VIDEOS OF THE WEEK: ‘Dear John’ Press Tour and ‘Step Up’ Favorites
February 19, 2010
Most of today’s Videos of the Week are related to Channing Tatum’s highly successful new movie ‘Dear John‘, which released in the US, Canada, and a few other countries on February 5th, just released in South Africa today, and has a sneak preview in Indonesia this weekend before it’s official February 25th debut in that country.
We also have a video that was submitted by Fabulous Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan-Tatum fan Trecia T., and it’s an oldie, but goodie, from their ‘Step Up’ days. Enjoy!
First up, we have what is hands downs my #1 favorite interview that Chan and co-star Amanda Seyfried did during the ‘Dear John’ press tour.
It was done on the Toronto leg of the tour, and you may recognize interviewer Jessi Cruickshank from “The Hills”, “The City”, and “Laguna Beach” after shows on MTV. I’ve learned that you can always count on Jessi for a laugh, and this interview was no different…
One of the questions I see most often from fans is “What is that song in the ‘Dear John’ trailer?”. As most of you now know, the main song in the trailer is Snow Patrol’s “Set the Fire to the Third Bar” featuring Martha Wainwright. The film released a music video for the song with footage of Chan and Amanda from the movie. Fans can watch it below…
After Chan’s hilarious Chelsea Lately interview, he headed on over to Rogue for Jonesy’s Jukebox for a much more laid back interview with Steve Jones, the co-founder of the Sex Pistols (a popular 70’s rock group). Listen in as they talk about Chan’s provocative interview with Chelsea Handler, his love for football, the south, becoming an actor, and everything in between…
In this last ‘Dear John’ video, we have a quick PopSugar report on their coverage of the San Fransisco press tour stop where Chan and Amanda made fans really happy by passing out lots of hugs at the event and where Chan first introduced fans to his new site PostThelove.com.
You even get a glimpse of Chan’s friend and business partner Reid who was there to get footage for the Post The Love “I Love You” video that Chan made for fans to help launch the site (which has well over 6000 thousand members)…
Chan’s press tours have gotten so huge over the past three years, that it’s impossible for me to cover every single interview, but here’s a few more that I thought you might like…
- Soho New York Apple Store Q&A with Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried (Free iTunes Download)
- Y 98.1 in Illinois Radio Interview (MP3)
- Backstage.com Interview: “‘Dear’ Destiny”
- Collider.com Interview: “Channing Tatum Interview DEAR JOHN, Plus Info on Dito Montiel’s SON OF NO ONE and THE EAGLE OF THE NINTH”
- The Finer Dandy Interview: “Channing Tatum is a no-limit soldier…of love”
- Parade.com Interview: “Channing Tatum: ‘I’ve Been Dumped More Times Than I Care to Remember’”
- Vancouver Sun Interview: “Channing Tatum describes how he lost it in Dear John, a movie he insists is not a chick flick”
If you missed any of my articles on the press tour, no worries. You can CLICK HERE to read all of them and HERE to check out hundreds if photos from the entire tour.
Last, but definitely not least, we have the Ciara Featuring Chamillionaire - Get Up music video submitted by fan Trecia, and here’s what she had to say about why she loves this video…
- “I really like this video because well, for obvious reasons, both Channing and Jenna are in it! =D I still remember the first time I’ve ever watched this video. It was when “Step Up” was released back in 06′ and was making a huge splash on Asian shores. Then, one day, while I was flipping through some channels on TV, and I saw this video. I didn’t know who Chan and Jen were back then, and I remember thinking, “oh, who’s that cute guy in the video? And both of them can really dance!”…I almost gave “Step Up” a pass but this video made me change my mind! What with the black outfits and dancing in the rain, they make dancing so damn sexy! So, I watched the film and guess what? I totally fell head over heels in love with it. I bought the DVD and the soundtrack, and you don’t even want to know the number of times I have watched this film. (hint: Its a 2 digit number!) Anyway, all I want to say is, if its not because of this video, I would have missed out on a great film and I won’t be typing this out at this very moment. =)”
BIG thanks to Trecia for your submission!! If you have a favorite video that you would like me to consider, send a link to the video to votw@channingtatumunwrapped.com and tell me why you like it. I will post it and your explanation on the blog.
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MOVIE BYTES: ‘Step Up’, ‘The Eagle of the Ninth’, ‘Son of No One’, and ‘Knockout’
February 15, 2010
While Channing Tatum’s newly released romantic drama ‘Dear John‘ continues to do well at the domestic box office (making well-over $53 million in the first week), remains a top topic of conversation on Twitter, and begins to release overseas, his numerous other projects continue to march on.
I found a few bits of news about Chan’s past and future films ‘Step Up‘ , ‘Eagle of the Ninth‘, ‘Son of No One‘, and ‘Knockout‘ this past week. Check out today’s Movie Bytes to get the latest scoop. Enjoy!!!
