early next week. I’ll let you all know when that’s available for download.

You can also check out videos of Chan from his Fallon, Today Show, and Regis and Kelly appearances (both inside and outside) this past week below. Enjoy!!!

You can CLICK HERE to watch the entire show and see Chan’s first segment with Jimmy.

Thanks to Chelsea for the great fan encounter and videos from the Soho Apple Store event!

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New Photos and Video of Chan and Jenna at the Fort Bragg and Charleston ‘Dear John’ Premieres

Channing Tatum’s version of Nicholas Sparks’ Dear John recently hit the No. 1 spot on the USA TODAY best selling books list. With hopes that the film will mimic that level of success, Chan and his wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum kicked off the ‘Dear John‘ Press Tour by attending a premiere at the Fort Bragg military base this past Saturday.

From there, the tour took Chan and Jenna from North Carolina to Charleston and will continue on through Philadelphia, Toronto, Chicago, and San Francisco before it lands back in Los Angeles for, from what I hear, a February 1st premiere. On today’s post, you’ll be able to check out a ton of new photos and video from fans and the media who attended the events. First up, FORT BRAGG…

The Fay Observer reports that hundreds of fans stood outside the York Theater on Saturday afternoon vying for a chance to hang out with the stars of ‘Dear John‘ at Fort Bragg. At the event, which was open to military ID holders, Chan told the Observer…

“I just really hope that everybody likes the movie. We just really wanted to make a beautiful movie about two kids falling in love and extraordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.”

Chan and his co-star Amanda Seyfried arrived at the York Theater in humvees and made their way down the camouflage carpe, which was topped with a red carpet, to sign autographs, pose for pictures, and talk to fans who had been waiting for hours in some cases. Chan, Jenna, and Amanda also visited Womack Army Medical Center to meet with wounded Soldiers from the Warrior Transition Battalion.

Once inside the movie theater, Fort Bragg garrison commander Col. Stephen J. Sicinski presented the stars with miniature “Iron Mike” statues as a token of appreciation.

You can CLICK HERE or on the image above to check out a ton of new photos of Chan and Jenna from fans and media who attended the special event in the CTU Photo Gallery.

Here’s some footage and interviews from the Fort Bragg premiere…

Fayobserver.com also posted a really great review for ‘Dear John‘ . You can read a snippet of it below…

“Dear John” is everything you expect it to be - weepy, touching and downright sweet…Seyfried and Tatum are charming enough to hold interest in their leading roles. Tatum, who starred in the lesser “G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra,” can come off as wooden, but here he gives a believable, heartfelt performance. Seyfried, of the TV series “Big Love,” has those large expressive green eyes perfect for showing how it feels to find true love…The film, though, truly belongs to the terrific supporting characters and mainly to the great character actor, Richard Jenkins, who plays John’s father. Jenkins gives an engaging performance as a man who does not know how to behave in social situations nor, most heartbreakingly, how to embrace his distant son. The story is as much about John’s relationship with his father as it is about the love story between Savannah and John….Henry Thomas of “ET” also gives a stellar performance as Savannah’s neighbor, a single dad who is raising an autistic son. Thomas is an understated, deliberate actor who gets a lot of the film’s funniest and most touching lines….Yes, there are humorous parts in “Dear John” as well as a grand romantic gesture, but there’s also sadness and sacrifice which make it a true Nicholas Sparks tale.”

Next stop…Charleston, South Carolina…

After honoring the military at Fort Bragg Chan and Jenna headed on over to Charleston, South Carolina (where a lot of the movie was filmed in late 2008) to attend a star-studded fundraiser for Carolina Autism, a local nonprofit that provides services to children and adults with autism. Ticket holders received a private screening of the film and the opportunity to mingle with the actors at a party afterward at the S.C. Aquarium.

Phil Blevins, the Executive Director of Carolina Autism, contacted me this morning to share the following details about the very successful event which raised approximately $100,000 for children battling autism…

“Had a blast. The movie had people crying. Channing and Amanda stayed for the afterparty and participated in the charity auction. Channing auctioned off his Armani scarf for a thousand dollars and even auctioned the gum he was chewing.”

You can CLICK HERE or on the image above to check out a ton of new photos of Chan and Jenna from fans and media who attended the charity premiere in the CTU Photo Gallery.

