Attend the Australian DVD Launch Party for Channing Tatum’s ‘Stop-Loss’

I just learned that Channing Tatum’s drama ‘Stop-Loss‘ will be released on DVD in Australia on December 26th. To celebrate the release, Paramount is having the official Australian DVD launch party this weekend (Saturday, December 6th) at the Bondi Boys @ Bondi Social event in Sydney. The event will be held at 38 Campbell Parade in Bondi.

In addition to paying for everyone’s cover to get into the party, Paramount will also be handing out 30 free DVD’s of movies like ‘Sex and the City’, ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ to the first people who pre-register by sending an email to alex@bondiboys.com.au.

Fans can go to bondiboys.com.au for more information (you’ll need a Facebook account to view the invite).

REMINDER: New Premieres for Channing Tatum’s ‘Battle in Seattle’ and ‘Stop-Loss’ Around the World

Two of Channing Tatum’s 2008 films have premiered in theaters in the US and South Africa this week. Fans can get all of the details below.

‘BATTLE IN SEATTLE’ PREMIERES IN 3 NEW US CITIES

I wanted to remind all of Channing Tatum’s Fabulous Fans in Arkansas, Washington State, and Missouri that his latest film ‘Battle in Seattle‘ has premiered in new cities in your states!!!

The drama is based on one of the most incendiary political uprisings in a generation, the 1999 World Trade Organization protests, and is having a limited release in the following US cities this week:

• Juneau, AK
• Port Orchard, WA
• Columbia, MO

What’s next for ‘Battle in Seattle‘? The film will be premiering in Tucson, Arizona and Bellingham, Washington next week on November 7, 2008.

Fans can CLICK HERE to get details on all of the cities, dates, theaters, and times where the movie is currently showing and will be premiering soon.

‘STOP-LOSS’ PREMIERES IN SOUTH AFRICA

I also wanted to let fans know that Channing Tatum’s Iraq war drama ‘Stop-Loss‘ just premiered in numerous cities and theaters in South Africa YESTERDAY!!!

The film is playing in the following theaters in the country, and you can click on the links to get showtimes via the South African film website MovieSite.co.za:

• Benoni NuMetro
• Canal Walk
• Cresta
• Gateway
• Menlyn Park
• Montecasino
• Sterland
• The Pavilion
• Tygervalley
• V+A Waterfront

Fans can also read a recent review of the film on the South African site Mail & Guardian Online and can CLICK HERE to get tons of information on the film, including the latest news, photos, and videos.

CTU NEWS: What’s New at Channing Tatum Unwrapped?

The answer to the question in the title of this post is…PLENTY!!! And honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I just received a really awesome package in the mail that I think you all may be a little interested in…

Chan and Jenna just sent me a ton of autographed pics to give away to fans here at CTU!!!

The autographed ‘Stop-Loss‘ promotional photo on this post is an example of one of them and is my absolute favorite, because I had not seen it before. For that reason, I’m going to say that this one is a CTU exclusive.

Much like Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan’s careers, there is always something going on or changing here at CTU. 2009 is going to be a big year for both of them, so it’s neccessary for CTU to step it’s game up too. There’s no reason to wait for 2009 to do it, so I’m getting a head start.

I’m always on the hunt for new gadgets for the site and I change the design sometimes to hopefully make it easier for fans to find over 1000 different articles I’ve written about Chan, Jenna, and their projects in the last two years.

In addition to some tweaks to the site, I’ve been working on a new FREE program for fans that I hope you all will participate in. I’m not going to give out too many details right now, but make sure to check back later this week to get the scoop.

In the meantime, I wanted to let you all know that I recently updated the main site ChanningTatumUnwrapped.com to highlight some of the most popular articles and sections of the website.

