100 Hot Men and a Dame: #67 John Cena

67. John Cena

Occupation: Wrestler

Nationality: American

Age: 35

Best Known For: Rising through the ranks of the WWE, winning countless championships and becoming the company's figurehead: the Hulk Hogan of 2000s, if you will.

You may have noticed on my Twitter feed that I've been going through a wrestling phase of late, so what better time to whip out this conversation with my friend and fellow wrestling-watcher Jakey (follow him on Twitter and read his hilarious blog) about wrestler John Cena.

Dame James: When did you first encounter John and, if it wasn't love at first sight, when did you fall in love with him?

 

Jakey: I was first introduced to John Cena the way many wrestling fans were -- on an June 2002 episode of WWF Smackdown, he made his debut as an earnest wrestler accepting an open challenge by Kurt Angle, citing his motivation as "ruthless aggression" (a phrase that Vince McMahon had uttered on the previous episode of Monday Night Raw). At the risk of being defensive, I would like to add that I knew this from the top of my head and did not look anything up. I had also seen his picture in Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine when he was in developmental wrestling under the name Prototype.

This all being said, he didn't immediately pique my interest. Obviously he was good-looking -- fresh-faced and impossibly chiseled -- but he didn't strike my fancy the way that another debut that year (Randy Orton) would. The quintessential pretty boy, Orton later worked very hard to destroy that image, maybe even too hard -- his in-ring work spoke for itself, but he has since coated his entire upper body in tattoos.

I think I first felt tingly feelings for Cena when I saw him live for the first time, at a September 2002 taping of Smackdown (which is a somewhat famous episode as it is known for the night that Brock Lesnar broke Hardcore Holly's neck, and when the Billy and Chuck wedding never happened. Nothing like being a 16-year-old gay boy in an audience shouting "FA****!"). While Cena would later segue into his "thug" gimmick, at the time he was a generic babyface, but he would always do a special thing to spice up his outfit: His trunks would always match the local sports team. For example, in North Carolina he would always wear baby blue (ADORABLE). In Minnesota, he wore purple and gold.

This all being said, I really don't think that I became a fan of his until further along in his run. The more I read about him, the more I admired his work ethic, and there were few times in the past decade more facinating than the era in which he was booked as a babyface ("good guy" for those of you not familiar with the lingo), but constantly booed by the audience (often with Cena, the dynamic is that women and children cheer him but men boo him). Honestly, most of the time when I watch him wrestle, it's still the work that impresses me, not the ridiculous musculature.

Your knowledge of wrestling always surprises me, so when did you first come accustomed to Cena?

DJ: In high school, I was a casual watcher of wrestling, meaning I would watch Raw or Smackdown for a couple weeks in a row and then not at all for months. Honestly, I would mainly watch for the hot guys as it was the closest thing to porn I had. I have no idea the exact date I first encountered John Cena, but I believe he was involved in some tournament to get a shot at the WWE Championship. He was the heel (aka the villain) at this point, cheating his way into the match for the belt, which was a huge turn-on for me. I think I've mentioned this before, but I've always had a soft spot for the villains, particularly in cartoons and wrestling. When I was growing up, I was probably the only person who preferred Scar and Jafar over Simba and Aladdin. It was the same with wrestling: growing up, instead of cheering on Hulk Hogan or Bret Hart (barf), I always liked Shawn Michaels, who, at that point, was a vain, self-centered wrestler who had awesome entrance music and the amazing Sensational Sherri as his valet. So, when I saw the gorgeous, incredibly well built Cena being a major asshole, my heart went a-flutter.

It's interesting that you mention Randy Orton because they both appear, to this casual observer, like the face of the company but they represent such wildly different ends of the personality spectrum. Randy is kind of like the dark, dangerous bad boy, with his tatted up body and sarcastic sneer. John, on the other hand, is the golden child, the eternal hero we're supposed to cheer on no matter what. Who would have guessed that back in 2004 or so when he was still a heel?

Confession time: I don't know if I've ever admitted this, but I have a soft spot for attractive wiggers, or white people who dress "black." There's something about it that I've never been able to put my finger on, but a built guy like John Cena wearing throwback jerseys and baggy shorts really turned me on. And how could I forget the freestyle raps! I doubt he does this anymore, but he used to come out and do these dumb little raps to insult whatever wrestler he was in a feud with. They were hit or miss, but the assholian-ness of them really spoke to me.