STEP UP
Channing Tatum’s and Jenna Dewan-Tatum’s 2006 dance hit will premiere on ABC Family this week. Since the two tied the knot last July, we all now know for sure that the sparks between Chan and Jenna weren’t just acting. Although they didn’t start dating until after the film wrapped, fan’s can watch the two fall in love for real on Sunday, February 21 at 8:30/7:30 Central. You can also CLICK HERE for more details.
EAGLE OF THE NINTH
In addition to the official Facebook page, Focus Pictures just launched an official site, announced a release date, and released the first trailer (which plays before ‘Dear John‘) for Channing Tatum’s Roman drama ‘The Eagle of the Ninth‘.
For those who don’t know, the movie is helmed by award-winning director Kevin Macdonald and 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.
Make sure you fan the Facebook page to get the latest photos, videos, and scoop on the film, which is now set to hit theaters in September 24, 2010. Fans can also CLICK HERE to see even more photos from the film in the CTU Photo Gallery.
SON OF NO ONE
Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Channing Tatum’s dramatic thriller ‘Son of No One‘ just acquired a new distributor overseas. Here’s what Deadline Hollywood’s founder and editor Nikki Finke had to say about the film’s status and casting…
- “Channing Tatum’s weekend success in Dear John comes at an auspicious time, as Nu Image takes over world sales agent duties in Berlin on what it says is his Son Of No One. Though UTA says there’s no deal yet with its client, Channing is the draw in a drama that reunites him with writer/director Dito Montiel, with whom he made Fighting and A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints. The Montiel-scripted thriller is about a young cop who is at odds with his superiors and fellow officers over a murder cover-up. NuImage says Tatum’s co-stars would be Katie Holmes, Terrence Howard, Ray Liotta and Al Pacino. Shooting begins April in New York. Hannibal Pictures put the pic together, with Millennium Films as producer.”
In a recent Collider.com interview, Chan had this to say about the film when asked if his next Dito Montiel film was totally different from ‘A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints’…
- “It’s Saints-esque really. It’s like the grown-up “Saints.” Where “Saints” focused in on the kids, it’ll be flip-flopped. It’ll be focused on adults this time with kids as well. Look, that guy’s lived a crazy life and he’s known a lot of crazy people and this will be a true story or pieces of it, and it’ll be insane - (Robert) DeNiro, Ray Liotta, I don’t know if Terrence Howard is going to be in it, I think he might, and a bunch of other people with some really strong personalities coming in. It’s like a psycho cop New York thriller and it’ll be Dito-esque again. With “Fighting,” we just tried to go and do something fun, and then this is him going back and swinging for the fence again into his crazy mind. It’s an independent film so he’ll be allowed to do whatever he wants.”
‘Son of No One‘ is currently scheduled to be released in 2011.
KNOCKOUT
As Chan posted in his Post The Love Valentine’s Day message to fans, he’s headed off to Dublin, Ireland to shoot Steven Soderbergh’s action-revenge spy thriller ‘Knockout‘. In case you missed it, here’s Chan V-Day message to fans…
- “My love goes out all this beautiful day of love!! So sorry I’ve been gone for the last few days. Things have been crazy with the film and I had to get ready to go to dublin for a new job. that will take me away from the ones I love in my life. Especially my wife, sorry baby. Anyways I will be post more soon. Love you guys.”
The movie will star Mixed Martial Arts champion and non-actor Gina Carano in the lead role as a black ops spy that is betrayed by her team. Chan (who will also film some of ‘Knockout‘ in Barcelona, Spain) will play one of the elite specialists on Carano’s team named Aaron — a military gearhead-type who’s sent to try and bring her back in once she’s been double-crossed and gone rogue; trying to figure out who exactly is setting her up. But there is no love lost between the characters which makes his mission more difficult.
The movie also stars Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, and Michael Fassbender and is scheduled to hit theaters some time in 2010 or 2011.
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VIDEOS OF THE WEEK: Jenna Dewan-Tatum’s Dizzy Feet Interview & Missy Elliott Video
December 1, 2009
In today’s Videos of the Week, we have a new interview that ‘Step Up‘ gals Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Briana Evigan, and Sharni Vinson (who you see in the above photo taken by director Jon M. Chu with Channing Tatum in the background) did backstage with Chris Trondsen of Pacific Rim Video at the Dizzy Feet Foundation charity gala. Nichelle Thrower of the dance crew We Are Heroes also joins in the conversation before the girls go onstage at the Koday Theater in Hollywood to perform this past Sunday. Check out the new video interview below…
When Jenna started her career as a professional dancer, she worked for various famous performers such as ‘N Sync, Diddy (or whatever he’s calling himself these days), Toni Braxton, Celine Dion, Pink, Missy Elliott, Ricky Martin, and Janet Jackson, just to name a few. Thanks to a tweeter with an eagle eye who spotted Jenna in Missy Elliott’s “Gossip Folks” video, you can check her out in the video below. Enjoy!
