CHANNING TATUM FOR DUMMIES…The ‘Fighting’ Edition

As I previously posted, I was able to attend the Los Angeles press junket for Channing Tatum’s new movie ‘Fighting‘ last Saturday. The event was held at the beautiful Four Seasons Los Angeles hotel, which I quickly learned is a hot bed for celebs far and wide.

In addition to the ‘Fighting‘ junket that included stars like Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard and Zulay Henao, the hotel also hosted a junket for the upcoming film ‘17 Again‘, so stars like Zac Efron (with his girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens) and Matthew Perry were roaming around the hotel. And it didn’t stop there. I even ran into Death Row Records co-founder Suge Night and Extra reporter Terri Seymour by the time I checked out on Sunday.

I was only at the Four Seasons for a little over 24 hours, so if seeing stars is your thing, I recommend you just sit in their lobby, and you might just spot a few yourself. Just don’t tell them I sent you.

Anyway…I live-blogged from the junket via Chan’s official Twitter, but in case you missed it, you’ll find a recap of my tweets below with some additional information that I learned during my trip via today’s ‘Fighting‘-inspired Channing Tatum for Dummies. Enjoy!!!

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Channing Tatum for Dummies is a series of articles where I try to answer the most frequently asked questions about Channing Tatum that I receive from readers or find on message boards all over the internet.

Today the questions come from fans and the ‘Fighting‘ press junket interviewers from around the world, and we can thank Channing Tatum for providing the majority of the answers:

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Question:

How did Channing prepare for his fight scenes in the film?

Chan’s Answer:

Many of the interviewers commented on how amazing and realistic the fight scenes were in the film. Channing prepared for his roll as street brawler Shawn MacArthur for approximately two and a half hours a day with trainer Jeremy Williams at Legends MMA Gym in Los Angeles for 5 weeks before filming began. Masterminding the choreography of the fight sequences were veteran stunt coordinator Mic Rodgers (’Fast & Furious’, ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’, the ‘Lethal Weapon’ franchise) and fight coordinator Mike Gunther (’Underworld’, ‘Live Free or Die Hard’, ‘Fast & Furious’). The trainers taught Chan routines that involved techniques from boxing and Greco-Roman wrestling to Ultimate Fighting and mixed martial arts.

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Question:

Did Channing use any doubles in ‘Fighting’ or is it actually him in all of the fights?

Chan’s Answer:

For the record, this film is 100% Channing Tatum in all four of the fights. It was extremely important to Channing that every frame be as realistic as possible. Chan said that three of the fight scenes were each shot in approximately one 14-hour day. The finale fight scene with Brian White really took a toll on him, because it took three 14-hour days to shoot.

In one of the fights, Chan’s nose was accidentally hit by one of the fighter’s punches. Being the trouper that he is, the trainer somehow straightened out the nose that we’ve all grown to know and love with a set of spoons and Chan managed to complete filming the scene. Dedication at it’s best.

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Question:

What was it like working with director Dito Montiel for the second time?

Chan’s Answer:

The initial script for ‘Fighting‘ started out as a basketball-themed film. Chan suggested they consider a storyline about street fighting in which he could use his raw physicality. He enjoyed working with Dito Montiel so much in ‘A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints‘ that he also suggested to the producers that they have the writer/director rework the script. Using inspiration from his childhood, Montiel considered the suggestion and crafted a story that explored the world of underground fighting.

Of working on the film with Montiel, Chan says: “Dito and I wanted to make a film about lonely people…
about two guys who find each other and common ground—even though they represent two different ends of the spectrum. They both have something they need from each other.” The troubled, sensitive and good-natured Shawn is a character far removed from Saints’ violent, streetwise Antonio, but Chan was eager to challenge himself as a performer.

He and Dito created a detailed backstory for the character who has fled his roots in Birmingham, Alabama, in order to try his luck in the city. “Shawn’s dad was a tough college wrestling coach,” Chan explains. “Since he was a very athletic guy, he expected his son to be athletic, too…so Shawn wrestled. A lot of parents want to live through their kids and want them to do better than they did. That was a real source of friction for him and his father.”

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Question:

What was it like to work with Terrence Howard?

Chan’s Answer:

Chan, Terrence, and the other actors were constantly joking around on set to pass the time in between scenes and that camaraderie continued at the press junket. During one of Channing’s interviews, Terrence busted in to joke around with Chan, and later in the day when Terrence was being interviewed by the same media outlet, Chan reciprocated. Chan said that he really enjoyed working with Terrence and learned a lot from him during the shoot.

