Sexiest man alive

So Adam Levine is the world's sexiest man this year , according to People magazine.

The lead vocalist of US pop-rock group Maroon 5, the first musician to receive the honour, seemed a little stunned by the news, announced on an episode of his reality singing show, The Voice, on Tuesday.

"As a musician, you have fantasies that you want to win Grammys, but I didn't really think this was on the table," he told People, which has been giving out the title annually since 1985.

But fans seem to approve, creating a new hashtag, #TeamSexy, for The Voice contestants mentored by Levine.

While he seems (somewhat) deserving of the title, I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that the 34-year-old singer has never been shy about getting naked in Maroon 5 music videos or on magazine covers.

But 2013, arguably, has been Levine's year.

The Voice - on which he serves as judge and mentor alongside Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green - has become a force to be reckoned with, and was recently named Outstanding Reality- Competition Program at the Emmys (something even closest genre rival American Idol has never achieved).

Levine has even made the jump to the big screen, starring alongside Keira Knightley in the upcoming romance, Can A Song Save Your Life?

Plus point: He's soon to be married to Victoria's Secret model Behati Prinsloo.

Sexiest Man Alive, really, is the icing on an already very sweet cake.

But where, pray tell, is movie star Ryan Gosling?

Levine may have taken off all his clothes back in 2011 for the cover of Vogue Russia and in a steamy ad to promote prostate cancer awareness, but that same year, Gosling only needed a half-naked shot in rom-com Crazy Stupid Love to get girls swooning and earn himself a Golden Globe nomination.

He earned a second nod that same year for his role in George Clooney's political thriller, The Ides of March.

The 33-year-old Canadian cutie capped off the year by dating Hollywood hottie Eva Mendes.

Sexiest Man Alive? Check, check, check.

But he was snubbed in 2011 for, of all people, The Hangover star Bradley Cooper. He got a consolation picture on the same cover though.

The shock snub provoked a (small) riot outside the magazine's office that year, with an irate fan proclaiming: "(Gosling's) left arm alone makes him the Sexiest Man Alive."

Never mind, we thought. There's always next year.

But last year belonged to Magic Mike's magical abs, so a deserving Channing Tatum took home the title.

This year, two high-profile critically-acclaimed movies, Gangster Squad and The Place Beyond The Pines, and embarking on his directorial debut, How to Catch a Monster, should have sealed the deal for Gosling.

But again, we find him nowhere on the cover, this time not even as a consolation (for us) secondary visual. This may have been the last opportunity in a long while to crown Gosling, who is reportedly taking a break from acting.

"I think it's good for me to take a break and reassess why I'm doing it and how I'm doing it," he told the Associated Press in an interview. "I need a break from myself as much as I imagine the audience does."

So modest. Now that's sexy.

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Who it should have been

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, 32

If People was looking to crown its first musician, why wasn't it Mr Suit & Tie? US pop star Timberlake released two No. 1 albums this year - The 20/20 Experience parts 1 and 2 - collaborated with Jay-Z, and is married to one of the world's sexiest women, actress Jessica Biel. Guys want to be him, girls want to be with him.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, 37

No one had more buzz this year than this UK actor who could have taken home a World's Sexiest Villain title for his role in Star Trek Into Darkness. That, by the way, was only the first of five movies he has in total for this year (The Fifth Estate, 12 Years A Slave, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug and August: Osage County are the others).

No wonder girls are lining up from Tennessee to Tokyo to be part of his CumberCollective (what his fans call themselves now that their idol has objected to the use of the original term, Cumberbitches).

ROBERT DOWNEY JR, 48

We are surprised the Hollywood superstar has never won the title. In his mid-40s, he helmed not one, but three Iron Man movies, and was an integral part of The Avengers blockbuster last year. Oh, and you know how girls like guys with a sense of humour? Downey Jr does not disappoint, whether on the big screen or in interviews.

BY THE NUMBERS

2 -  Most number of times any celebrity has won the title

3 - Two-time honorees - US actors Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Johnny Depp

6 - Non-Americans have won the title - Ryan Reynolds (Canadian), Hugh Jackman (Australian), Mel Gibson (Australian), Pierce Brosnan (Irish), Jude Law (British), Sean Connery (Scottish)

27 - Age of youngest honoree John F. Kennedy Jr (son of John F. Kennedy), given the title in 1988

59 - Sean Connery's age when he was named Sexiest Man Alive in 1989, the oldest person to have been given the title

julrasul@sph.com.sg

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