the buzz log

Summer blockbuster season hovers like a mutant from a helicopter and that means no better time for a hunk-o-rama roundup. What are the qualifications for hunkdom?

• Command online interest, as determined by number of searches in the past 30 days.
• Star in a movie with a spring/summer premiere. (Sorry, Matt Damon and Dwayne Johnson.)
• Execute a punch, crash a vehicle, glower balefully or dance real pretty...all without intended comic effect. (Sorry, Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen.)
• Be a man. (Sorry, Beyonce and Angelina Jolie.)
• Be in "Twilight," even though the sequel's not due until November. (Sorry, non-"Twilight"-ers.)

Now let's hunker down and get to the list:

1. Robert Pattinson. As the movie's moody and glistening vampire, Pattinson hasn't budged from the top 100 searches on Yahoo! since " Twilight" migrated from book shelves to big screen. Even his fanged alter ego Edward Cullen's searches would have merited a No. 7 placement. We don't argue with bloodsuckers.


2. Zac Efron. Another pretty boy, Efron got honors graduating from Disney cable to the multiplex. His latest, "17 Again" (April 17), not only kicked once-hunk Russell Crowe ("State of Play") to the curb, but also booted Miley Cyrus from the box-office top spot. Smooth moves.


3. Brad Pitt. For a while there, the Sexiest Man Alive of 1995 and 2000 was downsized to Angelina Jolie's partner, but his stud roots do go all the way back to "Thelma and Louise." Now with renewed Oscar nominee cred, he'll be the great blond hope to restore director Quentin Tarantino's credibility in WWII action flick "Inglourious Basterds" (August 21).


4. Jamie Foxx. Foxx is classic Hollywood, given his range in stand-up ("In Living Color"), music ("Dreamgirls" and a recording career), and drama (matching only Al Pacino with a double Oscar nom in one year for "Collateral" and "Ray"). "The Soloist" (April 24) is the rare serious entry in a frothy blockbuster summer, but he has the guts to pull it off.


5. John Cena. The longest-running WWE world heavyweight champ followed The Rock into movie land, and brought his famous "attitude adjustment" technique to crowd-pleasers like "12 Rounds" (March 27). The ultimate entertainer (he even raps) really showed his muscle on an NPR quiz show.


6. Taylor Lautner. Our second "Twilight" hunk, this karate-trained actor shows his lupine charms as the Native American Jacob Black. He's buffing up for the "New Moon" sequel by attending wolf camp. Yes, yes, all the girls will howl.


7. Vin Diesel. Ol' Vinny's hot streak cooled off some in his last three movies, but his loss is "Fast & Furious" (April 3) fanboys' gain. Eight years may have gone by since the original, but his bald pate, gargling-with-gravel voice, and forearms of steel haven't changed a bit. Now that the ol' gang's back, maybe audiences will give "Find Me Guilty" another shot. Viesel, take the wheel.


8. Johnny Depp. Deep down, we have a sneaking suspicion that Depp's kind of like Cary Grant—he just plays variations of himself over and over. Still, we get suckered for his aloof charm every time. He'll pull the wool over our eyes again as outlaw John Dillinger in "Public Enemies" (July 1).


9. Channing Tatum. Tatum was the Robert Pattinson of 2006, grinding on the dance floor in "Step Up." The sequel didn't quite deliver the same oomph, but he got serious in the critically well-received "Stop-Loss." He's unleashing himself this season in three movies: "Fighting" (April 23), "Public Enemies" and "G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra" (August 7). With that line-up, Tatum can afford to sit pretty for a while.


10. Daniel Radcliffe. Some of us prefer our hunks bespectacled and astride a broom. Radcliffe carved his place in movie history with the "Harry Potter" series, but dared to break away with a theatrical run of the disturbing "Equus." "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (July 15) will hit theaters just eight days shy of his 20th birthday.


11. Hugh Jackman. Who knew that within the beefcake beat the heart of a ham? The Aussie admitted this back in 2006, and proved it on Broadway, in the puffy failed epic "Australia," and his Oscars hosting gig. But once he dons the pointy hair and claws, he's a ragin' bull. Well, unless "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (May 1) bombs. But he'll always have Sexiest Man Alive.


12. Jason Statham. So, at the risk of repeating ourselves, we're going to repeat ourselves: "Crank" had no business being remade, except for promoting Statham's star power. "Crank 2: High Voltage" (April 17) confirmed the Brit's reign as the world's biggest B-movie action star. And what other man can complain about doing a sex scene with Amy Smart, yet have no aspersions cast upon his manhood? Go ahead, do it. To his face. We dare you.