Man crush

I am a confident male, comfortable in my physical nature. This is why I can state without any sense of apology that I have several Man Crushes. I am hoping that by making this public announcement, it will become more common and acceptable among men who are some how and in some ways lesser men than I.

During late night bull sessions in grad school, we used to ponder whom we’d want to live next to, y’know, just hang out with and chat with over the fence between our yards. This is really just a variant of that.

What kind of man would "an astronomer, writer, and skeptic" have a crush on? Let’s see.

1) Doctor Who. Duh. The greatest science fiction hero of all time, and anyone who disagrees is simply wrong. There are objective realities. The ninth Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston, was very cool.


As a heterosexual male, I have to add: Mmmmmmm, Rose Tyler. A lot of people disliked her character, but I think she rocked. Their relationship never would have worked out, though, since she’s 21 and he’s 945.

Of course, the tenth Doctor is prettier.


2) image of Wil Wheaton

Wil Wheaton. But you knew this.

3) image of Tony Randall

Tony Randall. Yes, Tony Randall. He always seemed to be enjoying himself no matter what he did, and he found everything funny. He made me laugh so hard when I was a kid, and seeing reruns of the Odd Couple still cracks me up. He was evidently a great guy to work with, too.

4) image of Kurt Russel as Jack Burton

Kurt Russel. I mean, c’mon. He was in Big Trouble in Little China and The Thing. If you are a man, and you don’t have a man crush on Kurt Russel, you’re kidding yourself.


Hmmm, that’s currently it, though there are probably more (honorable mentions: George Clooney, Patrick Stewart). I imagine the BAGallery will have more to say on this subject. So pipe up! Be a man.

Update, July 11, 2007: Oh good heavens, what’s wrong with me? I forgot Nathan Fillion.

July 9th, 2007 11:17 PM by Phil Plait in Humor | 136 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >

136 Responses to “Man crush”

  1. Rick MacPherson Says:

    to channel my cartoon man crush, “best post ever!”

    thanks phil… you can eat crackers in this queer marine biologists hammock anytime…

  2. Christian Burnham Says:

    Ed Norton.

  3. Steve Says:

    Patrick Stewart

    Dave Matthews

    Conan O’Brien.

  4. Steve Says:

    Damn. Ed Norton…

  5. Eric Says:

    Hugh Laurie

  6. Denis Says:

    The 9th and 10th Doctor
    Leonardo DiCaprio
    *rrroar*

  7. Shane Killian Says:

    What, you’re a Doctor Who fan, and you DON’T have a man-crush on Captain Jack Harkness???

    You’re in denial.

  8. Jennifer Says:

    Female crush: Sigourney Weaver, Helen Mirren and Emma Thompson :) And I take an immediate liking to any man who admits to having a crush on Edward Norton or Christopher Ecclestone!

  9. Dom Says:

    Big trouble in litte china is a great film!

    Tony Blair and Patrick Stewart is pretty cool. Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos - King Richard (Stewart did the voice)

  10. Selina Morse Says:

    Ecclestone can act the pants off Tennant. However, in response to your query (ooh, clever play on words there), Paul McGann? (Yes, I can see a theme here.) Brad Pitt never did it for me but I can see the appeal in Clooney.

  11. Thomas Says:

    In the annals of mancrush geekdom, does Ewan McGregor not get a not? Well, he gets one from me. Medical clone, Jedi and hipster heroin addict, I swoon.

    Also, I gotta say something about Dolph Lundgren, slab like pecs and a Fulbright scholarship, speaks five languages. I could never be that cool.

  12. Alex, FCD Says:

    Johnny Depp. Duh. Richard Dawkins was also quite foxy in his younger days.

  13. gazza666 Says:

    Oh come on, I’m the first to mention Bruce Willis? Unbelievable.

  14. Dave Pearson Says:

    But no mention of John Barrowman? Oh, wait, I know why, Dr Phil doesn’t get /Touchwood/. Bloody heretic. :-P

  15. Murff Says:

    I find a distinct difference between a “Mancrush” and admiring someone’s work. That being said, I’ll stick with the mechanic fron Serenity, Jewel Straite.

  16. AstroSmurf Says:

    I would have *loved* to hang out with Richard Feynman. Top-notch physicist, outrageous prankster AND ladies’ man? You can’t beat that.

  17. Eoghan Says:

    Neil Gaiman. He is a handsome, handsome man.

    And Richard Dawkins is still pretty foxy.

  18. Ozastro Says:

    Hugh Jackman
    Johnny Depp

    Female crush: Cate Blanchett and Helen Mirren :)

  19. Christian Burnham Says:

    Look- just don’t ever post this page on the internet OK?