Thanks to @kirrea for pointing out that Jenna was in the Missy Elliott video and to @partypooper101 for sending me the Youtube version of the music video!
If you have a favorite video that you would like me to consider, send a link to the video to votw@channingtatumunwrapped.com and tell me why you like it. I will post it and your explanation on the blog.
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Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Spotlight
November 28, 2009
In an effort to help CTU readers learn more about each other, I profile members of the Channing Tatum Unwrapped Fan Club on the site and give them the “Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Spotlight” award.
I am excited to announce that this month’s Channing Tatum Unwrapped spotlight is dedicated to Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Crystal H. from Idaho. Here’s what you should know about Crystal…
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City: Fruitland State: Idaho / USA Age: 23 Social Networking: Favorite Channing Tatum Photo and Why?: Favorite Channing Tatum Scene and Why?: Favorite Channing Tatum Movie Quote and Why?:
So awesome. I feel that way everyday I look at my daughter, I fight every battle and every heart ache and work everyday for her and its real! Have you ever met Channing?: Why are you a Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan?: |
Thanks, Crystal, for letting me profile you and for taking the time to share all of your info with the other readers!
As the subject of the Fab Fan Spotlight, Crystal will receive an exclusive, custom-made 12 month calendar featuring Channing Tatum courtesy of Channing Tatum Unwrapped!!!
Finally, Crystal’s Fab Fan Spotlight profile will soon be added on the right side of the blog so other Channing Fans can learn about her from any page. Feel free to send your congrats to Crystal in the comments on this post!
Do you want to be featured in an upcoming Fab Fan Spotlight? I will choose and interview a Channing Tatum Unwrapped Fan Club member each month. If you are a fan club member and would like to be spotlighted, send an email to fabfan@channingtatumunwrapped.com and let me know your fan club username and why you are a Channing Tatum fan.
I am currently choosing the next Fab Fan Spotlighter, so be on the lookout for an email from me requesting an interview and the next FFS might just be you!
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VIDEOS OF THE WEEK: Fan Videos Dedicated to Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan
October 10, 2009
Today’s Videos of the Week were created by Fabulous Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Fans and Youtube users framboise2211 and BrokenSoul31. They created awesome tribute to Chan and his wife Jenna and their movie ‘Step Up’. Enjoy!
Thanks to framboise2211 and BrokenSoul31 for creating the great videos!
If you have a favorite video that you would like me to consider, send a link to the video to votw@channingtatumunwrapped.com and tell me why you like it. I will post it and your explanation on the blog.
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CTU EXCLUSIVE: Enter to Win a ‘Step Up 3D’ Crew Cap!!!
September 28, 2009
As far as I know (although I keep hoping they’ll surprise us), neither Channing Tatum nor Jenna Dewan are in the third installment of the extremely popular ‘Step Up‘ franchise they started in 2006. Regardless, I’ll be one of the first in line with glasses in hand to see ‘Step Up 3D‘ when it hits theaters next August.
‘Step Up 3D‘ takes the dance battling global; The story follows a passionate, tight-knit group of street dancers (featuring Rick Malambri and Sharni Vinson with the returning actors Adam G. Sevani and Alyson Stoner) who find themselves pitted against the world’s best breakdancers in a high-stakes showdown.
I just added a ton of photos from the set of the film to the CTU Photo Gallery. Also, Entertainment Tonight did a behind the scenes report for the first-ever 3D dance drama this past summer. If you missed it, you can watch the video below to get the latest scoop on the film:
Now on to the real reason why you’re probabaly here…
Jon M. Chu, the director for ‘Step Up 2‘ and ‘Step Up 3D‘, has been a great friend of CTU for a while now and previously sent me autographed posters and DVD’s to give away to readers.
I’m excited, because Jon has come through for us yet again. He just sent me another stash of goodies to give away to Chan’s fans. You can’t buy the exclusive ‘Step Up 3D‘ crew cap/beanies in stores, but CTU fan club members can most definitely win one.
HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST
Here’s what you need to do to enter… Send an email to contests@channingtatumunwrapped.com with “STEP UP 3D CREW CAP” in the subject and the following information in the body of the email:
» CTU Fan Club User Name
» Your Twitter Profile (if you have one)
» First and Last Name
» Complete Physical Mailing Address
Each fan club member can enter the contest one time. Please do not submit multiple entries, because only your first submission will be used. The winner of the contest will be announced on Friday, October 2nd on Chan’s official Twitter, but you are not required to have a Twitter account to enter. Please submit your entries by the end of the day Thursday, October 1st!!!
Not a member of the CTU Fan Club yet? Fans can CLICK HERE for more info, and you can also CLICK HERE to quickly register for FREE.
