Fabulous Channing Tatum Fan Spotlight: Special Anniversary Edition

Seeing as it is the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY (had to put it in all caps because it's THAT cool) for Channing Tatum Unwrapped (aka CTU) there has been a little change of plans. If you don't know already I am NOT Quishe (the beautiful "young" person you see in the picture below). I am CTU's Big Joker Teddy Bear and the one the only Alex (a.k.a. alexthegreat). For the One Year Anniversary, CTU readers decided it was time we learned about the Queen Bee herself.

Now, I went and asked the hardcore Chan Family their die-hard scandalous questions for the lovely Mrs. Q and went in for the kill on a lovely soon-to-be winter day. I enter a lovely veranda where I find her sitting sipping some lovely English tea as she stares out into the small pond behind her home in (name has been removed for her protection) and she smiles brightly at me as I walk over and join her. I am not much of a tea drinker myself so instead I ask her butler to bring me some coffee. As he walks away her eyes twinkle and...Okay, I'm kidding.

Sounded good though, didn't it? Truth: gathered all the questions, put all the good (and appropriate) ones into an email, and sent them to her. Big surprise. Well, without further ado, I present to you...LaQuishe!

Name and Nicknames:
LaQuishe, Quishe, Q, Mamma Chan Fan

City:
Katy

State:
Texas

Age:
32 Years Young Baby!!! :-D

Social Networking Site Profiles:
[MySpace Profile - Q]
[MySpace Profile - CTU]
[Facebook Profile]

1. What made you first notice Channing, and what made you start up a website for him, and did you ever think your blog would go this far?

I'm a sucker for dance movies. I was sitting in a movie theater in August of 2007 looking at the opening scene of ‘Step Up’ when this gorgeous guy dances onto the screen. I honestly could not take my eyes off for the rest of the film. I loved the entire movie so much that I almost stayed to see it again, but sadly had to go home.

Although I rarely ever buy DVD’s, I promised myself that I would get the 'Step Up' DVD as soon as the film came out. I proceeded to rent or buy all of Chan’s previous films that I could get my hands on, and I got ‘Step Up’ the day it came out in December. When I watched the extras on the DVD, I started to get a sense of who Chan was as a person. He just seemed really down-to-earth and cool, so like a lot of fans, I started searching online to learn more about him.

I found a ton of fan sites, but I really wanted to learn more about Channing than just the events he attended or the fact that he was extremely attractive. I started CTU because I wanted an outlet to be able to let everyone know why I was a fan and why they should be one too. I wanted to make a site that was updated everyday and allowed people to have fun in between all of the facts. I also wanted to involve the fans and include information for them for every country where his movies are shown. Mostly I just wanted to create a site that I as a fan would want to read daily and create a community that everyone would enjoy hanging out in.

I called the site Channing Tatum Unwrapped, because I knew there was so much more beneath the surface of Channing’s gorgeous outer façade. I wanted to help fans around the world also appreciate the talented actor and good person that Chan seemed to be. Although I didn't know exactly how I would do it, I also wanted to get fans the inside scoop on his projects when possible. I definitely feel like I've accomplished those goals this year.

If you had told me when I started CTU that less than a year later I would have over 350,000 visitors, would be Chan’s official site, and would meet Chan on the set of one of his films, I would have thought you were seriously off your rocker. I’m a big planner and I didn't plan any of this. So many amazing things have happened this year that I truly can’t wait to see what the future holds for CTU.

2. Other than meeting Channing, what is your favorite aspect of running the OFFICIAL Channing Tatum website?

It’s really hard to pick, because I love so much about this blog. I truly enjoy getting to know the fans all around the world. I feel like I can go to almost any city in the world and meet up with a friend I've met on CTU. That was definitely an unexpected and welcome result of creating this blog.

I’ve also learned by doing this blog is that I LOVE writing. It’s been a really great creative outlet for me. I love coming up with ideas for the blog, researching and writing articles, and reading people’s reactions. I enjoy being able to share inside scoops with fans that they may not find anywhere else. For example, being able to break the story that Chan was going to have a cameo in 'Step Up 2: The Steets' was amazing. I knew the fans would flip out, because up until that point, we all thought he was not going to be in the film.

3. Besides nervous, how else did you feel when you (finally) met Chan?

When you’ve written well over 600 articles about someone you've never met in person, it can be really scary to meet them for the first time. I was honestly worried that he may be different from what I thought he was like.

The major emotion I felt when I met Chan was actually relief. He turned out to be everything I thought he was times 10, so I was really happy that all of those compliments did not go to waste. Honestly, it would have been a little awkward if I was wrong. ;-)

I was also relieved to finally be able to say that I had actually met him. I get that question all of the time and I really hated to have to answer no. Finally meeting Chan is definitely an experience I will never forget and will be telling random people on the street about for many years to come. ;-D

4. Being a career mom; how do you juggle family, work, and CTU?

Other people are golf or workout fanatics. Well, my name is Q and I’m a blog fanatic. I recently took a new position, so a typical day for me is to get up at 5AM to work on the blog before I get ready for work. I will write/research articles, change the Song and Pic of the Day, maintain the MySpace page, answer fan questions on IMDB, etc.. During lunch, I’ll sometimes post articles or chat with fans on the site. When I get home, I’ll spend time with my family and after they go to sleep I often work on the blog a little more to get ready for the next day. It makes for a hectic day. When you love something (as I do my family and the blog), you may get very little sleep, but you make it work.

5. If you could change or do something different to the blog (even though you can, but go with me here), what would it be?