  20. Ronan Cunniffe Says:

    How about the only person ever to get *fanmail* from Richard Dawkins? Who wrote episodes of Dr. Who, who invented the babel fish, bistromathics, hitchhikerspermanently altered the number 42? There’s a hoopy frood who really knew where his towel was! Damn, we still miss him.

  21. Rory Says:

    Totally Johnny Depp!

  22. Mike Haubrich, FCD Says:

    Joining the Johnny Depp party, inviting Christipher Lee and David Duchovny and Neil DeGrasse Tyson

    I’d better stop niow.

  23. bassmanpete Says:

    You can keep your mancrushes, give me Helen Mirren any day - plus she’s about the same age I am. In fact, have just googled her & found that she’s only 9 months & 2 weeks younger than I am. Wow, she could have been conceived on the day I was born!!!

  24. Lykaon Says:

    Well, well, well. Although I’m sure it was completely independent of my blog posting a month ago (since I know no one reads my blog), this looks awful familiar.

    From my own blog post about Man Crushes:
    Ben Affleck (Oh noes he was in Armageddon!)
    Paul Bettany
    Greg Grunberg

  25. Christian Burnham Says:

    Ooh! I’ve got another…

    Adam Savage from Mythbusters.

    Can you imagine how much fun it must be to hang out with him? He’s so smart and always in an uplifting mood.

    Me and Adam… Adam and me….

    (Is this getting scary yet?)

  26. Grand Lunar Says:

    What a coincidence, Adam Savage was also a pick of mine!

    The Doctor is, of course, another. Specifically, the 3rd, 4th, 9th, and 10th. And yes, I know the 3rd is no longer with us.

    And lastly, I think I’d have to go with Mike Nelson.

  27. Luke Says:

    Matt Groening

    Penn &/or Teller

    Zach Braff

    The guy who plays Dr. Chase on House, MD

  28. rich (richmanwisco) Says:

    Dude….Tony Randall?

    I do confess such a crush on Sting. Did you see him on Live Earth?

  29. AHF Says:

    Wow. Is it just me or is this eerie? I agree with a lot of these choices. What’s going on?

    I’ll add Ben Browder and Nathan Fillion to this list. I would have added Tim Robbins, but I’m over him. Many of the ones already listed I agree with. I think I’m starting to pick up common traits between a lot of these choices:

    Gentle, funny, smart, daring, strong features without being meatblobs, confident, but with an acceptance of their fallibility.

    Very cool topic there, Phil.

  30. John Says:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/91016369@N00/768891118/

  31. Michelle Says:

    Well at least one of you guys named Hugh Laurie.

    Come on. Hugh Laurie is THE man. Either you guys are jealous of him, either you HAVE to man crush him.

  32. Skeptigator Says:

    Neil DeGrasse Tyson does it for me and maybe Adam Savage

  33. PsyberDave Says:

    Phil Plait

    Moe

    Larry

    Curly

  34. Laurie D. T. Mann Says:

    Oh gosh…

    I also like all the women listed above (Sigourney Weaver, Helen Mirren, Emma Thompson (who was to have played God in Dogma, and had to make due with playing an Angel in Angels in America). I’d have to add Miranda Otto (in full Eowyn mode, of course!), and, to just have drinks with, Sharon Stone and Sienna Miller. The last two aren’t great actresses, but both give great interview (Stone with James Lipton and Miller with Jay Leno).

    Most of the guys listed above as well (being a het sort). I had a weirdly erotic dream about one of the men listed above just the other night…

  35. Kevin Says:

    Let’s not forget the ultimate Alpha Male, the person we should all aspire to be, and the only man that can do an Old Spice commercial and not completely lose my respect; Bruce Campbell. That’s an easy one for me.

  36. The Bad Astronomer Says:

    Bear in mind that the men need not be good looking or anything like that. You guys are so shallow.

    Captain Jack from Torchwood sets me on edge for reasons I’m not sure about. I don’t like the character, I guess. But the actor recently toured CERN and appears to have a genuine interest in science. I’ll be posting about that soon.

  37. The Dread Polack Says:

    Hah! I’ve been talking about man-crushes for years. I’d have to think a bit to get a list together, but I can agree with a lot of the above: Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Adam Savage, Phil himself, and my one addition:

    Vin Diesel.

    I still insist that he’s actually a good actor despite the crappy action movies. Also, he’s a geek and a self-admitted D&D player. He wrote the forward to D&D: 30 years of gaming. He’s a pretty cool dude.

    The Dread Polack

  38. Gnat Says:

    Female crushes: Lucy Lawless, Miranda Otto, Mary McDonnell, and I must confess Angelina Jolie (please don’t flame me!). :) I must say I’m very impressed with the guys’ lists!

  39. Pleco Says:

    I second Bruce Campbell.

    “Good? bad? I’m the guy with the gun.”