Here’s what’s new at CTU.com (for now):

• NEW HOMEPAGE LAYOUT: Although it’s not a drastic change, you can check out the latest CTU.com article and the new featured article section at the top if the homepage. Beneath that you will also find a new “Fan Favorites” section that highlights the latest Pictures of the Week, Videos of the Week, Channing Tatum for Dummies, and Jenna Dewan articles.
• NEW JENNA DEWAN UNWRAPPED: While you’re on the homepage, don’t forget to check out the Jenna Dewan Unwrapped section in the middle of the page where you can quickly find all of the most recent articles, photos, videos, and a list of her 2008 and beyond films.
• NEW ADVANCED SEARCH: To the right of the CTU.com search box and on the side bar of each page, I have also added a new advanced search where you all have a ton more ways to be able to search through every article on the site and hopefully find whatever it is that you’re looking for faster.
• NEW ON LOCATION: In the bottom left corner of the CTU.com homepage, I have also added a “Currently Filming” section where fans can get the latest news about Channing when he is filming on locations around the world. Right now, he’s currently filming ‘Dear John’ in South Carolina and this area of the site is where you can quickly get the latest news.

The changes I mentioned above are not that huge, but the main purpose for this post is to let you all know that I do have some really cool things up my sleeve for fans that I will be announcing very soon.

Stay tuned, and I’ll let you know how you can get even more involved in the CTU: community and how you may be able to win one of those autographed pics Chan and Jenna were nice enough to send our way!!!

NEWS FLASH: Channing Tatum’s ‘Stop-Loss’ to Open DC Labor Filmfest

Channing Tatum’s Iraq war drama ‘Stop-Loss‘ will open the 2008 DC Labor Filmfest at the American Film Institute where more than two dozen films about work and workers will screened this week.

The 8th Annual DC Labor FilmFest runs October 9-14, 2008 at the American Film Institute (AFI).

The FilmFest is presented by the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO, the Debs-Jones-Douglass Institute, and the AFI, with major sponsorship support from American Income Life.

‘Stop-Loss‘ will be shown at 7:00 pm on Thursday, October 9, 2008 at a special opening night screening with Veterans. Fans can CLICK HERE to purchase tickets online.

DEAL OF THE DAY: Watch Channing Tatum’s ‘Stop-Loss’ for FREE

In today’s Deal of the Day, Channing Tatum’s Iraq war drama ‘Stop-Loss‘ will have a free screening at the Augusta-Richmond County Library located at 902 Greene St. in Augusta, Georgia at 6:30 p.m. this coming Monday, Sept. 29, 2008. If you have any questions or need directions you can call the library at (706) 821-2600.

For the rest of us who aren’t lucky enough to live in or near Augusta and can’t see the film for free, it’s definitely worth a rent or a buy. The film has been released on DVD for a while now, so don’t miss your chance to see Channing do an incredible job in his role as Sgt. Steve Shriver.

In case you don’t know about the film, here’s what it’s all about:

“Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. Brandon tries to resume the life he left behind with the help and support of his family and his best friend, Steve Shriver, who served with him in Iraq. Alongside their war-time buddies, Brandon and Steve try to make peace with civilian life.

Then, against Brandon’s will, the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq. This upends Brandon’s entire world. The conflict into which he is thrown tests everything he believes in: the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love, and the value of honor.”

Fans can CLICK HERE to get even more info, check out tons of videos and photos, and get the latest news on the film on CTU’s Featured Page for the movie.

If you like the photo at the top of this post, then feel free to check out some more pics of Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan on the red carpet and at the after party of the March 17, 2008 premiere of the film below…

What’s next for ‘Stop-Loss‘? Thanks to Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Faith we now know that the film will be released on DVD in Japan on Oct 3, 2008. Fans can CLICK HERE for more details.

REMINDER: Channing Tatum’s ‘Stop-Loss’ Premieres in New Zealand

I want to remind all of Channing Tatum’s Fabulous Fans in the New Zealand that his drama ‘Stop-Loss‘ just premiered in your country!!! Fans can go to the movie’s official website for New Zealand to watch the trailer and get more details about the film.

What’s up next? ‘Stop-Loss‘ will be released on DVD in the Japan on October 3, 2008. (Thanks to Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Faith in Japan for letting me know about the upcoming release!)

REMINDER: Channing Tatum’s ‘Stop-Loss’ Releases on DVD in Germany and Austria

I want to remind all of Channing Tatum’s Fabulous Fans in Germany and Austria that his critically-acclaimed Iraq war drama ‘Stop-Loss‘ was just released on DVD in your countries TODAY!!!

‘Stop-Loss‘ stars Channing Tatum, Ryan Phillippe, and Abbie Cornish and tells the tale of Iraq war hero and his best friend as they return to their small Texas hometown following a tour of duty. They try to rebuild their lives but soon realize that war changes everything.