J: John unfortunately doesn't do the raps anymore, and his promos (save for his most recent battle with C.M. Punk) are often overly scripted and cutesy, especially once WWE switched to a more "PG" feel. That being said, his gangsta-rapping is what saved his career -- he was on a bus doing it for Stephanie McMahon and she brought it to the writers' attention. Before that he was a bland heel with no angle or charisma and was probably going to be released.

I do think I realized his sex appeal once he started doing the "gangsta" gimmick. The white muscle-shirt! the silver chain! His fearlessness on the mike!

What has your opinion been of him as a wrestler?

DJ: I've heard for years of people complaining that John is a limited wrestler because he only knows how to do five moves. Um, what? Have they ever watched him in the ring? I think people confuse using the same moves in every match to not having a large repertoire. Would these same people accuse Ric Flair or Bret Hart, both of whom had well known routines they used in nearly ever single match of their careers, of being limited? Probably not. I won't argue that not-so-good wrestlers can be famous for periods of time; it's the same thing that happens with certain actors who are in high demand for a short period of time. But eventually their lack of talent shows and they fade away. You don't stay at the top for as long as John has without having any ability.

Here's the caveat about Cena's in-ring ability: He's not an aerial wrestler, he's not a great technician in the vein of Malenko, Jericho, Bret Hart, et al. But he understands the showmanship of wrestling. He's 100% genuine every time he goes out there, and he's stayed on top mainly because of his outstanding work ethic. Guy works every house show, is always on the main event, does all the promotional work as well as his own charity work, the latter of which he's humbly modest about it and usually doesn't like it addressed on television. He was much sexier as a heel, but WWE will never turn him heel because he's their top merchandise seller.

DJ: Leave it to the WWE, like Hollywood, to take an angle that worked so well and then completely water it down for the sake of appealing to the kiddies. I understand why they do it, but it's always so disappointing. Hopefully, one day in the future they'll need to reinvigorate his image and they will turn him bad again. You can't stay the good guy forever.

Showmanship is a rare gift that not ever wrestler possesses. Many people who complain about John don't understand how vital it is. You can be the greatest technician ever, but if the audience isn't interested in you, you won't get very far. I tend to equate wrestlers with movie actors because not only is it a more familiar concept to my readers, but they also have a surprisingly lot in common. John Cena is a lot like Julia Roberts. You'd never argue that Julia Roberts is a technical actress in the same way that Cate Blanchett is. But Julia Roberts possesses the ability to light the up the screen whenever she's on camera. Whether or not she's any good doesn't matter; she has that certain "it" factor very few people are born with. It's the same with John. He may not be able to compete at a technical level, but he always radiates star power whenever he steps into the ring.

J: And now for some shallow talk: Are you necessarily a fan of muscles? I feel like we're in that scene from Clueless when Dionne says the waiter is "puny, I like 'em big", Cher says "Ew, I hate muscles" and Tai says "I don't mind either way, as long as their you-know-what isn't crooked." Are you a Cher or a Dionne in this scenario? This is hard to talk about without sounding like we're on some muscle-worship fetish site, but being a very svelte man and having gone to college in Wisconsin surrounded by farm boys, I do consider myself weak in the knees for a pair of big biceps. I don't watch wrestling for the homoertocism of it, but damn if I don't think something when John Cena counters a cross-body by hurling his opponent up over his shoulders with one arm.

DJ: I'm more of a Dionne. When it comes to muscles, I'm mainly about if it looks right on a man's body. Like, the typical "juicehead gorillas" the girls from Jersey Shore fall in love with are often too big and that just doesn't look right or appeal to me. But John has the right proportion of muscles and it works (boy, does it work!). If he can pick up some of those 500 pound monsters with no problem, think of how much he could toss me around! Sigh, a boy can dream.

100 Hot Men and a Dame: #72 Dean Stockwell

72. Dean Stockwell

Occupation: Actor

Nationality: American

Peak of Hotness: The late 1950s through the mid-1960s

Best Known For: Child actor at MGM who made the transition into adulthood with Long Day's Journey Into Night then into a character actor in Paris, Texas and Blue Velvet.

Will, a fellow Stockwell enthusiast, joins me once again to help me discuss this rarely discussed acting legend.

Dame James: When did you first encounter Dean and, if it wasn't love at first sight, when did you fall in love with him?