In the videos below, fans can check out footage and interviews from the event…

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IN THE PRESS: Channing Tatum Covers February 2010 Details Magazine

Channing Tatum’s favorite actors may be Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman, but I think he’s definitely channeling a little James Dean in his newest cover shoot for the February issue of Details, which hits stands January 19th.

Fan’s can check out Chan in all his gorgeousness in the photos and video from the Details photo shoot on today’s post in the CTU Photo Gallery, but you should keep reading if you want to get all the juicy details about Chan’s life in his latest interview…

I got my first look at Chan’s new cover and photos for Details at the ‘Dear John‘ press junket this weekend when Chan’s publicist came into his suite to show it to him for the first time. As all of us in the room were complimenting Chan on the hot new shoot, I got to hear the set injury story you’re about to read first hand from the man himself. And for the record, all photos of said incident had thankfully been removed from his phone at that point.

Keep reading if you want to know what I’m talking about…

Channing Tatum Is Proud of His Package

What bothers a tough-as-nails action hero? That he can’t find a good spot in L.A. to shake his moneymaker.
By Craig Marks, Photographs by Norman Jean Roy

Channing Tatum’s penis is gross. It looks like a hot dog that’s been left too long on the grill. The tip is hot-pink, singed, and shriveled. It appears angry. And it’s painful to view. My penis hurts just from looking at it. Movie stars tend to be vain, by nature and profession, but Chan—that’s what everyone calls him—does not mind one bit showing me his sad, withered wiener.

“It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced in my life,” he says, flipping through photos on his iPhone until he lands on a grainy snapshot of a scorched member. His scorched member. “I’m good . . . now,” he says with a grin. “Now my penis is fantastic! One hundred percent recovered. Put me back in the game, Coach.” Tatum’s no nancy boy: When not on set, the former high-school-football standout, who did all his own stunts in a movie aptly titled Fighting, spends most of his time in his basement gym, engaged in ball-bruising mixed-martial-arts workouts. “I’ve been to the hospital, gotten stitches, had broken fingers and toes. But this was a suffocating kind of pain.”

We’re seated at a picnic table on the slate patio of Tatum’s cozy Laurel Canyon home, drinking beers near the pool as the sun drops behind the Hollywood Hills. The famously chiseled star of the 2006 dancesploitation sleeper hit Step Up and ’09’s boyhoodmemorysploitation blockbuster G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is happily lugging around some extra pounds between films. “There’s this YouTube thing called ‘Channing Tatum Got Fat’ that has the whole spectrum of me, from model-skinny”—he Zoolandered for Abercrombie & Fitch and the Gap, among others, before breaking into movies—”to my actor weight.” When I ask him what he currently weighs, Tatum responds by patting his tummy: “I’m about 20 pounds more than you—around 200. I either have to gain 30 pounds or lose 30 pounds for my next role. I haven’t decided which yet.” But he knows well that no one’s gonna drop 11 bucks to see a doughy Channing Tatum. A stud can dream, though: “I’m gonna give it five more years and then say, ‘Get me some fat roles, boys!’”

Sporting sleepy eyes, camouflage cargo shorts, a wicked case of bed head, and a can of Coors Light, Tatum has the chilled bearing of a frat boy the day after the big kegger. On film and in person, he carries his pinup looks and guy’s-guy brawn with real lightness and humility—and that’s the essence of his appeal. Tatum is a fitting action hero for our downsized times: modest, decent, able-bodied. His house, the first he’s ever owned, is situated on a small cul-de-sac, perched on a mountainside, cocooned by trees, and walled all around, but the effect is much less paparazzi-proof fortress—”Trust me, no one is waiting outside to take my picture,” he says—than honeycomb hideout, a $2.6 million tree house for the 29-year-old Tatum; his wife, Step Up costar Jenna Dewan; and their two dogs, Lulu and Meeka.

Inside, the place is warm, comfy, and sparingly furnished; unpacked boxes still line the hardwood floors of the upstairs bedroom. “We’re both away so much,” he says with a sigh. Downstairs, the small living room is unremarkable—a wall-mounted flat-screen, a dog-friendly sectional sofa, some vaguely Moroccan brass-angel knickknacks—save for a large, gushingly romantic Technicolor painting of the couple hanging above the stairwell. In it, Tatum and Dewan are bare-shouldered, staring deep into each other’s eyes from inside the outline of a heart. “That was a wedding gift,” he says admiringly, commissioned by a friend whose occupation Tatum describes as “life coach.”

