Salon.com > Men on Top

“Arthur”: Russell Brand as Dudley Moore, from Mars

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:01:00 +0000

You pretty much know what you're getting with "Arthur," a remake of an early-'80s comedy hit that misfires on multiple levels but isn't all that terrible. (Put that on your poster, Warner Bros.!) This fable of a feckless, alcoholic zillionaire who finds true love has been tastefully updated for contemporary sensibilities by director Jason Winer and writer Peter Baynham. (So: No more drinking and driving!) It never departs from its zany-heartwarming rom-com recipe and it bears absolutely no relationship to real life. I know it's only April, but "Arthur" might be the year's first summer movie, in the sense that if you're stuck in the house on a rainy day with a large group that extends from tweens to grandparents, you could definitely do worse. (The film's humor is a teensy bit risqué, not to mention bewildering, for smaller children.)

Your “Men on Top” picks

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 22:01:00 +0000

OK, so some of you don't like Russell Brand. Or, to quote you more precisely: "ACK!" "You blew it, Salon!" And, the classic: "eeewww." Some readers clinked champagne glasses upon reading our annual list of sexy manliness -- and, personally, I think it's the best we've ever done -- but beauty is in the eye of the tweeter and Facebooker. Some took issue with The Situation. Conan O'Brien is an aquired taste, I guess. Hey, it's not like we expected everyone to agree.

But now, it's your turn. The following slide show features the 12 best suggestions from commenters and Open Salon posters of the men left off the list. One clarification: We never repeat any of the 15 recipients from previous years (the only exception was Neil Patrick Harris, who had such a spectacular year in 2009 he earned the exemption). Prior lists have included Stephen Colbert, Idris Elba, James Franco, Jon Hamm, Justin Timberlake and many of the ALL CAPS! SUGGESTIONS! we saw in our comments and elsewhere. So calm down, people. Enjoy the alternate "Men on Top" slide show. And no, I'm sorry, Louis CK didn't make this list, either.

“Sexiest Men” get sexy trophy girlfriends

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:30:00 +0000

Today, we are reminded that behind every "Sexiest Man" there is a sexy woman. The Daily Caller, Tucker Carlson's news site, has put together a slideshow of People magazine's "Sexiest Men" of past and present alongside the women they have dated, married and/or impregnated. There is this year's winner, Ryan Reynolds (a.k.a. tomorrow's Mel Gibson), with GQ "Babe of the Year" Scarlett Johansson. There are the obligatory love triangles: Jude Law, Sienna Miller and The Nanny; Ben Affleck, JLo and Jennifer Garner; and Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston. And, yawn.

Steve Kornacki talks “Men on Top”

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:19:00 +0000

Steve Kornacki appeared on MSNBC's "Jansing & Co." this morning to talk about Salon's Men on Top. With a panel that included former Congressman Martin Frost, he talked about whether Austan Goolsbee is sexy, how we choose our winners, and why People magazine's selection, Ryan Reynolds, is so uninspired. It's the most endearingly strange cable news discussion we've seen all week.

Salon’s Men on Top 2010

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:01:00 +0000

This is our fifth annual answer to that other magazine's annual parade of pretty boys. And in a sign that we've outgrown our snarky past, we're rebranding it: Men on Top. It's a celebration of the men who've made their mark on us -- and the world -- in the past year. One is a former Rhodes scholar who writes about neuroscience. One is a reality TV star people love to hate. There's a baseball player, a gay porn star and an economic advisor. In fact the only thing these 15 men have in common is that we find them dashing and magnetic and captivating and -- what's that word? -- oh, yes: sexy.

It's our hope that this list entertains, educates -- but also that it inspires you to tell us whom we missed. Tell us your choices on Open Salon (make sure to tag your post "Salon's men on top"). We'll spotlight the best nominations later this week. But for now, let's get on with the show.

The sexiest men who almost were

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:30:00 +0000

You would not believe how close Louis CK came to topping this year's sexiest man list. Yes, that Louis CK, the pasty, paunchy and wickedly bent stand-up comic whose FX show is like the bitter, angry person's "Modern Family." Never mind that central to Louis CK's act is how disgusting his 40-something body is, how dimpled the white flesh of his butt, the jiggly belly that he stares at in the mirror like a little boy poking at a jellyfish that has washed ashore. Seen from a certain angle (squinting, in candlelight) he has a flinty Irish factory man's good looks. And choosing Louis CK was a middle finger to the 21st-century culture of plastic typified by People's annual parade of predictable pretty boys. (I mean, come on: David Beckham?)

There was one problem: Nobody really found Louis CK sexy.

I mean, we all found him hilarious, and refreshingly raw, and uncompromising as the creator of a daring show plopped into a turbid sea of sitcom mediocrity. But hot and desirable? Telling staff members and friends he was our leading pick elicited a reaction somewhere between cold and openly hostile.