Will: I'm sure I saw him guesting on some television show in the '90s, but the first time I remember him making an impression was in Paris, Texas. I think he's a pretty fantastic, under appreciated character actor (which you can also see in something like his WEIRD turn in Blue Velvet), but I wouldn't say I fell in love with him until I saw him in Long Day's Journey Into Night. He's not a horrible looking older guy, but he pretty much checks every box in Long Day's Journey. He's sad and thin and romantic in a tragic sense.

It's like Simon Amstell says, "Thin and ill looking is my type. I like the idea I could go on a date with him and it could be his last."

Plus, it must be said, he-like me-has a strong brow line, and I love that. The only person we have today who comes close in that department is Dave Franco.

I wanted to weigh in on him basically based on my love of him in Long Day's Journey. I'm a little embarrassed to say I haven't seen a ton else of the movies he made when he was younger, so I was curious about his other roles. I know you have an affection for him doing a more rakish character in Sons and Lovers. You seem to have more of an appetite for 1950s melodrama than I, which is what he worked in a lot back then.

DJ: Make that another for Long Day's Journey Into Night. I'm pretty sure I saw that early on in my movie infancy, but Dean's prettiness made quite a vivid impression on me. I love that Simon Amstell quote you use because it's so true, and Dean fits that bill so well in Long Day's Journey. With each terrible cough, he becomes that much more pathetic, and that, for whatever reason, only makes him that much more attractive. Plus, we can't discount the fact that he's playing an Emotionally Damaged Boy, another strange turn-on in my world. With a drug addict mother and a cold, uncaring father, Dean's character is screwed up only in a way I could love.

I haven't seen much of his early work either, actually. He was a child actor in the late 40s and 50s who was one of the lucky ones to transition into adult roles. Apparently, I've seen him in Gentleman's Agreement, where, I'm guessing, he played Gregory Peck's son. Yeah, that one left a vivid impression. Sons and Lovers was great because it played up his sexiness without turning him into a dumbass beefcake, which he clearly wasn't. He plays an intelligent, sensitive guy, who just happens to be really, really horny. Clearly, this was an ideal movie for me as he was not only working his sexiness but he was also at the peak of his prettiness.

Stockwell in heat in Sons and Lovers

I saw Compulsion years ago and I remember liking him a lot in that. He plays one half of a Loepold & Loeb-esque duo who are on trial for murder. I remember lots of homoeroticism, especially on Dean's part, which is always a plus for me. Even if you aren't as into 1950s melodrama as I am, you may want to check it out for that. And this leads me to my next question: Dean Stockwell (and his eyebrows) asks you to help him murder someone. In exchange, he'll have sex with you just one glorious time. Do you do it?

W: A pretty, young, AND evil Dean Stockwell? Be still my heart. What else could I say to that proposition but yes?

I had never heard of Compulsion, but all the clips I just looked up from it seem to indicate his character is the bottom in that relationship. Also, it looks like there are extremely long sequences of a halfway-to-Paul-Masson-champagne-commercials Orson Welles delivering court room speeches. I'll have to look it up. Thanks for the recommendation!

DJ: What can I say, I'm a giver.

W: It's a little weird to be talking about the hotness of an actor who is now, like, 75 years old, I must admit. But, If I can bring it up for a second, I wanted to touch on what a strange and interesting career he's managed to carve out for himself. As he got older, he didn't exactly age into a conventionally attractive leading man. That's sad for us, but I think it might have served his career a lot better. He became, ostensibly, a character actor (or as close as you can really be with two Cannes Best Actor prizes under your belt). Rather than getting left behind when the type of actor Hollywood became interested in changed in the late 60s, it seems like he got more and more comfortable subverting audience expectations of a former contracted kid actor from the old studio system. I mean, how many of the hot pieces of unattainable ass you're profiling in this series ever had the balls to go as weird as Stockwell did in something like, say, Blue Velvet?

Can you imagine a current kid actor in transition like Logan Lerman running towards the camera while screaming The Lord's Prayer in Pig Latin for David Lynch in 30 years? I'm sure we can both imagine Logan Lerman doing many things, but I'm not sure about that one.

DJ: His career was certainly a wild ride, starting at MGM and ending up with Wim Wenders and David Lynch. I think it was to his benefit that his period of sexiness was so brief and so early in his career. Hollywood doesn't like pretty character actors and he never would have gotten a chance to thrive as one if he had remained a pretty boy into his 40s. And I say good on him for taking advantage of this. Look, as you have seen and will see in this countdown, prettiness doesn't last forever. It's great to take advantage of it while you have it, but you can't bank on it forever. Dean was one of the smart ones who said, "I won't be a leading anymore. Fuck it. Now is the time to do whatever I want." Looking through my list, the only other actor who even comes close to Dean's career trajectory is Jean-Pierre Leaud, but his auteurial works were "weird" and unexpected in a far different way than Dean's.

