This image was lost some time after publication.

Competition was as stiff as ever for the title of People's Sexiest Man Alive this year—just ask also-rans "Patrick, Brad, Matt, Jamie," and the "199 MORE GUYS!" the magazine teases on its cover. But sorry, Monsieurs Swayze, Garrett, Stone, and Lee-Curtis, the 2006 bragging rights go to none other than Hollywood's silver-maned conscience, George Clooney.

Hollywood's consummate gentleman kicked things off with an Academy Award (winning Best Supporting Actor for Syriana,) and Clooney further cemented his reputation for social activism, working on behalf of causes to help the troubled Darfur region of Sudan. [...]

"This one's going to be hard for Brad (Pitt) since he's been Sexiest Man Alive twice. He's enjoyed that mantle. I'd say 'Sexiest Man Alive' to him and he'd go, 'Two-time.' So that's been taken away. We used to call him Two Time. So Brad's going to be upset."

Our first instinct was to rush to our mailbox and retrieve our copy before any overzealous co-workers could get there first to lick the cover, when we were suddenly stricken by the terrifying thought that the title's constant recirculation among the chiseled, A-list few somehow hinted at an encroaching, Hollywood sexy man shortage. The panic subsided, however, once we realized that the double title can only serve to enhance Clooney's pull at the—let's face it—totally superficial U.N., where his Darfur concerns will now sparkle with the Sexiest Cause Alive patina previously reserved for Pitt's international hunger relief efforts.