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Question:

What are some of Channing’s favorite films?

Chan’s Answer:

Way before he ever caught the acting bug, a very young Channing Tatum fell in love with film after he saw movies like Paul Newman’s ‘Cool Hand Luke’ and ‘The Hustler’ with his dad. Fast forward to today and he’ll also tell you that he’s a fan of action dramas like Denzel Washington’s ‘Man on Fire’.

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Question:

Where does Channing see his career in the next ten or fifteen years?

Chan’s Answer:

When asked about the future of his career, Channing told interviewers that he would really like to get on the other side of the camera as a writer and producer in the next ten years and maybe as a director in the next 15 years. Although the nature of the beast dictates that he can’t give a lot of details, he mentioned that he is currently working on various writing and producing projects in addition to his current acting gigs.

He also confirmed that he is still considering a role in the Roman drama ‘The Eagle of the Ninth‘, that he’s no longer in the running for the lead role of Thor in Marvel’s 2011 big-screen adaptation (although he did meet with the director), and that he really wanted to play Snakes Eyes in ‘G.I. Joe‘. Chan thinks that Snake Eyes is the coolest of the Joes, solely because he never says word.

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Question:

Does Chan read Channing Tatum Unwrapped?

Chan’s Answer:

In between reading tons of scripts and books to prepare for his potential and confirmed roles, Channing does take the time to read CTU. So feel free to keep leaving comments, and it could be one that he gets a chance to read when he visits the site.

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Question:

Is Channing Tatum in ‘War of the Worlds’?

Chan’s Answer:

This may seem random, but since I got the answer this past weekend at the junket, I wanted to go ahead and post this. You all may be very surprised by the answer to this one. The truth is Channing Tatum was NOT in ‘War of the Worlds’ at all. Although IMDB says differently and many people thought that he was in the church scene or in a deleted scene, Chan’s mom confirmed this fact with him and he said was not in the film at all. And now you know!!!

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Question:

Does Channing have a pet?

Chan’s Answer:

Chan told me that he adopted a new puppy right before Christmas. Her name is Lulu, and she’s a mut that is mixed with four different breeds. He saved a 7 week old Lulu from a dog shelter in Alabama when he was back home visiting relatives after the filming wrapped on ‘Dear John‘. Chan loved working with the American Bulldogs they had on the set of ‘Fighting‘ and had been wanting to get an animal for a long time, so I was glad to hear he not only found one, but saved one from an uncertain fate at a shelter.

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Question:

Did Channing sign any autographed ‘Fighting’ posters for his fans?

Chan’s Answer:

He sure did!!! If you were following my live blog of the event, then you know I had a contest for our followers on Twitter where I gave away autographed posters to some of the fans who responded to my tweet. The following Channing Tatum fans have won an autographed Fighting poster: @rbergeson79 @spaceygirlSA @missmelanie1980 @jaybran @rachel9133 and have been alerted via Twitter.

Thanks to everyone who followed my first live-blogging event on Twitter! I hope to do it again for the premiere on April 20th. Also, I may just have a few more autographed ‘Fighting‘ posters to give away soon, so everyone stay tuned!!!

‘Fighting‘ sent me a ton of new photos and videos from the film. I will be adding them into the photo gallery and video channel over the next couple of days, so be on the look out and make sure to go see ‘Fighting‘ when it hits theaters on April 24th!!

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Thanks for submitting these questions! If you want to submit a question about Channing Tatum, email it ctfd@channingtatumunwrapped.com and I will try to get it answered for you in the following Channing Tatum for Dummies article. I cannot guarantee that I will have an answer for every question, but I will tell you what I know (or at the very least give you an opinion on the subject).

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CHANNING TATUM FOR DUMMIES…Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

Channing Tatum for Dummies is a series of articles where I try to answer the most frequently asked questions about Channing Tatum that I receive from readers or find on message boards all over the internet.

Here are today’s Channing Tatum frequently asked questions and answers:

Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Question:

Does Channing Tatum play Ghengis Khan in ‘Mongol‘?

CTU Answer:

As you can see in the promotional still on the right, Channing was originally cast in the role of Ghengis Khan in the movie ‘Mongol‘, but he ended up declining the role because of scheduling conflicts (possibly with his 2006 hit movie ‘Step Up‘). Many websites still say that Channing Tatum is in the film, but they are incorrect. The role of Ghengis Khan in ‘Mongol‘ is now being played by Tadanobu Asano.

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Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Question:

What is Channing Tatum’s favorite music?