Back outside, Tatum walks past the Jacuzzi down to a gas fireplace. He turns a knob, then pokes at a log pile to get the blaze going. Lulu, chew toy in mouth, has assumed her spot on the picnic bench. Tatum says he loves that when he wanders out here at night, it’s so secluded and peaceful he could almost be back home down South. Almost. He leans over, reaches into a plastic cooler, and grabs another Coors Light. “This is only out here because me and Jenna just had family and friends over for Thanksgiving,” he explains. “I don’t want people to think I’m a bigger redneck than I already am.”

Tatum has recently returned from Scotland, where he was filming a Roman battle epic called The Eagle of the Ninth, directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland). The role is a familiar one: For the fourth time in his brief career, Tatum plays a soldier—this one from Rome’s legendary Ninth Legion. “It’s really a beautiful story of trust and honor and friendship,” he says. He nods thoughtfully, then lets out a laugh. “But I’ll never shoot a movie in Scotland again. Ever.”

Tatum was pretend-soldiering one raw, wet October day in the Scottish Highlands. The action required him to wade in ice-cold water, which, despite a high-tech wetsuit, could be withstood for only a few minutes. “The only way to keep warm was by pouring a mix of boiling water and river water down your suit. We were finally done shooting for the day, and one of the crew guys asks if I want to warm up before I go. I’m like, Nah, I’m good. And then I thought, Why not? Thing is, he’d forgotten to dilute the kettle water. So he poured scalding water down my suit. And I was trying to pull the suit away from my body to somehow get away from the boiling water, and the more I pulled the suit away, the lower the water went. It just went straight down and pretty much burned the skin off the head of my dick.”

Tatum was rushed to the nearest hospital—an hour away. Before long, the ice pack he was applying to the burn lost its chill. “I said to the driver, who was ex-special-forces Marines, ‘You might have to knock me out, because I don’t know if I can take the pain. Just grab something and hit me on the back of my head.’” Morphine finally KO’d the agony, and a team of doctors salved and bandaged his wound. “I had five guys looking at my shriveled, burned penis,” he says proudly.

Sure, plenty of dudes love to natter on about their junk, but it’s tough to imagine fellow superstars-in-the-making Shia LaBeouf and Ryan Gosling cheerfully sharing pictures of their gnarled rods with a reporter. Tatum is so unguarded it’s almost unnerving. He rhapsodizes about one day writing a “fantastical dansical.” When discussing the percentage of his films in which he’s appeared shirtless (that’d be 100), he momentarily offers prideful resistance—”In Stop-Loss, I only had it off once”—before helping with the count. “All the time in She’s the Man,” he says, blushing. “G.I. Joe, too. And all the early films.” I decide not to mention that the opening of the trailer for his upcoming romantic soldier drama Dear John shows Tatum bare-chested and dripping wet. How could I? While Tatum’s sucking down Silver Bullets from a cooler, he insists on dashing inside to beer me with higher-end brews.

“There’s no vanity with Chan,” says Amanda Seyfried, who plays his love interest in Dear John, based on the Nicholas Sparks novel. “That’s the first thing that struck me about him. I saw this intensely good-looking guy, and I expected some vanity. But he’s not like that at all. He’s not afraid to be embarrassed, not afraid to look stupid. One of the reasons he’s such a good actor is that he’s not afraid of anything.”

To be fair, the jury’s still out on how good an actor Channing Tatum really is, will be, or, in green-screen gunk like G.I. Joe, even needs to be. G.I. Joe may have certified Tatum as a box-office draw—it was his first $100 million earner—but his strongest performance to date came in his breakthrough role. In 2006’s outer-borough coming-of-age tale A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Tatum played a street tough named Antonio, a pained, charismatic, and brutish dead-ender who thinks only with his fists. The New York Times compared him to Brando; the film’s director, Dito Montiel, tosses out McQueen, Pacino, De Niro. “There’s something about Chan that feels normal,” says Montiel, a no-bullshit dems/dese/dose guy who has cast Tatum in all three of his films. “Most actors today live in a bubble. Chan’s a real guy. He’s had his ass kicked in real life, and done a little of that, too. That changes you.”