What’s next for ‘Stop-Loss‘? Fans in New Zealand be on the lookout, because the movie will hit theaters in your country on September 4, 2008.

REMINDER: Channing Tatum’s ‘Stop-Loss’ Releases on DVD in the UK

I want to remind all of Channing Tatum’s Fabulous Fans in the UK that his critically-acclaimed Iraq war drama ‘Stop-Loss‘ was just released on DVD in your country YESTERDAY!!!

To celebrate the DVD release of ‘Stop-Loss‘, MTV is giving UK fans a chance to win a widescreen TV with surround sound and a DVD player!!!

‘Stop-Loss‘ stars Channing Tatum, Ryan Phillippe, and Abbie Cornish and tells the tale of Iraq war hero and his best friend as they return to their small Texas hometown following a tour of duty. They try to rebuild their lives but soon realize that war changes everything.

UK fans can CLICK HERE to answer a really easy question so you can enter the contest.

What’s next for ‘Stop-Loss‘? Fans in Germany be on the lookout, because the movie will be released on DVD in your country on August 28, 2008.

CHANNING TATUM VIDEOS OF THE WEEK: 2008 Teen Choice Awards & Jenna Dewan E! Interview

Today’s Videos of the Week were submitted by Fabulous Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Fans Naz from London and Tina from the Phillippines.

Naz has submitted the first video which features Channing Tatum’s interview in the press room after he won the Choice Dramatic Actor Award for his role in ‘Stop-Loss‘ at this year’s 2008 Teen Choice Awards. In the video, Chan talks about surfing, dancing and the biggest challenge for kids today. Enjoy!

Tina taped and submitted the next video which shows a recent interview that Chan’s girlfriend Jenna Dewan did for E! Television when she was promoting her highly successful Lifetime Television movie ‘Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal‘. It’s a cute interview that shows Jenna teaching dance to the kids at the Gabriella Charter School that recently awarded her with their Limelight Award. Enjoy!!!

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.

REMINDER: Channing Tatum’s ‘Stop-Loss’ Premieres in Australia

I want to remind all of Channing Tatum’s Fabulous Fans in the Australia that his drama ‘Stop-Loss‘ recently premiered in your country!!!

The film is playing in numerous cities across the country, so you can go to the Australian website Yahoo Movies to get theater locations and times.

Fans can watch the trailer below:

What’s up next? ‘Stop-Loss‘ will be released on DVD in the UK on August 18, 2008 and will have its next theatrical release in New Zealand on September 4, 2008.

CTU EXCLUSIVE: Learn About Channing Tatum Through the Eyes of His Mom Kay

If you’ve been reading CTU for a while, then you know it was a little over a year ago when I received a surprising and extremely sweet email from Channing Tatum’s mom Kay thanking me for the site and letting me know that the family read it to keep up with Chan’s career. It was so incredible, flattering, and unbelievable, and Kay even started sending in Pictures of the Week, baby photos, and exclusive info on Chan’s upcoming projects both before and after Chan made CTU his official site.

Through all of our emails over the past year, I’m glad to say that Kay and I formed a friendship, so one of the things I was most looking forward to on my recent trip to LA was to finally meet Chan’s family in person. As I write this post, it’s hard for me to stop smiling, because my day with Kay and my dinner with Chan and Jenna the next day were hands down my favorite parts of the trip. Teen Choice was awesome, but for me, what really made the trip was to be able to spend quality time with both old and new friends.

I’ll cover my dinner with Chan and Jenna tomorrow, but in today’s post, you all get to hear about my awesome day with Mama Kay…

On Sunday, I was getting ready for the Teen Choice Awards and realized that I had missed a call on my phone. Turns out, the message was from Kay and it was great to hear her adorable southern accent for the first time. With butterflies in my stomach, I called her right back so we could make plans for the next day. Once we started talking, the butterflies were replaced with total excitement, because like Channing, she has this ability to make you feel like you’ve known her forever. It obviously runs in the family, much like their gorgeous green eyes and their love of the simple life.

The next day Kay picked me up and it was so great to finally see her in person. We gave each other a big hug in the car and started what ended up being a 10 hour gab fest on Chan, his girlfriend Jenna Dewan (who they all rightfully ADORE by the way), his family, his career, my family, my life, the site…I think you get the point. We talked about everything, and I loved every second of it.