CTU Answer:
Channing Tatum likes all kinds of music, but when I visited him on the set of his film ‘Fighting‘ last year, he mentioned that he had recently heard some new music created by his Oscar-nominated co-star Terrence Howard and really liked it.

Terrence wrote, produced and performs all of the new music on his debut album called ‘Shine Through It’. It is being released by Columbia Records on September 2, 2008 and fans can listen to some of it in a video below that he recently made for MySpace:

You can listen to more of the songs on the new album at Terrence’s official MySpace page.

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Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Question:

How can I send Jenna Dewan fan mail? Does she have an official site or MySpace page?

CTU Answer:

Channing Tatum’s girlfriend Jenna Dewan has confirmed to me that she currently does not have an official site and does not have a MySpace page at all. As a matter of a fact, she does not have a profile on any of the social networking sites.

Anyone on MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Friendster, etc. saying that they are Jenna are definitely posers, have no association with her, and should not be believed. Jenna is grateful for all of the non-posing fan sites that you all have created for her, so keep up the good work!!!

If you would like to send fan mail to the real Jenna Dewan, she told me that you can send it to her agency, and they will make sure that she receives it. Here is the address where you can send your fan mail and autograph requests:

Jenna Dewan
c/o Joanne Wiles - William Morris Agency
One William Morris Pl.
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

FYI…In case you missed it, fans can CLICK HERE to get Chan’s fan mail address, and I’ll make sure to keep posting any Jenna Dewan news that is sent to me and that I find.

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Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Question:

Can I buy the M&M Cru shirts from the online dance battle?

CTU Answer:

I have confirmed with the director of the M&M Cru dance battle videos that they are currently not able to sell shirts for complicated legal reasons around selling Miley Cyrus merchandise. They are hopeful that they will be able to sell shirts to fans at some point to benefit a charity like the ACDC crew is doing with Invisible Children, but they are still working on that arrangement.

Anyone selling M&M Cru shirts has not been given permission to do so and the shirts are not official. Feel free to buy them if you see them for sale online, but know that they are not actually associated with the M&M Cru that includes both Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan as members.

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Thanks for submitting these questions! If you want to submit a question about Channing Tatum, email it ctfd@channingtatumunwrapped.com and I will try to get it answered for you in the following Channing Tatum for Dummies article. I cannot guarantee that I will have an answer for every question, but I will tell you what I know (or at the very least give you an opinion on the subject).

CHANNING TATUM FOR DUMMIES… Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

Channing Tatum for Dummies is a series of articles where I try to answer the most frequently asked questions about Channing Tatum that I receive from readers or find on message boards all over the internet.

Here are today’s most frequently asked Channing Tatum Fan questions and answers:

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Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Question #1

In Channing’s movie ‘Stop-Loss‘, why are the patches on the uniforms and tattoos of the flag backwards?

CTU Answer

To wear our country’s flag properly, the field of stars is supposed to be worn closest to your heart. When worn on the sleeve of a military uniform, the flag should appear to be advancing and not retreating.

If your patch or tattoo is to be worn on your LEFT sleeve, you should use a left flag (which is what most of us are used to seeing). For patches or tattoos worn on your RIGHT sleeve, you should use a “right” or “reversed field” flag. Channing’s tattoo is on his right arm in ‘Stop-Loss‘, so he was given a right flag.

Source: USHistory.org

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Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Question #2

I just wondered if you could please tell me what jacket this is. It’s worn by Channing Tatum while playing Tyler Gage in ‘Step Up 2: The Streets‘. Please could you try and find out the make and name of this jacket please?

CTU Answer

I could not get all of the details on this one, but thanks to the film’s director and his costume designer we at least now know a little more about the sweatshirt Channing is wearing in the club scene in ‘Step Up 2: The Streets‘.

Director Jon M. Chu was nice enough to forward the question to the film’s costumer designer, and they said that Chan’s sweatshirt is made by Nike. So hopefully that info can at least give fans a starting point to track down the popular clothing item.

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Thanks to Jon and his costumer designer for taking the time to answer my question and thanks to Channing’s Fans for submitting your questions! If you want to submit a question about Channing Tatum, email it questions@channingtatumunwrapped.com and I will try to get it answered for you in the following Channing Tatum for Dummies article. I cannot guarantee that I will have an answer for every question, but I will tell you what I know (or at the very least give you an opinion on the subject).

CHANNING TATUM FOR DUMMIES… Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

Channing Tatum for Dummies is a series of articles where I try to answer the most frequently asked questions about Channing Tatum that I receive from readers or find on message boards all over the internet.