Last, but not least, I also wanted to let fans know that you can see ‘Step Up‘, ‘Step Up 2‘ , AND ‘Battle in Seattle‘ on television this week. ‘Step Up‘ will play on TBS this Saturday, October 3rd. ‘Step Up 2‘ is pretty much playing on a constant loop on Starz this week, and Chan’s 2008 drama ‘Battle in Seattle‘ is debuting on Encore and Starz today. Check your local listings for all of the show times.
UPDATE (October 2, 2009):CLICK HERE to see the winners.
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IN THE PRESS: Channing Tatum’s First Major Cover…August 2009 Issue of GQ Magazine!!!
July 14, 2009
You all may or may not recall some photos I posted in the gallery that showed Channing Tatum jogging through West Hollywood last May.
That little jaunt through the streets of Los Angeles was one piece of Chan’s grueling workout schedule and strict diet to get in shape for his very first major magazine cover.
In what I call the “Return of the Six Pack” photo shoot, famed photographer Mario Testino allowed Chan to show off many of his assets and all of his hard work with the Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica, California as a backdrop, to the delight of fans far and wide. Chan was captured cavorting around the halls of the hotel, and in the breathtaking Suite 700 — a Hollywood playground featuring two bedrooms and a wrap-around terrace with one of “the best views in the world,” according to a long list of travel magazines.
I’ve actually known about this particular piece of news for a really long time, and it was killing me because I couldn’t say anything until GQ made the official announcement.
One thing you won’t learn in the interview below is that, soon after finishing the shoot, Chan threw a small pool party with his close friends to celebrate and scarfed down a ton of chocolate cupcakes as an extra reward to himself, ending his strict chicken, broccoli, and brown rice diet with a bang!!
If the new photos are not enough reason to pickup the August 2009 issue of GQ when it hits newsstands, then here’s a couple more…
In the revealing article, we get a rare glimpse of Chan in his favorite place in the world (back home with his family in Wetumpka, Alabama) and even learn for the first time who he voted for in the election. It’s a really interesting read, very honest and 100% Chan (chiseled abs and all). I hope you enjoy it! Without further ado, Chan’s new GQ article…
CHANNING TATUM WON THE LOTTERY
{And here’s how}
At 18, washed out of college in West Virginia and ended up in South Beach.
Worked in construction and as a perfume spritzer at Dillard’s.
Walked into a modeling agency and got a job with Abercrombie.
Went to Hollywood.
Stayed handsome.
Landed a bunch of roles—two, oddly, with the name of “Duke.”
Is now being called the next big thing.
Is not complaining
by Lisa DePaulo
“Hey, it’s Chan. I’m at the bar.”
I’m not expecting a cell-phone message from Channing Tatum when I land in Montgomery, Alabama, on a sweet day in June. The plan was to hook up at his uncle Bruce’s ranch, forty-five minutes from the airport, each of us arriving separately. But Chan (“Nobody calls me Channing”), being at that stage of celebrity when he doesn’t mind spending time with a reporter, has taken it upon himself to redo the plans his publicist made. Even if that means sitting in the Montgomery airport, where he has flown from L.A., an extra hour until my flight gets in from New York City. “I hope it’s okay that I canceled your car so you can ride with me,” he says. “There’s only one bar in the airport, so you should be able to find me.”
That’s easy. He’s the only person there. Well, aside from the bartender and a lovely woman in her forties with one arm who, much to his embarrassment, has just paid for his fourth Coors Light. (It is close to five o’clock Alabama time.) “Aw, man, you shouldn’t have done that,” says Chan, going over to her table, where she is sitting alone with her Subway sandwich. “But, um, thanks.” It’s hard to tell whether she knows he’s somebody or just thinks he’s cute. He has her all shy and giggling, though.
His driver, from Touch of Class limo service, is waiting by the door. “This is Thomas,” says Chan. Thomas, who’s decked out in a pressed black suit and cap befitting the royal guard, and who speaks with a proper Scottish accent, tips his hat. “He just moved here from Scotland,” says Chan, clearly impressed.
“It’s quite…different,” says Thomas.
Chan slouches down in the backseat of the black town car. He has an iPhone in his hand and a Kindle poking out of his bag.
What are you reading?
“I got two books on this thing,” he says, “about the start and finish of the Roman Empire. I don’t have to read this stuff, but I love it.” (It’s in preparation, he says, for a role.) He’s wearing the standard young-guy-in-Hollywood uniform—ripped jeans hanging off his butt, sideways baseball hat, cotton button-down shirt—which, oddly, also turns out to be pretty close to the standard young-guy-in-rural-Alabama uniform. “You ready to get all country?” he asks.
We’re headed thirty-three miles northeast, to what Chan calls his “favorite place on the planet, by far”: his uncle Bruce’s ranch. Three hundred acres in the middle of nowhere. Wetumpka, to be precise. It’s where his mama was raised. And though his formative years were spent in Tampa, Wetumpka is what Channing Tatum calls home. He escapes here every chance he gets, and that’s not bullshit. “ ’Cause it’s real, you know? You’ll see.” But first, he needs to “take a pee” and pick up a couple of six-packs for his uncle Bruce. Thomas steers the town car into a Citgo station with a minimart. While Chan is in the loo, a few truckers buying chew at the cash register size up his ride. “Good-lookin’ black car sittin’ there,” says one. “Is that there yer limo-zeen?” says the other.