    Plus Sean Connery (circa 1968)

  40. AHF Says:

    I have to add Carl Sagan. I mean, if you’re talking about a guy you’d want to talk over a fence with, while I wouldn’t call him a man crush per se, he’s probably the number one person in recent times that I’d want to hang out with. He’s basically responsible for my becoming a skeptic and a humanist, and helped me see the wonder of the observable universe and science in general.

    So, you know, Ben Browder. But Carl Sagan is forever the one of the coolest guys I ever shared this pale blue dot with.

  41. Amy Says:

    Female crush: Angelina Jolie, I confess as well. Though maybe it’s because I just want to make her lots of sandwiches (she needs to eat more)…

    Man crushes (even though I’m a girl!): the guys on SG-1 (the characters, not the actors) :)

  42. aiabx Says:

    I’m not secure enough for man crushes, but if I were, I’d go for Doctor 10, Spock, Scotty, Hugh Laurie, and Toshiro Mifune.

  43. SteveT Says:

    I think any and all of these guys would be great to hang out with and share a frosty malt beverage:

    Thomas Jefferson
    C.S. Lewis
    Bruce Campbell
    Stephen Colbert
    Jon Stewart
    Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver? Stargate? Hello!)
    Blake Stacey

  44. aiabx Says:

    Oh yeah. And Michael Palin, Douglas Adams and the fictional Zaphod Beeblebrox.

  45. Alan K Says:

    Yeh, the Dean Anderson would get a shout, but so would the other two who play Teal’c & Daniel.

    No shout for Captain Kirk?? Dissapointed.

  46. John W Kennedy Says:

    C’mon, the Doctor is cool in all his incarnations (I’ve seen all but a handful of the extant episodes), but I’ll still take John Sheridan.

    No actual man crushes, though; I’m just not wired that way. Closest thing is when I’m performing opera with a /really/ good conductor, which always makes me feel kinda like Ginger Rogers.

    On the other side — Mira Furlan (whom I’ve actually met a few times, and is a very cool lady), Aishwarya Rai, and Andrea Corr. If time travel is available, add Jane.

    I doubt that either Jefferson or Lewis would care for a /frosty/ malt beverage. Anyway, if you’re going to include Lewis, you have to bring in Tolkien, Williams, and the rest of the crew. I hear it was especially interesting to know Williams; he was an ugly little man who looked like a monkey, but he had to keep a couple of good-looking young men around him, so that whenever a young woman fell in love with him, he’d have someone to hand her off to before it got messy.

  47. Mark Martin Says:

    There’s a little remembered ’70s movie called “W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings”, which starred Burt Reynolds as a ‘57 Chevy-Driving ladies man. There’s a scene in which he & a lady friend are in the car at the drive-in theater, and Burt is impressed by the good looks of a French actor up on the screen. His girl asks, “Are you *queer*?”, and he replies in full heterosexual confidence, “No. But if I ever did turn queer, that’s who I’d turn queer for!”

  48. CafeenMan Says:

    Dick Cheney is soooo totally hot!

  49. Laurie D. T. Mann Says:

    CafeenMan,

    Now that is TRULY SICK!

  50. CafeenMan Says:

    # Laurie D. T. Mann Says:
    July 10th, 2007 at 8:57 am

    CafeenMan,

    Now that is TRULY SICK!

    ========================

    And I haven’t even gotten to my fantasy about him and W giving each other petroleum rub-downs. (I’ll leave the visuals to your imagination) :D

  51. Chris Says:

    Isaac Asimov, Gene Roddenberry, Lester B. Pearson, Douglas Adams, and, yes, The Doctor, would all be on my list of “guys to hang around and have a beer with.”

  52. Eric Says:

    Stephen Colbert, he’s so slick and his narcism is sexy

    Conan O’Brian, love that doo!

    Harrison Ford, do i have to explain myself?

    Take me man-meat!

  53. Berlzebub Says:

    Okay, I’ll tag on Hugh Laurey, and Adam Savage.

    However, I’d also like to include Thomas Jane (Deep Blue Sea, The Punisher, and Dreamcatchers), and Sean Connery.

  54. Cel Says:

    I’m over Angelina Jolie, I think.

    Summer Glau and Cate Blanchett are still going strong, though.

    The big question about these man/womancrushes is this: Is it the actor/actress, or is it the character?

  55. Tobin Dax Says:

    I totally agree with Shane-it’s all about Captain Jack. I haven’t seen Torchwood, but I love Jack’s appearances in Doctor Who.

    On a similar note, I might have to add Steven Moffat, considering his writing talents.

  56. Daffy Says:

    Robert Mitchum. No one else comes close…you know I’m right.

  57. bonnie-ann black Says:

    BA’s confession to having a man crush on the Doctor has just upped my Astronomer Crush on BA!

