INTERVIEW: CHANNING TATUM & JOE MANGANIELLO ON "MAGIC MIKE"

Channing Tatum & Joe Manganiello in Toronto - June 2012

A year ago, a few eyebrows might've been raised with the talk of there being a Steven Soderbergh Male Stripper Film in development. Magic Mike as that Film now is known, will soon be revealed - pardon the pun - amidst the 2012 Summer rush of Blockbusters.  I mean, we've all heard of 1995's delicious and unintentionally-laughable Showgirls, but much still is left to be accomplished in Films of the ever-tricky Stripping genre. Stars Channing Tatum and Joe Manganiello (pronounced with a hard "g") both arrived in Toronto today for the Canadian leg of Magic Mike's Press Tour. 

The Dramedy brings together Tatum and Soderbergh a second time, after having seen the release earlier this year of Mixed Martial Arts-inspired Action Flick Haywire.  This time around, the Action we see is of a whole different variety - the variety which surely you might have seen in that Clip on the Internet of Tatum gyrating onstage back in his pre-Actor days as a Stripper.  You know you clicked "refresh" on that. Don't lie.

Magic Mike follows a Man in his 30s (Tatum) who is at a turning point in his life after making quick cash - and stacks of it - as a Stripper.  Although he is successful at what he does, we soon begin to see the repercussions of this choice on his love life and ability to achieve his own dreams as an Entrepreneur. Along the way, we get to know a mix of Characters in his all-male Dance Revue. We meet the Mastermind behind it all Dallas (Matthew McConaughey), Ken (Matt Bomer), Big Dick Richie (Mangniello) and Newcomer The Kid (Alex Pettyfer). Matters become complicated when Mike falls for Paige (Cody Horn - Daughter of Warner Bros. President Alan F. Horn), who happens to be The Kid's grounded Older Sister.

On Horn's Character, Paige, Tatum reveals that her early beginnings in the Film actually are based on his own real-life Sister of the same name.  "She's a beautiful, strong-willed Woman", he tells us. "I didn't have to get my Boys when I got into a fight in the neighbourhood. I'd be like 'Yo! Let me go get my Sister!', drawing laughs from the intimate group of Journalists - some unable to contain their excitement for him. "Huge Fan here", one admits to him.

NEW OFFICIAL POSTER FOR "MAGIC MIKE"

Official Artwork for Magic Mike

What do you think of this new Official Poster for Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike? Who's Abs did your eyes migrate to first?  Okay I'll leave you all alone now.... Bye.

Magic Mike is out Friday, June 29, 2012.

(Photo credit: Warner Bros.)

THE CAST OF "MAGIC MIKE" ON ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

The Cast of Magic Mike on Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly features the Cast of Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike on their current Issue, and posing for an exclusive Photo Shoot are Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello and Matt Bomer! 

The Boys tell the Magazine all about hilarious antics they experienced on-set and especially McConaughey had a bit of a close call doing one Dance Sequence where the weight of the Dollar Bills from Extras pulled on his Thong so hard that it fell off. "I stayed in sequence,” says The Lincoln Lawyer Star. “I went for the tuck. [Mimes covering his manhood] I went for the roll. [Mimes doing a forward roll] And I finished the dance.”.

The Magic Mike Issue of Entertainment Weekly is now on Newsstands. Warner Bros. releases Magic Mike on June 29, 2012.

Click here to read more and to see a Video.

(Photo credit: Entertainment Weekly)

FIRST OFFICIAL TRAILER: "MAGIC MIKE"

Still from Magic Mike

"Women. Money. And a good time".

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first heard Steven Soderbergh was working with Channing Tatum on a Male Stripper Flick based somewhat on Tatum's life? A full official Trailer for Magic Mike finally has surfaced and this actually looks like lots of fun and can't wait to see more... err, or do I mean less? LOL

Warner Bros. releases Magic Mike June 29, 2012. Tatum, Pettyfer. Bomer. McConaughey. Soderbergh. Summer heat.

Watch the Trailer in full below:

ALL-STAR READING OF "8" IN LOS ANGELES: GEORGE CLOONEY, BRAD PITT, MATT BOMER, CHRIS COLFER & MORE SHOW SUPPORT

AFER presents a live Reading of 8

An all-star Cast Reading of Dustin Lance Black's Play 8, took place this evening in Los Angeles with the likes of Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matthew Morrison, Matt Bomer, Martin Sheen, George Takei, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Bacon, John C. Reilly, Chris Colfer and many more taking part.  

Directed by Rob Reiner, 8 is based upon Court Transcripts and actual Interviews chronicling the landmark Federal Trial of California's  Prop. 8, which served to prohibit Same-Sex Couples from marrying. The Reading was presented by the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

Watch the one-night-only Reading below:

For more, visit AFER's Official YouTube Page here.

(Photo/video credit: AFER)

MARK RUFFALO TAKES LEAD IN RYAN MURPHY'S "THE NORMAL HEART": JULIA ROBERTS, JIM PARSONS, ALEC BALDWIN & MATT BOMER ALSO ADDED

Mark Ruffalo at TIFF 2008

2012 will be the start of Mark Ruffalo's long-overdue rise as a bona fide Leading Man in Hollywood.  The Actor has been confirmed to take the lead in Glee/American Horror Story Creator Ryan Murphy's new Film, The Normal Heart.  The HIV/AIDs Drama is based upon a TONY Award-winning Play of the same title and centers on Ned Weeks, who is one of the first Advocates in New York to raise awareness about the disease.  Written by Activist/Writer Larry Kramer, the Play largely is autobiographical.

The Cast for The Normal Heart is rather impressive including Julia Roberts, who last teamed with Murphy on 2010's Eat, Pray, Love.  She will be playing a wheelchair-bound Doctor who also is among the first to raise concern about HIV/AIDs.  Matt Bomer, whose star dramatically is on the rise, takes the role of Weeks' Boyfriend contracting the Disease, while another openly-Gay Actor Jim Parsons will tackle the role of an Activist from the South.  Alec Baldwin also has been named to play the Lawyer Brother of Weeks, struggling to cope with the sexuality of Ruffalo's character.

Ruffalo currently is filming Now You See Me, a Bank Heist Thriller which has the FBI circling a team of Illusionists who rob banks as part of their act, rewarding their audiences with money; Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg star. His upcoming Drama Thanks for Sharing has him alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, P!nk, Tim Robbins and Joely Richardson, about three Sex Addicts on the road to recovery.  His marquee release however is Disney's all-star The Avengers, in theatres May 4, 2012 which has him starring in what is said to be an important role as Bruce Banner/The Hulk.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

NEW EXCLUSIVE STILLS FROM "MAGIC MIKE"

Matt Bomer in Magic Mike

Everyone's talking about Warner Bros. Male Stripper Drama Magic Mike and Entertainment Weekly just scored another couple new Stills which can be seen in their 2012 Forecast Issue, now on newsstands. Matt Bomer, chats with Adam B. Vary from the Magazine, revealing that he had to get waxed for his character Ken and that indeed it was painful. He adds, "But more than that, the pain didn’t bother me so much, it was more the feeling of feeling kind of prepubescent again, walking around with no hair on your legs, in jeans, feeling kind of naked all the time, that was odd.". Now that's an Artist at work, right there!

Magic Mike hits theatres June 29, 2012.  Click here to see some more new exclusive Stills.  You know you want to.

(Photo credit: Warner Bros./Claudette Barius)