See, I can actually imagine Logan Lerman doing oddball stuff later in his career. Granted, I don't know much about him, but from reading interviews with him, he seems like he has a genuine respect for the cinema and could surprise us one day. But I could be totally wrong (as I have been in the past) and your point is a valid one. There are very few child actors I can see doing Lynchian films at any point in the future. Then again, would anyone have predicted in the 1940s that cute lil' Dean Stockwell would be in a film as (amazingly) perverse as Blue Velvet?

100 Hot Men and a Dame: #79 Ryan Phillippe

79. Ryan Phillippe

Occupation: Actor

Nationality: American

Age: 37

Best Known For: Late 90s teenage heartthrob who grew up to become Mr. Reese Witherspoon for a time and a pretty decent actor (Stop-Loss).

The first of the Lost Entries of the 100 Hot Men and a Dame series makes its debut today! Perennial contributor Dave helps me out again to discuss DILF Ryan Phillippe. I'm presenting the post as it was originally written months ago, but it should be noted that I have now seen Cruel Intentions properly and not only is Ryan's ass damn fine but it's probably the crowning achievement of his acting career. Severely underrated.

Dame James: When did you first encounter Ryan and, if it wasn't love at first sight, when did you fall in love with him?

Dave: I first saw Ryan in Cruel Intentions. I was only 10 or 11 when it was actually released, but thankfully for my lustful hormones, I didn't see it until a few years later, which meant I FULLY appreciated him in it. I mean, that butt shot is still the talk of the gays over twelve years later! I mean, it may actually be the most perfect bum of them all, and you know I was going on about Rafa's when we discussed Andy Roddick (who also has a nice bum. OH GOOD LORD.). I know we're going into more cerebral reasons behind attractiveness here, or at least less shallow, but pure horny attraction to physicality is undeniably the driving force behind this countdown and well, with Ryan, it mostly is about the robust, muscular curves of his bottom and arms and chest and oh I'll be back in a moment...

ANYWAY. Looking at Ryan's filmography, he hasn't actually been in that many films of much interest - when The Lincoln Lawyer is your most prominent credit of the last three years, you can see he's lost interest in acting. But he was superb in Stop-Loss - finally proving that he has a vulnerability and depth to him, which was rather a revelation, although I'd wager that his cruel game-playing with Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions was almost as much of an acting coup, because not everyone can do it with such panache.

I'd also like to note how, despite the perfection of the arse circa-1999, Ryan seems to have really found his sweet spot around recent years. The behind might have been fine, but I always found him a bit off somehow - perhaps it was the Justin Timberlake hair. But photos in the past few years have just shown, to me, human perfection - a sculpted, relaxed face, strong shoulders, and a musculature that's not overdeveloped but still screams "MAN!"

DJ: I'm pretty sure I first saw him in Cruel Intentions in the severely edited version they show on TV, and I was never that into him. He was rather frail with features that were perhaps a touch feminine; in other words, he was a true teenage heartthrob. He also had that late 90's vibe around him which is great for nostalgia but maybe not the sexiest look ever. But perhaps if I had gotten a VHS copy and saw the butt scene for myself, maybe I would have come around on him sooner. I've still never seen the scene for myself, but I have seen stills, and Holy Jesus what a glorious ass! I love how it stands out and makes a statement against his (then) skinny frame. It's not ridiculously large but it's big enough that it makes you go "Dayummmm" every time you look at it.

It wasn't until the time of Stop-Loss that I realized I was attracted to Ryan. You talk about how this countdown is designed to discuss attractive men and what makes them so desirable beyond their surface features, and for the most part that's true. But when it comes to Ryan, there are no cerebral reasons why I'm attracted to him: it's pure, animalistic lust. He was fine in Stop-Loss and I'd wager as well he's probably a lot better than we ever gave him credit for in Cruel Intentions. But besides Igby Goes Down, where he really turns up the preppie rich boy machismo, there's really not much of note in his filmography. It's mostly a lot of mediocre rolls in would-be prestige pictures. Without the work to back him up, it's all about that ass. But I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. It is better to be famous for something superficial than to not be famous at all.