  58. soapchemist Says:

    I saw a bunch of names I could definately agree on… a couple that missed the list though:

    Eric Ripert
    Robert Heinlein
    Don Cheadle
    Gary Sinise

    Then I have to second Richard Feynman…

    Ooh, can I add David Petraeus?

  59. Simple Guy Says:

    Matthew McConaughey, oh definitely. I noticed him first in Contact. Still think he would play a great George Washington. Would love to see him in a good sci-fi flick.

  60. kingnor Says:

    It’s all about Mike Rowe.

  61. Karnak Says:

    Is there anyone here who is attracted to non-humans?

  62. Oran_Taran Says:

    People who I admire:
    David Attenborough. He’s my hero.
    Capitan Picard- Best captain ever
    (as a mostly gay guy) what guys are hot:
    too many to name, but Hayden Christensen is the top.

  63. Thomas Siefert Says:

    Bruce Campbell
    Ricky Gervais
    Russell Coight
    Simon Pegg; my wife says he remind her of me, guess that’s kinda like William Shatner-esque of me then?

    Pleco Says:
    I second Bruce Campbell.
    “Good? bad? I’m the guy with the gun.”

    That line was changed to: “I’m not that good.” in the European version, don’t know why though.

  64. tonyx# Says:

    Johnny Depp ^_^U

  65. tonyx# Says:

    ohh.. and Dr House…

  66. The Bad Astronomer Says:

    Oh, I suppose I could have added Adam Savage, but since he and I already hang out sometimes, I can’t count him.
    :-)

  67. spacewriter Says:

    You’re such a braggart — hanging with Adam Savage, indeed.

    Okay, Plait, I’ll play your twisted game.

    Mancrush (if I was a man and needed to admit a man crush): Jon Stewart (for his brains), Patrick Stewart (because I worked with him for one whole morning once and he was an absolute professional doll), Carl Sagan, just cuz, and Al Gore (and yes, I did get to meet HIM, too.)

    Femme-Crush (same disclaimer as above): Helen Mirren, no, never met her; Queen Elizabeth II (just cuz she reminds me of my mother); any of the Dixie Chicks (bravery, beauty, and smarts); Jill Tartar.

    So there.

  68. Luke Says:

    All this love for Adam Savage, and no one mentions Jamie? Guy can rock a beret like nobody’s business.

    Also, if we aren’t restricted to living people, I’ll put in a vote for Jesus.

    What can I say? The guy was hot.

  69. Malte Says:

    This is fascinating.

    But next time, Phil, call it straight-man crushes. Unless you eally want to hear which men the rest of us have crushes on.

    And by the way your Twitter thing is slowing this page down for me…

  70. DGKnipfer Says:

    Kevin (Silent Bob) Smith. Cause he’s the cool geek & he used to work with a friend of mine.
    Vin Diesel. How many cool action stars play RPGs?

  71. Bruce Almighty Says:

    Carl Sagan - for the billions (and billions) of reasons already given.
    Douglas Adams - for at least 42 reasons other than the fact that we both had substantial left-handed guitar collections, and liked Pink Floyd.
    Neil Innes - because he wrote most of the music for Monty Python.
    Eric Idle - because he wrote most of the REST of the music for Monty P.

    Cheers, all.

  72. Tyler Says:

    Helen Mirren. Hottie. As you said, Phil, there ARE objective realities.

    Recently, Ive been watching old BBC productions of Shakespeare- in addition to Helen, seeing Ian McKellen in his younger days and even Ian McKellen in the present, I’d get weak in the knees sitting next to him! Something about his totally goofball sense of humor.

    And, at the risk of laughing and pointing, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull fame in his younger days. (Mr Gumby voice: “I THINK HE’S GOT BEAUTIFUL LEGS!!!”)

  73. Chuck Anziulewicz Says:

    Aaron Douglas, who plays Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol on “Battlestar Galactica.” WOOF.

  74. Quiet_Desperation Says:

    There, see? The evangelicals were right! Skepticism is Satan’s gateway to manlove.

    Next comes hard core drug use, obsessive compulsive collection of Mapplethorpe art and Bolshevism.

    Don’t say you weren’t warned when the bouncer at the Pearly Gates send you packing, you pervs.

    For the humor impaired: :)

  75. Irishman Says:

    I don’t like the term “Man Crush” - it is misleading. A “crush” suggests romantic feelings, and that is not what is being discussed at all. Rather, the sense of admiration, perhaps a desire for comaraderie.

    I would like to have met Richard Feynman. He’d have either been really fun, or a pain in the neck.

    Sagan would have been interesting.

    Of course Phil would be on my list, but he dissed me at Dragon*Con. ;-)

  76. moopet Says:

    David Hewlett, anyone?

  77. Ed Myers Says:

    Jay Leno in his garage. (You know, the big one that few get to see)

    Otherwise I could hang out all day and consume mass quantities of frothy, maltly beverage with Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

  78. Ed Myers Says:

    Especially if we were playing BASEketball.