Tatum’s considerable onscreen presence is still mostly physical. “I’ve aways been good at picking up certain things, like sports and dancing,” he says. In his films, Tatum oozes a jock’s bulletproof confidence, but because real men don’t swagger, he often undercuts his virility with barn-size gestures of small-town goodness: unfailing manners, aw-shucks humility, courtliness toward women. Tatum calls Clint Eastwood his hero; he says he used to dream about writing a letter to him: “I’m sorry for all of us wimpy actors out there. Please teach me.” Not surprisingly, then, a Channing Tatum character usually isn’t much of a talker. He admits he tends to mumble his lines. “I had a bad stutter when I was really young,” he says. “I couldn’t get a sentence out. Like, ‘D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-ad.’ And that turned into a mumble.”

Tatum’s father, himself a blue-chip athlete in high school, owned a roofing company until he fell and broke his back; after that, he traveled the South by car, peddling building supplies. The family moved from Alabama to Mississippi’s Gulf Coast and finally to Tampa, Florida, where Chan lived out the script to a Very Special Degrassi High episode: excelling as captain of the football team, exchanging promise rings with the head cheerleader, and fending off thoughts about suicide, a side effect of medication he took to treat attention-deficit disorder.

“I was not good in school,” Tatum says. “I could never read very fast or very well. I got tested for learning disabilities, for dyslexia. Then I got put on Ritalin and Dexedrine. I took those starting in the eighth grade.” The pills worked, too, for a while. “As soon as they pumped that drug into me, it would focus me right in,” he exclaims. “I was doing great. I was getting A’s, doing extra-credit work!” He laughs, then asks if I need another beer. “But the longer I took the Dexedrine,” he continues, “the worse I felt. It sucked all the personality from me. I’d get depressed. I would think suicidal—I was never personally suicidal, but I could see how some kids were, how they’d be, like, I can’t take this anymore. Finally, my senior year, I said, ‘That’s it. I am done with these.’”

After spending a year at a small college in West Virginia on a football scholarship, he returned to Tampa, with no idea what he wanted to do. He bunked with his sister and worked a series of crap jobs: mortgage broker, telemarketer, house framer, record-store clerk, perfume spritzer in a department store. Hump it all day, then slap on the hair gel, guzzle a few, and cruise for trouble in the evenings. One afternoon, he heard a radio spot for a nightclub seeking dancers. Tatum liked to dance, so he turned up at the club to learn more.

“I remember meeting Chan that day,” says Adam Martingano, who also answered the ad. “We were standing upstairs there, trying to figure out if this was something we wanted to do.” Tatum and Martingano, now a software executive, have been best friends ever since that audition 10 years ago; Martingano was Tatum’s best man at his wedding last July, the two are partners in a production company, and they work out together daily at Tatum’s gym. Once you’ve done the bump ‘n’ grind in a thong next to another bethonged guy as part of a stripper revue called Male Encounter, your bond as BFFs is sealed.

“I’ve been wanting to talk about this forever!” swears Tatum. “You have publicists and managers saying no, and I’m like, Mmm-mmm, it’s gonna come out. I never wanted to hide it.” Last September, Usmagazine.com, under the banner CHANNING TATUM’S SECRET STRIPPER PAST, posted a 1999 video of Tatum—billed as “Chan Crawford”—front and center on a Tampa stage, hoofing like a Backstreet Boy in heat, snogging some bachelorette in the front row, then peeling off his shirt, and finally, like an NBA sixth man yanking off his warm-ups, discarding his pants. “Thaaaat’s right, ladies,” barked the club’s announcer. “Chan Crawford is here to pleeeease you!” Only a bulging jockstrap and a thin wall of dead presidents stood between the Sun Coast’s horniest housewives and Chan’s fantastic penis.

I think it’s hil-larious,” Tatum says convincingly. “I met some of the most insane characters.” He hopes to do for male stripping what Boogie Nights did for the golden age of Valley porn. “I’m gonna make a movie about it. I’ve talked to a couple of directors.” I ask Tatum if his handlers are happy about the prospect of his strapping on the ol’ banana hammock again. “I don’t care what they think,” he answers quickly. “I’m happy I did it. I’m not proud, because it’s not something to be proud of, but I had an experience that only one out of a thousand—a million—people can say they’ve ever had. I’ve been through this crazy sort of life, and I came out the other side fairly unscathed.”

TATUM’S WIFE IS CURLED UP on the living-rooom sofa, studying lines for a film she begins shooting tomorrow. Jenna Dewan is teacup petite, pretty and pie-sweet, a former Texas high-school cheerleader who, like Tatum, started in showbiz as a dancer, touring with Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera. “I didn’t even hear you come home, babe,” he purrs. “I didn’t want to bother you guys,” she purrs back.