Sadly, Chan’s dad Glenn and his sister Paige were not able to join us. Glenn had promised to help a neighbor that day and Paige had to work. Even though Paige was not able to come with us, she used her connections at a local museum to get us passes to tour around and look at the exhibits while we talked. At one point, we realized that we were doing a lot more gabbing than looking, so we grabbed a snack at a café inside the museum and stayed there until they almost had to kick us out.

After the museum, we headed on over to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica to have dinner where (you guessed it) we talked some more and visited a local bookstore. I’m sure you’re all dying to know what we talked about for so long. To protect the innocent (or not so innocent in some cases), I can’t divulge everything, but I can share a few things I learned.

Chan’s family is very close, so his parents moved out from Florida to California a few years ago so they could be near Chan and his sister Paige. Growing up in Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, Chan was an extremely active child who played and loved practically every sport, except basketball. Before the age of five Chan had had more stitches than his mom could count, but surprisingly has never broken a bone (knock on wood).

To channel all of his natural energy, Kay and Glenn enrolled Chan in karate when he was young. He was so good at it that he was able to earn his blackbelt by the age of 11. Kay also confirmed that Chan has some serious Gremlins when it comes to technology and that she’s personally seen a perfectly new Ipod plain outright refuse to work after Chan got a hold of it.

With the success that Channing has achieved in such a short period of time, it’s surprising to know that acting was not originally in the plan. Chan was hooked after he did his first international commercial for Pepsi where he plays a DJ in the famed Copacabana and has continued to hone his craft ever since then. He truly loves everything about it, immerses himself in it to learn everything that he can, is ready to flex his producing muscles with projects he has lined up, and is also writing a script with Jenna.

Not surprisingly, he’s a big old softy and Kay told me a cute story about how Chan wanted to do something special for director Anne Fletcher before he started filming ‘Step Up‘. He got it in his head that he wanted to make Anne a spirit stick for the first day of filming. Chan knew exactly what he wanted it to look like and described it to his parents so they could get everything he needed while he was in rehearsals for the movie.

Kay and Glenn being the supportive parents they are went around Baltimore finding all of the materials, but could not find the kind of stick that Chan really wanted. At some point, Chan saw what he thought would be the perfect stick on the banks of the Baltimore harbor. It was slimy and yucky, but after a bath in bleach, they are able to salvage this perfectly crooked piece of wood and make the spirit stick Chan wanted.

Chan has had a lot of great people in his life that have helped him get to where he is now. People like Sting’s wife and ‘A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints’ producer Trudie Styler who invited studio executives over to her house just to show them footage of Chan as Antonio in ‘Saints’ before the movie was even done, which put him on the path to getting his role in ‘Stop-Loss’.

Along the way, Chan also had a very supportive acting coach who believed in him so much, she trained him without taking payment. Once he got his first big paycheck, Chan not only paid her for all of the free classes, but he asked his mom to have a special quilt made with a phrase that the teacher often used embroidered on it and to stuff the quilt with the payment. Kay had the quilt made and she and Paige stuffed the money inside so Chan could deliver it to the teacher that supported both he and Jenna as their stars were rising.

For me, a person’s true character is what they do when people aren’t looking, so I really loved the stories that Kay was telling me, because they are one of the many examples of who Chan is as a person when the cameras are not rolling. With Chan and Jenna, what you see is what you get. They are the two most non-Hollywood celebrities that you will ever find. In today’s world, it’s refreshing to know that people like that do exist, and they have their family backing them up every step of the way.

Chan told me at Teen Choice the day before that he had a couple of meetings on Monday, but we would try to have dinner. While Kay and I were at dinner, he called his mom to apologize for not being able to meet us. Incredibly, his meetings had gone so well that day that he had a follow up meeting with a Hollywood screen legend that has written a script, is planning on directing it I believe, and is considering Chan for a role. When that kind of thing happens, it’s important that actors do their homework and learn as much as they can about the person they are going to meet with, so I completely understood why he could not come to dinner that night. Chan’s mom handed me the phone so I could talk to him and it was so cute to hear how excited he was about the potential role and meeting the well-established actor that you all would recognize in a heartbeat.