Here is today’s Channing Tatum most frequently asked question and answers:

Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Nanci C.’s Question:
Can you find out about his workouts? I mean we all really appreciate his obvious assets, but how does he enhance those assets by working out?

CTU Answer:
Here’s what Will, Channing’s trainer from Billion Dollar Bodies, Inc., had to say about his training regimen for his most recent film ‘Fighting‘…

What type of workout routine did you recommend for Chan to help him prepare for his role in the film?
To maximize Chan’s results within the short time frame I was given to work with, our sessions basically consisted of a variety of high intensity circuit workouts. To keep his body from getting used to one particular routine, we did some weight training indoors as well as some bodyweight exercises outside at a local park. Now for those who are not familiar with circuit training, simply put, it’s stringing a number of exercises back to back with very little or even no rest in between. In my opinion, circuit training is the most effective method of exercise when it comes to changing body composition simply because it keeps the heart rate elevated throughout the duration of the workout and it enables your body to burn fat at a very high rate for an extended period of time after your workout it over.

Chan told me that he lost 30lbs with your workout and diet regimen. How quickly did he have to lose the weight?
When I was contacted to work with Chan, it was about 5 weeks prior to shooting. He got started on his nutrition plan immediately which helped him drop 5-10lbs, however we didn’t start working out until 2 weeks later. So basically Chan dropped an additional 20 lbs in only about 3 weeks of training! When preparing a client for an event I usually spend about 8 to 12 weeks with them, so I can definitely add this one to my list of last minute miracles ;).

What type of diet did you have Chan on to help him maintain his weight through out the 2 month film shoot?
Chan’s diet was by far the most important factor in his weight loss. I believe in allowing my clients to eat the things they enjoy, just modified versions which contain more protein and fiber with less fat and calories. I think going on crash diets and/or eating bland foods in the name of weight loss only sets you up for failure. I have an amazingly talented chef on my team who can take any food you like and create a healthier version that tastes just as good, so basically Chan was eating burgers, lasagna, french toast, etc., everything was just made with low fat, whole wheat, and organic ingredients. And plenty of veggies!
Thanks to Will for taking the time to answer my questions and thanks to Nanci for submitting her question! If you want to submit a question about Channing Tatum, email it questions@channingtatumunwrapped.com and I will try to get it answered for you in the following Channing Tatum for Dummies article. I cannot guarantee that I will have an answer for every question, but I will tell you what I know (or at the very least give you an opinion on the subject).

HAPPY 1ST ANNIVERSARY TO CHANNING TATUM UNWRAPPED!!!!

Today is a red letter day in Channing Tatum Unwrapped history, because exactly one year ago, I posted the very first article on this blog. So just in case you missed you it, here’s a quick look at what has happened at CTU this extremely eventful past year….

Site Stats
Web sites are all about the numbers and here’s a few that I’m quite proud of….

Posts: 666
Although the number may seem a little unholy, I’m really happy with it, because it means I exceeded my goal of having at least one post every single day. I also feel really good about the amount of quality content I was able to to find and the fact that reader’s contributed to well-over 100 of those posts by submitting photos, videos, and information. I have a feeling that 2008 is going to exceed that number, because this past year Channing had 1 new movie and this year he has 4, so get ready fans!

Chat Box Posts: 258,960
I added the CTU CBox (aka chat box) to the site in May and have had 6 virtual parties with fans from every corner of the world. I truly can’t believe how much fans have used it to make friends, stay connected, and gossip about Channing, Jenna, and almost anything else you can imagine (literally). Believe it or not, the CBox averages over 1,100 posts a day, and I’m sure that number is just going to continue to grow.

Visitors: 377,870
Channing Tatum has tons of fans around the world and thankfully a lot of them found their way to CTU. Again, I know that number is going to be even bigger next year.

Page Views: 650, 651
Each time someone views an article or the main page of the site, it registers as a pageview, so thanks to everyone who has been really busy reading what I’ve been unwrapping every day.

Feed Subscribers: 450 - 500
Readers who don’t want to miss any of the articles or photos I post daily on CTU have been subscribing to the Channing Tatum Unwrapped Email and RSS feeds, and I’m happy that subscriber numbers have consistently climbed all year.

MySpace Friends: 4,333
The CTU profile on MySpace has been viewed almost 75,000 times and currently averages around 30 new friends a day. You all have left over 1,400 comments and over 2,300 messages for Channing and I, all of which I definitely read. I know for sure that 2008 numbers are going to exceed that and I have to admit that I’m a little afraid.

