I can’t help it, I like Channing Tatum. I haven’t seen many of his films, so I’m only judging him on his personality, as seen through many, many charming, funny interviews. One of the things that strikes me about Channing is that (I feel) he’s often the victim of Hollywood’s anti-Southern bias. Hollywood wants to pigeon-hole him as just some dumb redneck, and while he is kind of redneck-y (he admits that), he’s also one of the biggest rising stars in Hollywood, and he owes a lot of his success to his own work ethic and a wonderful and refreshing attitude about his work. He respects his industry, and he plays the game better than most of the younger actors out there.

Another reason to love Channing: he knows he has a gay fan base, and he loves his gay fans. Channing covers the new issue of Out Mag to promote his stripper movie Magic Mike. Channing knows that the audience for this film is going to be gay dudes and ladies. And he loves all of us. You can read the full Out Mag piece here (it is, like all of Channing’s interviews, a great read), and here are some highlights:

He hates fruits and vegetables: “I will never eat a raw tomato. I can do the s–t out of some tomato sauce, or even sun-dried tomatoes, but never raw.” Eggplant? “F–k eggplant—it’s too spongy. I hate spongy stuff.”

On 21 Jump Street: “Jonah actually called me to do it,” says Tatum. “He said, ‘You can do this,’ and I said, ‘Are you sure? You gotta tell me that you’re sure.’ Nobody ever called me for a comedy before — I couldn’t get them to call me for a comedy. I would call, and they would be, ‘No, no, no, just stick to what you’re doing.’ As soon as I made Jump Street, I had 20 comedies sent to me.”

The risk of Magic Mike: “It’s risky,” concedes Tatum. “People say that women and the gay community will go see it — knock on wood — but I know straight guys won’t be like, ‘Yo, what’s up man — you wanna go see the stripping movie after the game tonight?’ I doubt they’ll have the balls to see it. What’s funny is that the girls don’t ask me questions about my stripping days, but straight guys want to know everything. It’s that fantasy element. It’s probably why a lot of females on Halloween are the whorey version of a ketchup bottle, or slutty nurse, which I love and respect — it’s liberating.”

Being a stripper in Tampa at the age of 19: “I was definitely looking for something to take me into the dark side,” he says. “You learn something about yourself, you learn about men, women, you see a lot of depressing shit, people that are lost. But at the same time, the dark side can be exciting. It can feel like you’re cheating death every night.”

More about stripping: “I never enjoyed the taking-the-clothes-off part,” he recalls. “You are on a stage with people yelling at you, and you feel you’re a rock star, but you’re nothing — you’re just a guy taking off his clothes, looking like a fool in a stupid outfit.” The outfit, if you’re wondering, was a Boy Scout uniform. Eventually, Tatum rebelled and introduced an Usher routine, drawing on the skills he learned at the quinceañeras that are as ubiquitous in Florida as orange groves. “I just got tired of being the tall, skinny white kid that couldn’t dance. So eventually, I just grabbed an abuela and was like, ‘All right, teach me how to Spanish dance,’ ” he says, adding, “and I’ve always loved the movies Breakin’ 1 and 2, and Beat Street.”

Matt Bomer on Channing: “He’s obviously very good-looking and effortlessly cool, but he’s also one of the kindest, most open-hearted people I’ve ever known,” he says. “More than anything, he just has a lust for life that makes him want to tell stories and to dig deeper than someone who looks like him might have to dig. He kind of reminds me of Steve McQueen in a lot of ways — completely authentic and comfortable in his own skin.” (For his part, Tatum describes Bomer as “the most talented and committed person I’ve ever got to work with.”)

Working on Dear John: He was signed before they had a script. “It was not a perfect movie, but I loved it because it was a labor of love, every single part of it,” he says. “You go through every single variation of the script, and you work on it with the director and the actress, and then you decide whether you can make it better with reshoots. I wish more actors would do it, because I think it would give more connection to what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.”