It’s always great to see how Chan is not jaded with this kind of stuff. Every new milestone is met with excitement, because he’s so humble about everything. Before we got off the phone, he said that we would try to meet with me the next day before I left, so I kept my fingers crossed.

After almost 10 hours and numerous phone calls from Glenn checking on Kay to make sure I had not kidnapped her (just kidding), Kay finally dropped me off back at my bestfriend’s house. It was really late, so Glenn called one more time to check on Kay, and he told her to thank me for everything I do here at CTU.

In Kay fashion, she tells him that he can tell me himself. She hands me the phone, and he proceeds to do just that. I was so surprised to hear his slight New Orleans accent and was touched by what he had to say. I’m warning you people right now, if Chan’s parents disappear one day, he should know exactly where to check. I’m not kidding when I say that if I had enough room in my suitcase for them to comfortably fit, they would have made an unplanned trip to Houston.

I can’t thank Kay enough for spending so much time with me, for sharing her stories and her family with me, and for letting me share mine with her. I truly treasured the entire day with my new friend. I saw a kindred spirit in her and fell in love with the fact that she’s such a proud mom and that Chan’s family is so supportive of him. That support definitely goes both ways, and I’m not surprised, because he learned from the best.

In my next and final post on my incredible trip to LA, you will get to hear all about my fabulous dinner with Channing Tatum and his girlfriend Jenna Dewan.

This is post #3 in a series of 4 articles about my trip. You can CLICK HERE to read the first article that recaps my visit with ‘Stop-Loss‘ director Kimberly Peirce, CLICK HERE to read all about my adventures at the Teen Choice Awards, and CLICK HERE to read all of the articles from my trip.

And don’t forget to CLICK HERE and skip to the end of the article to learn how to enter the most recent CTU contest where you can win a VIP pass autographed by Channing Tatum and the goody bag I received at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards last week.

CTU EXCLUSIVE: Channing Tatum and Girlfriend Jenna Dewan at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards

In the first of 4 articles recapping my 5-day trip to Los Angeles, California last week, you all learned about my awesome visit with ‘Stop-Loss’ director Kimberly Peirce.

Today’s post is all about my amazing experiences at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, August 3, 2008. Before the event, my best friend and I had breakfast at a popular Santa Monica farmer’s market, went home to get ready, and then took part in an age-old awards show tradition of getting my makeup done before we headed over to the venue.

As I mentioned before, getting tickets to this particular event is really difficult because of the popularity of it. In the end, I was able to get a ticket from my best friend’s company and 2008 Teen Choice Awards sponsor, Neutrogena. They had 65 tickets in total, and from what I understand, ten of them were VIP. Once we arrived, we had to meet up with the person who had what I thought was going to be my general admission ticket to the event. For whatever reason, when I opened the envelope, it had a VIP pass and ticket inside instead. Can’t even explain how excited I was!!!

You’re probably asking what is the difference between a General and a VIP ticket. Well, I now know that there’s a world of difference! The people with General tickets enter the venue from the front door and are restricted from entering in certain areas in the arena (generally the ones where celebrities are sitting or congregating).

On the other hand, VIP ticket holders get to enter the venue from a guarded back entrance with celebs, get to walk the red (blue in this case) carpet if you want, get to hang out with the celebs outside before they take their seats, get to go into the heavily-guarded pit-o-celebs at the foot of the stage where you all saw people sitting on the white couches on TV, and most importantly, get access to the ever-popular, goody-packed gifting retreat that you see Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan in with American Idol’s Randy Jackson on the right.

When we arrived, we decided to bypass the blue carpet. We figured the photographers would not be too interested in us no-celebs and decided to save us all a little embarrassment when their cameras would have gone silent as we made out way down the carpet.

Once we entered the outside backstage area, I started spotting stars like Minka Kelly form “Friday Night Lights”, Josh Duhamel from “Las Vegas”, Hayden Panettiere from “Heroes”, Mandy from the M&M Cru, Jon M. Chu and the entire ACDC crew, Selena Gomez from Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place”, and the list goes on. It was like I was standing smack dab in the middle of an issue of US Weekly. I was loving every bit of it and still not believing my luck with the VIP pass!