Not mine, I say. It’s Channing Tatum’s.
“Hmmph. We don’t see a whole lotta those round here. Who’d you say that was?”
Channing Tatum. He’s an actor.
Blank stares.
You ever see A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints? Or…Step Up?
Blank stares.
He’s gonna be in G.I. Joe this summer.
Ah, okay, him they’ve heard of.
Chan comes out of the restroom, gives a wave to the truckers, and tosses a couple of six-packs of Bud into the backseat, and we take off. He rolls down the window, sticks his head out. “I love the smell of country.” He turns to me. “It’s just one of those really quiet places,” he says, “and there’s real folks here. Just, you know, real people. We’re probably gonna shoot some guns when we get to Uncle Bruce’s. You ever shoot before?”
***
A FEW MILES LATER, we pull up to the ranch. It is some gorgeous country. “That’s his house over there,” says Chan, pointing to a log cabin in the distance. “And that used to be my nanny’s house.” (He means nanny as in grandmother.) “And that porch right there was, like, my childhood. And that pond was where I used to fish with my nanny, right there. We used to fish with liver as bait.”
We’re heading down a long gravelly dirt road. “Just pull up next to the shed,” Chan tells Thomas. It’s like a big open barn, a former tractor shed with an outdoor kitchen, a stone fireplace, and a stage for when the wagon trains come through and they have a little entertainment. Bruce is waiting by a smoker made from an old propane tank, where he has six chickens roasting for dinner. Aunt Dot is at the outdoor stove whipping up corn bread and peach cobbler. Twenty-four of Channing Tatum’s relatives—including Denver the fireman and Dustin the professional bull rider—are due here any minute. But that’s not unusual. Most of these relatives live on the ranch; the rest are a stone’s throw away.
“Boy!” says Uncle Bruce, when he spots his nephew. They hug like they both just got out of prison.
“This is Uncle Bruce,” Chan says proudly.
“How you doin’, son?” says Bruce.
“Doin’ good. How you doin’, sir?”
From behind us, a noise. “Ahem.” It’s Thomas, who’s still here. Standing at attention next to the smoker, with Chan’s bags hanging from one arm and mine from the other. “Sorry, mate,” says Chan, pressing some bills into Thomas’s hand.
“Thank you, sir,” says Thomas.
“Come on, Bruce, let’s show her the house,” says Chan.
Bruce goes to get the Polaris, a funky little ranger that they tool around the ranch on when they’re not using the four-wheeler. “We don’t want the lady havin’ to walk too far.” On the way here, Chan had described Uncle Bruce as the rock of his life, the definition of decency. He told me how Uncle Bruce fell off his horse and broke his neck in three places (“Just like Christopher Reeve,” Bruce says) but recovered enough to still do the buck dance. He’s a rugged-looking 65-year-old with a white handlebar mustache, dressed in tight Levi’s, a studded belt, and a Wrangler shirt with iron horse ranch, the name of his spread, embroidered on the front.
Bruce pulls the Polaris up and hops off. He tells Chan to chill for a minute. Gotta check on the chickens first.
“Aw, man,” says Chan as Bruce lifts the lid off the smoker. “That smells good!”
“Darn right,” says Uncle Bruce.
A few minutes later, we drive off to Uncle Bruce’s cabin. “He built it himself,” says Chan, “and I’m a-gonna build mine right about there.” He points to a little spot under the trees. (About the thickening accent: He’d warned me that he slips into country talk within minutes of being with his family.)
“That’s right,” says Bruce. “We gonna build him a little cabin, right there, overlookin’ the pond.”
“Nothin’ big,” says Chan.
“Just enough for him and Jenna to come and relax, and for Jenna’s folks to visit. Ride horses, four-wheelers…”
Bruce already has the plans drawn up for Chan’s cabin; it’s going to be part of his wedding present to his nephew. (In July, Channing is going to marry his girlfriend, Jenna Dewan, whom he met when they co-starred in Step Up.) Bruce thinks it’ll be good, as he gets more and more famous, to have a place to go, away from the phonies. Where he’ll always be protected. “Ain’t nobody gonna mess with nobody up here,” Bruce says. But these days, when Chan visits, he sleeps in Uncle Bruce’s second bedroom or the bunkhouse, where there’s a trough that has been refashioned into a tub. “It’s bigger than the tub at the Soho Grand,” Chan says.
“The who?” says Uncle Bruce.
We’re on the porch of the cabin now. “You come right in and make yourself at home,” Bruce says. “Don’t let that buffalo scare ya.”
Wait. Is that…?
