Is Channing Tatum Quietly Taking Over Hollywood?

Before you quickly skip straight to the answer being ‘no’ at least give it some thought.

There is a thought process that goes through many people’s heads when they see Channing Tatum; he is a former model, he made his name really in more romantically engineered films geared towards the female audience and his looks and body are used to attract said female audience members to his films. Therefore he is seen by many to be a pretty boy with no talent and just looks; a stereotypical jock in all honesty. But this is something that may be about to change in Hollywood over the next year or so.

I can’t talk about Channing Tatum without mentioning his first piece of work even though it has no bearing at all in what I am writing about but it might be good for you to know, or give you a little chuckle. But the first time Channing Tatum appeared professionally on film was in the music video for ‘She Bangs’ by Latino pop sensation Ricky Martin. Funny, no?

Anyway, I digress. Channing Tatum first got audience attention when he appeared alongside Amanda Bynes in She’s The Man, probably because of his looks. He also starred in Step Up and its sequel Step Up 2: the Streets as well as moving into a more drama based film with Battle in Seattle which received mixed reviews but showed that Tatum was more than just a pretty face.

But who cares about his early career anymore? Move forward a few years and Tatum is having a very successful time. Haywire received mainly positive reviews, The Vow, where Tatum partnered the beautiful Rachel McAdams, was a surprise box office hit to me as I don’t think it looked very good but its romantic premise and timing of release (Valentine’s week) surely gave it a hand; but it was 21 Jump Street that was Tatum’s biggest hit this year so far. The comedy film is an absolutely hilarious watch and Tatum himself puts in a very good performance. These successes make the point that Tatum does have some box office pull for both genders of the audience.

The interesting thing is that I don’t seem to be the only one that sees this happening. Channing Tatum’s next release is scheduled to be G.I. Joe: Retaliation which will see him reprise the role he played in 2009’s critical lamb to the slaughter G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, making Tatum one of the few cast members to actually reprise his role. This time he will appear alongside action stars Bruce Willis and, more importantly, Dwayne Johnson!

What an absolute star!… Oh, and Channing Tatum is there as well.

So, to the point: G.I. Joe: Retaliation saw its release delayed by a few months because of reshoots with the reason for these shoots kept tightly under wraps. Now, rumours have surfaced that Channing Tatum is the reason behind the delay because it appears as though his character was set to be killed off. Now, after Tatum’s recent successes and new pulling power they have had a rewrite and decided that he needs a bigger part in the film and may not be killed off after all. Since the first film went down so badly they will not want the same to happen here and are trying to capitalise on Tatum’s new found stardom.

Coming up Tatum has Magic Mike, a hotly anticipated stripper comedy alongside Alex Pettyfer (Stormbreaker) and Matt Bomer (White Collar), Steven Soderbergh directed thriller The Bitter Pill and drama Foxcatcher alongside Mark Ruffalo. Tatum looks set to dip his toe in the pool of different genres and may soon be a name on all Hollywood producers’ lips if he continues to reel off the hits!

Has the Hollywood Walk of Fame lost its worth?

“Does it really mean anything if [Ryan] Seacrest can have a star?” – Howard Stern, 2006.

Paul McCartney was finally given his star on the Hollywood walk of fame recently and it has been announced that this week Jennifer Aniston will be receiving her star. One cannot help but notice the HUGE difference in the effect that these two entertainers have had on popular culture. This isn’t just being written to criticise Jennifer Aniston (or Ryan Seacrest) but Paul McCartney was a member of the most iconic band in history and remains today one of the most talented entertainers in the music industry, whilst Jennifer Aniston starred in Friends (which I cannot criticise at all) and inspired a haircut (which I can criticise), does her Friends status make her worthy of a star in itself when the rest of her career is full of excrement?

E.M. Stuart is credited with the creation of the walk of fame, citing it as a means to “maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners or the world”. The first eight stars were unveiled in 1958 and the famous walk is now home to over 2400 people, or groups, within the entertainment industry. On average, twenty new additions are made to the famous tourist attraction each year; each new addition is administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. With so many people being inducted into the walk is it as exclusive as Stuart hoped it would be when he first had the idea?

Every new addition has to have a nomination sent in to the Chamber of Commerce and the nominee has to agree to be nominated. If the nomination is approved the nominee themselves, or the group/person who did the nominating will have to pay for it out of their own pocket; essentially that person is buying their way into this ‘prestigious’ walk. This surely negates some of the validity of such a commemoration.

Over the years there have been actors, directors, musicians and producers added to Hollywood’s walk of fame but alongside these there have also been some fictional characters; Mickey Mouse, Woody Woodpecker and the Rugrats all have their own stars. Do animated characters really deserve a star? Surely, as fictional beings they do not contribute anything real to life. On the other hand, however, is this simply recognition for the creative team behind the character, as a star for each mind behind the creation (voice artist, animator, creator etc.) may not be plausible?

But really, think about this: is it right that Hollywood’s most honourable gift has been bestowed upon the likes of Ryan Seacrest, Woody Woodpecker and Jennifer Aniston when it has not respected Clint Eastwood, Jane Fonda or Robert Redford, all Hollywood legends in their own right. A star on the Hollywood walk of fame should be something that only the pinnacle of human talent is recognised with; nowadays the announcements do not seem to carry as much significance as perhaps they should.