D: That photo is absolutely transfixing. Yes, let's abandon pretense - I'm going to focus on the physical details. The nipples there are just so small and alive! The six-pack that isn't outrageously defined but enough that you know you could probably punch it and your hand would hurt. The vague stubble. And he's clearly in the middle of a 'fuck you' walk where he ignores everyone in his path. (I do those a lot. Sadly I never look like this while doing them.)

Looking at other photos, I think he really needs the stubble - he looks too small without it, a bit meek. I think it really gives him that extra swagger. I'm glad he figured out that the curls in his hair really don't suit as well - short back and sides really work here (hence the perfection of being cast as a soldier).

DJ: I believe that it was after he divorced Reese Witherspoon that he got super hot. I'm really starting to think she is the Devil in human form because she not only held him back from reaching his full hotness potential, but she also stunted Jake Gyllenhaal there for awhile. What is her problem, exactly? Do you think she doesn't get enough satisfaction from her millions and resorts to taunting us little people to pass the time?

D: Ryan and Reese were kind of a nice normal couple to look at while they were together, but I never really thought about them at all. And you're right, it really was once they split that he came to proper fruition. Almost as though she was holding him back in those teenage roles, so only when he broke away from that did he figure out he was all grown up. I don't know what it is about her, there must be something in that chin...

DJ: Once he ditched his late 90's pretty boy look, I think he truly discovered his sexiness. Which is a rarity, as only a select few men find their hotness peak as late in their career as Ryan did. I guess fatherhood and ditching the Pointy Chined One (seriously, her chin must have been named in the divorce suit as one of the causes for irreconcilable differences) really suited him in the looks department.

D: I see Ryan's going to be making a move usually reserved for prolific actresses and heading for TV - a guest spot on Damages! It probably would've be a better move if the show hadn't been forced to move channels, but I hear they can swear on DirecTV? So maybe he'll take off some clothing. I may have to catch up.

DJ: I had not heard he was appearing on Damages! How positively exciting! I haven't seen the fourth season yet, due to it moving to a channel I don't get, but I was absolutely enthralled with the first three seasons. And the show has a great track record with late 90's teen stars transitioning into sexy maturity, particularly in the second season when they had Matthew Davis and Timothy Olyphant (sigh) on the show. He's actually a brilliant choice for the show, as his penchant for preppie upper class snobs is a perfect fit for Damages. And if he's even half as sexy as Olyphant was on that show--and trust me, Damages objectified Olyphant brilliantly--then watching it will be time well spent.

100 Hot Men and a Dame: The List

Remember my 100 Hot Men and a Dame series? The one I started nearly a year ago but, last time I checked, stalled out at #84? Yeah, I wouldn't blame you if you have forgotten. The last entry was published all the way back in March (another reminder of just how time flies). Since my blogging has slowed down considerably this year due to other projects I'm working on (namely that screenplay I keep yammering on about every chance I can on Twitter), there's a good (read: 99.9%) chance that I'll never finish the series. Sad, I know, but hold on a second. There is good news ahead! With this being the case, I have decided that there is no harm in posting my closely-guarded, ranked list of my 100 hot men. Considering the fact that I would make numerous changes to this list, not to mention add all of the hotties (Zayn! Josh Hutcherson!) who would easily make this list today, I think it's all the more important to share the original list just to see where my head was back in August 2011. Links to the original entries are in pink, as will future entries when they are posted (I have a few entries that were written out of order ages ago chilling on my dashboard, ready to be posted any time now). As always, enjoy the list and let me know what you think of the choices all the way down to the (inevitable) number one.

100. Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet

99. Michael C. Hall

98. Brandon Flowers

97. Jeremy Irons

96. Andy Roddick

95. Colin Farrell

94. Farley Granger

93. Terence Stamp

92. Tony Leung Chiu-wai

91. David Henrie

90. Alexander Skarsgard

89. River Viiperi

88. Cam Gigandet

87. Tyson Beckford

86. Jeremy Renner

85. William Holden

84. Gregory Peck

83. Warren Beatty

82. Gene Kelly

81. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

80. Daniel Craig

79. Ryan Phillippe

78. Henry Fonda

77. Hurts (Theo Hutchcraft & Adam Anderson)

76. Patrick Wilson

75. Chris Meloni

74. River Phoenix

73. Ricky Nelson

72. Dean Stockwell

71. Tom Brady

70. Tom Hardy

69. Steve McQueen

68. Simon Nessman

67. John Cena

66. François Truffaut

65. Nick Youngquest

64. Daniel Brühl

63. Prince Harry

62. John Slattery

61. Chris Pine

60. Ryan Gosling

59. David Beckham

58. Joe McElderry

57. Taye Diggs

56. Jon Hamm

55. Taylor Lautner

54. Armie Hammer

53. Hugh Jackman

52. Anderson Cooper

51. Robert Redford

50. Gaspard Ulliel

49. Joel McCrea

48. Lee Pace

47. Xavier Samuel

46. Sebastian Stan

45. Clive Owen

44. Cary Grant

43. Dominic Cooper

42. Joel McHale

41. Francisco Lachowski

40. Gael Garcia Bernal

39. Louis Garrel

38. Nick Jonas

37. Tom Ford

36. Sam Rockwell

35. Jamie Bell

34. Rupert Graves

33. Neil Patrick Harris

32. Richard Widmark

31. Mark Wahlberg

30. Mark Ruffalo

29. Penn Badgley

28. Kris Allen

27. Brad Davis

26. Alain Delon

25. Justin Timberlake

24. James McAvoy

23. Aaron Tveit

22. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

21. Marcello Mastroianni

20. Marlon Brando

19. Robert Downey, Jr.

18. Chad White

17. Paul Newman

16. Anthony Perkins

15. Gary Cooper

14. Buster Keaton

13. Adam Brody

12. Montgomery Clift

11. Dirk Bogarde

  

 

10. Channing Tatum

09. James Marsden

08. Jean-Paul Belmondo

07. Nicholas Hoult

06. Andrew Garfield

05. James Dean

04. Michael Fassbender

03. Jean-Pierre Léaud

02. Jake Gyllenhaal

01. Zac Efron

100 Hot Men and a Dame: #84 Gregory Peck

 84. Gregory Peck

Occupation: Actor

Nationality: American

Peak of Hotness: The mid-1940's through the early 1950's.

Best Known For: Playing (and winning an Oscar for it) everyone's favorite, idealistic father Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Another day, another hot man. This time I'm flying solo discussing this hot piece of Golden Age ass. An underrated one, no doubt, but a hot piece nonetheless.

Like many people, my first encounter with Gregory Peck was in To Kill a Mockingbird. I saw this film in my ninth grade English after, what else, reading the book (to "enrich  the experience," I'm sure). My cinephilia was still in its infancy at this point, so although I knew about the film, I had never encountered Gregory before. I don't want to say that this is where I first fell in love because a) that seems so completely inappropriate given Mockingbird's content, legacy and Peck's character and b) the film, appropriately, de-emphasizes Peck's sexuality. What I will say about Peck in Mockingbird, however, is that he certainly made an impression on me and didn't exactly dissuade me from seeking out any of his other work.

Looking back now, I guess the moment I fell for Gregory was in the film Roman Holiday. It has been far too long since I've seen it, but I was totally enamored with that movie--especially by the idea of a tall, gorgeous, deep-voiced man whisking me away on a whirlwind tour of Rome. I mean, who could say no to that prospect? More than Mockingbird, Roman Holiday plays up his sexuality, or, at the very least, the sense that Peck is a man who enjoys and desires the company of beautiful women. Gregory's not the typical romantic comedy lead: he reads a bit "serious actor slumming it in a light movie" and he's certainly not a Cary Grant. Against all odds, though, Roman Holiday works for him, finding a charm and attractiveness not seen in many of his other films.

I hate to keep talking about Peck's sexuality, because, for the most part, he wasn't a sex symbol in the same way someone like Clark Gable was. Even in his early films like Spellbound, The Valley of Decision or Gentleman's Agreement where his prettiness was at its absolute peak, Peck was sold as a thinking man's sex symbol, never as a sexual object of lust (Duel in the Sun excepted). Sure, he usually got the girl in the end like nearly every male lead during the Golden Age, but sex was never the first thing on his mind. There's no doubt that Gregory liked to get down in the bedroom. You can rest assured, though, that he wasn't going to kiss and tell with his dumb friends. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word.

With his persona firmly in place, I want to talk more about two performances of Peck's from 1945, his breakthrough year in Hollywood. The first, The Keys of the Kingdom, I only want to mention because he plays a priest and, as you will see, this is a recurring motif in the countdown (e.g. Belmondo, Clift, Ruffalo). There's something so wrong but oh so right about lusting after a hot guy in a priest outfit, especially when they're playing the saintliest of all saintly priests. I suppose that's just the bad Catholic in me, though. The second film is Hitchcock's Spellbound, which is about a female psychologist (Ingrid Bergman) who helps her male co-worker (Peck) recover his memory after a traumatic event causes him to be an amnesiac. Unusual for its time, Spellbound is fascinating because it's one of the few films I can think of where the male lead plays the damsel in distress while the female lead is the strong catalyst for change. Emotionally damaged men make me weak in the knees and Peck in Spellbound is no exception. I saw both of these films a couple of years ago and, in their own way, they both solidified my attraction to that tall drink of water Gregory Peck.

