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Presenting The 2010 AfterElton Hot 100!

Just kidding. Truthfully, we can’t imagine anything less appealing than

the attitudes expressed by this out gay journalist who recently argued,

ridiculously, that gay actors can’t play straight roles.

So who did come out on top? If you’re the kind of person who opens your

Christmas presents early, go here to find the start of the list.

The three of you left might be interested to know that the most

noteworthy thing about this year’s list is that the top seven positions

are occupied by out gay men, five of whom are actors; last year, only the top three were out gay men, and only four of the top ten were gay.

Of the entire list, 26 were out gay or bisexual men — up from 20 last year. And for

those who really like statistics, our 2008 list had 18 out gay/bi men

— and that was up from 15 in 2007. That’s a pretty great progression, no?

We here at AfterElton.com certainly think so. There is nothing

hotter than a gay or bisexual man with the courage to be open and

honest about himself. And how great is it that we live in an era where

that’s increasingly becoming the norm?

For our fourth annual list, gay and bisexual male readers of AfterElton.com nominated over 1800 different men.

As usual, the final list is made up mostly of TV, movie, and Broadway actors:

88 in all. Only twelve come from some other field: musicians Adam Lambert, Ricky Martin, Kris Allen, Jason Mraz, and Jay Brannan; athletes David Beckham, Ben Cohen, Gareth Thomas, and Matthew Mitcham; journalist Anderson Cooper; screenwriter Dustin Lance Black; and designer and film director Tom Ford.

Overall, thirty-one new faces made the list, which we think is a nice

turnover. Who are some of the new faces? Well, the sensation that is Glee rocketed five entries onto the chart: Jonathan Groff, Chris Colfer, Matthew Morrison, Mark Salling, and Cory Monteith.

What, no Kevin McHale? (He did get votes, but just didn’t make the top 100.)

Want to read what some of the winners, including Neil Patrick Harris and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, had to say about making the list? Neil was cheeky and Jesse felt moved to do a haiku.

There is a bit of unpleasant news. Only six men on the Hot 100 (Ricky Martin, Taye Diggs, Wilson Cruz, Darryl Stephens, Gael Garcia Bernal and Eddie Cibrian)

are men of color – down from seven last year, and down from nine the

year before. We think this speaks to the relative lack of racial

minorities – especially Asian men – among the ranks of TV and movie

celebrities (from which most Hot 100 picks come from). But it’s also

worth asking: do some gay and bisexual men need to broaden their image

of what it means to be hot?

Before you head off to see who ended up where on the list, we also

think it’s worth asking: why does the AfterElton.com Hot 100 matter? We

confess that when we first started doing this four years ago, we simply thought

of it as something fun – a nice, frivolous change from some of the more

“serious” journalism we do on this site.

But this year, we’ve been struck by the incredible passion of our

readers when discussing their picks. Spend a few minutes reading the

discussions and scanning the endless pictures posted, and it’s

impossible not to come to the conclusion that this list is somehow …

empowering. Too often gay male sexuality has been denied and ignored by

the greater society, unless those against gay rights are somehow demonizing us for it.

With the announcement of these results, news of your choices will

spread far and wide, bringing positive attention to the whole idea of

gay and bisexual men celebrating and appreciating male beauty, and allowing all of us, through social

media like Facebook and Twitter, to more fully integrate all aspects of our lives.

One more fun-fact about this year’s results: out of nearly 30,000 votes registered, Tom Cruise got a grand total of four votes. Ouch.

One reminder: No doubt folks will have a lot to say about the

list, but please don't reveal the winner in your comment's subject line

since some folks like to be surprised. Finally, we kindly ask that you do not copy and reproduce the entire Hot 100 anywhere else. We work very hard putting this together and ask that you just link back to the list.

Next page: This year's Hot 100!

