Today I have added the songs Amanda sings in her movies Dear John (2010) and Mamma Mia! (2008). Go to the archive to listen to them, Amanda is such an amazing singer!

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Screen Gems’ new drama Dear John, starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, took the industry by surprise and kept James Cameron’s Avatar from topping the domestic box office for an eighth straight time. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom and based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, Dear John earned an estimated $32.4 million from 2,969 theaters, a strong average of $10,913 per theater. The film was made for about $25 million and the studio said its audiences were 84% female and two-thirds were under the age of 21. Screen Gems had hoped for an opening of about $20 million for the movie, which set a new Super Bowl weekend record, surpassing 2008′s Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour ($31.1 million).

TW	LW	Title	Studio	Weekend	Theaters	Total	Week

1	-	Dear John	Screen Gems (Sony)	$32,400,000	2,969	$32,400,000	1
2	1	Avatar	20th Century Fox	$23,600,000	3,000	$630,093,323	8
3	-	From Paris With Love	Lionsgate	$8,120,000	2,722	$8,120,000	1
4	2	Edge of Darkness	Warner Bros. Pictures	$7,005,000	3,066	$29,097,000	2
5	4	Tooth Fairy	20th Century Fox	$6,500,000	3,218	$34,332,973	3

Articles
- Access Atlanta
Q&A Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried from Dear John
- She Knows
Amanda Seyfried’s romantic romp
- Parade.com
A Lot of Girls Are Probably Really Jealous of Me

Videos
- Jessi Cruickshank Interview
- HitFlix Interview
- Jake The Movie Guy Interview
- My News 2 Interview (Charleston Premiere)
- Feel Fit & Fabulous Interview (Charleston Premiere)
- Amanda Speaking French Breifly
- Thomas Leupp Interview
- Chio In The Morning Interview (Radio Show)
- Talk Philly Interview (Talk Show)

Thursday, Feb. 4 – David Letterman
Friday, Feb. 5 – Jimmy Fallon
Friday, Feb. 5 – The View

There are times when the intensity of their scenes together in this film adaptation of author Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novel seems more than real. But although the web may be working itself into something of a frenzy over these moments, don’t assume there was anything actually happening between the two stars during filming in South Carolina.

Trust Seyfried — an actress known for her big expressive eyes and personal warmth — on this one. Of course, she and Tatum knew they had great chemistry, but if that hadn’t been present, director Lasse Hallstrom would never have cast them together in the first place.

“We’re all actors and we know what’s going on,” she says cheerfully. “We’re not going to go home thinking about our co-star.”

In other words this was just a job — in the same way that the roles of Meryl Streep’s daughter in Mamma Mia or bigamist Bill Paxton’s offspring in the current cable TV hit, Big Love, were jobs.

Still, Seyfried knows full well that actors do fall in love with each other on set.

It happened with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in Woman Of The Year, notoriously with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, and with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. And Mrs. Smith.

Furthermore, it happened to Seyfried and current boyfriend Dominic Cooper when they fell for each other during the filming of Mamma Mia — and to Channing Tatum and wife Jenna Dewan when they starred together in Step Up in 2006.

But with Dear John, both of their significant others were around during the shooting.

Tatum remembers telling his co-star that neither of them should worry about their love scenes.

“I said to her: ‘Look! You have a boyfriend, I have a girlfriend and we’re totally in love. This is safe. We’ve just got to be these characters, and this is absolutely a safe place.’ That’s what I love about acting — you get to do these really emotional and loving characters, because it is safe. There’s no blurring of the lines. You know that you can express your emotions to somebody and there’s no confusion there. You know what you’re doing.”

Seyfried finds romantic chemistry — whether real or onscreen make-believe — fascinating.

“You meet somebody, and you just click,” she muses. “I think that because we’re all actors; it was much easier for our significant others to deal with the fact that we’re playing a love story — and the fact that the love plays so well on screen that you really believe it.”

On-screen chemistry — as opposed to the romantic chemistry that happens in real life — can be elusive. Seyfried had to fight for the role of wealthy southern girl Savannah Curtis in the movie opening Feb. 5. She had met Hallstrom in Sweden when Mamma Mia premiered there — and, she giggles, “That’s where our love affair began. We had a good time, we connected, and he wanted me to do it.”

But her battle wasn’t over yet. “Even though a director wants you, it doesn’t mean you’re necessarily going to get the role.”

There remained the big question about whether she would set off sparks with Tatum, who was being eyed for the role of the handsome, sensitive Special Forces soldier she meets when he’s on leave from the wars in the Middle East. The chance encounter between these two deepens into a passionate love, which is placed in jeopardy when they’re once again separated.

