The Rise of Channing Tatum

Last night Channing Tatum appeared on the Oscars twice, first to dance with Charlize Theron and then to present an award with Jennifer Aniston.  I didn't think much of it, Tatum has had a string of movies over the last year, three with Steven Soderbergh alone, and so I thought, sure he belongs there.   Then I noticed a comment on Facebook questioning Tatum's place among these stars.  To which I say, "are you nuts that dude is a bona fide star".  When was the last Jennifer Aniston movie you really wanted to see?

I'll admit that I have not always been a fan of Chan Chan.  "Magic Mike" turned that all around fro me and probably many of you too. People were expecting the male version of "Showgirls" and sure it has it's share of campiness, but that movie also won Matthew McConaughey an Independent Spirit award for his performance and is one of the three Soderbergh directed films that Tatum has appeared.  It made Tatum even more of an object of the female gaze, a role that he often fills and doesn't shy away away from; as evidenced by his piano humping on Jimmy Kimmel's post-Oscar's show while Jamie Foxx played the piano.

Tatum is a new era leading man, he does action (G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra), comedy (21 Jump Street), romance (The Vow, Dear John) and drama (Side Effects).  And well women like a man that can dance, I dare you to me that when you watch him dance to Ginuwine's classic "Pony" that your heart doesn't beat slightly faster.

In addition is penchant for gyrating and booty popping, Tatum also seems like the kind of guy that you'd want to get a beer with and down to earth kind of guy. His genuine display of affection for his wife Jenna Dewan and opening a bar in New Orleans only serve to enhance this perception.

Tatum deserves to be in the company of these stars because he is gaming the system and winning.  His ability to meld his overt sexuality with a good guy persona only enchants us as an audience.  As Mark Harris so magnificently delineates in GQ  "New Rules for the Leading Man: Movies + TV", Tatum has all of the elements to be a movie star. He says,

"If Tatum ends up being someone we're still writing and talking about thirty years from now, then this movie, in which he played a young, decent guy who didn't mind temporarily retailing his body on his way to bigger and better things, may be seen as his Rocky. In the film, Tatum did the whole movie-star job: He gave us a piece of who he was while making it clear that it wasn't the only piece. He took a chance. He wove something about himself into the work without ruining its shape. He not only risked ridicule, he owned the risk. He commanded the screen but played well with others. He exposed himself in new ways while making sure to hold something back for later. He laughed at himself and made you laugh with him. And he made it clear that nobody else could have done the job quite the same way. Well done. Now let's see what his long game looks like."

Also notable is the Tatum is People's current "Sexist Man Alive" a title that many a movie star has had, Clooney, Brad, and Damon to name a few. When questioning Tatum's place in the movie star universe it would be wise to remember that Mark Wahlberg was once surrounded by the Funky Bunch and dropped trou for Calvin Klein.  Now Wahlberg is an Oscar nominated actor and executive producer of the once critically-acclaimed HBO show "Entourage".