James McAvoy breaks out the guns in Wanted

The insane action epic Wanted opens today (Ed. note: It's mad fun. Seriously.), and Scottish actor James McAvoy plays an everyman who's given the chance to become an action hero. From the pic above, it's obvious that James isn't an everyman, but a buff He-God. It's a far cry from how I remember him best, as Mr. Tumnus, the faun, in The Chronicles of Narnia:

Lots of actors try image changes in their career, but one of the toughest to pull off must be when actors try to break out of the "boyish, sensitive" mold and transform themselves into bad boys or kick-ass superheroes. Here are a few more examples of actors who went (with varying degrees of success) from wimp ... to pimp. (I know that was horrible, but it rhymed.)

Tobey Maguire

When the sensitive lad from The Ice Storm, The Cider House Rules, and Pleasantville was cast in the long awaited big screen version of Spider-Man, people scoffed at the idea ... until they saw him shirtless in the movie. I clearly remember the audible gasps in the theater when he stood in front of the mirror, and the jealous straight guy in front of me who turned to his girlfriend and whispered, "It must be CGI."

Ben Foster

I knew Ben primarily from when he was a kid on the tv show Flash Forward, and as that creepy guy on Six Feet Under, so I was not prepared for it when he spread his wings in X-Men:The Last Stand. Unfortunately, he was only in the movie for literally five minutes (rip-off!), because I would have loved to have seen him really spread them wide.

See more transformations after the break!

Out actor and current Broadway It-Boy Ben Daniels at last night's Theatre World Awards

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• Shia LaBeouf's publicist spoke to E!'s Marc Malkin, expressing regret for the "faggot" video and saying that the actor is "embarrassed" that it was made public. Considering the bulk of the video consists of the clearly drunk underage actor begging to be slapped in the face, I would hope that's an understatement.

• TV Guide grabbed Neil Patrick Harris and his How I Met Your Mother co-stars for one-on-one video chats this week. Here's Neil's.

• Forget the Joker dolls, the really ambitious bidder can get a hold of one of Heath Ledger's chairs from the Brokeback Mountain set. (Flannel, tobacco stains, and crushing sense of loss sold separately.)

Out actor B.D. Wong, also at the Theaatre Wold Awards

• You may have heard that Dwayne Johnson and Steve Carell share a smooch (for laughs, of course) in the upcoming Get Smart movie. You may not have heard that The Rock "smells like strawberry shortcake" or that the actors (both of whom have played gay before) are going out of their way to point out that the kiss was no big deal.

• What is it with weathermen and on-air catastrophes? I mean, first the cockroach guy, and now this poor fella gets called a pedophile?

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

Out actors Mario Cantone and Cheyenne Jackson at the recent amfAR gala (Photo: Getty)

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• Funny, when I think of John Barrowman making the "Music of the Night", it doesn't involve any masks, capes, or roses ... Barrowman rumored as lead in Phantom of the Opera stage sequel.

• I don't know about you, but I'd kill to see a Wham! movie. Heck, I saw Music and Lyrics because I thought it was the closest thing we'd ever get!

• Bad news for Dirt fans: It ain't coming back. Worse news for Dirt fans: You are Dirt fans. (Zing!)

• Does Top Chef daddy judge Tom Colicchio have a gay following? Um, does a bear flambe in the woods?. While we're on the topic, check out the adorable pic above of co-judge Ted Allen and his man, Barry Rice. Anyone else wondering if they play "Judges' Table" at home?

• Indiana Jones and the Insult of Doom: A video of hot young thing Shia LaBeouf — sorry, make that "drunk young thing" — goading a friend to slap him by calling him "faggot" has surfaced. Blech. Is it too late to kick him off the Hot 100?

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

Ah, summer. It's the time for having friends over in the back yard for some lemonade and barbecue, catching a game at the ballpark and meeting up at the local megaplex to catch the latest blockbuster film. 

Given that today is also the last day to cast your votes for the AfterElton Hot 100, we thought we'd provide you with a handy list of summer's box office hunks for inspiration.

Enjoy! 

Robert Downey Jr.
in Iron Man (In theatres now)

As a Marvel comics reader, I was never a big fan of Tony Stark (except for that issue of The Avengers where The Molecule Man destroyed his power armor and Tony spends the issue wearing only a blazer wrapped around his waist), but Robert Downey Jr. has me reconsidering. He certainly makes Tony Stark look good.

Emile Hirsch and Matthew Fox
in Speed Racer (In theatres now)

When I first heard that the Wachowskis were adapting anime classic Speed Racer for the big screen, my first reaction was my standard "remake shrug". I started paying attention, however, when I heard that Hirsh had been cast as the titular character; there's something about his features that make him perfect for playing a classic anime hero. Speed Racer also stars Matthew Fox (who came in at number 46 in our Hot 100 last year) who, sadly, will be covering his face up as Racer X. Still, you can still easily identify him by his strong jaw.

Ben Barnes
in Prince Caspian (Opens May 16)

When I read the Narnia books as a kid, I always imagined Prince Caspian as looking like one of those stiff and stern-faced guys from the Prince Valliant comics I tried to follow every Sunday. Well, the posters for the new Prince Caspian film certainly changed that. Barnes is a new name to most of us, having been in only a few other films, but I suspect we'll be hearing his name a lot, judging from the way I can't help but stop and stare every time I see a Prince Caspian poster.

Shia LaBoeuf and Harrison Ford
in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Opens May 23)

At some point I blinked and that kid from Holes suddenly became a good-looking young man able to pull a film to the top of the box office (too bad one of those films was Transformers). Now he's getting a shot at the Indiana Jones torch by playing the sidekick in the latest Indy film. Shia's not the only hottie in the film, of course, as Harrison Ford has aged well and is still mighty nice to watch.

David Eigenberg, Evan Handler, Jason Lewis and Chris Noth
in Sex and the City: The Movie (Opens May 30)

When Sex and the City was one of the main reasons to have an HBO subscription, the show was a hot topic among gay men who liked to argue whether they were more like Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte or Samantha. When the series ended, all four of the SatC ladies had found a guy they could love for the long term. Since each guy represents a different type, both physically and in personality, that raises a new question: which boyfrind could you see yourself ending up with? Laid back regular guy Steve (Eigenberg)? Career-minded and emotionally guarded Mr. Big (Noth)? Sweet but sometimes schlubby Harry (Handler)? Hunky and supportive Smith (Lewis)?

Last month we were honored to bring you our first installment of Bad Beefcake™, which included such gems as Sean Connery in a thong, Chace Crawford as a come-hither cowboy, and Ralph Fiennes channeling George of the Jungle for a Vanity Fair cover. (You can click on the thumbnails below to enlarge these gems.)

We thought Bad Beefcake would only be a one-off feature, but no, in the last month even more egregious lapses in male celebrity judgment have surfaced. And so we bring you....

Bad Beefcake Volume 2!

First up is Thomas Dekker, the young heartthrob whose Heroes character who was so infamously de-gayed last year. Given that history, one wonders how these publicity shots for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles slipped past his agent. And, er, what does a mylar heart balloon have to do with Terminator?

Stilll, we're not complaining because they certainly are good for a laugh.

Speaking of Heroes...