Director Kimberly Peirce Gives Her Thoughts on Channing Tatum's 'Stop-Loss'

In a recent article posted on the Austin360.com community and entertainment news site, one of the writers had a great summary for Channing Tatum's upcoming drama 'Stop-Loss' where through director Kimberly Peirce we get a good synopsis of what the film is all about.

Here is an excerpt from the article...

'Stop-Loss'

With her second feature "Stop-Loss," which arrives nine years after her Oscar-winning debut "Boys Don't Cry," director Kimberly Peirce shows again that she can address hot-to-the-touch topics without purposely stirring the pot of controversy.

Human themes — love, friendship, family, duty — remain her focus, even if the subject is a true, tragic story about a transgender teenager in "Boys" or the personal repercussions of the Iraq war in "Stop-Loss." She's more interested in how extreme situations tap immediate personal concerns and how we deal with them.

"I don't think people want to see a polemic. They don't want messages," says Peirce, who shot the film during the broiling summer of 2006 in and around Austin. "What interests me are human emotions and good scenes."

The term "stop-loss" derives from U.S. military policy, which states that soldiers can be forced back to duty even after their contracted term has been completed. Peirce says that 81,000 soldiers who served in Iraq have been stop-lossed — "patriots who have done their time and want to get out."

This is what happens to Sgt. Brandon King (played by Ryan Phillipe). Home after a rough stint in Iraq, he is called back by the Army. He makes a wrenching decision to go AWOL instead of returning to battle.

King wants to be a great leader, Peirce says. "But when he realizes he can't save his men under the current circumstances, he won't go back. He says he doesn't want to lead more men to being wounded or killed. 'Because they won't let us fight the way we need to win it,' he says, 'I don't want to keep fighting it.'

"His patriotism, camaraderie and need to be a leader is what wins out," Peirce says. "That's what it's really about."

Calling "The Deer Hunter," "Best Years of Our Lives" and "Apocalypse Now" the "psychic blueprints" for her movie — "profound human stories that transcend the war genre" — Peirce refuses to call "Stop-Loss" an Iraq war film.

"These young men go to war, but it's about them coming home and trying to retrieve the lives they left behind," she says. "It's about the moving relationships between the men and between the men and their families."

— Chris Garcia

Channing Tatum's highly-anticipated drama 'Stop-Loss' will hit theaters March 28, 2008. I'll see the movie a little early next week at a couple of screenings, so make sure to stay tuned to Channing Tatum Unwrapped where I'll be posting photos from the screenings and publishing another one of my "famous" survival guides to let fans know what to do before, during, and after seeing what I know is going to be an incredible film!

In the meantime, you can CLICK HERE to check out the world wide release dates and to watch both of the movie's trailers.

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DEAL OF THE DAY: Watch Channing Tatum's 'Stop-Loss' Early at FREE Screenings Around the US

Thanks to Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan and CTU reader Ally from Illinois, we now have over 400 new icons from Channing's upcoming war drama 'Stop-Loss'.

With Ally's permission, I'm in the process of adding the icons to the Icon Set in the Channing Tatum Unwrapped Photo Gallery. Until I get them all in there, you can click on the image to left to download the new icons from the trailers and interviews that have been released for the film.

As I had mentioned before, 'Stop-Loss' director Kimberly Peirce will start her second tour around the country to promote the film prior to it's March 28, 2008 US release date. Below you will find information on an upcoming free screening in Chicago:

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO 'STOP-LOSS' FREE SCREENING

Special Event: Kimberly Peirce presents STOP-LOSS
Date: 2/27/2008
Time: 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: Max Palevsky Cinema in Ida Noyes Hall
Contact Name: Becca
Phone: (773) 702 8574
Email: rfhall@uchicago.edu
RSVP: Seating for the event is on a first-come, first-served basis, but reservations may be made by calling (312) 840-7966.
Admission: FREE
Description:
Kimberly Peirce, a U of C alumna (AB’90) and director of BOYS DON'T CRY, will present a screening of her new film STOP-LOSS. She will take questions following the screening in a Q&A session moderated by Lauren Berlant, professor of Gender Studies.