“Yup, killed ’em all myself,” he says, referring to the buffalo, the two bucks, and the turkey stuffed and mounted on his living room wall. “I have a motto: You don’t kill anything you ain’t gonna eat.”
And the chickens we’re having tonight?
“Oh, Dot got those at the Winn-Dixie.”
Whew.
“I remember when you killed your first deer up here,” Uncle Bruce says to Chan. And to me: “He was wild as a buck.” Chan, he means, not the deer. “He’d take off running. Three hundred acres here and he can run them all.” He says he never thought Chan would go off and be a movie star—he was a restless kid with dyslexia and ADD who did lousy in school—but he’s not worried about him turning into one of those Hollywood phonies. “That’s all I told him when he got into this: ‘Don’t forget your roots, son.’ ”
***
THE WEEK BEFORE, Channing Tatum strolls into the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood in a lush Armani sweater and sunglasses. Heads turn. He’s that good-looking. He’s on some nutty diet to look extrabuff for a photo shoot, so he sits at the poolside restaurant and orders…a water. “I have a special meal plan that I’m on,” he says. “It’s pretty much just chicken and broccoli and brown rice. Four times a day. And egg whites.” All this for a photo shoot? “Just to get lean. I got a job coming up, too, that I’m starting in August, that I’m starting to train for. It’s called The Eagle of the Ninth. It’s a Kevin Macdonald film. He did The Last King of Scotland.”
He has gorgeous green eyes.
“Thank you very much. Thank you, thank you so much, ma’am,” he says, as though he never heard such a thing before. “That was really sweet.” Every once in a while, you meet a guy like Channing Tatum, a kid on the cusp of stardom who seems so decent, humble even, that you hope Uncle Bruce is right and that he won’t turn into a jerk.
And he might not. When I ask him, for example, to tell me the story of his life, he shrugs and says, “I got crazy lucky. Like, sometimes I think I won the lottery or something.” He pauses, takes a look at the crowd at the Sunset Marquis—the usual smattering of agents and celebs. (This is a guy who will later admit that his favorite restaurant is Cracker Barrel.) “At times it feels like the bottom’s gonna fall out. Just ’cause I don’t really know how I got here. But I just keep moving forward, and it just keeps getting better and better.”
He has three movies coming out in the next eight months. He’s about to marry a woman he calls, in all earnestness, “the love of my life.” And the best part? He doesn’t have to spritz perfume at the Tommy Hilfiger counter at Dillard’s anymore—which, aside from dancing at a club in Tampa, was his last real job before making it big.
He’s 29. A part Native American son of a roofer who fell through a roof, broke his back, and ended up a traveling salesman, and of a mother who never doubted him. “If it wasn’t for her literally doing my homework for me, I would not have even graduated high school. Guaranteed.” Ten years ago, he was an unemployed college dropout. He had been good enough at football to land a partial scholarship to Wake Forest. But shortly before freshman year started, he got called with the bad news: Though he tested high, his grades weren’t good enough. So he ended up taking a scholarship at Glenville State in West Virginia. “A tiny little school,” he says. “You know, small small town. I liked the people and the players and stuff, but I got there and I was like, this is not what I wanted. The reality started to sink in about, you know, doing football as a job.” He lasted one year. Went home to Tampa and got a job framing houses, “pounding nails in the sun,” for $7.75 an hour. Then one night, out drinking, a buddy told him that Dillard’s was hiring at the perfume counter for $10 an hour. “I was like, $10 to sit in an air-conditioned place and spray cologne on a piece of paper? Yeah, I’m gonna do that.”
He got fired from the perfume counter—“Actually, I quit the day they were going to fire me”—for breaking into dances in the department store. And he went to work in a Tampa club, where he actually got paid to dance. Then he quit that, too, deciding to take his shot in the land of opportunity: South Beach. His first week there, as he wandered around looking for a job, “a creepy old man” stopped him on the street and told him he could be a model. Told him he could make $1,500 a day. Told him that all he had to do was…come back to his apartment.
Chan took off in the other direction. But when he got to his dumpy rental, he thought about what the guy had said. Maybe he could be a model. The next day, he walked into a modeling agency and got hired. Soon he was doing soda commercials (Mountain Dew and Pepsi); then he got picked up as a face (and body) of Abercrombie & Fitch. Then Armani. Back in Wetumpka, no one knew what to make of this, but they were darn proud. He was making real money. But he didn’t want to be a model for the rest of his life. So, of course, he moved to L.A. to be an actor.
And the next lucky thing happened: He was good at it.
But he also worked his ass off to get here. “My mom always said, ‘Luck is nothing but preparation and opportunity.’ ” In a week, he’s going to start training with a mixed-martial-arts instructor for his next role (though he’s already a black belt), and he’ll keep reading about the Roman Empire. “I think because I’ve had that history of not really being great in school, I probably try to overcompensate. That’s why I try to read so many books. Just so I don’t feel…uneducated.”
