Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 24, 1995 TAG: 9505240052
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: EXTRA1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By KATHLEEN WILSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It takes only two for Roanoke-area women: Brad Pitt.
Or Jared Leto.
It was about time someone challenged People magazine's highly undemocratic method of selecting its annual Sexiest Man Alive. And what about the Sexiest Woman? And why not go for it all and find the Sexiest Man of All Time?
In the spirit of democracy, your votes were invited. More than 160 of you responded by phoning InfoLine and pouring your hearts out about everyone from Valerie Bertinelli to Wesley Snipes.
Seventy-seven celebrities received votes. Pitt and Leto tied for the most raves, but both benefited from admirers who stuffed the InfoLine ballot box.
Pitt, named sexiest this year by People, garnered votes from women aged 13 all the way up to 48.
(By the way, in a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly, Gwyneth Paltrow, who is - brace yourself - Brad Pitt's girlfriend in real life, says she is ``sick of all the hoopla over his hair'' now that he's buzz-cut it. And while she's setting the record straight, Gwyneth may love Brad, but her pick for sexiest man alive? Morgan Freeman.)
And it took at least two sixth graders from North Cross to pack in extra votes for the object of their 'tween-age desire: Jared Leto, who played Jordan Catalona on the recently canceled - but moved to MTV for now - and critically acclaimed television show, ``My So-Called Life.''
Sarah Jesse and Leah Greenberg - who are both 11 - could hardly spit out Jared's name through all the giggling.
(As a reference point, for those of you who are thirtysomething, remember the days when just thinking about Bobby Sherman set you into a fit of giggles while you talked about him with your girlfriends.)
Gwen Hoskins, 21, liked Brad for his ``tall, tan, toned body, his pretty eyes and great smile.''
Sandy Gross, 48, voted for Brad, ``but only because Elvis is dead.'' When she found out Elvis was fair game for sexiest guy of all time, Sandy quickly gushed about the King's ``little boy smile and his great eyes and teeth.''
Heather Bowling, 15, was mad for Brad, too. Yes, she does swear that every woman in the movie theater gasped so loud when Pitt took off his shirt in "Legends of the Fall" that you could barely hear what was going on at the time.
If Brad Pitt is indeed going to be named by local women as the sexiest man of this century, we thought we ought to run a few other names past Heather just to be absolutely certain she didn't want to change her vote.
What about Cary Grant?
``He's, like, an old actor. Right?''
Omar Sharif?
``Never heard of him.''
Gary Cooper.
``Never heard of him either.''
Sam Elliott.
``Uh, sounds familiar...''
Gregory Peck.
``Never heard of him.''
Clark Gable?
``I know that movie! I like him!''
While we were at it, we asked most of the women who voted just what they found sexy in general. You know, like in a regular, non-Hollywood guy.
Dawn Pignatella, who admits she used to go for ``the suit and the tie - the stock broker type'' when she was younger, now says it's the ``outdoors, rugged, just-got-off-a-horse kind of guy'' that makes her look twice.
Elizabeth Jones thinks David Letterman is SO sexy that she wrote him every week beginning four months before her prom to ask if he'd be her date.
``I wrote him poems,'' she sighed. ``I got an entire class to write and ask him to go to the prom with me. My English teacher even wrote a letter for me.''
No, Dave didn't go to the prom.
But Elizabeth did get some response.
``One night, after we'd sent all these letters, he looked at the camera in the middle of his monologue and said, `Hey, kids! Wanna go to the prom?''' gushed Elizabeth. ``I KNOW he was talking to me.''
Women drooled about chests and hands and eyes and dark hair and muscles. Among them was Louise Padgett, who said she went for blue eyes and good shoulders.
But it was her 15-year-old daughter, Jennifer, who showed more wisdom than anyone.
Just what does Jennifer find sexy or attractive in a guy?
``I like them if they are nice, sweet and emotional. You know, as long as they treat a girl right, that's all that really matters.''
by CNB