He’s a redneck: “I wish I had a palate to be able to choose one over the other,” he says. “I’m a redneck — I still love Coors Light.”

[From Out Mag]

I think my two favorite quotes are “I’m a redneck — I still love Coors Light” and “It’s probably why a lot of females on Halloween are the whorey version of a ketchup bottle, or slutty nurse, which I love and respect — it’s liberating.” Do you see what he did with the last one? He caught himself saying something kind of bitchy about girls who dress up like “the whorey version of a ketchup bottle” (LOL) and he eased into a lovely (if bullsh-t) exploration of female liberation. I LOVE HIM.

UPDATE: The Magic Mike boys also cover the new issue of Entertainment Weekly too.

Photos courtesy of Out Mag.

When I first heard about Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming Magic Mike movie, I have to admit to feeling less than enthused. After all, I have had exactly two encounters with male strippers, who were both very sleazy and not at all hot. The first one, a guy named “Boogie,” pulled the “cop” routine and made a half-hearted show at grilling party attendees for pot possession before whipping out a boombox and gyrating to “Everybody Dance Now.” The second one, a dude with a “Pizza Slut” shirt that called himself “Joe Diggity,” chased me around the house when I refused to get close to him and then (much to the delight of my fellow partygoers, whom I have not forgiven to this date) tried to put his wang on me. It was not a good moment in my life at all.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by the Magic Mike trailer itself, which has a very sexy-sweet vibe going on and features the likes of Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, and Joe Manganiello taking it off for da ladies. Like Kaiser, I also felt my former McConaughey lust rise to the surface, which is a good thing since I thought it was mostly dead after writing a real-time review of Surfer Dude a few years ago. Yes, I can still get it up for McConaughey! Thank you, Mr. Soderbergh. Also, Matthew has discussed his assless chaps for the movie, and he claims to have designed them himself:

With Steven Soderbergh’s male stripper epic Magic Mike coming in just a few months, we’re hearing a lot of buzz about Matthew McConaughey’s supporting performance as the club owner who employs Channing Tatum and the rest of the cast of male hardbodies. Last night at the premiere of his new film Bernie, we asked McConaughey to tell us a little bit more about his character, and the talk soon turned to his wardrobe. Specifically, would McConaughey like to address the tip Vulture recently received that he spends several scenes of the movie in assless chaps? “You got to go check it out in a theater and find out, man,” he laughed, admitting, “I did design some special pants.” As far as additional research went, “Channing and I met early on and went by one male revue strip club in New Orleans and I was there for about an hour, and that was enough,” McConaughey said. “For me, that character in Magic Mike was a combination of Clockwork Orange and Jim Morrison. So I’ll leave it at that.” A droog crossed with the Lizard King? Color us intrigued.

[From Vulture]

I would really like to have seen Channing and Matthew kicking it in a male stripper club and trying to look casual about it all. I’m sure the club owners got a kick out of it too. There’s also an addendum to this story on the People site, which adds some tidbits about Matthew’s Dallas character, and he also talks about why he wants to marry his lady, Camilla Alves:

In Magic Mike, which opens June 29, McConaughey plays Dallas, the enterprising strip club owner. “Dallas wants to take over, world domination with his male revue,” said the actor. “It was fun and very, very corny.”

But McConaughey’s most recent undertaking is a lot more PG. The star, who with fiancée Camila Alves has two toddlers — Levi, 3, and Vida, 2 — said he’s currently working on a children’s movie.

The tots are reportedly also a big reason on why McConaughey and Alves are tying the knot after six years together. (He proposed last December.) “I think it’s great for the kids,” Alves has said. “Mama’s going to have the same last name as they have, so that’s neat.”

[From People]

That doesn’t sound entirely romantic — to marry merely for surname consistency, does it? However, I think Matthew is understating things and that he’s found his true match in Camilla. They obviously love the hell out of each other, and she doesn’t mind that he occasionally goes without showering for weeks at a time and enjoys living in Airstream trailers for extended periods as well. I hope they get married soon and last forever … but I’d still like to borrow McConaughey for a night or two.