The producer Lauren Shuler Donner, who lobbied to have Tatum cast in one of his first roles (the romantic comedy She’s the Man), saw the quality in him that she thinks “all our big superstars have: an unpredictableness. Like Russell Crowe and Mel Gibson. There’s an unpredictableness inside that makes them mesmerizing to us, and Chan has that.”
In his few years in Hollywood, Tatum has managed to star in a broad range of films, some of which (like A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) were a hit with the critics, if not the box offce. Others, like Step Up and Coach Carter, were what he calls “tweeners—you know, those midlevel-budget movies that just kinda do good.” But he is fully aware that the pressure is on with G.I. Joe. “This is, like, my first step out into the whole commercial realm,” he says. “I hope it does okay.” (But the early reviews are dismal. Even his co-star, Sienna Miller, who adores Channing, admits that, “you know, G.I. Joe, it’s not going to be the best acting work we’ve ever done.”)
Halfway through our dinner, I persuade him to eat something, so he orders a piece of chicken. “Just plain,” he tells the waiter. “No seasoning, nothing.” Don’t worry, he assures me, “I’ll eat like a real person when we get to Alabama. We’re gonna have so much fun. You wanna pull out all the stops?” Um, okay. “You don’t want to get on a bull, do you?” Um, sure. “You want to get on a bull?” The agent at the next table does a double take. “No, you don’t want to get on a bull. You might get hurt. But we’ll do it up big, and you’ll see a totally different side of me. I talk different, I walk different, everything. I don’t have one single bad memory to where I’m gonna take you. Not one. It was my sanctuary. I hated school, wasn’t good in school, and me and my dad butted heads about that. But nothing mattered when I went home to Alabama.”
He wants to tell me more, but his publicist has arrived and he needs to go get fitted for his cover shoot tomorrow. “All I had was chicken!” he tells her.
***
BACK AT THE RANCH, Chan is insisting I get on the back of the four-wheeler so he can drive me out to the edges of the property. “Just hold on,” he instructs, wrapping my arms around his waist and tearing off through the woods. It’s bloody terrifying, particularly when we end up in a muddy ditch far from the shed and he can’t get the thing started up again. The sun is setting. We’re stuck. My cell phone doesn’t work. I’m thinking the bull might have been a better option. “We’re not gonna die here,” says Chan. “You gotta calm down. You never been in the country before, have you?” He pushes it out of the ditch and gets it started again. “Toldja.”
Back at the shed, his family is discussing the upcoming wedding. Chan has invited every relative who is here tonight to come to Malibu in July. They are all flying out on the same commercial flight. A couple of his cousins took extra jobs to save up. Almost none of his relatives have been to L.A. before, and there is much angst over what to wear. “Wear whatever you want,” says Chan. “Wear jeans if you want.”
“It says cocktail attire on the invitation,” says his cousin Sheryl, Bruce’s daughter, who works on political campaigns in Alabama. A few other cousins have been trying on gowns, and the men are contemplating going to that place down in Montgomery that rents tuxedos. “Really,” says Chan, “don’t go renting tuxedos.”
“I think Daddy should wear a tuxedo,” says Sheryl.
“I ain’t wearing no tuxedo,” says Bruce. “I’m wearing my black jeans and black hat.”
“Perfect,” says Chan. “If Uncle Bruce don’t do the stanky leg and the buck dance at my wedding, I’m gonna be pissed off.”
Sheryl rolls her eyes and says to me, “I just don’t want us showin’ up like the Clampetts, you know? I mean, my daddy never even seen a homosexual before.”
A little smile from Chan, who quickly changes the subject to bull riding. He wants me to sit down next to Dustin’s buddy Sid, who made him get on his first bull. “Ask him how he lost his finger,” says Chan, and Sid mimes picking his nose—a booger bit it off—and…booger jokes ensue. Everyone is laughing hysterically. As the sky goes black, the family is gathered around in a circle, in folding chairs, with Dot and Bruce sitting on the swing in the middle of the shed, rocking and holding hands. Chan takes turns bouncing various kids in his lap. Another case of Bud is pulled out of the fridge. A few of his cousins tell him they just went to the movie theater to see him in Fighting and didn’t much care for all the gore. Then someone brings up politics.
“Do not say you voted for Barack Obama,” says his cousin Sheryl.
“I voted for Barack Obama,” says Chan.
“Don’t you go saying that around here,” says Sheryl. “You’ll be like everybody else out there.” She means in Hollywood. “Nobody around here wants to hear that you voted for O-ba-ma.”
“But I did,” says Chan.
“Well, then, shush,” says Sheryl. “You gotta have respect for the people who live here.”
“I don’t care. If they don’t like me because I voted for Obama, then fuck them. I like horses and I like Obama. Nothin’ wrong with that.”
