So who will be the Sexiest Man of 2018? I had an intriguing thought: How about new husband/father-to-be Prince Harry? Based on criteria in a 2014 article at Slate.com, he checks some, but not all of the boxes:
The Sexiest Man Alive of this moment is reliably white, straight, mid-30's, handsome to women, relatable to men, ideally suitable for both your grandmother's coffee table and your niece's Tumblr, mired in no known scandals, famous enough to have starred in a blockbuster film or high-rated television show in the past year, but desperate enough to agree to subject himself to a revealing shirtless pictorial and embarrassing psycho-sexual interview in People's pages.
White, straight, mid-30's, handsome to women, relatable to men, ideally suitable for your grandma and your niece? Check. (Well, maybe not the relatable part.) Famous? Check. No known scandals? Not recently. And an American wife!
On the other hand, Harry's not the least bit desperate for anything and no way he takes his shirt off for People magazine. Darn. Justin Timberlake, whose new book, "Hindsight," came out October 30? Maybe, but a guy's gotta want it. According to the article at Slate, there was a time, in the early years of the annual Sexiest Man issue, when the cover article was done as a "write-around," which means the article was written featuring quotes from sources and contacts, but no actual interview or photoshoot with the man himself. Over the years, that changed. Now the chosen one has to agree to participate:
"Unlike TIME's Person of the Year, which is bestowed, Sexiest Man has to be accepted," one recent former staffer told [the author.] Now, "whoever it is does a photo shoot, sits for an interview, does a lot of press." These days, People's access to the Sexiest Man Alive is more important than his assets. "Blog discussions started to eat in to People's influence," [blogger Elaine] Lui says. "Suddenly we had access to paparazzi shots through image agencies. And we were willing to write things they wouldn't"--unverified rumors, unflattering asides. In order to outplay the upstarts, Lui says, "the angle People needs now is 'exclusive'"--quotes from the source, and shirtless photos to match.
Would People break the pattern and do a "write-around" cover story about Harry? I'd say it's not out of the question.
The Slate article was written at the time of Chris Hemsworth's selection; since then David Beckham (2015,) Dwayne Johnson (2016) and Blake Shelton (last year) have worn the crown. (See the full list of previous winners here.)
Who will it be this year? I really have no idea.
Read the Slate article here and click here to see all the previous Sexiest Man covers.
What else might be on the cover? My guesses:
Gary Hart: The movie about his political sex scandal comes out November 21
Ina Garten: She's been guest-editing Bon Appetit, her newest cookbook came out last month
Katie Holmes and/or Jamie Foxx: Engaged?
Barbra Streisand: A new album
Michelle Obama: Still a possibility, but I don't think she'd settle for being a sidebar headline on the Sexiest Man cover
Prince Charles at 70: Also still a possibility, although probably not, given that he is front and center on the new cover of Vanity Fair
Julia Roberts: Her new show on Amazon
The Situation: The Jersey Shore star got married, in advance of going to jail
Oprah: Hits the campaign trail
Kaitlyn Bristowe and Shawn Booth: The Bachelorette couple broke up. Apparently the rumors from a few weeks ago were right after all
Alec Baldwin: Arrested for punching a man over a parking space
Duggars: Another wedding
Brett Young: Country singer gets married
Demi Lovato: Out of rehab
Kenya Moore: The Real Housewives of Atlanta star gave birth at age 47
Monday morning update: When I saw this picture of Brad Pitt, taken this week-end...
photo credit: just jared
... I thought, wow, Brad looks good. He's been the Sexiest Man twice before, in 1995 and 2000. Would People do a three-peat? Maybe. (Julia Roberts has been the "Most Beautiful Woman" five times.) As with Harry, it would probably have to be a write-around. I can't see Brad agreeing to do the shirtless promo thing.
Update #2: It's not Harry. The following is currently posted at People.com:
On Monday night's episode of the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, host Jimmy Fallon will be revealing PEOPLE's 2018 Sexiest Man Alive, with the winner himself making a special appearance.
A clue? Could the Sexiest Man Alive be Sam Heughan? The TV Guide listing on my television says that Heughan will be a guest on Fallon's show tonight. He was voted "sexiest Sam," is he also the Sexiest Man Alive? It's possible. We'll know soon.
Stories that appear on the new cover will be highlighted in green.
Update #3: See the new cover, featuring Idris Elba, here.
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