After dinner options are discussed and takeout menus unsuccessfully searched for, Tatum phones in for Italian. (They’ve memorized the menu.) While we wait for the food, Dewan has Tatum show me pictures of the two of them playing Band Hero in their living room. Asked to describe a typical evening for one of young Hollywood’s hottest couples, the Dewan-Tatums look at each other, nuzzle their dogs, point up to their flat-screen and launch into an impassioned and nuanced disquisition on the genius of Animal Planet’s Meerkat Manor.

Plenty of public couples feign the role of homebodies, hoping to burnish their celebrities-are-just-like-us cred, but Tatum and Dewan aren’t the sort of actors who can fake the part this convincingly. Tatum’s no fool: He likes his life, enjoys the hillside home, the pool, the Escalade, the seven-figure, name-above-the-title leading roles. But he’ll tell you without prodding that he doesn’t much like living in Los Angeles. It’s a necessary evil. He’s moved his parents an hour south of here, and that helps some, but still, he may be the one person who, given the choice, would rather be in Tampa.

“L.A. sucks for going out,” he spits, and for the first time I get a taste of the spring-loaded rage he brings to his best work. “Everything here is a ‘lounge.’ Everyone just sits around at a table, drinking a cocktail, looking at each other. There are no dance clubs. Back in Florida, I’m gonna go into a club, get drunk, get sweaty, dance, have a good time, and get a taxi home. There’s no place here that does dancing like that.” He rises, offers me a final beer from the fridge, then sits back down alongside Dewan. “I miss it, man. I miss it.”

As I mentioned before, fans can go to the CTU Photo Gallery to check out all of the photos and tons of outtakes from Chan’s new Details photo shoots and you can even watch a behind-the-scenes video from the shoot below…

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FAN ENCOUNTERS: Chan and Jenna Partying with Fans in Scotland

Over the past three months, numerous fans have run into Channing Tatum in Achiltibuie and other parts of Scotland while he films his Roman epic ‘Eagle of the Ninth‘.

Today, we have some great new pics of Chan and his wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum with fans Kelly, Abi, Phoebe, Kythe and Kim enjoying themselves at a dance that the town threw for the cast and crew. Here’s what they had to say about their encounter with the couple…

“We met Channing and Jenna at a ceilidh in Achiltibuie, Scotland when Channing was up filming “The Eagle of the Ninth” in October! It was such a fun night!” - Kelly, Abi, Phoebe, Kythe & Kim

You can check out Jenna and Chan in a couple of his favorite caps and a t-shirt from Tampa-based Eleven O Twelve hanging out with fans in the new pics below…

You can CLICK HERE see a few more photos of Chan and Jenna with fans in Scotland, and you’ll find tons more fan encounter photos in the CTU photo gallery too.

For those who don’t know, Chan’s movie ‘The Eagle of the Ninth‘ is based on the best-selling, classic 1954 teen novel by Rosemary Sutcliff, and is set in the dangerous world of second-century Britain. In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (played by Channing) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca (Jamie Bell), Marcus sets out across Hadrian’s Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the lost legion’s golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth. Donald Sutherland portrays Marcus’ uncle Aquila, who has retired in Britain; Mark Strong is cast as Guern, an ex-soldier who holds crucial information about the Ninth. The drama is scheduled to hit theaters in the third quarter of 2010!!!

Big thanks to Kelly for sending in the great pics! If you happen to run into Chan or Jenna, send your photos and fan encounter stories to fanencounters@channingtatumunwrapped.com. I will post them on the blog to share with envious fans all around the globe!

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PICTURES OF THE WEEK: Channing Tatum with Fans in Scotland

Each week Channing Tatum Unwrapped will post one or more of our favorite pictures of the uber hot Channing Tatum.

Today’s Pictures of the Week were submitted by numerous Channing Tatum Fans who have run into Chan in Achiltibuie and other parts of Scotland while he films his Roman epic ‘Eagle of the Ninth‘. One of the fan photos below also includes Chan’s ‘Eagle‘ co-star Jamie Bell.

You can CLICK HERE to learn more about the movie, and you can check out the new pics below…

Big thanks to @kirstyg87, @xweelaurax, Rachel, and @triciamaclennan for the great photos! Fans can CLICK HERE to see tons more photos of Chan with fans from around the world.