  79. chris Says:

    AHF
    Says:

    July 10th, 2007 at 8:21 am
    I have to add Carl Sagan. I mean, if you’re talking about a guy you’d want to talk over a fence with, while I wouldn’t call him a man crush per se, he’s probably the number one person in recent times that I’d want to hang out with. He’s basically responsible for my becoming a skeptic and a humanist, and helped me see the wonder of the observable universe and science in general.

    So, you know, Ben Browder. But Carl Sagan is forever the one of the coolest guys I ever shared this pale blue dot with.

    i couldent have said it better, if i could spend a night talking wit carl it would not make my day but my millenium. carl and i will meet one way or another though when i go to ithaca to pay my respects may-june 08

  80. Mike Says:

    Carl Sagan.
    Hugh Jackman.

  81. Frank Oswalt Says:

    @Karnak: “Is there anyone here who is attracted to non-humans?”

    Sure: Major Kira Nerys, Rachael (from Blade Runner), and the Apple Lisa.

  82. dre Says:

    my wife will never let me live it down if she sees this, but…

    christian bale
    sergio leone-era clint

    can’t believe i’m the first to list them

  83. Logicboy Says:

    Bear Grills - Man vs Wild

  84. The Dread Polack Says:

    Phil- you have to make us all jealous by pointing out that you hang with Adam…

    And Kurt Russel - Big Trouble in Little China is easily one of my top 5 movies. I own the special edition DVD and once watched it twice in one day. Okay, so I was really bored, unemployed, and once was with commentary (awesome, btw - Kurt Russel and John Carpenter…)

    Mike Rowe- yeah, I love Dirty Jobs. The first thing I did with my new Tivo was to record every episode I could find. The second thing was Mythbusters.

    Speaking of Mythbusters, I guess a girl-crush of mine has to be Kari Byron. My god, she must have armys of geek stalkers!!

    And speaking of girl-crushes, there’s also Gillian Anderson (just watched the first 3 eps of X-files, and felt like I was 13 again!!)

    The Dread Polack

  85. Sili Says:

    George Clooney

    Ed Norton

    Stephen Fry (so many for Laurie and none for Fry? Odd.)

  86. Pharyngula Says:

    My man-crush…

    Phil reveals his man-crushes, and I have to respond in kind. Fortunately, it’s easy. I’ve just seen something that endears one particular gentleman to me… Michael Moore. He batters that smug silver-haired rodent, Wolf Blitzer. I wish he’d bee…

  87. Melusine Says:

    I noticed this a long time ago about the BA - his secureness with his sexuality and not being embarrassed to comment on men - it’s refreshing! I find it annoying when I ask a guy if he thinks, say Matt Damon, is good-looking and they get all “Uh, I don’t know, I’m a guy..I can’t tell…” or somesuch as if their sense of physical beauty or aesthetics flies out the window with the same sex. Women don’t have this problem (we might tend to be hyper-critical, in fact). If a guy said the last Bond guy has a great body (he does) I wouldn’t think anything of it - it would just be an accurate assessment to me.

    SteveT Says:

    I think any and all of these guys would be great to hang out with and share a frosty malt beverage:

    Thomas Jefferson
    C.S. Lewis
    Bruce Campbell
    Stephen Colbert
    Jon Stewart
    Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver? Stargate? Hello!)
    Blake Stacey

    When Blake first posted here a couple of years ago I was immediately struck, perhaps, by his syntax (-;~ I thought at first he was older than he is. Now he’s the object of Man-Crush!! Grouped in with two of my longtime heart throbs Stewart and Colbert, no less (and I’m sure Jefferson would have been interesting to know, too). So, Blake, SteveT has good taste.

    Neil Gaiman is very appealing, whoever said that up there. Love his moppy hair, too. I’d say a lot of guys here have pretty good taste in general. :-)

  88. forsen Says:

    Well, here we go then…

    Gabriel Byrne (hence the name of the blog…)
    Kyle Mclachlan
    Montgomery Clift
    Nick Cave
    John Cale
    Jaques Brel

    Mostly dark men of mystery, then. =)

  89. Aaron Kinney Says:

    HILLARY CLINTON!

  90. Laurie D. T. Mann Says:

    Tyler:

    Be sure to rent the version of MacBeth with Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Roger Rees and Ian McDarmind (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0079499/). It’s one of those modernist/minimalistic productions, but the acting is quite amazing.

    Forsen:

    Gabriel Byrne does have one of the great voices out there…

  91. RMPink Says:

    YOU are my man crush, Phil. Or should I say… Doctor.

    *blush*

  92. slang Says:

    Matt Damon as Jason Bourne.. he’s got me so excited that I’m unable to type why right now.. ;)

  93. Duae Quartunciae Says:

    Kurt Russel? Nope; I feel nothing. Other choices are nice though.

