People’s Sexiest Man Alive 2010 Is Surprise Pick

There’s a whole lotta sexy going on in the Ryan Reynolds-Scarlett Johansson household: On the heels of Scarlett being named GQ magazine’s “Babe of the Year,” husband Ryan nabbed People magazine’s coveted “Sexiest Man Alive” nod for 2010.

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At 34, Reynolds is a veteran actor whose career took off starring alongside Sandra Bullock in last year’s hit romantic comedy “The Proposal.” He finds himself in select company as a reigning hunk, succeeding 2009 winner Johnny Depp in the annual survey that has also bestowed the “Sexiest Man Alive” designation on Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Richard Gere, Mel Gibson and Matt Damon over People’s 25 years of naming the hottest male celebrities.

Slideshow: Ryan Reynolds (on this page)

The “Sexiest Man Alive” award has become one of People’s most popular issues since debuting in 1985. And reality star Kim Kardashian, who hosts the ABC special “25 Years of Sexy” tonight, believes the magazine picked just the right guy this year.

Video: Ryan Reynolds on ‘The Proposal’ (on this page)

“He’s so handsome, so funny,” Kardashian said of Reynolds. “He has the full package, and I think that’s what People magazine really looks for.”

Reynolds heads a People sexy guys’ list that this year also includes actors Leonard DiCaprio, Jon Hamm, Will Smith and Patrick Dempsey, as well as fashion designer and film director Tom Ford. In a new twist this year, People also put up a list of five men that readers could vote for via Facebook. People special correspondent Julie Jordan said Vin Diesel “blew the competition away” among the Facebook candidates, who also included “Jersey Shore” reality star Pauly D, athlete Chad Ochocinco, singer Enrique Iglesias and “Old Spice Guy” Isaiah Mustafa.

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      Updated 116 minutes ago 11/17/2010 1:58:28 PM +00:00 On the heels of Scarlett Johansson being designated GQ magazine’s “Babe of the Year,” her husband, Ryan Reynolds, nabbed the coveted People magazine “Sexiest Man Alive” nod for 2010, leading a list that also includes Jon Hamm and Will Smith.
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The Scoop: Reynolds won’t let marriage to Johansson become a soap-opera

If Reynolds needs any advice on how to rule the roost as a sex symbol, he needs to look no further than his wife of two years Johansson. In addition to her recent nod from GQ, Johansson was named Esquire’s “Sexiest Woman Alive” in 2006.

Video: Ryan Reynolds terrified by ‘Buried’ (on this page)

In revealing Reynolds as the new “Sexiest Man Alive” on TODAY Wednesday, People’s Julie Jordan told Meredith Vieira that Reynolds emerged on top after the magazine considered the actor’s attributes and whittled down the list of candidates after a year’s search.

“Ryan, he definitely has a sense of self-deprecation; he looks amazing and he’s married to the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson,” Jordan pointed out.

Video: Who is People’s Sexiest Man Alive? (on this page)

But, she added, it’s not just good looks that get a guy the title. “We want somebody with a sense of humor, who’s humble, who has a good heart,” she said, adding that Reynolds has all of those traits in spades.

“He really enjoys it all, and he’s a good person, and that’s what we’re looking for,” she said.

People’s Sexiest Man Alive issue hits newsstands Friday.

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