Photos courtesy of AllMoviePhoto

The other day, I previewed the Magic Mike trailer – at the time, we only had a short teaser clip, but it was enough to make me excited about how completely awesome this film is going to be. In case you don’t know already, Channing Tatum used to be a stripper. In Tampa. That was, like, his first job as an adult. And he wears his stripping past with a lot of honesty, humility and humor, which always helps. He even used his stripper past as the basis for an idea he had for a film – and this is that film. Steven Soderbergh directed it, for the love of God. And Channing stars with Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer. Honestly, I thought the story was going to be more about those dudes and their stripper lives, so I was unprepared for this trailer and how it seems like it’s all about Channing trying to break free of stripping:

See? It’s like it’s trying to be a love story. Like… Flashdance with more plot. I barely saw Bomer or Manganiello in there. But! I’m not the biggest McConaughey fan AT ALL, but I giggled when he says, “… But I think I see a lot of lawbreakers up in this house” with his twang. I might like The McConaughey again! As for Channing… well, you know I’ve always liked him. Can he carry this film?

Photos courtesy of WENN, Entertainment Weekly.

I’ve been showing Snow White and the Huntsman and Prometheus a lot of love lately. Both films come out in the beginning of June, so they’re two of the first “summer blockbusters” that I’m getting all itchy and antsy for. But there’s another summer film that I can’t wait to see – Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike. Magic Mike comes out at the end of June, and dear God, I hope every theater in town carries it. It’s going to be epic!!!! Matt Bomer, Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey and Joe Manganiello, all playing male strippers, all based on Channing Tatum’s real past as a male stripper (in Tampa!). Anyway, I’ve been waiting for the trailer to come out. The full trailer will be released tomorrow, but there’s a teaser, and I’ll take it.

See… I don’t really have a problem with Channing Tatum in general (I think he’s funnier and smarter than his reputation), but I think this is the kind of role where he really shines. He gets to be a funny meathead, he gets to dance, he gets to show off his amazing body. What’s not to love? And I seriously can’t wait to see Matt Bomer in tear-away pants. You know he’ll be AMAZING.

‘Magic Mike’ stills courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, Warner Brothers.

Channing Tatum covers the April GQ UK Style issue, and I absolutely hate this photo shoot. The cover looks like a 1980s Teen Beat, and the shoot makes Tatum look like a meathead. Or, meathead-ier than usual. As for the interview, Channing talks about his past as a stripper, as he often does in interviews (people are curious). I often wonder if Channing Tatum’s career path was gender reversed, whether Girl Channing would have had the kind of wild success that Boy Channing has had. What if a girl had gone from being a stripper in Tampa to teen dance movies to super-stardom? Would it even have played out like that? Or would “Tampa stripper” be the end of the road for an aspiring young actress? It is my hope that in the gender-reversed situation, the girl would be accepted in Hollywood as long as she wore her stripper past with some humor and honesty, like Channing does.

Channing Tatum has come a long way from his days as male stripper Chan Crawford. The 31-year-old star was the epitome of style as he posed for a new photo shoot and revealed that he isn’t ashamed of his not-so-pristine past.

He says: ‘I had wanted to tell people. I’m not ashamed of it. I don’t regret one thing. I’m not a person who hides s**t. I was young and dumb and stupid and wanted to make a little money. You can work ten hours a day for minimum wage – that’s the opportunities for kids without a college education. Get some s**t job that you’re really going to have to bust your hump for. Or you can try something else a little crazy.’

Tatum said that he became an exotic male dancer at the age of 19, and chalks the experience up to wanting more excitement in his life.

He admits that he now feels far more confident playing the Hollywood movie star game.

He says: ‘In the beginning I felt like I definitely did not fit in. Now I feel like I am getting hipper to the game. I fought it really hard at the beginning. It’s hard on your emotional self. Failures, even reading something someone wrote about you… God, I’m just trying so hard here.’

