Thursday Thirteen #33 -- The "I Can Dream about You" Edition

THIRTEEN TOTALLY TERRIFIC MEN
The Gal Herself
Fantasizes about on a Regular Basis

This TT was inspired by Cupcake, whose blog has on occasion mentioned the stellar line-up of hotties populating her fantasies. She has them broken down into categories: Spiritual Fiance, Former Future Husbands, Boyfriends and Ex-boyfriends. (To protect their privacy, I won’t include their names.)

Lest Cupcake think she’s the only one who has a motel for a mind, here are 13 of the men who hang out in my head.

1. Paul McCartney. Rosebud lips, perfectly straight nose and oh, those deep brown eyes! I have loved my romantic troubadour since I was in first grade and see no reason to stop. This is, without a doubt, the most successful relationship I have ever had. I attribute this to the fact that he doesn’t know I’m alive. Therefore, I can’t piss him off or wear him down, as I have men I’ve known in my boring other existence, aka “real life.”

2. Hugh Grant. Perhaps I simply have a weakness for Brits with too much hair, but I don’t see how any woman can gaze upon him and not swoon. His sense of humor helps. The man just cracks me up. I love his response in Two Weeks’ Notice, when Sandra Bullock tells him he’s the most selfish human being on the planet. “Well, that’s just silly. Have you met everybody on the planet?”

3. Bruce Springsteen. Soul of a poet and a body by Nautilus. What else could a girl want? Oh yeah, he knows how to sling a guitar, and wears his heart on his sleeve. Not one of those wimpy entertainers who won’t come out one way or the other on issues of the day for fear of offending the audience, The Boss understands that he articulates what his audience wants to say, yearns to say, about what really matters. And, at a time when even marginal performers compete to charge the highest ticket prices, The Boss is beginning another tour where the top ticket price is less than $100.

4. George Clooney. Put Bruce Springsteen and Hugh Grant into a blender and you get George Clooney. Politically active, politically correct, artistically daring, charming, funny, and unbearably hot in a tux.

5. Bruce Willis. There’s something sexy about a man who is this comfortable in his own skin. Whether he’s in an expensive suit, exasperating Cybill Shepard, or in a torn t-shirt, tormenting bad guys in the Die Hard series, or in a Bears jersey at the Super Bowl, enduring his ex-wife’s vapid new husband for the sake of his daughters, he’s always unselfconsciously self-assured and masculine.

6. Johnny Depp. So beautiful and so talented, he always seems to be having fun, whether he’s playing Captain Jack Sparrow or Ed Wood. I can’t wait to see him as Sweeny Todd. His joy is quirky and infectious (and, OK, a little creepy).

7. Colin Firth. Oh, these kids today! Swooning over Matthew MacFadyen from the 2005 Pride & Prejudice, as if he was the “real” Mr. Darcy! Come now, we all know there’s only one “real” Darcy, whether imagined by Jane Austin or Helen Fielding. After all, Colin’s Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones movies is just as sexy … and sweet … and sensitive. A 14k dream guy.

8. Denzel Washington. Yes, he’s beautiful, but I enjoy listening to him almost as much as I love looking at him. He has a very mellow, seductive voice. Even when it’s raised in anger, his hypnotic voice draws you in rather than scaring you away.

9. Chris Meloni. My TV boyfriend. Elliott on L&O: SVU is just soooo hot. It helps that he and Olivia are in love but don’t know it. That makes his intensity just that much more poignant and romantic.

10. Richard Gere. It’s a cliché, I know, but this man is like a fine wine that gets better with time. I found him so much more attractive in Unfaithful and Shall We Dance than he ever was in American Gigolo or An Officer and a Gentleman. Maybe it’s the white hair.

11. Greg Maddux. Future Hall of Famer, 9th winningest pitcher in the history of the game, and the #1 baseball player in my heart. There’s nothing that spectacular about his appearance, but that’s exactly the point. It’s no surprise that Michael Jordan or Tom Brady are exceptional athletes. They have the good looks, grace and fabulous physiques of exceptional athletes. Greg Maddux looks like an overgrown, slightly doughy, real-life Precious Moments figurine. Yet once he takes the mound, The Professor becomes one of the smartest, most controlled pitchers to ever toss a ball. He’s not good because of God-given gifts, he’s GREAT because of his single-minded determination and his love of the game. It’s his will to prevail that makes him so hot.

12. Robert Redford, aka Roy Hobbs, the #2 baseball player in my heart. Also known as Sundance. Gorgeous, smart and tantalizingly aloof. No matter who he’s playing, there’s always something about that man that’s just a little remote. Forever the treasure that’s just out of reach.

13. Charlie Rose. He speaks to my inner geek. In my wealthy Manhattanite fantasy, Charlie and I spend lazy Sunday mornings in bed, sharing mimosas, strawberries and the New York Times, making love over and over, but stopping every now and again to discuss foreign affairs, the new Broadway season, and the impact of the Internet on campaign fundraising. We turn down brunch with Nora Ephron and Nicholas Pileggi because we just can’t bear to let our people into our own private world just now. But we will manage to get out of bed and dress to meet Anderson Cooper for dinner. We love him! (My Charlie Rose fantasy only includes Sunday. Even in my dreams, he and I don't have the stamina to behave this way more than once a week.)


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. Friday's Child compiled a TT that will amaze you. (Look for the one about turtles.)
2. Meloni-loving Tina doesn't seem to have a TT this week, but she's a compassionate sports fan so you should check out what she has to say about the injured Bills player
3. Thomma Lyn has an ambitious, goal-driven TT
4. Even though Tink had the nerve to diss Sir Paul, I encourage you to visit her TT
5. What works for us has a TT that'll make you smile about being old
6. Nicholas takes us on a one-word tour of his bookshelf
7. PJ takes an imaginative look at some hard-to-see characters
8. Nicole Austin shows us the spookier side of the graveyard shift at the hospital
9. No Nonsense Girl, who also wants my TV boyfriend, shows us around her desk
10. Jenny McB answers the really tough ones
11. When she's not drooling over Johnny Depp, Lori explains Murphy's OTHER Laws
12. Janet covers off on a topic she's the definitive expert on
13. Nap Warden knows her baby stuff and shares her knowledge.
14. yh quotes the Blackadder
15. Kendra gives us tips to use in the produce section
16. Kate Davies is very happy, and here's why
17. Damozel gives us an easy primer on the Watergate scandal
18. Xakara introduces some songs she wishes got more airplay
19. WAHM helps us turn crafts into cash
20. Mr. Duck shares his favorite delicious-but-bad-for-you recipes
21. Starchy takes us along when she eavesdrops
22. Annie's TT is a TV quiz
23. Morgan walks us through her busy day
24. Erin's TT is all about … Erin!
25. Amy delivers a tough-love refresher course on how to tell he's just not that into you
26. Mo shares the lowdown on honey
27. Nicole displays discerning taste when she lists her 13 favorite Beatle songs
28. Capt. Lifecruiser fills us in on the upcoming blog makeover
29. The Diva has a great little video about "chubby justice" and an equally entertaining, Smith-centered TT
30. Why not see the USA with Denise?
31. Double Decker Bus Guy speaks for all of us in his TT rant
32. Jackie has a list of thirteen celebrities she'd sleep with (a terrific idea for a TT, don't you think?)


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