Gallery Photos: 3,725
If you haven’t taken the time to look lately, the Channing Tatum Unwrapped Photo Gallery has grown from zero photos to over 3,700 photos in the past year. The gallery was accessed over 260,000 times and each of the photos were viewed over 1 MILLION times last year. You can CLICK HERE to learn how to view and download the photos that can be used as myspace graphics, screen savers, wallpapers, avators, icons, and so much more! I would also really like to thank fans that have submitted almost 200 graphics and art work and over 360 icons for the gallery.

Videos: 100
Much like the gallery, the Channing Tatum Unwrapped YouTube Video Channel has grown by leaps and bounds this year thanks to fans letting me know about videos they like, thanks to CTU readers like Rialle who help me get the videos added to the channel and thanks to insiders like Casper Martinez who send me exclusive behind-the-scenes videos. The channel currently has 94 subscribers and 39 friends.

Songs: 31
I added the CTU MP3 player to the site in July and fans seem to really like listening to songs from the ‘Step Up’,'Step Up 2: The Streets’, ‘The Trap’, ‘Stop-Loss’, and ‘She’s the Man’ soundtracks, and the talented new artist and my really good friend Rialle. As a side note, you can click here to view the video Rialle just created to thank CTU readers for all of the support you have given her this year.

Contest Winners: 15
One of the things I love to do on CTU is give away prizes to the readers. We have had 6 different contests where readers around the world have won free Channing Tatum DVD’s and autographed photos and magazine articles. We have also had 9 Fabulous Fan Spotlighters who have won custom Channing Tatum posters and a Dear John ebook for a reader in the Philippines that was having trouble finding the book. Later today I’ll announce the next huge contest for the blog, so make sure to check back!

Hot Posts
Here are some of the most popular articles and article categories from the past year:

• Step Up 2: The Streets Articles
• Channing Tatum Filming Step Up 2 Cameo Articles - [1] [2] [3]
• Exclusive Stop-Loss Interview
• Channing Tatum’s 2007 Birthday Gift from Fans
• Channing Tatum’s 2007 Christmas Gift from Fans
• Channing Tatum for Dummies Articles
• Channin Tatum’s Real Name
• Channing Tatum Baby Pictures from Mom Kay
• Channing Tatum and Girlfriend Jenna Dewan Articles

Red Letter Events
There have been a lot of posts this year, but below you will find what I consider to be the most important articles I posted in 2007:

• Channing Tatum Asks CTU to Be His Official Site
• CTU Helps Clean Up 700 MySpace Posers
• Q Finally Meets Channing Tatum on the Set of ‘Fighting’

Thanks
Finally I want to thank a few hundred thousand people…

To CTU Readers:I can’t thank you all enough for supporting Channing, for reading this site, and also for taking the time to contribute to it with your comments, chats, submissions, and participation in contests and Channing’s gifts. We have formed a very special family here at CTU, and I honestly could not be more proud of what this site has become. HUGE hugggggssssss to Gina, Tina, Alex, Naz, Vienna, Marlie, Kerline, Jenny, Ashers, Anita, Liz, Lise, Jan, Brandi, Allison, Louis, Diana, Faith, Mikey, Miguel and all of my friends here at CTU.

To Chan, Kay, Paige, Glenn, and Jenna:I seriously can’t thank you all enough for deciding to be a part of this family. Your support has been unexpected and completely priceless. I loved doing this blog before you all contacted me, but having you all be a part of CTU has pushed this experience beyond amazing. Thanks and a big CTU huggggggsssss to each and every one of you.

2008 and Beyond
When I met Channing this past October he told me about his mom Kay’s philosophy on success. She says that success comes when preparation meets opportunity.

As I have said before, I didn’t plan most of the incredible things that have happened at CTU this year. I didn’t even know that a lot of what has happened was possible. If I had not actually experienced it, I probably would not even believe it myself. Which is why it’s pretty amazing to me that CTU has been one of the biggest successes in my life.

What will CTU look like in another 12 months?

• I hope the site continues to inform Channing’s fans around the world and helps them to support his career as he quickly moves up the Hollywood ladder from up and comer to A-list mega star and producer.
• I hope I will be able to bring fans even more behind-the-scenes information about Channing and all of his projects.
• Above everything else, I hope CTU continues to be a vibrant community full of fans who appreciate Channing for the talented and good-hearted person he is.

As always, I promise to work hard every day to be the best, most interesting, and most comprehensive site dedicated to Chan the person and Channing Tatum the star. You can count on me to bring you the very latest news, commentary, pictures, videos, fan discussions and even more about today’s hottest actor.

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