100. Jason Mraz

Rank last year: 97

99. Tom Ford

98. David Burtka

97. Alex O'Loughlin

96. Paul Wesley

95. Gael Garcia Bernal

Rank last year: 59

94. Dennis Grabosch

93. Darryl Stephens

Rank last year: 45

92. Wilson Cruz

Rank last year: 99

91. Eddie Cibrian

Rank last year: 68

90. Jusin Timberlake

Rank last year: 42

89. George Clooney

Rank last year: 73

88. Daniel Craig

Rank last year: 32

87. Michael Urie

86. Robert Downey Jr.

85. Jay Brannan

84. Jesse Tyler Ferguson

83. Dustin Lance Black

Rank last year: 82

82. Mitch Hewer

Rank last year: 53

81. James McAvoy

Rank last year: 57

80. Igor Dolgatschew

79. Chad Allen

Rank last year: 25

78. Milo Ventimiglia

Rank last year: 31

77. Ben Cohen

Rank last year: 64

76. Paul Rudd

Rank last year: 23

75. Scott Herman

74. Kris Allen

Rank last year: 98

73. Robert Pattinson

Rank last year: 40

72. Jamie Bamber

Rank last year: 58

71. Cory Monteith

70. Jude Law

Rank last year: 77

69. Lee Pace

Rank last year: 60

68. Gavin Creel

67. Colin Farrell

Rank last year: 66

66. Gerard Butler

Rank last year: 71

65. Kellan Lutz

64. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Rank last year: 61 

63. Taye Diggs

Rank last year: 51

62. Justin Hartley

Rank last year: 89

61. Ben McKenzie

Rank last year: 81 

60. Andy Whitfield

59. Christopher Meloni

Rank last year: 52

58. Nathan Fillion

Rank last year: 85

57. Johnny Depp

Rank last year: 29

56. Tom Welling

Rank last year: 35

55. Gareth Thomas

54. Brad Pitt

Rank last year: 18

53. Robert Gant

Rank last year: 36

52. Randy Harrison

Rank last year: 33

51. Ryan Phillippe

Rank last year: 91

50. David Boreanaz

Rank last year: 47

49. David Beckham

Rank last year: 24

48. Mark Salling

47. Bradley Cooper

46. Sam Worthington

45. Nick Adams

Rank last year: 62

44. Misha Collins

Rank last year: 93

43. James Marsden

Rank last year: 27

42. David Tennant

Rank last year: 37

41. Channing Tatum

Rank last year: 30

40. Gareth David-Lloyd

Rank last year: 14

39. Chace Crawford

Rank last year: 26

38. Ryan Kwanten

37. Jared Padalecki

Rank last year: 12

36. Zac Efron

Rank last year: 11

35. Jake Silbermann

Rank last year: 22

34. Mathew Rhys

Rank last year: 34

33. Chris Pine

Rank last year: 75

32. Taylor Lautner

31. Zachary Quinto

Rank last year: 94

30. Ewan MacGregor

Rank last year: 48

29. Russell Tovey

Rank last year: 38

28. Matthew Morrison

27. Chris Colfer

26. Alexander Skarsgård

25. Eric Sheffer Stevens

24. Ian Somerhalder

Rank last year: 80

23. Danny Miller

22. Matthew Bomer

21. James Franco

Rank last year: 10

20. Hugh Jackman

Rank last year: 8

19. Brett Claywell

18. Jonathan Groff

17. Thore Schölermann

Rank last year: 19

16. Matthew Mitcham

Rank last year: 15

15. Gale Harold

Rank last year: 9

14. Jensen Ackles

Rank last year: 5

13. Jo Weil

Rank last year: 17

12. Ryan Reynolds

Rank last year: 21

11. Anderson Cooper

Rank last year: 13

10. Chris Evans

Rank last year: 6

Chris Evans has made a name for himself playing superheroes – as the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies (how many years in a row can we make the pun about him being scorching hot?), in this year’s The Losers, and as Captain America in several upcoming movie franchises.

So now you think we’re going to say that what we like about Chris is his down-to-earth, “everyman” quality, right?

Nope, it’s pretty much his godlike beauty and that body that was made to be squeezed into form-fitting spandex!

9. Van Hansis

Rank last year: 20

It hasn’t been a good year for gay couples on American soap operas. “Kish” was shown the door on One Life to Live, and “Nuke,” the original gay super-couple on As the World Turns, will cease to exist this September when that soap goes off the air for good.