A war film produced by MTV Films, STOP-LOSS tells the story of a young Iraq war vet (Ryan Phillippe) whose return to civilian life in his hometown is disrupted by a stop-loss order from the Army that forces him to decide whether to obey orders and return to combat - or make another decision and live with the consequences.

Kimberly Peirce's first publicity/press/college tour took her to Arizona, San Francisco, Colorado, NY, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Though the next tour schedule has not been finalized, Kimberly says the second tour will be going to Seattle, San Diego, Miami, Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Houston, Dallas, Austin, LA, Boston, Philadelphia, and even more cities prior to March 28th believe it or not. Needless-to-say, Kimberly is going to be one busy woman as the movie's release date approaches.

I'm extremely excited, because I'm officially registered to go to the Austin-based South by Southwest Film Festival in March where I will get to see both 'Stop-Loss' and 'Battle in Seattle', but I will definitely make sure to attend whatever event the film has here in Houston too, in addition to seeing the film again when it has its theatrical release.

When the tour is finalized, Kimberly says the tour schedule should be posted on the 'Stop-Loss' official site. So stay tuned and I'll keep you all posted on any new free screenings.

Want to know more about 'Stop-Loss'? You can CLICK HERE to get all of the current releases for the film and to watch the two trailers.

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NEWS FLASH: Create Your Own Trailer for Channing Tatum’s Movie ‘Stop-Loss’

Thanks to Fabulous Channing Tatum Fans Marlie and Kerline we have a couple of photos of two larger-than-life posters for Channing Tatum’s highly-anticipated Iraq war drama ‘Stop-Loss’. They took these photos from inside and outside of the movie theater last week when they went to see Channing in ‘Step Up 2: The Streets’ in New York City.

I also wanted to let you know that ‘Stop-Loss’ has added a cool, new feature to their website that I think all of CTU’s video makers are going to love.

You can now create your very own movie trailer for the film with video, audio, transition, titles, graphics, and music provided by the makers of ‘Stop-Loss’. After you make your trailer, other visitors on the site can rate it, and you can even share it by adding your video to your MySpace page, website, and/or blog.

Want to share your video making talents with the world? Make a video and send a link to the video you made to me at votw@channingtatumunwrapped.com. I may just post it on CTU!!!

You can CLICK HERE to start creating your very own ‘Stop-Loss’ Trailer!!!

I thought I would also give you a quick update on the ‘Stop-Loss’ media/college tour that director Kimberly Peirce is currently doing to promote the film prior to it’s March 28, 2008 release. She has already attended screenings in Seattle, San Diego, Miami, and Boston. Kimberly said the following about the audiences in the cities that have already had screenings:

"SEATTLE tended to be artsy and young; SAN DIEGO was heavily military with Iraq vets and military family as well as college students; MIAMI had ROTC, a lot of people between 17-20, and was about 50% Latin; BOSTON was mostly military family, vets from other wars (WWII, Vietnam) and college students."

Lucky fans from the University of Miami, Miami Dade College, Florida International University, Sunset Senior High, Varella Sr. High, Nova High, Fergusson High, Braddock Senior High, and South Dade Senior High at the South Miami, Florida screening on February 19th got an awesome opportunity to meet Channing’s castmate Victor Rasuk. He met a lot of excited fans and signed autographs for them after the screening. After that Kimberly jumped on a plane to attend the Boston screening the very next night at the Regal Fenway Theater.

Kimberly Peirce is truly enjoying hearing the reactions and stories of screening attendees, and the extremely busy director still has Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Houston, Dallas, Austin, LA, Philadelphia, and more on her travel plan.

Although I don’t have a complete list of screening dates, I do know that ‘Stop-Loss’ will be shown at the University of Chicago on February 27th. You can CLICK HERE for more details.

I am still hunting down location and time details for the list below, but Kimberly Peirce has said that there will be screenings in the following cities on the during the time periods specified:

• 2/28/2008: Minneapolis
  
• 3/3/2008 – 3/7/2008: Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, and LA
• 3/11/2008 – 3/12/2008: Houston and Dallas
  

The movie will also be shown at the Fusion Film Festival in New York on February 28th and in Austin at the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) on March 13th. Since I’m going to SXSW, I plan on also attending the screening of ‘Battle in Seattle' on March 10th, yet another one of Channing’s films that is scheduled for release this year.