Not knowing when Chan and Jenna would arrive, I decided to go inside the venue. I took a short video from my seat in the Gibson Amphitheater at Universal City to give you all an idea of the atmosphere of the event. You can check it out below:

Although there was a lot of activity, it took awhile for the show to actually start taping. In the meantime, I was able to star watch as the celebrities continued to arrive at the event and sit in the white couch area in front of the stage.

From Fergie to Will Smith and his kids to Zach Efron and Vanessa Hudchens to David Beckham, Posh, and their kids to the Gossip Girl cast to Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan, the stars were showing up in droves and the fans in the audience were screaming for all of them like crazy.

If you even looked like you were going to say the words Miley or Jonas Brothers, the crowd erupted into eardrum-piercing screams. The energy in the room was insane and contagious!

The show finally began with Miley singing her new hit single ‘7 Things’, and I have to say that I was even singing along to it. It’s what happens when you have a 3 and an 8 year old that watch the Disney Channel 24/7.

Later on, Mariah Carey also performed her song “I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time” to the delight of the very excited crowd. How she did not fall in those insanely high yellow heels, I’ll never know, but the performance was great.

As I mentioned in a previous article, your hard work and votes helped Channing Tatum win Choice Dramatic Actor for ‘Stop-Loss‘ and helped his movie ‘Step Up 2: The Streets‘ win Choice Drama. Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan’s M&M Cru also won the BIGGEST online dance battle known to mankind. Although we did not get Choice MySpacer, thanks to everyone who took the time to vote for all of the categories that Channing was nominated in, and as far as I’m concerned, 3 out of 4 is nothing to sneeze at!!!

During one of the commercial breaks, my magical VIP pass allowed me to cross the sea of stars sitting on the white couches to get to Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. With Will Smith and his kids sitting in the couch in front of them and the Beckhams not far away on their right, I honestly felt like I was in an alter-world or something.

Chan saw me and bounced off the couch to give me a big hug and kiss on the cheek (I’m looking into how to preserve my face at this time). I was even more excited, because after emailing for months, I finally got to meet Jenna Dewan in person for the first time, and she gave me a big hug too. We did not get to talk all that long, because I had to return to my seat before the commercial break was over, but we did make plans to meet for dinner before I left LA (more on that in LA-recap post #4).

Later in the night, I made another venture into what I affectionately call the “Celeb Pit” to finally meet Jon M. Chu and Adam Sevani in person. Jon was awesome and very nice. And if you watched the “So You Think You Can Dance” finale this week, then you know that ‘Step Up’ and ‘Step Up 2′ executive producer Adam Shankman (who was also at Teen Choice) announced that Jon will return to direct ‘Step Up 3-D‘ and that Adam Sevani will also be starring in the film. I want to send out a huge congrats to both of them!!!

After the show, most of the celebs headed home or to other destinations, but before he left, Channing and numerous other celebrities at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards autographed Texas Instruments gear for City of Hope, a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. The autographed TI-Nspire graphing calculators will be given to patients at City of Hope for use in their math and science courses.

The rest of us walked to the show’s after party at a place called Jillian’s in Universal City. At the party, they gave away blue Teen Choice Awards cooler bags with swag from sponsors Dr. Pepper, Neutrogena, Fox, and more.

Although you all may not have been able to attend the event with Chan, Jenna, and I, one lucky CTU reader is not only going to be able to win the bag that you see me holding in the photo on the left, but I also had Channing autograph the all-important VIP pass that allowed me to rub elbows with the celebs at the event. It did not hit me until after I got home from LA that I should of had Jenna sign it too, but I promise I will not make that mistake again.

If you would like to win the exclusive, autographed VIP pass and 2008 Teen Choice Awards goody bag, then here’s what you need to do to enter the contest:

1) CLICK HERE to quickly signup for the Channing Tatum Unwrapped newsletter where you will get a daily email with any articles I have posted in the last 24 hours. If you don’t want to miss out on any juicy Channing Tatum and/or Jenna Dewan news, then the newsletter is the best way to go. If you are already subscribed to the newsletter, then you can skip to step #2.

2) Send me an email from the address you used to sign up for the newsletter to contests@channingtatumunwrapped.com with “Teen Choice” in the subject and your mailing address in the body of the email. I have another contest that will start in a few days, so it’s important that you have the correct subject on your email.