But before all those other gay soap super-couples, there was Luke Snyder, the first in the latest wave of gay soap characters. As played by the terrific Van Hansis,

the character had a fundamental integrity and a quiet dignity that made

us like him, even as his passion and occasional hot-headedness made us

relate to him.

Sure, we’ll miss Kish and Noah, but as Dorothy says to the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, it just might be Van’s Luke Synder that we’ll miss most of all.

8. Jake Gyllenhaal

Rank last year: 4

We still can’t quit him. Sure, he’s fallen a few spots since claiming two Brokeback Mountain-influenced Hot 100 victories in 2007 and 2008, but that’s nothing a few shirtless scenes in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time can’t rectify.

Way too much has been made about how “brave” straight actors are for

taking on gay roles, so instead let’s get superficial and simply

celebrate Jake for his piercing blue eyes, that rockin’ bod, and, of

course, that wonderfully goofy grin.

7. Cheyenne Jackson

Rank last year: 7

Readers of this website know that Cheyenne Jackson has long been a favorite

of the staff here. What can we say? It’s a love affair that began with those incredible short-shorts he wore in the campy

stage production of the musical Xanadu and deepened as a result of that photo-shoot he did with reFRESH Magazine where he posed in his underwear.

Okay, his sensational performance last year in Broadway’s Finian’s Rainbow and his hilarious turn on TV’s 30 Rock

didn’t hurt either. But we especially love him for his outspokenness,

most recently demonstrated when Jackson, along with fellow actor Michael Urie, shared their unvarnished opinions about Ramin Setoodeh with the world.

Talented, sexy, smart and outspoken? How could he not have been in the top ten again this year? That just makes us all the more excited to watch him host the NewNowNext Awards on June 17th.

Plus, um, he’s really, really, really hot.

6. Ricky Martin

Okay, maybe we always knew. And maybe we got a little frustrated with

Ricky over the years with his caginess on the topic of his sexuality.

But it’s a measure of how graceful and heartfelt his coming out was,

and how much goodwill he’s generated over the years from his music,

that the GLBT community has so completely embraced him, voting him in

the top six of this year’s Hot 100, despite his not even making the

list at all last year.

Which pictures make Ricky look the hottest? Those incredible 2005 photos of him frolicking on a beach in St. Barts in a Speedo? Or was it those wonderful photos of Ricky holding one or both his new twin boys?

No, it’s any photo of him lately, looking particularly serene and

content. Bask in the love, Mr. Martin – you absolutely deserve it!

5. Adam Lambert

Rank last year: 16

Mr. Lambert,

the 1950s are calling: interestingly, they don’t want their pompadour

back. In fact, they’re fully admitting that no one back then managed to

make a pompadour look nearly as sexy as you do.

Adam famously didn’t win American Idol, despite

dominating the competition all season long – a result widely believed

to be the result of American discomfort over Adam’s perceived

sexuality. And he probably didn’t do himself any favors with his

deliberately-provocative performance at last fall’s American Music Awards.

But what makes Adam such a dynamic performer is precisely what sometimes

lands him in hot water: his utter refusal to compromise his own unique

artistic vision. Now that’s hot.

But the hottest thing about Adam? Under all that hair gel and eyeliner,

behind the whips and chains, is obviously a very kind-hearted soul, and

maybe just the tiniest touch of geek. Adam, you have a charisma of “18”

– and if you’re truly the closet geek we suspect you are, you know

exactly what we mean.

4. Luke Macfarlane

Rank last year: 3

He sings too! Did you catch that on the most recent episode of Brothers & Sisters where Luke Macfarlane

sang that touching Irish funeral song? Granted, he was singing about

Ojai Foods, which is hard to get too worked up about, but who knew he

had such a beautiful voice?

