How did this happen?

Sarah addressed it in an article just after Christmas. Click here if you missed it.

These days, it feels like only Ryan Gosling’s been working more than Channing Tatum. I wonder if Jake Gyllenhaal feels that way, although Jake Gyllenhaal wouldn’t take half of what Channing Tatum us being offered. Then again... it seems to be working very, very well for him. Channing, I mean. And I’m not sure anyone would consider Prince of Persia more cerebral than Dear John.

Tatum has the new 21 Jump Street on the way out. And The Vow with Rachel McAdams, both within a month of each other. He’s wrapped Magic Mike with Steven Soderbergh. He has a role in Soderbergh’s Haywire this month. He’ll be working again with Soderbergh in a new movie starring Blake Lively - um, more on that later - and there’s some GI Joe happening, and I’m told he’s seeing a lot of other projects before anyone else...

What?

Him?

But ... he can barely read the alphabet?

This is how sh-t works in Hollywood. In Channing Tatum’s case, surprisingly, or maybe just to me, he’s been smarter about it than a lot of his peers.

Consider his new cover interview with Details. There’s Channing Tatum, a gun in one hand and a bourbon in another, appealing to the dude’s dude with all his muscles. When questioned though about being a pussy for doing Nicholas Sparks movies, Channing Tatum delivers the PERFECT answer - a blend of humble and grateful, without giving a blowjob, sounding sincere and savvy at the same time:

"You gotta do the Dear Johns. You gotta do The Vow.  I'm conscious about why I did those parts, those movies. I wanted to learn from Rachel on The Vow. 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. But I hope my characters are getting better."

Oh but that is good, non? Someone got an A in media training because that is very, very good. It’s so good it makes me less eyerolly about what comes after. Of course, like all actors, “producing and directing” is Tatum’s next big ambition:

"I really don't want to be in any more movies that I don't produce. 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."

Here’s the thing though - he’s not actually just talking about it, he actually DID it. Magic Mike is a project he developed. And Steven Soderbergh CAME TO HIM to do it. And they got it down. So now his little production company, it does actually have some credit.

You realise I’m talking about Channing Tatum here, don’t you?

I know!!!

And then he rescues a single mother from her burning car.

No seriously, for real.

He follows that up by taking the journalist home, loving it up with his wife, and dancing adorably with his pitbull.

He wraps the piece by pretty much shooting Matthew McConaughey between the eyes and telling him he’s over.

Two Woodford Reserve bourbons go down fast at the Blue Boar bar around the corner, where the bartender greets Tatum with a fist bump. Half an hour later, Tatum orders two shots of Bulleit whiskey to cap our bullet-filled day. "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."

Just Keep Living just got replaced.

And keep an eye on this for your Sexiest Man Alive in 2012. I can’t believe I’m saying this but Channing Tatum has some serious (fame) game.

Click here for more on Channing Tatum in Details.

Also attached - Tatum leaving Kimmel last night.