If you have a favorite picture from this blog, our photo gallery, a picture you have made or a picture that you have found on the net that you would like me to consider, send the picture or a link to the picture to potw@channingtatumunwrapped.com and tell me why you like it. I will post it and your explanation on the blog. If you like or don’t like today’s picture (for some completely insane reason), let everyone know that too by clicking on the comments link below.

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FAN ENCOUNTER: Channing Tatum’s Thank You from a Hometown Hero

As I previously posted, Channing Tatum and the cast and crew of ‘G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra’ honored local service men and women with an early Hometown Hero Screening in San Diego, California during their world-wide press tour before the film was officially released in theaters.

At the event, Senior Community Representative Bill Cegelka presented local Hometown Hero Jose Velazquez and his son, Justin with a personal letter honoring Jose’s service in the US Navy.

In today’s Fab Fan Encounter, Jose and his family have sent photos and a thank you letter to Chan and all of the supporters at the event and have given me permission to share…

“A ‘G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra’ premier was held in San Diego on August 5th. My family and I want to take this moment to thank everyone for supporting the military and us. My family and I had a great opportunity to meet with Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Stephen Sommers, Community Representative Bill Cegelka, Lori Saldana State Assemblywoman, Neil Hoffman and so many others that made it such a great time for us and all because of my son Justin’s letter was picked thank you.

We did have sometime to talk with Channing and he was very happy to be there with us and honoring the men and women in uniform. He is so modest and I thank him for that telling me and my family that this event was for us was a great honor. Justin, Raul, Aiko and I send a heart warming thank you for everything and we wish you the best in your career goals and family goals.”

- From The Velazquez Family

I want to thank Jose and his family for sending the photos and letter and for all of the sacrifices they make on a daily basis for this country.

If you happen to run into Chan or Jenna, send your photos and fan encounter stories to fanencounters@channingtatumunwrapped.com. I will post them on the blog to share with envious fans all around the globe!

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FAN ENCOUNTER: Chan and Jenna Sign Autographs for Fans Outside New York’s Gramercy Hotel

Today’s Fab Fan Encounter comes to us via IMDB user and Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Juliaaa who ran into Chan outside the Gramercy Hotel in New York City during the recent ‘G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra’ press tour.

Here’s what Juliaaa had to say about her lucky fan encounter…

“I met Channing on August 5 in New York City, in front of the Gramercy Park Hotel, which lies next to the Gramercy Park and two steps from Park Avenue, for whomever is familiar with the area. He was on his tour to NYC to promote “G.I Joe:Rise Of Cobra”. It was almost noon. He came out of the hotel and was signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans for about 20 minutes, then headed to his car to get to some event, as far as I could understand. He was looking cute and confident and seemed to enjoy talking and taking pictures with everybody there.” - Juliaaa

You can click on the wallpaper below to see even more photos of Chan with wife Jenna Dewan happily signing autographs out side their hotel around the same time Juliaa had her encounter…

Big thanks to Julia for posting her story and photos! If you happen to run into Chan or Jenna, send your photos and fan encounter stories to fanencounters@channingtatumunwrapped.com. I will post them on the blog to share with envious fans all around the globe!

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FAN ENCOUNTERS: Lucky Fans Hang Out with Chan on the ‘G.I. Joe’ Press Tour and at LAX

Although I’ve probably had more than my fair share of run-ins with Channing Tatum, I’m not the only fan with encounter stories, and I really love to read the ones you all send me.

Today’s Fab Fan Encounters were submitted by what I’ll call a new fan, aka Goodcooker (from the CTU forum), and a well-established fan, Jirleymar, who met Chan on the recent ‘G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra’ press tour. Here’s Jirleymar’s story…

“My husband and I had the privilege to meet Channing on August 5th, 2009. We found out he was gonna be interviewing on Regis and Kelly so we drove to NYC the night before (we live in Delaware) to try and get in the show. Turns out we didn’t get it, I am so thankful because it worked out even better! We got more face time and I even got to take a picture with him after he came out of the show. What can I say, I am always gonna be on cloud 9 over this. What an amazing man! Besides being beautiful on the outside, he is so down to earth. Channing took the time to sign his autograph, take pictures and chit chat with everyone. God bless his family for raising such an amazing man. Inspite of being gorgeous and famous, he is humble and does not seem to consider himself better than any of us.