As Scotty Wandell, Kevin’s love interest on ABC’s primetime

soap, Luke caught our attention early on. Some have wondered what

Scotty sees in the famously neurotic Kevin, but no one has ever

wondered what Kevin sees in Scotty: not only is he the calm at the

center of the Walker family storm, he’s got classically handsome good

looks. And now that we’ve seen Scotty in both his swimming trunks and his underwear, we also know he’s got a body to die for.

Basically, Scotty is damn nice to come home to. And ever since the

actor himself bravely came out in 2008, we can make a pretty good guess

that Luke would be wonderful to come home to too.

3. John Barrowman

Rank last year: 2

John Barrowman may be the Susan Lucci of

the AfterElton.com Hot 100: he placed second in our poll two years

running, and this year’s he’s fallen to third. Still, it’s not a bad

showing for an actor who is known in the U.S. mostly for his lead in

the UK hit Torchwood and a guest role as the evil Patrick Logan on Desperate Housewives.

Barrowman’s professional acting career began in 1989 with a role on London’s West End in a production of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes. That pretty much describes both his career, which includes movies like the notorious stinker Shark Attack 3: Megaladon and The Producers (where

he’s the Nazi who sings “Springtime for Hitler”), and his personal

life, where’s he known for his refreshing openness (not to mention his

ribald sense of humor).

And speaking of gay actors playing gay roles, Barrowman was reportedly turned down for the role of Will on Will & Grace because he was – you guessed it! – too masculine.

For better or for worse, the U.S. version of Torchwood is

currently on hold, which means John’s full-fledged American invasion is

temporarily delayed. But that’s okay. You’re welcome to invade us

anytime, John.

2. Scott Evans

It’s all about the voice, isn’t it? Or maybe it’s the furry chest. Or

is it the way his close-cropped hair looks so trimmed and neat against

his neck? There’s so much that’s hot about Scott Evans that it’s sometimes hard to know where to begin.

Evans played one of half of “Kish,” the sizzling hot same-sex couple that was recently unceremoniously dumped from ABC’s One Life to Live. But like Kate Winslet in Titanic, it’s a good bet our hearts are going to go on for Scott for some time to come.

Incidentally, there have been successful actors who have come out

mid-way through successful careers (see: Harris, Neil Patrick). But

Evans is part of a new breed: actors who are openly gay from the start

of their careers, even sometimes playing gay characters. To hear Evans

tell it, he never considered anything otherwise – and maybe that’s the

hottest thing about him of all.

1. Neil Patrick Harris

Rank last year: 1

Life doesn’t get any better than this for Neil Patrick Harris: first, he wins our Gay Man of the Decade

poll in January, and now he’s our Hot 100 pick for the second year in

row. And oh, yeah, he’s also the Emmy-nominated star of a hit TV show

with several major feature films on the horizon, has won raves for his

award event hosting gigs, and is in a fantastic relationship with actor

David Burtka (who came in at #98 in our poll).

It’s easy to look at someone as handsome and talented as NPH and think,

“All of this was inevitable.” But let’s be honest: it wasn’t. When he chose to publicly come out in 2006, he was taking a big risk. Earlier actors have seen their entire careers cut short from just such an acknowledgment.

But the fates were kind to Harris: the news has done nothing to hinder

the incredible trajectory of his career – if anything, it’s made plenty

of people like him even more. Indeed, blazing a path alongside Ellen DeGeneres,

Neil is rapidly redefining exactly what it means to be gay and out in

Hollywood – and oh, yeah, helping to change the world while he’s at it.

After all Neil has done for the GLBT community, we hate to ask him for

anything else, but we do have one more request: how about another

episode featuring Barney’s “The Naked Guy” on How I Met Your Mother?

_______________________________________________

Well folks, there you have the AfterElton.coom Hot 100 for 2010. We hope you had as much fun perusing the hot guys as we did compiling the list. Thanks to everyone who voted and we're already looking forward to seeing who makes next year's Hot 100. If you'd like to see a text-only version of the Hot 100 list for easy reference – go here.

Click on these images to go to our additional lists:

Also, if you're curious which women our sisters over at AfterEllen find attractive, check out the 2010 AfterEllen.com Hot 100.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, but please don't give away any of the results in your subject line!

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