[From The Mail]

At the end of the day, Channing wins. He used his experience as a stripper to come up with an idea about a screenplay about male strippers, and now that movie has been directed by Steven Soderbergh. Plus, Channing wins because he makes surprisingly good career choices for a dude who says “’I was young and dumb and stupid.” Dumb AND stupid? Oh, Chan.

GQ UK photos courtesy of The Mail.

Here’s the thing: I know that I’m not the target audience for 21 Jump Street. I wasn’t the target audience for the television show, and I’m not the target audience for this remake/film. My first reaction when I heard they were making the show into a movie was, “Ugh, how awful. Where’s the originality?” And then I saw the trailer. And now I really want to see it. So imagine my delight when I happened upon these photos. These are labeled, “from a press conference for ’21 Jump Street’ at the Crosby Hotel New York City.” THIS is how Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum decided to do their first press conference for the film. They decided to dress up like their bike cop characters and talk to the press. I know it’s dumb. But why can’t I stop laughing?

I think it’s because of Channing, honestly. Channing is working the hell out of his costume. Like, I would hit that. Hard. He looks sexy as hell, and he’s working that costume, AND his expression is hilarious. And just putting Channing together with Jonah… it’s working for me. Yes, I will see your movie, boys. And I will enjoy it.

Oh, and I don’t know where Ice Cube was, but this photo was included in the set. OMG. This movie is going to be AWESOME.

Here’s the red-band, NSFW trailer. I don’t even want to admit how many times I laughed.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I’ve always thought that Rachel McAdams was adorable. She’s super-cute, and she’s one of those girl-women that will easily be able to play young(er) characters because of her inherent “cuteness”. When she’s 40, people will still think she’s in her 20s, and she’ll always have fans because she seems so “real” and like the cool girl who could be your neighbor. So it pains me to say this – Rachel McAdams doesn’t know her own strengths, and she just torpedoed herself by styling herself like a 50-something Real Housewife. With that adorable, dimply face, with that great bone structure and that girl-next-door sex appeal, WHY in God’s name did Rachel do this to her hair? It’s not just the too-thick, too-long BANGS TRAUMA (full-on), it’s also the cheap looking dye job, the horrible makeup, and the budget-looking Vivienne Westwood dress (that washes her out). Jesus, Rachel. Why did you do this to yourself?

So these are photos of The Vow premiere in LA last night. Maybe The Vow will be a hit movie for Rachel – even though it looks sappy and terrible, I suspect lots of women want to see it. Rachel’s career choices are weird/bad enough – but does she have to do this to her personal, celebrity image too? God, she just looks like hell. She never really “wows” me on the red carpet, but some really good stylists need to offer Rachel their services.

Meanwhile, Channing Tatum looked fine. His wife Jenna was at his side too – I didn’t care for her dress either (it looks like a reconfigured Victoria’s Secret baby doll), but at least her styling doesn’t make me want to cry and scream to the heavens.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

ET Online has interviews (you can watch the videos here, the embed wasn’t working right) with the stars of the upcoming romantic amnesia movie, The Vow. It’s about a young wife (Rachel McAdams) who suffers amnesia after a car accident and has to get to know, and date, her husband (Channing Tatum) all over again. It opens February 10 and it definitely looks cheesy but I’ll probably see it with my best friend at the movies. I not-so-secretly loved Dear John, and while you know exactly what to expect with these type of movies I still enjoy seeing a good romantic film. (Note: I assumed this was based off a Nicholas Sparks book, but it’s not, it’s roughly based on a real story.) Plus Channing Tatum is just so nice to watch and he’s old enough that I don’t feel guilty finding him hot.

The best story that Channing told on ET is about how he pranked Rachel McAdams by having a prosthetic dick made and surprising her with it during a scene. Channing was characteristically low key when he described this story, and then the interview cut to a segment with Rachel, in which she explains that he planned the prank a full month in advance with the props department. What’s more is that Rachel’s genuine reaction to the prop peen was captured on camera and will be used in the movie. (Probably when her character sees her husband naked for the first time. I would say spoiler, but come on, we all know the ending.)

Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams must rediscover love after an accident causes Rachel’s character to lose her memory in The Vow, and Channing tells ET that he decided to pull a practical joke on her during a nude scene!

“I did have a stunt pee pee that I had made for her for her reaction,” says Channing of the scene in which Rachel is surprised by her naked co-star walking into their bedroom. “It was a little prank that I pulled on her. It’s in the movie – her reaction was spot on. I didn’t have a lot of faith in her reaction because it was cold that day, and I didn’t want her to be laughing and pointing. I wanted her to be shocked.”

“A prosthetic, yes, that’s all true,” says Rachel with a laugh, recounting how Channing went to the prop department ahead of time to fabricate “a piece to terrify Rachel with.” She adds, “But it was great because I didn’t have to pretend … it was funny and got a genuine reaction out of me.”

Channing adds, “I’m not shy about being naked, obviously, as you can see in most of my movies.”

[From ET Online]

I would say this is creepy, but it sounds like it was called for in the scene and like she’s fine with it. It obviously lead to a good reaction for the shot.

Later in the interview, they ask Channing for a moment in his life that he never wants to forget, and he tells the story about how he first said “I love you” to his wife, Jenna Dewan, in an offhand way and got really embarrassed. I thought this story was so adorable and you could see how much he loves her.

On being romantic
“I don’t think it’s that hard to show someone that you care. To come in and be like ‘how as your day?’ Make it about them. Do something cute… draw a picture or a story and put it in her purse or something.”

On the moment he never wants to forget
“The first time that I accidentally told her that I loved her I didn’t mean to. I was on the phone with her, I was like ‘alright cool, love you… that’s awkward I’m going to hang up now.’”

Jenna and Channing are great together and I hope they make it last for a very long time. I also hope this movie is somewhat decent and does well at the box office. Both the leads are just so damn likable.

Update: I just saw this story on Buzz Sugar that Channing Tatum is going to host SNL this weekend for the first time. They had this preview video with Fred Armisen (below), but it doesn’t get good until the very end.

Here’s the trailer. My favorite comment on YouTube is this one “if you woke up and channing tatum said he was your husband… YOU DONT QUESTION THAT SH*T!”

Photos via AllMoviephoto

These are new photos of Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum in Munich, Germany, where I assume they were doing some kind of photo call for The Vow. Lately, more and more films have been doing this, and I kind of hate it – the film promotion begins in Europe, with a series of photo calls and premieres, all before the American premiere. Unless the actor or actress is a huge international celebrity, or the film is some hugely expensive potential blockbuster, I don’t understand why Munich gets the photo call before New York City. Can anyone explain this? It’s not even like Rachel or Channing are well-known outside of Canada and the US, either. Weird.

By the way, Rachel’s lace dress is Collette Dinnigan. I don’t hate the dress, but I really think Rachel has some issues with her color choices. She doesn’t realize when certain shades wash her out, and she’s still choosing colors like she’s a brunette – which she’s not anymore, since she’s obsessed with being a blonde these days, for whatever reason.

As for Channing and Rachel, together in The Vow… I really don’t want to see the film. But I know some ladies do. Go ahead, it’s for you. You’re supposed to want to see it so you can weep and be overcome by the sappy love story. Here’s the trailer again:

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Over the years, I’ve grown to really like Channing Tatum. At first I dismissed him as a pretty-but-dumb kid, a decent guy with a sweet personality and not much else. But I misread him. He really is a sweet guy, I think, and a good ol’ boy from the South, but he’s smarter and he’s got more staying power than I originally thought. He sold a story that was turned into a screenplay which Steven Soderbergh just directed. He’s also moved into producing – he executive produced 21 Jump Street, and produced Magic Mike (his story about being a stripper in Tampa). Add to all of that this little fact: Channing is actually interesting and funny. He consistently gives great interviews, he doesn’t take himself too seriously, and he never thinks he’s “too good” for anything. It’s a great combination.