    My major confession here is much much worse. I purchased a copy of God’s Gift: Over 100 Studs, Stallions and Dreamboats from the 70s and 80s for my coffee table. It’s been a huge hit with visitors. Must be seen to be believed.

  94. DenverAstro Says:

    Ok, Lets see…
    Guys who I’ld like to know - spend time with (seriously):
    Thomas Jefferson
    Abraham Lincoln

  95. DenverAstro Says:

    Sorry, complete previous post got messed up somehow

    Ok, Lets see…
    Guys who I’ld like to know - spend time with (seriously):
    Thomas Jefferson
    Abraham Lincoln- Im not sure I could meet this man without crying
    Clint Eastwood
    a certain carpenter from the mid-east- I’ld have some pretty tough questions for this guy…if I could even locate such a person

    Gals I like (by looks only, no value judgement of their smarts):
    Allesandr Ambrosio- Victoria Secret Model YUM
    Jen Anniston
    Natalie Portman
    Juliette Binoche- one of the most beautiful women alive IMHO

    Comedy crushes:
    Walter Brennan
    Burl Ives
    Jackie Gleeson (oh baby!) hehehe

    Horrible Image crushes:
    Bea Aurther
    Barbara Bush
    Phyllis Diller

  96. Craig Says:

    You know what ol’ Jack Burton says when the heat is unbearable and the white picket fence needs painting and you got man-crushes living on all sides…

  97. Ribozyme Says:

    Can we include no longer living and imaginary men? Then it is:

    Bertrand Russell
    Aldous Huxley
    Karl Popper
    Carl Sagan
    Richard Dawkins
    PZ Myers
    Ian McKellen

  98. Adam Seale Says:

    Claudio Sanchez.

    The fact that nobody has mentioned this demigod yet saddens me.

  99. Ribozyme Says:

    Oops, I hadn’t finished! Two missing:

    Antonio Vivaldi
    Gregory House

  100. Eric Says:

    Hum, there are two of me. We need a duel to see who can continue using Eric. The other shall be forced to use 2.71828ric.

    To the other Eric: Conan O’Brian, really? :P

  101. hale_bopp Says:

    I just read these posts and think, “God, am I gay or what” :)
    I had a the thing for Matt Frewer in the ’80s, so I will add him to the list…Edison Carter rocks!

    I met George Clooney several years ago. I was an extra in Ocean’s 11. He definitely belongs on the list…it his personality and charisma just wins you over so quick.

    Rob

  102. OtherRob Says:

    I’m surprised no one’s mentioned James Marsters (Spike from Buffy) yet. I heard him speak at DragonCon a few years ago and he seemed like he’d be real good guy to hang out with.

    Speaking of DragonCon, I think Phil borrowed a pen from me last year in the bar.

  103. autumn Says:

    David Bowie, always beautiful, no matter the incarnation.

  104. Brian W. Says:

    1) Ewan Mcgregor - ever since i saw A Life Less Ordinary

    2) also Dr. Who of the 9th and 10th variety (i can’t pick one)

    3) Johnny Depp

    4) Stephen Dorff (Blade, Cecil B. Demented)

  105. Brian W. Says:

    oh yeah, i forgot to add Jack Bauer

  106. younixguy Says:

    speaking of Sergio… how about the coolest badass western dude ever… Lee Van Cleef? Yeah, he’s even cooler than Clint.

  107. Hairy Doctor Professor Says:

    “Doc” Edgerton

  108. The Bad Astronomer Says:

    Many good examples here. I’m rather surprised I forgot Hugh Jackman. He does seem to enjoy himself. But remember, it’s not just looks. I don’t think Christopher Eccleston will win any beauty pageants, but there is something compelling about his Doctor Who.

    Speaking of which, I just watched three episodes in a row with The Little Astronomer (Army of Ghosts, Doomsday, Xmas special Runaway Bride). David Tennant is way cool. And the Cybermen! Whew! I love those costumes. I gotta get me one of those for Halloween.

    And yeah, I got a lot of writing done earlier today. I needed a Doctor Who break. :-)

  109. Jennifer Says:

    Hey, who cares about beauty pageants. I’ve always had a thing for Derek Jacobi, who’s about 40 years older than me and gay to boot - but I think I would faint if I ever met him (I did seem him once in a London production of Uncle Vanya - wow). He’s sexy even when he wears a monk’s cowl (Cadfael).
    I forgot one person I would love to hang out with: Jane Goodall.

  110. Arkonbey Says:

    gotta say, except for Kurt Russel, your bar is set a bit low.

    My (rather short) list, approved by my fiance:

    Jamie Bamber

    Daniel Craig

    and, while I don’t have a crush, I must say that when Weird Al cut his hair for the ‘The Saga Begins’, he was actually a really good looking guy. Who knew?