Finally, don’t forget to check out the Sound Off section of the ‘Stop-Loss’ website where you can learn more about the movie, the real-life stories of our soldier’s and their families, and the escapades of Kimberly Peirce herself as she flies to every corner of the country to promote a movie that is near and dear to her heart.

Thanks to CTU reader Kerline, you can check out a new video that ‘Stop-Loss’ posted on MySpace where Channing talks about the Sound Off site:

Channing Tatum - 'Stop-Loss' Sound Off

‘Stop-Loss’ will be released in the US on March 28, 2008, but you can CLICK HERE to get all of the current release dates around the world and to watch the film’s two trailers.

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NEW Review, Photos, and Video for Channing Tatum's 'Stop-Loss'

There are a ton of new photos and interviews coming out right now, since Channing Tatum's highly-anticipated drama 'Stop-Loss' will hit theaters next Friday on March 28, 2008.

As not to overwhelm everyone with a bunch of small posts every few minutes, I am going to try to combine together some of the information that I find into larger articles.

In this post you will find the following:

• An awesome review of 'Stop-Loss' from Rolling Stone Magazine
  
  
• A new video interview done by MTV from an article called 'Stop-Loss' Stars Say Meeting Soldiers Changed Their Perspective On Iraq War
  
  
• New photos of Channing Tatum at a recent 'Stop-Loss' press conference
  

First off, here's the great Rolling Stone review:

Stop-Loss

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ciaran Hinds

Directed by: Kimberly Peirce

Rating: 3.5 of 4 Stars

Here's the first major movie of the new year that touches greatness, and damn if there isn't a curse hanging over it. Stop-Loss, directed with ferocity and feeling by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry), is up against the war raging between audiences and films about Iraq. Box-office casualties last year include Lions for Lambs, Rendition, Redacted, Grace Is Gone and the unfairly scorned In the Valley of Elah.

Stop-Loss has the juice to break the jinx. The emotional battlefield on which Peirce paints her canvas strikes a universal chord that transcends politics and preaching. Peirce, who co-wrote the script with Mark Richard, takes us inside the minds and hearts of soldiers who enlisted after 9/11. Why? "To get the people who had done this," in the words of Peirce, whose brother joined a unit attached to the 82nd Airborne. At first, Peirce thought of making a documentary about the trauma faced by men and women in military service who struggle to re-enter civilian life after duty in Iraq. She was struck hard by a story told by her brother about a soldier who'd done his time and been stop-lossed by the Army. The term refers to the involuntary extension of a soldier's enlistment contract. It turns out nearly 81,000 have been sent back into battle multiple times with no recourse — class-action lawsuits routinely fail — except to go AWOL. Using fictional characters, Peirce decided to craft a film about the lives of soldiers and their families living in a ghost world created by questionable government policy.

Some have already accused Stop-Loss of glorifying desertion. Bull. The film is a powder keg with no agenda except the human one. Ryan Phillippe stars as Sgt. Brandon King, just returned home to Brazos, Texas, with his childhood buddy Sgt. Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum). No matter how they try to eradicate the images of ambush that run in their heads, the men find their terror manifested in bar fights and bad dreams. Their friend Tommy Burgess (the superb Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is coming apart without the outlet war gave his violent, alcoholic nature. He opens fire on the gifts he and wife Jeanie (Mamie Gummer) receive at their wedding. Steve is waking up at night to dig a foxhole, much to the distress of his fiancée, Michele (Abbie Cornish). And Brandon, living with supportive parents (Linda Emond and Ciarán Hinds), loses it when he's ordered back to Iraq. His decision to desert stuns Steve, as does Michele's decision to aid Brandon in his escape to Canada. The scenes of AWOL soldiers and their families living in an underground that extends across the country are the soul of the film.

