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Thursday, Nov 17, 2011 12:45 PM UTC

Salon’s Sexiest Men of 2011

Our annual countdown of the sexiest men of the year -- and none of them are Bradley Cooper SLIDE SHOW

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Salon's Sexiest Men of 2011 (Credit: Salon)

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When People unveiled its sadly predictable choice for the Sexiest Man Alive yesterday, we were reminded once again of why Salon runs our own counter-list. Their choice: Bradley Cooper. As in, the star of “The Hangover” and “The A-Team” who, as Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir put it, “kind of looks like a dick.” The same Bradley Cooper whose moment came back in 2009.

But it is not 2009 anymore — and it is no time to genuflect before the top 1 percent of Hollywood. For six years now, Salon’s list has showcased a diverse group of men whose appeal comes from something other than rock-hard abs, blessed bone structure and blindingly white teeth. The actors, politicians, writers and athletes who made our list have done so by dint of their cultural relevance, intelligence, principles, talent — or simply the unconventionality of their charm.

We’ve always sought out men who have accomplished something significant, but this year — a year of continuing strife and national protest — that aim felt more important than ever. These men are making the world better with their art, activism and passion. They’re the sort who make you think: What a man. The sort you would never find on People magazine’s list.

Here are Salon’s sexiest men of 2011. (You can also skip forward and read an interview with our No. 1.)

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  • A photo taken Monday captures Vice President Joe Biden's response to a Milwaukee second-grader's innovative proposal to end America's epidemic of gun violence. This guy!
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  • Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., flanked by a grouper-eyed Michele Bachmann, addresses the IRS' admission that it targeted Tea Party groups in advance of the 2012 election. In an op-ed for CNN Thursday, the Kentucky senator slammed the president for his faux outrage.
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  • Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller is sworn in on Capitol Hill Friday. Miller testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the extra scrutiny the agency gave conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.
    Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

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  • Attorney General Eric Holder pauses as he testifies on Capitol Hill before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Holder is under fire, among other things, for the Justice Department's gathering of phone records at the Associated Press.
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  • Major Tom to ground control: On Sunday astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded the first music video from space, a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity."
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  • When it rains it pours. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference Thursday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inexplicably inspiring an #umbrellagate Twitter meme.
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  • A smoke plume rises high above a road block at the intersection of County A and Ross Road east of Solon Springs, Wis., Tuesday. No injuries were reported, but the the wildfire caused evacuations across northwestern Wisconsin.
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