  111. Matt A Says:

    Cafeen Man:
    “And I haven’t even gotten to my fantasy about him and W giving each other petroleum rub-downs.”

    First, I thought I was going to upchuck. Then I considered; One carelessly discarded match, and the world would be a better place. All you’d have to do is plant a tree to offset the CO2 emissions…

    As to my man-crush: ARAGOOOOOOOORN!
    Although Arwen, Galadriel, and Eowyn would all be above him in the list - you know, assuming that characters from movies were suddenly hanging out in the real world and looking lonely. In which case all four of the Serenity ladies jump in above the LOTR ladies. Although in the case of River Tam, remove all sharp objects from the vicinity before saying so much as “Hello”.
    I would also, under the right circumstances, go for the ninth doctor. But, like the tenth, I’d be thinking of Rose.

  112. The Other William Says:

    At least someone finally got round to mentioning Hugh Laurie’s erstwhile comedic partner, the brilliant Stephen Fry… [realises that he now desperately wants to watch some old episodes of QI]… Also add Keith Olbermann of MSNBC’s ‘Countdown’.

    Phil, if you’re not a Harkness / Barrowman fan, your opinion might change after you have seen the end of Series 3 - I now can’t wait for Torchwood to start again… Also there’s a Cyberman voice manipulating helmet on the market, but I’m not sure how you come up with the rest of the suit… Here’s the first link that I could find after a rather desultory search effort…

    http://www.cyberman-helmet.co.uk/

    Finally, Christopher Eccleston is also extremely good in another Russell T. Davies scripted effort, ‘The Second Coming’, which is even available on DVD in the US. I haven’t seen him in ‘Our Friends in the North’ yet, but one of his early films, ‘Shallow Grave’, is also worth a look.

    Enjoy…

  113. Gary Ansorge Says:

    Ken Keasey, Jerry Garcia, Paul Kantner, Jack Cassidy and Yorma Kaukenan,
    Pen and Teller, Randi and Phil Plait,,,

    There are a lot of really cool, intelligent, skeptical people on this planet, which is, I expect, the main reason this planet hasn’t been blown to hell.

    God LOVES skeptics. (didactic statement)!

    Gary 7

  114. Lurchgs Says:

    Interesting selection o’ mancrushes here..

    I find it also interesting that nobody mentioned Vincent Price, Charles Addams, or Hugh Hefner.

    I’d also add to my list Jamie Heineman, Joel Hodgson (I think he was much better than Mike, even though Mike had the funniest episode ever - Mutiny in Space), Steven Hawkings, Steve Wozniak, Brendan Frasier, John Wayne (I’ll never wash that hand again), Buster Keaton, Chuck Jones, Don Herbert, Steve Stone, Jack Brickhouse, Bernard Jacobs, Norm Pellegrini, Dan Akroyd, Gene WIlder, Enrico Fermi, Robert Heinlein, Robert Goddard, Robert Service, Chief Sequoia,Ayn Rand (ok, she’s female, but I don’t want to kiss her), John W Campbell, Robert Bussard, John Glen..

    Um.. the list is longer. Can you tell that I’ve been compiling it for a while?

  115. DaveKan Says:

    After reading all of these, I realized that I have so many Man-crushes that I am questioning my orientation…Although my list of Woman crushes is just as long…And if my wife see this, she is of course on the top of that list…

  116. The Dread Polack Says:

    I think it’s actually time for another reminder of what a real man-crush is. Looks may be a factor, but we’re not talking about a physical or romantic attraction. That would be a ‘normal crush’, not a ‘man-crush’. Oh- and that would make you gay. (or at least bisexual, to some extent).

    Agree? Disagree?

    The Dread Polack

  117. Aaron Says:

    Nathan Fillion from Serenity. How can you beat Han Solo meets Clint Eastwood with dialogue written by Joss Whedon?

  118. gopher65 Says:

    Adrian Paul (the guy who played Ducan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod in Highlander: The Series. If I were going to call any man beautiful, it would be him.

    Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who. He just seems so… self confident:P.

  119. John Paradox Says:

    Okay, if anyone scrolls down this far:

    previously mentioned: Robert A Heinlein (I will NEVER sell my autographed copy of Stranger)
    Joseph Campbell (mythologist)
    Patrick Norton (The Screen Savers from TechTV before G4 bought/killed it to ‘The Tacky.. er Attack of the Show, now DL.TV)
    Thomas Jefferson

    J/P=?

  120. Erin Says:

    Okay, yes, I’m a girl, but if we’re talking about completely platonic crushes, then mine’s on linguist/social commentator Noam Chomsky.

  121. Mari Says:

    Dame Maggie Smith! Old enough to be my mother (at least), but still..