Each fan 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 this Saturday, August 16, 2008 (the 1 year anniversary of Channing Tatum making CTU his official site), so please submit your entries by the end of the day on Friday, August 15, 2008 to try to win the prize. Good luck everyone!!!!

I had an amazing time at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards. My only regret is that I completely forgot to go to the gifting retreat, and I heard that they had some really awesome swag in there. Let it be known that I will NOT make that mistake twice.

I know that Channing and Jenna have plenty more awards shows, premieres, and sets that they will be involved with for many years to come. If given the opportunity, I hope to be able to cover some of them too so I can share the experience with all of you. Well, that’s it for this show, but fans can CLICK HERE to check out tons of photos from the event.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post where I will recap my awesome day with Channing Tatum’s mom Kay. Yet another one I promise fan’s won’t want to miss.

CTU EXCLUSIVE: Hanging Out with ‘Stop-Loss’ Director Kimberly Peirce

 

As most of you know, I just returned from a world-wind trip to Los Angeles, California where I had a ball living life LA-style for 5 days thanks to my best friend Natasha, ‘Stop-Loss‘ director Kimberly Peirce, the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, Channing Tatum’s mom Kay, and of course, our favorite couple Chenna (aka Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan).

Because I have so much to recap, I’m going to break my trip up into four different articles. For article #1, I’m going to highlight the first couple days of my trip where I got to catch up with Kimberly Peirce at her home/office in Malibu and learn more about what the director’s been up to lately. I have a lot to cover, so let’s get started…

My trip to LA was jammed-packed pretty much from start to finish. When I arrived last Friday afternoon, my best friend and I grabbed a quick bite to eat before we went home to get ready for dinner at a local sushi place called Tangu. After dinner, we went to a launch party for a new stylist and then we headed over to a luxury hotel in Santa Monica called The Viceroy to meet a few of her friends before we called it a night…and that was just the beginning.

On Saturday, we went to an insanely hard hour and a half long yoga class at Maha Yoga in Brentwood that had me using muscles I did not know even existed (until they started to hurt really badly a few days later that is). After class, I was really happy to find out for sure that my best friend’s company and 2008 Teen Choice Awards Sponsor, Neutrogena, was going to be able to give me a ticket for the show (more on the show in a later post).

Believe it or not, it’s really hard to get tickets to this particular event, because it’s so popular. If you saw the show, you know that practically every big name in young Hollywood was in attendance. Chan, Jenna, and Kay all tried to get me a ticket to no avail, so I really lucked out that my best friend worked for one of the major sponsors. You’ll find out exactly how lucky in a later post.

After yoga, I was really excited when I got an email from Kim Peirce confirming that we could meet up with her that day, so we went home to change and headed on over to Malibu. If you have not checked out Kim’s official site, then you should definitely go to KimberlyPeirce.com to learn more about the talented director and her past, present, and future projects. The site is really cool, because it’s centered around her home office that has the most fabulous views of the Pacific ocean.

Kim was so nice to us. She took the time to help me learn a little more about the industry, let us take a walk on the private beach behind her home where she sometimes plays volleyball with friends like Matthew Mcconaughey, and even let my best friend borrow one of the DVD’s she had just watched to research her next project.

One of my favorite parts of our visit was when she allowed me to look through all of the still photography from the set of Channing Tatum’s Iraq war drama ‘Stop-Loss‘. You can check out a few of the high quality photos and an unreleased poster I found below:

 

Interestingly enough, I learned that Kim collects Barbie dolls from other countries and that she had just seen Chan at the resent ‘Pineapple Express’ premiere that both Chan and Jenna Dewan attended the Thursday before I arrived in LA.

And although an official announcement has not been made yet, she was excited to tell us all about a new film that she had just successfully pitched. The movie’s story board was propped up against her fireplace in the middle of the living room showing a scene by scene breakdown of the entire film. It was really cool to get an insiders perspective on that part of the movie-making process.

Because they are still in negotiations, I can’t tell you the title of the film yet (so excited to know something before it hits the pages of Variety). What I can say is that it’s going to be Kim’s first journey into comedy, and it’s a romantic comedy at that. Not something you would expect from the director of dramatic films like ‘Boys Don’t Cry‘ or ‘Stop-Loss‘, but you won’t want to miss the film that is patterned after her own complicated romantic life.

