Last week People magazine crowned Johnny Depp the winner of its annual Sexiest Man Alive search. The 46-year-old actor, who's been making the ladies swoon for the best part of 25 years, became a double winner of the title (he also took it out in 2003), joining other double winners Brad Pitt ('95 and '00) and George Clooney (‘97 and '06).

I mean, who doesn't love Johnny? If you're immune to his charms, come and see me. I'll talk you round, guaranteed.

As I mentioned last week there was some protest of Depp's win amongst Twilight fans, who believed Robert Pattinson appealed to enough people in the year or so he's been super-famous to claim the title.

Who else made the magazine's list? Actors Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bradley Cooper and Robert Downey Jr. (yes!) made the list, as did footballer David Beckham, rapper turned TV host Nick Cannon, and singer Adam Lambert.

Former winners include Matt Damon (2007), Denzel Washington (1996), Pierce Brosnan (2001), Harrison Ford (1998) and Tom Cruise (who hasn't claimed the title, and rightly, since 1990.)

The men making People's Sexiest list are easy on the eye, yes, but they are also named because of their relevance, profile and timeliness. Some are classics, some are flavours of the month.

I can't imagine Mr Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, or the guys from Glee standing the test of time. No offence.

After much deliberation and in the spirit of checking out some male eye candy under the guise of working (yes, it is a hard job sometimes!) I've come up with my own list of sexy blokes. They may make you swoon, they may make you gag. But it's my list, and I'll name who I want.

Remember, sexy is a matter of personal taste. One person's George Clooney is another's Vin Diesel. But if you've got any names to add to this hot list (and the corresponding awards you'd bestow upon them,) I'd love to read them below.

Now, onwards!

All-Time Crowd Pleaser - Johnny Depp

I don't know anyone who doesn't fancy themselves a bit of Mr Depp, and on my opinion he's far superior to Messrs Jackman, Pitt and Clooney in the sexy stakes.

Those cheekbones! Those eyes!

His willingness to think outside the square professionally has always been a large part of Depp's appeal, helped, no end, by his good looks.

He's made a rather attractive pirate. A leather clad man with scissors for hands. Willy Wonka. Theatrical serial killer Sweeney Todd. The author of Peter Pan. Can you imagine any other Hollywood leading man taking on those parts? Actually, I can possibly see Hugh Jackman being up for the challenge, but whether he could pull it off is another matter.

For the past decade Depp's been a devoted family man who stays out of the Hollywood spotlight (see! It is possible for a superstar not to be followed by the paps), spending his time in Los Angeles, the south of France and the family's private island in the Caribbean.

 

Oldie But A Goodie - Ray Winstone

He's the same age as my dad, and he's hairy. But there's something about the burly swagger of Hackney boy Ray Winstone that I find rather alluring. For an old fella, naturally.

A boxer who once fought for England, 52-year-old Winstone began acting in 1976 and has since appeared in films such as Nil By Mouth, The Departed, Beowulf, King Arthur and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

He's been married for 30 years, lives in Essex, not too far from his childhood home, and is father to three daughters.

He does look like he'd be more at home in a bar brawl than graces the pages of a glossy magazine, and he does seem to always play a henchman or a warrior from yesteryear, but I like him.

Runner up: Jack Nicholson. How could you resist Jack? Perhaps the rapidly expanding gut and the pair of Crocs he now wears in his leisure time could do it. But the guy is 72.

 

Long Time Favourite - Michael Madsen

Is it the squint? It could be. Apparently I'm a sucker for a man's squint. Since I saw Reservoir Dogs as a teenager I've always had quite a soft spot for Michael Madsen, who played the psychopathic, ear-slicing Mr Blonde in the Tarantino flick.

He reunited with the director for a role in Kill Bill, played Susan Sarandon's boyfriend in Thelma and Louise, and has appeared in Free Willy, Sin City and Donnie Brasco.

Like Ray Winstone, he also had a voiceover role in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

A bit of a renaissance man in his spare time, off-screen Madsen abhors violence, has found some success as a poet and a photographer, and has been married three times. He does look like he spends quite a long time doing his hair, but I'm willing to take that chance.

Fun fact: One of his wives was Cher's sister Georganne.

The Attraction Puzzles Me, But I Like Him Regardless - Russell Brand

He's smart, he's funny, and he couldn't be further from my type. I'm confused as the next person as to why I fancy Russell Brand, but fancy him I do.

His look is definitely not what I'd normally go for. He looks like he smells rather ripe and has suffered through a myriad of STDs - and looks better in leggings than I do. But there's something about the glint in his eye which makes me rather partial towards old Rusty.

Named UK tabloid The Sun's ‘Shagger Of The Year' so many times the paper renamed it ‘The Russell Brand Award', Brand is now happily ensconced with singer Katy Perry, who he's reportedly given up threesomes for.

What a gent!

Disclaimer: I only fancy him with liberal lashings of eyeliner applied. Doesn't look the same without. 

Once Hottie, Now Nottie - Jude Law and Matthew McConaughey (tied)

I can put my hand on my heart and say at various points I really fancied both these two, who are both previous Sexiest Man Alive winners (McConaughey in 2005 and Law in 2004).

Now, unequivocally, they have both lost the hot.

Jude Law has lost the golden glow of youth, and his hair.

I have never been able to look the same at McConaughey after a colleague pointed out to me that he's the owner of a tiny pair of arms. Look at them next time you see a picture. It's like they belong to a T-Rex.

This is also a matter of personal opinion, but I find his whole just keep livin' and tellin' everyone about when you make babies ethos a bit off-putting.

Flavours of the Month - Josh Brolin and Idris Elba

I have two celebrity fellas whom I have just started fancying of late.

First up is actor Josh Brolin, who's had quite a good run in quality films over the last couple of years - having roles in Milk, American Gangster, No Country for Old Men, Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror and as George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's W.

Yes, it is conflicting to me to fancy a guy while he's dressed up as George W. for two hours. But happen it did.

I didn't used to be impressed by 41-year-old Brolin, but in the last while his hotness has kind of snuck up on me. He can wear the bejesus out of a suit, and doesn't look totally ridiculous as a cowboy or in 70s gear.

He looks like he could fix a car, ride a horse, shoot a bad guy or two and make a fire in the middle of nowhere all without breaking a sweat. I may have rolled all his movie characters into one macho hybrid. That's okay with me. My point is he's rugged, he's capable, but he also comes across as very modern.

The father of two, married to actress Diane Lane since 2004, lives on a California ranch and likes racing cars, surfing, riding motorbikes and playing the stockmarket.

A wise friend introduced me to the TV phenomenon that is The Wire this year (late in the piece, I know!) and since then I've had a bit of a soft spot for Idris Elba, the actor who plays drug king pin turned businessman Stringer Bell.

Or do I like his character? I've got to stop with this thing for fancying gangsters and thugs.

Thirty-seven-year-old Elba grew up in Hackney, East London (the second Hackney man on the list!) the son of a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother. I'm by no means the first to pick up on his striking looks - he's already been acknowledged for them by both Essence and People magazines.

He's appeared in films like 28 Weeks Later, American Gangster and Guy Ritchie's Rocknrolla, as well as Obsessed, where he played Beyonce's husband getting stalked by the office psycho.

A long time DJ, Elba has also appeared on the American version of The Office this year and looks set for a very busy 2010. He's currently got four upcoming projects on the go, including Marvel's big screen version of Thor.

Impeccable taste? Or do I need my eyes checked? Let me know below.

 

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