Vanity Fair February 2023 : Channing Tatum by Mario Sorrenti

[tigerrouge]

I have my UK subscription copy, it's 112 pgs, no supplement this month.

It'll probably take me another fortnight to get round to reading the articles, but the coverage seems to have become very childish, there was an article recently with claims that a certain politician's great flaw was not saying "thanks" often enough to people, but if the same thing was being said about the other side, you know we'd be reading an article about how terrible it is when ambitious people are being torn down by needless rumours. So I'm not going to expect much. Maybe I should just concentrate on the holes in Channing Tatum's jeans, rather than the ones in this publication.

 

[tigerrouge]

Review:

96 pp

-"Pariahs in Paradise," the Trump-Kushner marriage that's "thriving in exile"
-"Power Chords" Willow Smith shot by Adrienne Raquel, styled by Ronnie Hart
-"The Montreal Mafia Murders"
-"The Role of Her Life," excerpt from an Elizabeth Taylor biography with a pic by Helmut Newton
-another one of those stories where a writer makes a travelogue out of investigating MAGA supporters, gun rights activists, etc

Instead of a fortnight, it's taken me about an hour or so to get round to reading most of the issue.

• They parted ways with their long-time illustrator (see Business of Magazines thread)
• VF is still a true believer in Harry and Meghan
• The Channing Tatum article is the typical Hollywood puff piece
• The Ivanka and Jared article isn't as scathing as I expected
• Elizabeth Taylor's AIDS work is described in an excerpt from a new book about her life; she did a cover story for this very magazine in Nov 1992 for the cause

"Death Tripping" is another one of those articles where VF sneers at people who aren't like them. But I imagine many of us could drive in any direction our own countries and find plenty of people with differing views about abortion, who believe in at least one conspiracy theory, and who generally view the world with suspicion (I'm surrounded by flags and guns, and most people couldn't find me on a world map). For a supposedly intelligent and sophisticated publication, they spend a lot of time othering large numbers of ordinary Americans, all the while they're churning out their Conde Nast mission statements about kindness and inclusion.

I'm saving "The Montreal Mafia Murders" for another night, please let it be The One Good Article that you get in most issues of Vanity Fair.

 

[Bernie Flood]

He used to be a model.

 

[FashionFanatico]

He used to be a model.

for potatoes?

 

[Kimy Jo]

for potatoes?

lol

 

[Bernie Flood]

for potatoes?

Dolce and Gabbana

 

[Deleted member 141523]

He used to be a male stripper, wasn't him? Some people don't care if your face looks like Señor Cara de Papa, if the thing is b!g, they go after that.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ People can ridicule his looks or his lack of prominence as a leading man, and that’s all fair game for any famous face. But what many seem to forget— or maybe not even be aware of, is that he seems to absolutely resonate with the American Heartland/Midwest from day one; a demographic that’s a dominating majority of the population in the USA, of which his brand of “potato” with a body is very much still the preference.

(…I don’t know why, but my Youtube recommendation was at a time, bombarded with these clips of Heartland bohunks dressed as farmers/cowboys wearing just skintight jeans and cowboy boots, gyrating like a female bellydancer and/or jumping on trampoline and miming to the most heinous of modern country music… It’s hilarious how uber-gay it all is— but the comments are dominated by women that gush at how sexy and gorgeous they find these men that even thirsty gayz would find too tacky cheesecake LOL And they look like him— “potato" with a body and all, just with lots of cheese.)

 

[MulletProof]

I'm going to be honest, guys, I agree with all of the above and yes, potato face and whatnot, but....... wouldn't say no?!. He's attractive in a brutish way, like I would 100% believe he runs a gas station in Montana and, that's hot.

 

[KoV]

If there was any justice in the world we’d be getting another Bruce Weber lensed editorial with Channing. The one they did for this magazine a decade ago was exactly that all-American/Midwest aesthetic, and it’s the key to Channing’s enduring appeal.

 

[Phuel]

I'm going to be honest, guys, I agree with all of the above and yes, potato face and whatnot, but....... wouldn't say no?!. He's attractive in a brutish way, like I would 100% believe he runs a gas station in Montana and, that's hot.

His Lucky Logan character...

For those that aren’t familiar, it’s an Ocean’s Eleven, just with rednecks/hicks/trailertrash. Him and Adam Driver as cornfeed rednecks are the most charming characters they’ve ever played (and worth it just to see Riley Keough BTW). I can only imagine such a role would only secure his relevance in such a demographic, even if he’s not been in any MCU infestation— where this Vanity Fair cover in countless Walmarts/Targets/Walgreens would do strong sales.

 

[MulletProof]

^ haha I ran to wiki thinking I had accidentally found my new career as a casting director!!

From wiki:
Jimmy tells Clyde his plan to rob the Speedway, exploiting his knowledge of its underground pneumatic tube system [...]
Clyde, Jimmy and Joe enter the tube room, and Joe uses an explosive improvised from bleach, gummy bears and a dietary salt substitute to blow open the gate from the tube to the vault. They connect the tube to a giant vacuum pump, and suck up all the cash into garbage bags.

Sounds fascinating, will not watch but that's the kind of.. abstract lifestyle I'm talking about.

And yes! Bruce Weber knew exactly the charm of these guys, very late 80s/early 90s.. and they're always so orange.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ He looks his most potato-ish in this film. And him and Adam both perfecting that Appalachian drawl that’s as smooth as molasses— of which frankly, on someone that looks like Bryan Cranston, wouldn’t work at all. But on Channing’s and Adam’s potatoes with bodies— and both their quiet demeanours to boot, yes… very carnal, red-blooded American male hotness. (Terry Richardson’s sweaty candid voyeurism would work so much better than Bruce’s style.)

(The premise of the film is absolutely goofy trope. But it’s the two of them playing it straight, and Riley too with their characters, that is absolutely charming. It’s a world where millionaires still shop at Walmart, and NASCAR and child-pageants [orange spray-tan and all] are cultural events.)

 

[Deleted member 141523]

Bruce Weber/Pinterest

he looked so hot at the time.

 

[ah ah]

Surprisingly interesting styling from the vastly overrated Cortina whose go-to is putting male celebrities in collared shirts, denim, and black briefs then call it a day.

Ah Cortina, in US they seem to really like it. Never managed to understand why.

 

[jeremydante]

Love the skin work here. Not as exciting, but VF rarely gives us that moment of "wow". It's a fair cover. Agree with them choosing a pair of holy crotch denim. Would've been nice without that.

 

[justaguy]

Magic Man
Photo Mario Sorrenti
Stylist George Cortina
By Jessica Pressler
Subject Channing Tatum
Grooming Jamie Taylor


vanity fair

 

[justaguy]

Power Chords
Photo Adrienne Raquel
Stylist Ronnie Hart
By Chris Murphy
Subject Willow Smith
Hair Oscar Pallares
Makeup Raoúl Alejandre


vanity fair

 

[justaguy]

The Role of Her Life
Photo Helmut Newton
By Kate Anderssen
Subject Elizabeth Taylor


vanity fair