She is currently working on the first draft of the script, and I believe the goal is to start filming the movie in the next year or so, so Kim is on a very short time table as far as Hollywood movie-making is concerned. I definitely wish her luck with her new project and hope that everyone will support her whenever it releases.

Since the theatrical and DVD releases of the film around the world are coming to a close for the most part, Kim has pretty much wrapped up most of her promotional duties for Channing Tatum’s ‘Stop-Loss‘. As far as the movie is concerned, Australian fans need to be on the lookout, because the film will have it’s theatrical release in your country on August 14, 2008. The movie will also release on DVD in the UK on August 18, 2008.

I truly enjoyed my visit with the extremely talented director, and I want to thank her for her time, for all of the Hollywood scoop, and for sharing a bit of her life with all of us.

After we left Kim’s we headed home to get ready for dinner. I had made reservations at LA hotspot STK weeks before and my friend also made reservations for us at the popular celeb hang out called The Chateau Marmount. I had my first random celebrity sitings at both places, because David Spade and his party ate dinner in a booth near us and amazingly, Sharon Stone sparked a conversation with me in the bathroom of Chateau. Needless to say, it was a very fun day and incredibly, it only got better in the days to come.

Stay tuned for my next three posts that will cover my LA adventures at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, my day with Chan’s mom Kay, and an amazing dinner with both Chan and Jenna at their favorite restaurant.

NEWS FLASH: Channing Tatum Wins BIG at 2008 Teen Choice Awards

If you watched the 2008 Teen Choice Awards last night or have read any of the entertainment sites today, then I’m sure you all know the results of last night’s star-studded awards show.

If you haven’t heard yet, then its my pleasure to let you all know that all of your hard work and votes helped Channing Tatum win Choice Dramatic Actor for ‘Stop-Loss‘ and helped his movie ‘Step Up 2: The Streets‘ win Choice Drama. Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan’s M&M Cru also won the BIGGEST online dance battle known to mankind.

Although we did not get Choice MySpacer, I’m truly grateful for the nomination and thankful to everyone who took the time to vote for all of the categories that Channing was nominated in. Great job everybody!!!

I’m still in LA, but once I get home later this week, I promise to give you all the details about the awards show and my very special visits with ‘Stop-Loss‘ director Kimberly Peirce, Chan’s mom Kay, and Chan and Jenna. It’s been an unforgettable trip and I really can’t wait to share it with everyone!!!

In the meantime, you can all check out the photos and video of Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan and other stars that I have added to the Channing Tatum Unwrapped Photo Gallery. Hopefully they will tide you over for a bit until I can give you all the juicy details. CLICK HERE to check out the photos!!!

You can also read a really cute interview below that Chan did on the red carpet for TeenHollywood.com where he lets his fans know that he does not have a personal MySpace profile. Enjoy!!!

Channing Tatum On Miley Cyrus As Teen Choice 2008 Host

Hunky Channing Tatum, looking comfy casual in white shirt and jeans won “Choice Movie Actor: Drama” for his touching role in the Iraq war movie Stop Loss. He admitted that, yes, he does surf a bit when he’s in California but the award board he won is a little too short for a great surfing experience. A tiny, very young reporter approached the star…

Channing: What’s up, little man? You’re the cutest thing I think I’ve ever seen.. So you want to know what’s the best advice I ever got? Okay, probably, keep people around you that can keep you yourself. Hold on to the people you love dearly.

Q: What kind of an influence does the internet have on teens?

Channing: Huge! And I think it can be bad as well. I’m one for getting off of the internet and getting outside. I’m not a big internet guy. I don’t have a MySpace. I think they can be great if they are used right and incredibly bad if they’re used wrong.

Q: After your dramatic experience on Stop Loss will you seek more dramatic roles or go back to more dance stuff?

Channing: No more dance stuff for at least a little while. I haven’t done a love story and I really want to do a love story and see that side of me. I’m tired of being with all the guys [in films].

Q: Which dance crew did you root for tonight?

Channing: It shouldn’t be one or the other. They’re all amazing. That’s one reason I didn’t dance tonight is I can’t dance with those kids. They’re unbelievable. I think I chose the M&M crew becau