Thursday, April 09, 2009

Looking for the Most Unforgettably Hot Heroes


Readers, I need your help. During April I am seeking a consensus on who are the truly unforgettable heroes of books, TV and film. And I want your opinion represented!

Back story: I do a monthly column for the Novelspot website, and for my April column I raised the topic. As much as we women can have our “hero-of-the-month”--the latest guy who gets to grace our computer wallpaper for a week or two--we also each have certain faves that seem to linger in our hearts all our lives. Something about them impacts us, hard, and we may even spend our whole lives measuring other males against them, both fictional and real life.

In case you’re wondering which three men I used for my own personal examples, they were:

  • Books: Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice
  • Movies: Klaatu from “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” 1951, played by Michael Rennie
  • TV: Ben Linus from “Lost,” played by Michael Emerson

And you can read what I had to say about them in the post “What Hot Heroes Are Unforgettable to You?


I promised to report what I hear in my May column, so please don’t leave me high and dry! You can post in the comments here, or if you prefer, email me at dianalaurence [at sign] wi.rr.com. Feel free to just give me names, but if you’d like to elaborate on your nominees’ appeal, by all means do so. Again, I’ll take any fictional characters, from books, movies or TV.

Let’s give these unforgettable guys their due!

BTW, the illustration of Mr. Darcy is a piece of a lovely painting by an artist called Sive, which you can see in full here:
http://sive.deviantart.com/art/The-Dance-26167461

9 comments:

CC said...

OK, I'll play. Let's see... Mr. Spock from Star Trek... Wesley from The Princess Bride... and Han Solo from Star Wars. I can't help but feel that you're going to psychoanalyze my choices! They are probably not representative of "normal."

bainst said...

As hot as Mr Darcy is, heart still flutters for Edward Rochester a most passionate man. Although "The Dark Prince" is a close second. TV has to be Damian Lewis on Life. I have a weakness for ginger-haired men. Movies has to Gerard Butler, but not because of 300, but when I first saw in Dracula 2000. A dark and brooding villian.

Diana Laurence said...

ME, psychoanalyze, CC? LOL I love all your pics, and for the record for those who don't know, Mr. Spock was my first really acute celebrity crush, when I was 12.

Bainst, I have always been MAD for Mr. Rochester, so thanks so much for bringing him up! And you can't mean MY character the Dark Prince, do you? (There are lots of people bearing that moniker.) But a dozen thanks if you did!!

I haven't seen "Life" but Damian Lewis certainly has charisma. Ditto "Dracula 2000" but I just went and watched the trailer and I think I really need to rent that...wow, Gerard is INTENSE.

Thanks you guys!

bainst said...

Thanks for the comments Diana. And I most definitely meant your character. He's my favorite of the whole Soulful Sex series.

Diana Laurence said...

Oh wow, thanks! It's always so cool to find out which of my heroes (and there are 60+ of them now!) people connected with the best. Prince Lucan is a fave of mine too...I love that "villainous and witty" combination! LOL

Nameit said...

Hi Diana,
I am from Spain. I tend to like every man that you mention in your blog. I discovered Neil Gaiman (and started reading his books) because of you. I think you will admit that Yul Brynner should be among the most hot heroes, and my absolute favourite is his role in "The Journey".

Diana Laurence said...

Wow, Nameit, that is too cool about you finding Neil! He hardly needs me to find new fans, but I'm still very pleased to hear that. Yul Brynner as the King of Siam is one of my all-time favorites, but I didn't know about The Journey and that he and Deborah Kerr were in two movies together! Thanks for the nomination, excellent choice.

Anonymouse said...

Books...TV...film. Three mediums, three (actually, four) men.

Books -- That crashing sound you hear is the sound of the jaws of millions of "Gone with the Wind" fans dropping to the floor -- yes, I prefer Ashley Wilkes to Rhett Butler. I know Rhett is the designated sex god of this novel (and movie), and Ashley has a reputation for being weak, wimpy, and waffling. That's not the Ashley I saw. I saw a man of quiet honor and dignity -- he feels the pull of Scarlett's sexual charms, but (successfully!) resists to be true to his wife Melanie. It doesn't hurt either that a.) he's a paragon of blond beauty and b.) he's just out of reach for Scarlett. The love for the one you can't have is like a drug.

TV -- I almost wrote down Derian Hatcher of the NHL, but he's not exactly a character, so I will have to pick Data from "Star Trek: The Next Generation". Data is cool and serene in every situation, yet relentlessly quests for human emotion, and (lest we forget) is fully functional.

Film -- it's a tie between Seymour from "Ghost World" and Mr. Shhh from "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead", both wearing the face of the imitable Steve Buscemi.

Underneath his schlumpy plaid shirts and his uncool-to-those-who-care-that-much-about-cool interest in old 78-rpm records, Seymour possesses the unsung secret of sex appeal: simple decency. You want to tug him off the screen and treat him far better than what he gets in the film.

Mr. Shhh is a lithe creature of the night. He comes in like a whispering breeze, his deadly purpose taking his victims off-guard. I know (with woman's intuition) that Mr. Shhh would be just as good a lover as he is a hit man. Those who wield guns also wield other weapons, smooth as velvet.

Diana Laurence said...

Wow, Anonymouse, I do have always been one of the few Ashley Wilkes girls, and you took the words right out of my mouth...in fact, BETTER than my mouth! Beautiful and right on. Derian Hatcher...that takes me back, LOL. But Data, also excellent--I had it bad for him. And what list of hotties would be complete without Steve Buscemi? LOL Seriously, though...there are certain men who seem so unlikely and yet just have the je ne sais quoi. Thanks so much for your great list!