While Channing got into his SUV my husband gave him my card (I am a stylist) and told him if he ever comes to Delaware to let us know and that he had us as friends. Channing was thankful and shook my husbands hand (i was frozen out of excitement!) The only thing I said was “congratulations on your wedding!”…To sum up, this day I will never forget. Such an amazing experience to meet him and I hope to see him again someday. Hands down a beautiful man inside and out!”

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Although Goodcooker didn’t get a photo of Chan when they crossed paths on a Southwest flight from LAX on June 16th and oddly had never even seen one of Chan’s movies prior to becoming a fan, I have to say that he captures one of the best mental pictures of Chan that I’ve ever read in any encounter, and I really want to thank him for sharing it in the CTU forum. Hopefully you’ll enjoy his story as much as I did…

“Funny how things go. I wasn’t fully aware of Chan’s stature as an actor, but found myself spending a bit of time with him at the earlier today. He and I ran into each other standing in the security line at the Southwest terminal in LAX, and when both of us were figuring out which security station to go through, he let me go in front of him. Real nice guy. Of course, extremely good looking.

He was one of those very handsome guys that when seeing him, it makes me suck in my gut a bit, and thrust out my jaw to hide the second chin that has started to creep around my neck. You know, I’m the slightly insecure middle aged guy who has a great family and a job but who had also once hoped to be an actor, who sees a young kid, great smile, who has that ‘thing’ about him. Makes you wish you had that ‘thing’, but the only thing you seem to have is debt, flab, and a diminishing coolness that makes your daughter roll her eyes a whole lot more than you used to whenever you talk.

I start joking around a bit about the hassles of getting through security, having taken up five plastic bins between my shoes, sports coat, laptop, laptop bag, my other bag, etc. I had to stick the ticket and ID in my teeth while I grabbed everything else, saying stupid things which made him laugh. So when the security guard working the X-Ray machine hears him laugh and spots him, then says ‘I don’t care if they fire me’, stands up, comes around the machine and gives him a big hug (to his surprise), I figure something’s up.

Sitting down putting my shoes back on (ah, the hassles of getting through airport security), I asked a girl sitting next to me who he was. She told me he was “Chan… blah blah”. This wasn’t what she really said. This is just what I heard. The area was noisy, and my ears, even at 52 yrs of age, are not working as well as they used to. I let it go, and left for the gate.

When I reached the gate, I noticed him in the bar nearby having what appeared to be a light beer. He was also reading his Kindle (has the second gen version, not the latest larger format). I’m a Kindle user, and given our previous encounter at the security station, I did what a rarely do when I see a celebrity and approached him. I asked about his Kindle, and told him that although I didn’t know who he was, my daughter would kill me if I didn’t find out. He told me his name was Channing Tatum. Of course, no bells went off in my head. Who the hell is this guy? Sure, I watch a lot of films and television, and think I pay attention to a lot of it, but there are always those actors or actresses that slip through the mental cracks, whose films you just never got around to see, or almost watched, but something else came up.

He told me he was in the “Step Up” films, whose previews I’d seen, but never the films. Only recently, with my family’s love of the show “So You Think You Can Dance?”, we’d learned that Adam Shankman was making a 3D Step Up sequel, and I asked if he was involved in that, which he isn’t. Of course, he’s moved on from those films, but what the hell did I know? We talked a bit more, mostly about some of the films he’s been working on, but this time, a loud bar, and I only caught a few of the details. After a bit, I knew I’d outlived my welcome, so I wished him continued success and he graciously thanked me for that.

I finally boarded the plane and got a seat near the front, on the aisle. A few minutes later, he’s on the plane, and sits directly opposite of me. He didn’t notice that I was there until he sat down, and we laughed at the coincidence. What followed was an extended conversation about his work and views on what is going on in the film industry. He mentioned his work in GI Joe. I asked if he had ever worked with a “green screen”, which I assumed was needed for GI Joe. He said ‘no’ and commented on the challenges of interacting with people and things that are not actually there. He mimed a scene where he had to be shocked that someone was killed in front of him. I told him I’d take a part time job actually stabbing myself with a knife in front of him whenever he need any motivation to act shocked on screen. A joke of course, which yielded another warm laugh from him. We spent a good amount of time discussing the problem with making money on films today if they are not blockbuster Sci-Fi, horror or adult R rated comedies. Escapist fare. So many great films are bombing at the box office, and it doesn’t bode well for those actors who need great venues for expressing their acting talent within intimate dramas and independent films.