It’s getting late. Close to midnight. Chan has promised to drive me back to my digs at the Drury Inn & Suites. “That is a beautiful hotel,” says Sheryl. “It’s seven stories.” But Chan, who’s had “a few too many beers,” is worried about driving, so he asks Uncle Bruce, who’s sober as a stick, to deliver me back to Montgomery.
Uncle Bruce obliges. An enormous pickup truck (the kind with six wheels) is pulled up to the shed. He and Aunt Dot get in the front seat, and Chan and I sit in the back.
“You really live in New York City?” asks Uncle Bruce as we head down the highway. “I been there.” It was around 1957, he says, and he and his mama went to visit his aunt Merle. On the train. Days and days on the train. And when they arrived, “I was like, Shee-it. There were all these fellas laying on the street. I said, ‘Whatcha all, dead? Are they all dead?’ And somebody says, ‘No, they ain’t dead, they homeless.’ ” Aunt Dot laughs; she’s heard this story before. “And I says, ‘Well, then, get ’em homes!’ You still got that up there in New York?”
We pull up to the Drury Inn & Suites, next to Sam’s Club. Chan insists on walking me in. At the counter, he says good-bye.
“You see why I love it here, right?”
I do.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes video from the photo shoot…
Congrats to Chan on scoring the cover and thanks to GQ for sending me the high quality photos and the new article. The August 2009 issue of GQ will hit New York and Los Angeles newsstands on July 14th and will have a wide release on July 21st, so make sure to get your copy!
UPDATE: You can see the article scans in the slideshow below or you can CLICK HERE to view the high quality scans up-close. Enjoy!
CTU EXCLUSIVE: Check Out Channing Tatum’s Favorite Music on His New Myspace Playlist
April 19, 2009
One of the most popular questions I get from fans is “What kind of music does Channing Tatum like?”. No need to wonder any longer, Chan has now completed his very own playlist on his official MySpace.
I was personally excited to see ‘Dear Life’ from the ‘Step Up‘ soundtrack and Israel’s ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ on Chan’s list. Feel free to leave a comment on this post and tell everyone your favs. Here’s the compete list of Channing’s favorite music:
- Gun Street Girl by Tom Waits
- Black Milk by Massive Attack
- Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Hands Held High by Linkin Park
- Clap Hands by Tom Waits
- Dear Life (’Step Up‘ Soundtrack) by Anthony Hamilton
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel
- Remember The Name (’Fighting‘ Trailer) by Fort Minor
You can click on the image below to hear all of the songs…
AS SEEN ON TV: Watch Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan’s ‘Step Up’, ‘Step Up 2′, and ‘Fab Five’ This Weekend
March 20, 2009
There are quite a few Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan movies playing on TV in the next few days. Fans can catch Jenna in ‘Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal‘, Chan and Jenna in ‘Step Up‘, and Chan in ‘Step Up 2: The Streets‘. You’ll find the complete schedule below:
Weekend Movie Schedule
(All Times Central)
-
Friday, March 20, 2009
- ‘Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal‘ on Lifetime Movies Network - 11:00am
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Saturday, March 21, 2009
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Sunday, March 22, 2009
- ‘Step Up 2: The Streets‘ on Starz - 1:50am
- ‘Step Up‘ on TNT - 9:00am
AS SEEN ON TV: Watch Channing Tatum’s ‘She’s the Man’ on the UK’s Channel 4 Tonight!!!
March 8, 2009
If you haven’t seen Channing Tatum’s only comedy to date or would like to see it again, I wanted to let all of his UK fans know that ‘She’s the Man‘ will be premiering tonight (Sunday, March 8, 2009) on Channel 4 at 9:00 pm (aka 21:00).
Here’s what the movie is all about…
A simple case of assumed identity snowballs into a romantic mix-up of epic proportions in director Andy Fickman’s contemporary teen take on William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) has good reason for wanting to conceal her identity upon arriving at Illyria Prep school, and with her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk) skirting school in an attempt to break into the London music scene, Viola sees her sibling’s well-timed absence as the perfect opportunity to assume his identity. When Viola is assigned a shared dorm room with campus cool guy Duke (Channing Tatum), her façade slowly begins to crumble as she begins harboring a deep-rooted crush on her unsuspecting new roommate.
The situation begins to take a turn for the worse, however, when Duke reveals his affection towards campus knockout Olivia (Laura Ramsey), who in turn seems increasingly drawn toward the sensitive imposter known as Sebastian. The problem is, the real Sebastian has decided to cut his London trip short, and upon arriving on campus two days earlier than expected, Viola’s elaborately executed ruse hits an unexpected hitch that sends the entire situation spiraling into chaos.
You can check out Channing as he plays Duke Orsino in the hilarious official trailer for ‘She’s the Man’ below:
Thanks to Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Laura Hannah from the UK for letting me know about the premiere!!!
FOR OUR US READERS: Don’t forget that ‘Step Up‘ will be played again on TNT tonight at 7PM and 9PM Central. CLICK HERE to get more details.
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