Anyway, Channing covers the new issue of Details, in support of his latest film, The Vow. He and Rachel McAdams star together as love interests, and the film looks super-sappy. I hope it’s a big hit, for both of their sakes. Oh, and he’s also in Haywire! I forgot that. Channing and Michael Fassbender, in the same film. YAY! You can read the full Details piece here, and here are some highlights:

Shootin‘: “When I was a kid,” he says, “we lived on the bayou in Mississippi. My dad would throw a beer can into the water and have me shoot at it. Once, when I was really little, we had this huge double-barrel shotgun, and when I tried it, it literally blew me off the dock.”

Wearin‘ dresses: “There goes Jesus,” Tatum said as we rolled along Sunset. And there He was in the crosswalk—latte in hand, robe flowing in His wake, fluttering across Fairfax Avenue. “I’d walk around in a man dress,” Tatum said. “It looks so comfortable. I’d do that all day long—walk around in a dress like Jesus.”

Artin’: He’s darker, deeper, more creative than his easygoing manner—and most of his roles—might suggest. These days, when he’s not attempting mock suicide, he spends a lot of time sculpting torsos from clay and drawing severe oil-stick sketches on butcher paper.

Romancin’: “You gotta do the Dear Johns. You gotta do The Vow… I’m conscious about why I did those parts, those movies,” Tatum says after jokingly apologizing for my having had to watch them. He says he took the roles for the sake of his education, which is, of course, an industry trope. But it’s one he delivers with such sincerity that it’s impossible not to absolutely take him at his word. “I wanted to learn from Rachel on The Vow,” he says. “I wanted to learn from Lasse Hallström on Dear John—he did The Cider House Rules and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. I didn’t go to acting school, so my knowledge of story, filmmaking, and character comes from just being on set and doing it… I know I’m not the best actor,” he says. “But I hope my characters are getting better.”

Producin‘: “I really don’t want to be in any more movies that I don’t produce,” he says. “Unless it’s with one of the 10 directors that I really want to work with, I don’t have any interest in not being on the ground floor of creating it.”

Hangin‘ with the dog: “Want to see dirty dancing?” Tatum asks. Lulu trots over to the far side of the patio. When Tatum snaps his fingers and commands “Dirty dancing,” the muscled pooch—in her rhinestone-studded pink leather collar—charges toward him. She leaps high into his arms, and he thrusts her upward until she’s suspended over his head in a balletic lift. Then the two twirl around, poolside, illuminated by twinkle lights. “You jumped the gun,” Tatum says to the dog. “We’ll do it over.” Which they do, again and again.

Workin’: Tatum’s office has 25-foot-high ceilings, a desk made from the wing of an old airplane, and an enormous chalkboard with ideas and stories blocked out all over it. A couple of leather saddles sit on sawhorses near the door. Tatum says he’s often there until 4 a.m., brainstorming or writing snippets of scenes or making clay torsos. “Jenna’s not always happy when I come home that late,” he says, “but I’ve just got to get it out.”

Toastin‘: “What are we toasting?” I ask. He looks up and meets me dead in the eye. “Isn’t it obvious?” he says. “We’re just getting started with our lives, just figuring out the rest of it. The creativity is in place, the sex is good. There’s really only one toast to make.” Tatum lifts the glass as high as he lifted his dog. “Live forever,” he says. “Just live like this forever.”

[From Details]

He’s so cute. When I think about the less talented, more entitled people who actually find success and acclaim in the industry, it makes me want to see Channing succeed even more. I especially liked what he said about why he’s made the sappy movies like Dear John and now The Vow – because he wanted to learn, because he wanted to work with those people, because Channing knows that there‘s always more to learn and you shouldn‘t denigrate those early experiences. I wish Rooney Mara was more like Channing Tatum. I can’t believe I just said that.

Photos courtesy of Details’ slideshow.