I asked if he thought that GI Joe, if a big hit, could catapult awareness of his talents to a broader audience than he’s ever had before. He wasn’t sure about that, and felt that he wanted to be more defined as an actor, and not just an action star. He knows his athletism helps him get roles that need that ability, but he really wants more chances to stretch his acting chops. When I told him that just based on our chat, I was going to visit Netflix when I got home and order all of his films, he laughed at that, and suggested if there was one film of him I should see, I should check out A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS, which he feels is one of the best films he’s ever starred in.

He was extremely cordial with me, and was very engaged in our chat. He also seemed to respect my lack of awareness of his star power and popularity, and didn’t seem at all bothered by it. I kick myself now in retrospect, having arrived home and checked out his film history and credentials online, since he is clearly a bigger Hollywood presence than I had thought.

Our chat ended as the plane took off, and we went back to reading our respective Kindles. I was tempted to ask for a photo, or get an autograph, but I felt in a way that doing that would diminish the gift of what had transpired during our brief visit. My last words to him was another wish for his continued success, and although I have just returned home and will order my Channing Tatum/Netflix film festival in a few minutes, I’m already a huge fan of this gentleman.

Now, not having asked for the autograph, I suspect when I see my 12 year old daughter later today, she will wonder what the heck I was thinking (I assume she knows who he is). I may lose another level of ‘coolness’ with her, but so it goes. She’ll just have to touch my right hand, which vigorously shook Channing’s hand after our chat.

It hasn’t been washed yet…”

Big thanks to Jirleymar and Goodcooker for sending in the awesome stories and photo! If you happen to run into Channing Tatum or Jenna Dewan, send your photos and fan encounter stories to fanencounters@channingtatumunwrapped.com. I will post them on the blog to share with envious fans all around the globe!

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FAN ENCOUNTER: Channing Tatum with Extras/Fans on the Set of ‘Dear John’

Earlier this week, I posted some new photos of Chan with fans that were able to get pictures with him after filming wrapped on the South Carolina set of his upcoming drama ‘Dear John‘.

In today’s Fab Fan Encounter we have two exclusive new photos that were submitted by Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Kira this week. They show Channing Tatum taking pictures with Kira and here two friends when they were extras on the ‘Dear John‘ set. Here’s what Kira had to say about their lucky fan encounter…

“My friends Amanda and Colleen were extras with me during the filming of ‘Dear John‘. We live in Charleston and were thrilled to be a part of the movie and get the chance to meet and talk to Channing. He was so friendly and made the experience one we will truly never forget! These were taken on our last day of filming on Folly Beach.” - Kira

‘Dear John‘ is scheduled for a February 5, 2010 release in the US, but you can find more international release dates on the CTU Calendar.

Fans can CLICK HERE to read all of the other fan encounter articles from the set of ‘Dear John‘ and can CLICK HERE to get the latest location news from the set of all of Channing’s films.

Big thanks to Kira for sending in the great photos from the set!  If you happen to run into Chan or his fiancee Jenna Dewan, send your photos and fan encounter stories to fanencounters@channingtatumunwrapped.com. I will post them on the blog to share with envious fans all around the globe!

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FAN ENCOUNTER: Channing Tatum with Fans on the Set of ‘Dear John’

In today’s Fab Fan Encounter we have two great photos that were submitted by Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Tiffini via Chan’s official Myspace. They show Channing Tatum taking pictures with two fans on the set of his upcoming drama ‘Dear John‘, which wrapped filming in the Charleston, South Carolina area last December.

Here’s what Tiffini had to say about her lucky fan encounter…

“Just thought I would share this…I was in Charleston S.C. in October 2008 and Channing was filming ‘Dear John’ on the beach at our condo in Isle of Palms. Not a picture of me, I was to star struck to move. Can’t wait till the movie comes out. I read the book and it was great.” - Tiffini

Fans can CLICK HERE to read all of the other fan encounter articles from the set of ‘Dear John‘ and can CLICK HERE to get the latest location news from the set of all of Channing’s films.

‘Dear John‘ is scheduled for a February 5, 2010 release in the US, but you can find more international release dates on the CTU Calendar.

Big thanks to Tiffini for sending in the great photos!  If you happen to run into Chan or his fiancee Jenna Dewan, send your photos and fan encounter stories to fanencounters@channingtatumunwrapped.com. I will post them on the blog to share with envious fans all around the globe!

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