AfterElton's Hot 100 for 2008!

6. Gale Harold

It is hard to separate Gale Harold from Brian Kinney, the character he played so successfully for five years on the American version of Queer as Folk. The character (and by association Harold) has always been a flashpoint with gay men. Some folks loved Queer as Folk’s Brian for his sexiness, intensity and unapologetic hedonism. Others saw the character as essentially amoral and repugnant.

Back in January, Brian Kinney actually topped our list of the most popular gay TV characters of all time, and that fact set off a firestorm of debate. Quite possibly we’ll see a similar debate about Gale Harold’s high ranking on this year’s Hot 100, but it’s worth reminding ourselves that Gale Harold is not Brian Kinney. Whether or not you were a fan of Queer as Folk, there’s no disputing that Gale Harold the actor is one sexy man. And he certainly deserves credit for taking on a prominent gay role (and seeming to relish in the portrayal) at a time when many of his acting peers were reluctant to play gay.

Harold has signed on for the next season of Desperate Housewives. Regrettably, he'll be playing Susan’s love interest and not Andrew’s, but at least this may allow the actor to finally step out from behind the long shadow of his Queer as Folk character.

5. Neil Patrick Harris*

It’s difficult to say exactly why 34-year-old Neil Patrick Harris vaulted all the way from #53 in last year’s poll, to #5 this year, but given the number of out actors in the top five, our readers clearly find gay men comfortable in their own skin to be very hot. And that definitely describes this former child star who made the difficult transition to adult actor with a grace and ease few others have managed. No doubt his many gay fans were also pleased when Harris and boyfriend David Burtka appeared together on the red carpet at last year’s Emmy awards, one of the rare times a high profile gay couple has made such an appearance. And the fact Harris seems to have been hitting the gym of late probably didn’t hurt his high ranking either.

Like Torchwood’s John Barrowman and Xanadu’s Cheyenne Jackson, Harris is another out actor who has no trouble finding work. From his Emmy-nominated role on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother to his hilarious performance as a warped version of himself in the Harold & Kumar movies to his frequent appearances on Live with Regis & Kelly and most recently on Million Dollar Password, Harris is a man of diverse talents and interests.

One of those interests is magic, with Harris having performed tricks on Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and most recently Ellen DeGeneres' show. In fact, Harris sits on the Board of Directors of Hollywood's Magic Castle. Perhaps Harris can use those magic skills to move even higher on next year’s Hot 100. As he told us when informed about making this year’s Hot 100, "I am honored to be so hot. It is one thing to think kindly of yourself, but to have that feeling validated by the readers of AfterElton.com - well, that's just fantastical. Here's hoping that the four men above me (pun sort of unintentional) age rapidly in the next twelve months."

4. Cheyenne Jackson*

While we harbor no illusions that landing in the top five of the AfterElton.com Hot 100 list can make up for his unjustly not receiving a Tony nomination for his hilarious turn as Sonny Malone in the Broadway musical Xanadu (both Ben Brantley and Christopher Isherwood of The New York Times named Jackson as the actor they believed should have been nominated), we do hope that this accolade softens the sting at least a little.

Like his Scottish counterpart John Barrowman, Cheyenne Jackson is foremost a musical entertainer. He first garnered widespread notice in 2004’s hit off-Broadway show Altar Boyz, and the following year his profile rose even higher when he originated the role of Chad in the Elvis Presley inspired musical All Shook Up. But it sky-rocketed last July when Cheyenne skated to the rescue of Xanadu by stepping into the skates of Sonny a week before the show was scheduled to debut after the original Sonny injured himself during rehearsals (Jackson was familiar with the role having played Sonny during workshops). Additionally, Jackson earned stellar reviews for his role in 2006’s United 93 where he played the openly gay Mark Bingham.

The 32-year-old Jackson is a very busy man frequently appearing in various readings of new works, singing in concerts, and making appearances on behalf of GLBT organizations including AMFAR and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. An avid dog lover, Cheyenne has also joined Bernadette Peters for her Broadway Barks campaign to help raise awareness concerning homeless animals.

Like Barrowman, Jackson is another actor with leading man looks (inherited in part from his Native American father) who chose to be out and proud when staying in the closet might have been the safer thing for his career. When we asked him last year what effect being out had on his career, Jackson said, “I think it's been a detriment, probably just a little bit. Had I not been out and open, I think I might have gotten some movies that I screen-tested for. People may have said, ‘The dude's gay; how are we going to market this?’ But it's not an issue for me, because being out is very freeing.”

And might we add, sexy.

When asked about how he felt coming in at number four on our list, Cheyenne said, “Look out, Barrowman. I'm coming for you!”