Seyfried and Tatum had to do a “chemistry read” — but that wasn’t the end of it. The two had to go back and do some further scenes “because they still weren’t sure.” Only then did it become a “done deal.”

Both the original novel and Jamie Linden’s screenplay for Dear John seek to deliver more than fairy-tale romance — and that’s a clear plus factor for Seyfried.

“I’ve always been subtle to a fault,” she admits. “I like to be more thoughtful.” That’s her approach, whether it’s a piece of musical froth like Mamma Mia, a bittersweet love story like Dear John, or “a very heavy psycho thriller” like Chloe, which comes out later in the year.

In the case of Dear John, she likes the way the story takes unexpected tangents and raises issues about human behaviour and personal relationships. That’s why the character of Savannah intrigued her so much.

“I saw her as a young girl who actually knows herself pretty well at her young age of 22 … which is fine. But she’s had this strict upbringing, She’s very wealthy, but doesn’t put on any airs. She’s cool. She’s special. She’s a good role model, I think, for young women, and I think that’s why she was written that way. There’s nothing weighing her down in her life.”

But then this young woman who “is so level-headed, balanced and open-hearted” must respond to an emotional crisis that, in Seyfried’s words, is “devastating.” Savannah behaves in a way totally alien to Seyfried’s own standards, for example, the “Dear John” letter of the film’s title that sees Savannah breaking off her relationship with John Tyree (Tatum) because she can’t stand being away from him. Asked whether she could ever sever a relationship by letter or e-mail, Seyfried is immediate in her response.

“No, I couldn’t,” she says bluntly. “I’m thinking back on my relationships, and those relationships weren’t the type where you can just do that. I think it’s kind of cowardly.”

She can’t imagine herself behaving the way her character behaves.

“But I love playing people I can’t connect to, because it’s all the more challenging.”

Source: The Province

Seyfried’s “Little House,” a wistful love song, will be included on the Dear John soundtrack, but you can hear it for the first time on E! Online.

Girls were practically tearing their hair out of their heads for an opportunity to take a picture with Tatum (G.I. Joe, Step Up) and Seyfried (Mamma Mia!, Big Love). Tatum wore “just Gucci” while Seyfried was super sweet (and tiny) in a red Stella McCartney dress and stacked silver pumps, which she promptly changed out of after posing for the press. Both talked of loving Charleston (duh) and buying houses here (insert excited squeal here), and Seyfried casually mentioned she had visited her future house and neighbor (whom she loves) already that day. “Charleston and St. Louis are two of the best places in the world,” she gushed.

When we asked Tatum about his role in the movie, an adaptation of a novel by former South Carolina resident Nicholas Sparks about a soldier who falls in love with a girl before heading off to war, the actor said the part had been more risky than any of his previous endeavors. Tatum said that he went from doing G.I. Joe, “where things are exploding everywhere,” to filming scenes where he had to make a connection with the audience. He admitted that entertaining without the special effects was more work.

Amid all the ruckus of frenzied fans, the principle cause for the event was sometimes forgotten — to raise money for Carolina Autism, an organization that offers therapy for children with autism. The producers of the film chose the charity and the location of the premiere in honor of Braeden Reed, a Charleston native. Braeden, a seven-year-old actor with autism, stars in the film.
Braeden was the first actor to greet the press. He stood alongside his parents, Kevin and Adrienne, and he talked about his favorite scene in the film — one in which he got to be around horses. He reassured us that, no, he did not have any tricks up his sleeve for memorizing all those lines.

“Do all these people make you nervous?” Tatum asked Braeden when they met on the “red carpet.” Tatum then said. “They make me nervous!”

Director Lasse Hallstrom (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Chocolat) was delighted with Reed’s involvement in the movie.

“I love mixing amateurs and actors,” said Hallstrom, who brought his 14-year-old daughter, Tora, along for what she assured me was not her first premiere.

We were inches away from having a picture taken with Tatum and Seyfried when the pair were whisked away to the stage to auction off autographed movie posters. The items sold for $800. Impressive.

The general consensus among premiere attendees was that Dear John was a solid chick flick that guys wouldn’t mind watching. And while many agreed it wasn’t at all like The Notebook, a previously successful Sparks’ adaptation starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, most said it was a tearjerker. Surprise, surprise.

Toward the end of the night, we caught up with a very sleepy Braeden Reed. He was slung over his father’s shoulder. Fortunately for the tired child, Braeden was taking the next day off from school.

Kevin Reed told us Braeden has no idea that he is a celebrity. “The best thing about him is he sees everything in black and white, so he has no ego,” the father said.

The Reeds have already planned a return visit to the Aquarium during regular hours when the gift shop is open. Braeden was devastated when he discovered it was closed for the party.

“Not everyone realizes he is only seven,” said Kevin.

Source: Charleston City Paper