Nathan Fillion

1.Nathan Fillion - I’ll concede this: Christian Bale actually merited more mentions on the freebie list, but Nathan Fillion ... well, goddamnit, when I think of “Pajiba,” he’s one of the first names that jumps into my head (after “Arrested Development”). I feel like you folks have a sense of ownership over the guy - not quite as much as the Whedon people, but still, he’s like the unofficial Pajiba mascot (if you’re into shtupping mascots), the site’s personification, if you will: A guy that’s known in certain circles, but - amongst the mainstream - he’s an obscure actor, still remembered mostly as the dude from “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place” (he played the pizza place) if he’s even remembered at all. He’s not a nerd, nor a geek, nor a dork, but he’s the nerd/geek/dork sex symbol, you know? He can play the lead in a fanboy movie while maintaining fanboy detachment - he’s cool, but he’s not, you know, Clooney or Depp. He’s also a genre-crosser. He can do the dimwit (“Two Guys and a Girl”) dry wit (Slither), twisted villain (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), befuddled charmer (Waitress), droll action hero (“Firefly”), or charismatic leading man (Serenity). He can do TV or movies. He’s like this generation’s Harrison Ford, but there aren’t any goddamn Indiana Jones films (and how great a Han Solo would he have been?) for him to star in, so he’s relegated to a bad Fox show that is cancelled after three episodes. Because nobody appreciates this guy - and why the hell not? Worst of all: He’s got nothing in the pipeline. Nothing! Why won’t anyone hire him? Lookit: I don’t even like sci-fi that much (“Firefly”/Serenity being the exception), but I think this guy is the coolest motherfucker on the planet. There’s no reason in the world he can’t do traditional action flicks or romantic comedies or even another ensemble movie/show. And hell, I’d kill to be his wingman for a night - he’s the ultimate Everyman but, for the ladies, completely bangable, too - as long, it would seem, as you go on a few dates first (Christian Bale, maybe even Paul Rudd, might go for a one-night stand, but this guy’s got scruples - he’s Canadian, for God’s sake). He can be bluster and sarcasm, but underneath it all, you know he’s a softie - and a handsome man, at that. Indeed, he’d treat you like a lady while you were cheating on your husband.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Nathan Fillion is Pajiba’s 2007 Sexiest Man of the Year.