One of these days I may do a more drastic redesign of the site. I may even change it into a more traditional web site. Honestly though, I really like the fact that it's a blog and is different from what you usually see on official sites. I figure if Perez Hilton can make it work, so can I.

6. Channing, like any other celebrity, has his own share of gossip and rumors, which one do you dislike the most?

One of the big things I like to do with the site is to squash silly gossip and rumors. I dislike anything that is written or said about Chan that misrepresents who he is as a person and/or disparages his character in any way. The rumor that has bothered me more than anything over the past year is that he has profiles on the social networking sites.

You sadly have tons of posers on social networking sites (i.e. MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Friendster) and instant messaging sites (i.e. AIM, YM, MSN) pretending to be Channing. I take every opportunity I can to let fans know that none of those people are him. I sound like a broken record at this point, but once again, Channing does not maintain a profile on any of the social networking sites and that person that is instant messaging you claiming to be Chan is 100% not Channing Tatum.

7. If there was one thing of Chan's that you could have/own, what would it be? (I'm just repeating what they tell me.)

I love Chan’s sense of style. He wore these really unique shoes to the Film Independent Spirit Awards in February 2007 that I like a lot.

I also really liked the men’s black leather bracelet he wore to the 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' premiere in 2006.

8. How do you choose the Fab Fan, and are you liking your own?

Channing has the most amazing fan base all over the world. CTU would not be anything without the readers who really make the site feel like a family and who take the time to chat on the CBox, join the forum, create fan sites, MySpace pages, Facebook groups, graphics, videos, and anything else you can think of to show their love for Channing.

I started the Fab Fan Spotlight, because I wanted to give the die-hard fans an opportunity to share with all of us why they love Channing so much. I think readers enjoy learning about each other, and I think it's fun to see that no matter where a fan lives, what language they speak, how old or young they are, we all can come to CTU and have fun learning about the one thing we all have in common. The coolest thing about it is that anyone can be a Fab Fan as long as they love Channing and contribute to his fan community in a positive and respectful way.

Honestly doing this Fab Fan Spotlight is a little weird for me. I not used to talking about myself a lot on the blog, but I feel really honored that the regular readers are interested in learning a little more about who I am. It definitely makes me feel special and that’s how I hope the Fab Fan Spotlight makes readers feel when they are chosen each month.

9. What is your ultimate dream job?

From the age of 10, I wanted to work with computers when I grew up, because I’ve always loved technology. I was lucky enough to be able to achieve that dream. After starting the blog and seeing how much I also love writing and everything I do with the blog to promote Channing and his projects, I have to say that my dreams have taken an unexpected shift.

The more I do this site, the more I learn about the Entertainment industry. Visiting Chan on set allowed be to see the process behind all of the glitz and glamour and it was a priceless opportunity to see how the director, cast and crew worked together to create a film. It was an eye-opening experience that I think would be awesome to be a part of one day.

I’m a techie geek at heart, but the blog has allowed me to merge all of my technical and people skills, my new love of writing, and my fascination with the entertainment industry and pop culture. It’s honestly made me rethink my dream job, which I have to say is now a work-in-progress.

What I do know is that it’s a great feeling to be able to do what you love and also be able to support a person like Channing at the same time. Honestly, without CTU, who knows when or if I would have figured out this new passion, so I thank Chan for being my muse in that respect.

So maybe when I grow up I’ll end up being some sort of producer or manager or publicist. Who knows? CTU has taught me that the possibilities are endless and that’s what I love most about life.

10. If you had to choose between your dream job as Chan's assistant and world peace, what would it be and why?

OK it would be a lot of fun to be Chan’s assistant. I’m sure there are people who would actually kill for the job. He is such a non-diva and is so easy to work with, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to go with Team World Peace on this one.

I’m thinking I don’t really have to explain why, but to put it simply…I would really like my children to grow up in a world free of the atrocities we see today. Although I love me some Channing (which is evident if you read CTU), I’m going to have to choose the greater good in this case.

Why does CTU believe Q is the freaking coolest?

Did you not just read what she wrote? Do I even have to keep going? LaQuishe (a.k.a. Quishe) (a.k.a. Q) is one of the greatest people I, or anyone for that matter (*hint* *hint* Chan), have ever met. She created a site for the one and only Channing Tatum and came out with a home for millions of fans across the globe. I have never met anyone so dedicated in the work they do and so sweet and loving. She really does an awesome, AWESOME job with CTU and I, along with the millions mentioned before, thank her for all the hard work she does. Not once have I heard her complaining. She really is "for the fans" and I personally think Chan is really lucky that she found him and is helping him.

Hey, Chan, if you're reading this, remember how in an interview you said that you are really lucky that so many great people have come into your life at the right time? (pulls out a sign with an arrow pointing at Q)

Back to the fans: as you can most likely already see, she is not selfish and doesn't deny access to anyone. Everyone is welcome to the CTU family (after you get past me), and if you're lucky you'll be able to get to met the God sent angel herself. Q, you already know I love you and so does everyone else from the Chan Fam. You are the one person I have learned to trust and trust completely, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart (as if that means something...just kidding). Without you there is no CTU for you ARE CTU.

What might have been a fan site to begin with has become so much more than that and I know with all my heart and soul that one day you will achieve everything you dream of because you deserve them. I believe that there are angels among us, and I fully believe you are one of them. Every person who has crossed your path has been very fortunate indeed, and though he doesn't know it yet, Chan is the luckiest of all to have someone like you behind him. So, before I get any mushier, I would like to say congratulations, Quishe. One year down, so many more to go, and I'll be standing right beside you. ;-)

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