None of this would work if Peirce hadn't inspired her crew to push the envelope. Cinematographer Chris Menges, a poet of natural light, performs miracles of visual design. All the actors are exceptional. Phillippe (Flags of Our Fathers, Breach) is a dynamo, and indelibly moving when he catches Brandon in the act of discovering himself. Watch for the scene at a military hospital where he visits wounded comrade Rico Rodriguez (a knockout Victor Rasuk) and learns a hardcore lesson. Tatum (Step Up, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) excels by going beyond the call of hunk duty to find the demons tormenting Steve. His fistfight with Brandon at a cemetery locates the film's grieving heart. The most surprising performance comes from Cornish, the Aussie actress best known for her junkie turn opposite Heath Ledger in Candy. Female roles are usually marginal in war movies, but Cornish — working in tandem with Peirce — makes Michele a compassionate warrior who may be torn between two lovers but holds no doubt about the moral ground on which she stands. There's not an ounce of Hollywood fakery in Cornish — she's the real deal. So's the movie. And so is Peirce. It's been nine years since she debuted with Boys Don't Cry, but her empathy with society's outsiders is undiminished and fills every frame of Stop-Loss. Even when the script slips into sentiment, Peirce sticks with her troubled, questing soldiers, and through this raw and riveting movie, they stick with us.

PETER TRAVERS

You can also check out a new video interview from MTV below where Channing talks about how "soldiers have to check their politics at the door" when fighting in war.

You can CLICK HERE to read the entire article and to see interviews from Channing's castmates and friends Ryan Phillippe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Last, but certainly not least, here are all of the gorgeous new photos of Channing from a 'Stop-Loss' press conference that was held at the Four Seasons Hotel this past Sunday (March 16, 2008) in Beverly Hills, California. Enjoy!!!

As they say on the info-mercials..."But WAIT, there's more!". As a bonus, you can CLICK HERE to check out 10 newly-posted video clips of scenes from the movie 'Stop-Loss' at IESB.net. FYI...You may want to start with clip #5. ;-)

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Channing Tatum: Declared Up-And-Coming Hollywood Star by MCall.com

Here is a high quality (HQ) picture of the horribly adorable Channing Tatum at the January 13, 2005 Coach Carter premiere in Los Angeles.

It's no surprise to me, but today Mcall.com (aka The Morning Call Online) has declared Channing Tatum as an "Up-and-Coming Hollywood Star."

Obviously they're a little late on getting the memo, because we have all know this for quite a while. Tinseltown definitely has also recognized it, because of the 7 movies he has in the works. As they say, better late than never I guess. ;-)

Here is how the Pennsylvania-based online newspaper Mcall.com unwraps Channing Tatum...

Brawn Factor: Five barbells (Out of Five)

Resume: A former model whose big break came in Ricky Martin's video ''She Bangs.'' Tatum, 27, starred opposite teen star Amanda Bynes in ''She's the Man'' and headlined Disney's dance movie ''Step Up,'' which cost $20 million and made $100 million worldwide.

Spiritual Forefathers: Marlon Brando and Burt Lancaster. A man's man.

The Scoop: Though his movies haven't yet demanded acting range, his charisma has wowed insiders. He reportedly break-danced for Kimberly Peirce at his audition for the Iraq veteran drama ''Stop Loss,'' one of the most anticipated Oscar-hopeful projects of the fall.

I think it's really cool that Channing's upcoming movie Stop-Loss is already getting Oscar buzz. We were all hopeful that Channing would get nominated for his role as Antonio in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, but that never materialized. Maybe he will get another chance at a nomination for his role in Stop-Loss.

The thing I find really interesting is that he danced at his audition for Stop-Loss. Considering the fact that he plays a guy in the military, I doubt he will have to do much dancing in his role.

I'm thinking that the director (Kimberly Peirce) may have been a Channing fan much like you or me and might have had some ulterior motives in the audition. After Channing showed the people at his audition for the part that he clearly had the acting chops to play the role, maybe the rest of Channing's audition for the movie went something like this...

Kimberly Peirce (Director): OK Channing, that was a great reading. Now for the final portion of the audition, we want you to show us your dancing skills.
Channing: For sure...No problem. (Channing break dances, the audition is wrapped up, and Channing leaves the director's office.)
Casting Agent: Kimberly, why did you make him dance? The part doesn't call for any dancing.
Kimberly Peirce (Director): Come on. You have Channing Tatum in front of you. Wouldn't you ask him to dance?
Casting Agent: You've got a point.

