In Defense of Channing Tatum

Hey, I like basketball too!

Channing Tatum is not a great actor. He's probably not even a good actor. He'll never win an Oscar (unless Best Abs becomes a category) and he'll probably never make a movie that lands anywhere near my Top 10... or 20... or 100. He's a good-looking guy and a pretty good dancer, but that's about it. He just doesn't have the acting chops of a Clooney or a Pitt or even a Galifinakas. But that's okay. Why? Because he knows it.

Judging by the roles he takes, Channing Tatum knows he's not the world's best actor... and I admire that. How often do you see him in challenging dramatic roles? Not often, if ever. For the most part, Channing sticks to his bread and butter: comedies, chick flicks, and action movies. Are some of these movies terrible? Yes. In fact, a great deal of his movies are gosh awful, but you know why I don't care? I rarely see them. Good ol' Channing does me the courtesy of being in movies that are largely unappealing to me. If I see a Channing Tatum, that's on me... not him.

Now I've been roped into seeing a few of the stinkers. I saw Dear John and The Vow on dates and they were pretty terrible, but it's not Channing's fault that the girl I was with got to pick the movie. Those two movies would have stunk with any other actor in the lead role anyway. However, Tatum's more recent work has been noticeably better -- Haywire was pretty good, 21 Jump Street was funny, and Magic Mike is getting good reviews. Is it possible that Channing is actually becoming a better actor? Maybe. Still, he's not fishing for Oscars, he's playing cops and strippers and he's taking his shirt off and that's what he does best. Can't hate him for that.

In my continued defense of Mr. Tatum, I'd like to bring up something that most Channing-bashers probably don't take into account: he seems like a nice guy. If the interviews I've seen and stories I've read are any indication, he's fairly down-to-earth -- especially for someone who has pretty much every girl in the free world drooling over him. Sure, all the articles are accompanied by a shirtless Channing picture, but I'd rather deal with that than with the vanity and conceit that oozes from most Hollywood actors. Also, the guy's got dyslexia -- it's pretty amazing that he's able to go shirtless all the time with a disease like that.

So while I can't say that I particularly like Channing Tatum, I do respect him... and I certainly don't hate him. There are far worse things in the world than a poor actor with a propensity for wearing wife-beaters  -- why waste my time hating on him?

Music Video Monday: Passion Pit - "Take A Walk"

After three long years of waiting, we finally have some new Passion Pit! The band's first album, Manners, has been on heavy rotation on all my listening devices since its release in 2009 and judging by the album's first single, "Take A Walk," it's looking like their sophomore album, Gossamer, will continue the trend. Check out the video for "Take A Walk" below:

Either the ball in this video is made out of flubber or the director did about as poorly in Physics class as I did. Nevermind the ball(ocks) though, because this video is pretty cool. I'm a big fan of any video that makes me feel like I'm flying through the sky -- this one capitalizes on that and even takes it a step further by also making me feel like I can jump really high. I'd imagine this is similar to the way NBA players feel on a basketball court -- well, NBA players not named Nowitzki. (If you think that's a white joke, you're racist. It's a German joke. Shame on you.) Anyway, I'm very excited Passion Pit is back and looking forward to the video for the next single, which you can listen to below. I actually like it better than Take A Walk... it's got more of a "Sleepyhead" feel to it.

Music Video Monday: Sigur Rós - Varúð

If you don't know the Icelandic language or Morse code, you won't know what's being said in Sigur Rós' 

Varúð video. Fear not, because I also don't know the first thing about Icelandic or Morse code and I still 

liked this video plenty. There may not be much to it -- what you see in the still is pretty much what you get -- 

but if you're a fan of Sigur Rós or of subtlety, I think you'll find the experience enjoyable. It's probably not the smartest idea to post something that requires patience to view on a Monday, but patience is a virtue and I hear those are good to have.

Side notes:

The opposite of the word virtue is vice, which makes one wonder why the second most powerful man in the country (kinda) is named the "opposite of virtue" President.

Varúð is the Icelandic word for caution. 

Music Video (Wednesday): Grouplove - Tongue Tied

This song reminds me a lot of 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins and as The Smashing Pumpkins is one of my very favorite bands, that's high praise. Yeah, this song has been used in an iTunes commercial and on Glee and I could be a douche and tell you how I've had the album since last fall, but there's no place for Grouphate on this blog -- only Grouplove. Enjoy.

Note #1: Don't try to pull off the skeleton earring like the one Hannah Hooper wears in the video. Pretty sure you have to be in a rock band for that to fly. In fact, it's probably wise to stay away from any kind of cadaver jewelry.

Note #2: This video shows why it's never a good idea to eat brownies at a party... the carbs blur your vision, impair your judgment, and make everything go in reverse. Stick to meats and cheeses.