Of course I couldn't write this post without at least mentioning Ethan Peck, Gregory's grandson who is also an actor. I've never actually seen Ethan in anything, but there's no denying that he got his grandfather's good looks. So, who do you want to be with, Gregory, Ethan or both?

100 Hot Men and a Dame: #85 William Holden

85. William Holden

Occupation: Actor

Nationality: American

Peak of Hotness: The 1950's

Best Known For: Playing the cynical sex symbol in a host of films, particularly in the early to mid 50's, including Born Yesterday, Sunset Boulevard, Stalag 17, Sabrina and Network.

After my first solo post last time, I'm back with another collaboration. Told you they weren't going away! Joining me to discuss today's hunk is my friend Jesse (whom you can follow on Twitter here). Let's get crackin', shall we?

Dame James: When did you first encounter William and, if it wasn't love at first sight, when did you fall in love with him?

Jesse: Okay, this is a weird one. Talking about sexy men who died before we were alive is kind of morbid in a way, don't you think? I want to jump his bones, but he was six feet under nine years before I was even born.

Nevertheless, the first time I encountered William Holden was when I was really young. I remember watching Network on TV when I was 11 or 12. I was mesmerized by Peter Finch and Faye Dunaway mostly. I guess I didn't really find Holden attractive because he was quite old at the time. 60 maybe? Years later, when I started to become more interested in film and being ravaged by men, is when I realized how gorgeous Holden was when he was younger. I remember going to the library and taking out Born Yesterday, Sunset Blvd. and Picnic. After watching Picnic I completely fell in love with him. I had dreams about a lovely drifter having his way with me at a local picnic for months afterwards.

I remember my father had the movie poster for Stalag 17 hanging in the living room of our house. The poster is basically comprised of William Holden's face and not much else. He's holding a cigar and has this smug look on his face. I would stare at this poster for what felt like hours. I admired him so. He's so classically handsome, definitely in the same league as Cary Grant and the like.

DJ: Morbid? Perhaps. I'm usually so distracted by the sexiness that I never think of whether its right or wrong to be attracted to dead men. It probably is a tad weird in the grand scheme of things, but part of my mission with this project is to shine a light on sexy men from the past. Because, as sad and weird as it sounds, not everyone knows about these hot movie stars from the 50's.

I can't remember which William Holden film I saw first, but it was definitely between Sunset Boulevard and Network. Both films remain two of my favorites of all time, but I don't think I noticed William's sexiness in either right away: Network for the reasons of age you already mentioned and Sunset Boulevard because, well, I'm still not sure. I guess I needed a bit of time with that one. Just like you, oddly enough, I think the one film that truly sold me on him as a sexual object was Picnic. I couldn't tell you anything about the film's plot anymore, but the memory of him as this sexy drifter/hulking object of lust to Kim Novak's character remains permanently etched into my brain. Boy, would I love to be invited to that picnic of yours.

J: You can certainly attend that picnic, but I don't think there will be much eating involved.

DJ: Well, we'd be eating something. It just won't be food.

Part of the reason William continues to be a favorite of mine, in addition to that chest, is the fact that he was a Hollywood leading man who often played cynical bastards. Considering the time period he worked in and the fact that he made this his stock in trade after the immense success of Sunset Boulevard, I find it miraculous he was able to make it work for so long. Hollywood has always had hard-boiled, rough leading men such as Bogie & Cagney, but not many of them could be considered a sex symbol in the way Holden was. And did he ever make it work for himself! Maybe William is where my attraction to dark, pessimistic men started. Does William's persona do anything for you or are you strictly a "Take off your shirt and let's do this, William" sort of fella?

J: I like to think I fall into both of those categories. His rugged persona is definitely his appeal and that leads to me saying "take off your shirt and let's do this, William".

I say that every time I see one of his movies. Hell, I even said that the first time I saw him in that iconic episode of I Love Lucy. The way Lucille Ball creeps on him in that episode is exactly how I would have gone about that situation as well. Buttering my hand and everything.