Yeah. I think it went something like that. What do you think? :-D

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'Stop-Loss' Director Kimberly Peirce Sounds Off About Channing Tatum

Here are two new stills from Channing Tatum and Ryan Phillippe's upcoming Iraq war drama, 'Stop-Loss'.

The production team also recently added a video of award-winning director Kimberly Peirce to the 'Sound Off' section of the new 'Stop-Loss' official site.

In the 'Sound Off' area of the site, you not only get to see videos created by real-life soldiers and their wives, you also get to ask Kimberly questions about the film. If you take the time to read through the questions and Kimberly's thoughtful answers, you really start to learn a lot about how and why she created the movie.

There's one question and answer that CTU readers may find especially interesting. An anonymous Channing Tatum fan (I know what you're thinking...no it wasn't me...this time) asked Kimberly the following question:

“How was it working with Channing Tatum? He looks AMAZING. I think he’s going to be a huge movie star!”

Here's Kimberly's very honest and interesting answer to the question:

"I love Channing -- a real southern boy, good looking, masculine, tough and very physical. I’d read that he’d trained as a dancer, so after his first audition, I asked him to dance for me -- he hit the floor and did some pretty physical break dancing. The second time he auditioned we worked together for a few hours. I was impressed with his emotional depth and maturity, his range and ability to take direction – he brought dignity to the role and brought the audience inside his struggle. We made a tape for [Scott] Rudin and the studio and they hired him. I give all the actors a good deal of research going in – hours of video footage soldiers had shot of each other, documentaries and personal interviews etc. to give them a sense of how soldiers talk and think, the way they move, their sense of camaraderie with one another. Channing, along with the other actors, worked with soldiers to know soldiers’ feelings, drives, fears, and experiences – then trained with experienced soldiers and military advisors to depict soldiers accurately, to protect their dignity, capture their humor and outlook. Channing was wonderful to work with on and offset -- focused, astute, fun and funny, looking out for his fellow actors and willing to go anywhere emotionally to bring the character to life in a real way. He has a lot of what it takes to be successful – he’s great looking, a great guy, charismatic, and very talented. I am looking forward to working with him again and seeing more of his work. (I have looking around some of this audition tape so I can post it)."

First of all, I am so hoping she is able to find Channing's audition tape. It would be really awesome to be able to see that type of behind-the-scenes footage. Secondly, to put Kimberly's glowing review of Channing in perspective, she also directed multiple Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank in her previous success 'Boys Don't Cry'. I'm thinking the woman may know a little about identifying talented actors. Just saying...

Oh and for the record, I totally called it months ago when I gave my completely fictional reenactment of how and why Channing was asked to dance in an audition for a role that seemingly did not call for any dancing abilities. With her desire to see Chan's dancing skills, it seems that you and I may have something in common with Kimberly Peirce. Now it has me thinking I should have totally asked Chan to dance when I met him recently.

No worries. I'll make sure to ask if I get to visit Channing on the set of the movie he's doing with Columbus Short from 'Stomp the Yard'. I figure with the two of them together, there's got to be some kind dancing involved with all of the down time that's inevitable on every set (even if Columbus Short said in a recent interview that there's no dancing in the actual movie).

OK I'm totally kidding, but I was extremely excited to read in one of Kimberly's answers that the premiere of the film may be in Austin, Texas, which is one of the locations where they filmed 'Stop-Loss' and (more importantly) is just a stone's throw from where I live.

Have dress. Will travel. Anyone up for a road trip? ;-)

'Stop-Loss' is scheduled to premiere in theaters in the US March 28, 2008, in the UK April 11, 2008, and in Germany June 19, 2008.

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CTU EXCLUSIVE: Hanging Out with 'Stop-Loss' Director Kimberly Peirce

As most of you know, I just returned from a world-wind trip to Los Angeles, California where I had a ball living life LA-style for 5 days thanks to my best friend Natasha, 'Stop-Loss' director Kimberly Peirce, the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, Channing Tatum's mom Kay, and of course, our favorite couple Chenna (aka Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan).

Because I have so much to recap, I'm going to break my trip up into four different articles. For article #1, I'm going to highlight the first couple days of my trip where I got to catch up with Kimberly Peirce at her home/office in Malibu and learn more about what the director's been up to lately. I have a lot to cover, so let's get started...