  122. Senritsu Says:

    For actresses, my girl crush is Kate Winslet. I’ve liked her for quite a while, but after I saw her in Extras, she moved to the top of the list.

  123. KLCtheBookWorm Says:

    Since you like Doctor Who so much, I thought I’d share these two strips from Home of the Strange. When Friday isn’t coming soon enough, I reread them and giggle madly.

    Home on the Strange: Who is Your Savior? and Home on the Strange: Who is Your Savior? (Regeneration Remix)

  124. BlacKats Says:

    This doesn’t count because he’s dead but James Cagney.

    As for alive ManCrushes (in no particular order):

    Hugh Laurie, Matt Damon, Harrison Ford, Ray Bourque, Tom Brady, David Morse, Paul Oakenfold, Michael Clarke Duncan, Brad Pitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Norton… the list goes on and on…

  125. Bill Samuels Says:

    Let’s see — it’s okay for a straight guy to have a “crush” on another guy, but God forbid if a gay guy has a REAL crush on a guy … Actually, why even use the term “crush,” since you’re just talking about friendship, who you’d want to hang out with. In that sense, even gay guys can have “man crushes” on other men that they like but don’t want to screw. I guess I just object to the term “man crush” — it sounds as if you’re saying gay guys have “unmanly” (i.e. sexual) crushes, which is pretty old-fashioned thinking.

    Having a “man crush” on someone doesn’t mean that you’d want to date/screw that person if your orientation were different. If that were the case, gay men would only be friends with guys they want to have sex with, and that is not the case at all.

  126. Astrolink [Global Edition] » Home on the Strange | Latest astronomy news in 11 languages Says:

    […] Tip o’ the TARDIS to KLCtheBookworm. […]

  127. DCup Says:

    You’ve seen my partial list - it’s far-ranging and ever-growing. And it encompasses men and many of the women listed here.

    It’s as much character (as in who they play in many cases) and personality as it is physical, definitely.

  128. Squidbert Gruntfuttock Says:

    A few guys to hang out with and share a beer: Jimi Hendrix, Richard Harris, Penn & Teller, Sir Patrick Moore, Rich Hall, argh, too many to condense into this list…

  129. Skander Says:

    I have a friend who definitely does not have a man crush on Kurt Russell, because he’s about the same age as Kurt and associates him with The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, etc. Too bad - he’d love Big Trouble In Little China otherwise, but I can’t get him to watch it.

  130. gar Says:

    Hmm. ManCrush, huh? Well, some might disagree, but I think I have to disqualify myself from ManCrushes ’cause I’m a gay guy. But I do have to credit Phil on his good taste. The Ninth Doctor is quite worthy of your adulations.

  131. Shiny! « Communion Of Dreams Says:

    […] BTW: Alan Tudyk: on my ManCrush list. […]

  132. Cookie Says:

    I have man crushes on several guys, but one who is the top of the top is Martin O’Donnell. Never heard of him? Well lose your life and play more video games.

    Ever played Halo (or one of the games in the series)? Try playing it with no sound. It, honestly, isn’t that fun. However if it wasn’t for “Marty the Elder”, Halo wouldn’t have any sound. Everything from the music (which he co-wrote) to the vocal goes through him.

    I love the guy.

    Anyways, some honourable mentions include;
    DNA (Hitchhikers for the win!)
    Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan is cool)
    Alec Guinness (The Orginal Obi-Wan is cooler. Yes, I know he’s dead and hated being known as Obi-Wan Kenobi the whole time)
    The Mythbusters crew (for obvious reasons)
    Shane Bourne (Aussie comedian. Most wouldn’t know him)
    Red Symons (*GONG*)

  133. Lars Says:

    Hm. Richard Dawkins is the only man whose child I’d want to have… if I was female.

    Sorry Phil, your genes are probably also very good, but there is something about that old fanatic that make my genes want to merge.

    As a heterosexual man, yes the fact does gives me a certain creeping feeling of dread & panic, but I’m man enough to admit it anyways.

    Anyone here who knows if Dawkins has some sisters (preferably much younger)? ;)

  134. Hannah Says:

    I have to say (even though I’m a girl) that Chirstopher ecclestone is one of the hotest/lovelyest acctors in UK. Just take a look at him in “28 days later”. RAWR!
    ( One name I must add to the list of hit men is: Christian Bale..)/ Hannah

  135. Kevin Ryan Says:

    Oh come on! How can Daniel Craig not be anyone’s man crush?

    So here we are…

    Daniel Craig
    Anderson Cooper
    Matt Damon
    Edward James Olmos
    William Hurt

  136. Doctor Who Season 5 MASSIVE SPOILERS | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine Says:

    […] have something of a man crush on David Tennant, and I will be truly sorry to see him go. He has brought a depth and emotion to […]

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