DJ: Oh man, I totally forgot he was on that episode of I Love Lucy! That's definitely where I first saw him, although it was in a time when the oldest movie I had ever seen was The Little Mermaid and I was in love with Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton. Needless to say, I was merely a shadow of the Dame I am today. My, oh my, have times changed.

Please tell me this Old Hollywood hunk strikes your fancy. We may not be able to be friends if he doesn't.

100 Hot Men and a Dame: #86 Jeremy Renner

86. Jeremy Renner

Occupation: Actor

Nationality: American

Age: 41

Best Known For: An actor on the verge of making it big, Renner finally broke through after back-to-back Oscar nominations for The Hurt Locker and The Town.

Wow, has it really been two and a half months since my last entry? Apologies all around! You know how life gets in the way sometimes. But rest assured: I am back and (hopefully) better than ever.

In my absence, however, I realized that at the rate I was going, I was never going to get this series done. Part of the problem was that it was taking ages to round up friends to help me out with every single post. I have a lot of talented friends but nowhere near enough for a project as large as this. I have decided that in order to get these posts out, I'm going to tackle some of them on my own. Don't fret: I will have collaborators on a number of future posts, so that element is not going away. But, basically, I'm sick of begging people for help and I'm sure they are sick as hell of me nagging. Let's just get back to what the series was founded on: hot men. And without further ado...

My fascination with Jeremy Renner probably didn't begin at the same time as everyone else's, which was, obviously, the release of The Hurt Locker. When it came out, I liked Renner and certainly appreciated his gratuitous shirtless scene. But I remained ambivalent about his hotness (even when a close friend became obsessed).

It wasn't until, of all things, Oprah's Oscar Interview special, where various celebrities, either past winners or current nominees, interviewed each other, that I first fell for him. Despite The Hurt Locker being the talk of Oscar town for months, I didn't know much about him, much less seen an interview with him. The only thing I had heard, of course, were the gay rumors. Not that I believed them for a second, mind you. Despite my complete and utter lack of a gaydar, Jeremy never gave off that vibe to me. Taylor Lautner? Yes, definitely. But Jeremy Renner? I mean, look at him! He looks like a tough, scrappy dude who slams back beers with his bros and will smash a dude's face in for looking at him wrong, not someone who will check out guys' asses with me at the local gay bar. Those gay rumors get out of hand sometimes, and this had to be one of those times.

But, then I saw the interview, and my whole world flipped upside down. I remember watching the special in my room at my parents' house and thinking, "Maybe those rumors weren't as far off as I thought..." Re-watching the interview, I'm not exactly sure what got my Spidey Sense tingling--maybe it's the way Jeremy casually mentions that "men and women" look at him differently after his Hurt Locker triumph and Ben Affleck's subsequent, half-knowing eyebrow raise afterwards--but it was definitely a-tinglin'. And I don't mean to be shallow enough to say that this was the only reason I fell for him. He carried himself well in the interview, coming across as charismatic and charming in ways I never imagined he could be, judging him solely on his Hurt Locker work. It was a triumph all around. And to think I would have missed it if my mother hadn't recorded it for me on a whim!

If that Oprah special initiated my attraction to Jeremy, The Town solidified it. In that movie, Jeremy plays Ben Affleck's hard as nails, almost psychopathic childhood friend who drags him into one last bank robbery. Generally, I'm not attracted to "bad boys" or guys who will potentially beat the shit out of me at some point in our relationship (sorry, Chris Brown). But, hot damn, Jeremy was sexy as hell in that movie. Something about his swagger and the way he could violently go off at any moment really had me in a tizzy the whole time I was in the theatre. As soon as I came home from my screening, I tweeted this great joke, which I unfortunately forgot how it went, about how I wish that Jeremy Renner's character would shoot a load on my back and then shoot me in the back with a gun. Or something like that. Either way, the point still stands: as long as Jeremy Renner has sex with me, he can do whatever he wants with me afterwards.

As always, what do you think of Jeremy Renner? Do you give him a 21 Gun Salute every time you see him? And since I didn't interview anyone, I didn't get to ask a silly question. So here's mine for you: You must remember that story about a year or so ago about Xtina getting completely hammered and making a fool of herself at a party Jeremy threw before passing out in his bed. Which popstar do you think would have made a more interesting bedfellow for Jeremy? Joe Jonas would have gotten drunk on purpose, hoping Jeremy took advantage of him. I'm going with either Archie ("Gosh, Jeremy, that's an awfully big gun you have!") or Cheryl Cole (The Queen deserves a decent man, don't you think?).