I’m writing an article about how it’s even possible that Idris Elba wasn’t named the sexiest man alive. Hold on, I’m still processing this. The fact seems to be that he DID receive the votes for being the sexiest man alive, but obviously that tally didn’t really matter as far as the results went since People magazine decided to kind of hijack the popular vote and deliver unto the people Blake Shelton as their choice for the dubious honor. Did I say dubious? Yes, yes I did and I’ll explain that in a moment. No judgement and no intention to be mean, but Blake Shelton over Idris Elba is kind of a head-scratching moment to be honest. Unless you’re Gwen Stefani it’s not something that’s easy to understand.
Let’s start by saying that they come from different professional backgrounds, which is obvious. But tack on to that the fact that Shelton’s private life seems to be a bit more tumultuous than Elba’s and the shine that some folks want to put on him seems to wear off just a bit. It might be petty to mention his ill-timed jokes at the expense of the LGBTQ community but the fact is that they are there and kind of chip away at the smiling veneer that he presents to the world. There’s no doubt he’s accomplished quite a bit and gone very far in his career, but naming him as the Sexiest Man Alive is kind of a stretch it would seem.
On the other hand the title is at this time becoming a little outdated. No, that’s not a defensive mechanism designed to take away the sting of the loss. It’s more to the point that being the Sexiest Man Alive is a fleeting and temporary thing. Being one of the number one A-list actors in Hollywood however is something that carries a lot more weight and can take a person a lot further. At this point Elba is on that list and is just waiting for that one role that could possibly crack his career wide open and offer up the sky as the limit. Any man that’s willing to take on the role of James Bond and make it into something special could possibly be one of the few faces in Hollywood that might one day be recognized around the world.
Wait though, Elba is kind of already at that point, isn’t he? After all he’s been seen onscreen as a few different people now, not the least of which is Nelson Mandela. He’s also been seen as the Norse god Heimdall, and despite the lamentable state of The Dark Tower he’s even been a decent gunslinger. Yes, I did say that, because if the dialogue and and the movie itself had been designed better his role would have shone like a beacon instead of like a promising role in a horrible movie.
So honestly, Blake Shelton, enjoy your brief moment as Sexiest Man Alive.