My trip to LA was jammed-packed pretty much from start to finish. When I arrived last Friday afternoon, my best friend and I grabbed a quick bite to eat before we went home to get ready for dinner at a local sushi place called Tangu. After dinner, we went to a launch party for a new stylist and then we headed over to a luxury hotel in Santa Monica called The Viceroy to meet a few of her friends before we called it a night...and that was just the beginning.

On Saturday, we went to an insanely hard hour and a half long yoga class at Maha Yoga in Brentwood that had me using muscles I did not know even existed (until they started to hurt really badly a few days later that is). After class, I was really happy to find out for sure that my best friend's company and 2008 Teen Choice Awards Sponsor, Neutrogena, was going to be able to give me a ticket for the show (more on the show in a later post).

Believe it or not, it's really hard to get tickets to this particular event, because it's so popular. If you saw the show, you know that practically every big name in young Hollywood was in attendance. Chan, Jenna, and Kay all tried to get me a ticket to no avail, so I really lucked out that my best friend worked for one of the major sponsors. You'll find out exactly how lucky in a later post.

After yoga, I was really excited when I got an email from Kim Peirce confirming that we could meet up with her that day, so we went home to change and headed on over to Malibu. If you have not checked out Kim's official site, then you should definitely go to KimberlyPeirce.com to learn more about the talented director and her past, present, and future projects. The site is really cool, because it's centered around her home office that has the most fabulous views of the Pacific ocean.

Kim was so nice to us. She took the time to help me learn a little more about the industry, let us take a walk on the private beach behind her home where she sometimes plays volleyball with friends like Matthew Mcconaughey, and even let my best friend borrow one of the DVD's she had just watched to research her next project.

One of my favorite parts of our visit was when she allowed me to look through all of the still photography from the set of Channing Tatum's Iraq war drama 'Stop-Loss'. You can check out a few of the high quality photos and an unreleased poster I found below:

Interestingly enough, I learned that Kim collects Barbie dolls from other countries and that she had just seen Chan at the resent 'Pineapple Express' premiere that both Chan and Jenna Dewan attended the Thursday before I arrived in LA.

And although an official announcement has not been made yet, she was excited to tell us all about a new film that she had just successfully pitched. The movie's story board was propped up against her fireplace in the middle of the living room showing a scene by scene breakdown of the entire film. It was really cool to get an insiders perspective on that part of the movie-making process.

Because they are still in negotiations, I can't tell you the title of the film yet (so excited to know something before it hits the pages of Variety). What I can say is that it's going to be Kim's first journey into comedy, and it's a romantic comedy at that. Not something you would expect from the director of dramatic films like 'Boys Don't Cry' or 'Stop-Loss', but you won't want to miss the film that is patterned after her own complicated romantic life.

She is currently working on the first draft of the script, and the goal is to start filming the movie in the next year or so, so Kim is on a very short time table as far as Hollywood movie-making is concerned. I definitely wish her luck with her new project and hope that everyone will support her whenever it releases.

Since the theatrical and DVD releases of the film around the world are coming to a close for the most part, Kim has pretty much wrapped up most of her promotional duties for Channing Tatum's 'Stop-Loss'. As far as the movie is concerned, Australian fans need to be on the lookout, because the film will have it's theatrical release in your country on August 14, 2008. The movie will also release on DVD in the UK on August 18, 2008.

I truly enjoyed my visit with the extremely talented director, and I want to thank her for her time, for all of the Hollywood scoop, and for sharing a bit of her life with all of us.

After we left Kim's we headed home to get ready for dinner. I had made reservations at LA hotspot STK weeks before and my friend also made reservations for us at the popular celeb hang out called The Chateau Marmount. I had my first random celebrity sitings at both places, because David Spade and his party ate dinner in a booth near us and amazingly, Sharon Stone sparked a conversation with me in the bathroom of Chateau. Needless to say, it was a very fun day and incredibly, it only got better in the days to come.

Stay tuned for my next three posts that will cover my LA adventures at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, my day with Chan's mom Kay, and an amazing dinner with both Chan and Jenna at their favorite restaurant.

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