Billions... and billions...

Alex, aren't you the old school rap fan? Has there ever been a bigger group of hype artists than those acts back in the day? Maybe Chuck D is to Bourdain what Flavor Flav is to Bobby Flay? Flay is Flav.

I'd hesitate to vote Johan Santana off the island, but if the Yankees get him I might.

Robert Plant...I wish I were a Golden God.

Speaking of opera, my all-time mancrush is probably Bill King. A man who had mastered his artform, and lived his life exactly the way he saw fit, without a care to what anyone else thought. Yes, you can like opera on the one hand, and drive a rusty $200 car, and eat mustard-covered popcorn on the other.

And to claim that Flay is not a chef but some kind of hype artist is silly. The guy is classically trained, etc. There are a couple of things I admire about Flay. First, he really seems sheepish when he wins a Throwdown. This shows humility. Second, my folks happened to bump into him in Italy (he was filming a special with Mario B.) and he was cool to my mom. Hey, I know that means nothing to anyone else here, but I give him props for that.

If Flay is Flav, that makes Bourdain Sir Nose Devoidofunk.

ps I sincerely don't get your Mike Rowe thing bro.

I was bummed that John Besh didn't win the Iron Chef challenge, I love New Orleans and can't wait to get back.

I didn't know that about Bourdain, but I don't watch him for his cooking skills. The guy is an edgy, literate person in a television world that has little of it.

The Mike Rowe thing is that the guy is manly, while still being really quick-witted. Being able to make this show interesting to me is pretty remarkable, considering manual labor has never held much appeal to me. I grew up in a blue collar family, so I respect the work, even though it isn't for me. I don't know, but somewhere there is some type of connection.

Really, though, to me the mancrush is the old "girls want to be with him, men want to be him" thing. And to that end, is there anyone of a certain generation that didn't have a mancrush on Han Solo/Indiana Jones-era Harrison Ford? Seriously now. That whole Errol Flyn/Cary Grant/James Bond witty swashbuckler with smirk and strong chin thing is mancrush central, no?

For me:

Justin Timberlake

26 years old
Multiple Grammy Award Winner
Emmy Award winner (for his "dick in a box" skit)
Dances like Michael Jackson
Passable actor
Took Britney's virginity, and has slept with Cameron Diaz, and probably Scarlett Johanson and Jessica Biel.
The previous list will only get longer...

I must become comfortable with my presence among adults, and allow my true thoughts to come through without exposing my immaturity and lack of life experience.

Giada is gorgeous, but then she smiles and I worry I'm next on the menu. Scary.

Harrison Ford is really the only male film star left in the classic Gary Cooper mold. When people compare Kevin Costner to Cooper, I want to hit them.

And I don't know if it's the Dodger Thoughts guys, but many people who grew up in southern California in the 80s feel for Garvey, too--they feel for him like a father.

a) Someone you'd very much like to be (or be like), or
b) Someone who you'd have romantic-like feelings about if you were gay, but since you aren't, you call out a bunch of disclaimers, etc.

It sounds like (a), but I've previously thought it was defined like (b). I haven't given any thought to (a). And I haven't really experienced much around (b).

I guess I would say for a definition of mancrush it is like a) but with a little extra something to it. Maybe like a guy you would really want to have some beers and watch a game with.

I have gotten into a territory where I'm starting to creep my own self out. It is definitely time for me to put my football picks up, to get the mancrush off the top of this page.

I do know that men with strong chins are generally perceived to be very masculine--often to the point where they're assumed to be quick to anger and unfaithful to their spouses.

From an evolutionary standpoint, it makes sense. On average, men have stronger chins than women do. Our brains do use that marker, along with many others, to differentiate one sex from the other (one of the things the brain does I rarely think about, but am extremely thankful for), so it seems likely that when we see a strong chin, our brain thinks, on some level, "there's a manly man, and, therefore, a heterosexual one."

But the "feelings hit me" part, which is probably what is starting to creep you out, is something I've experienced less often (if at all, since I can't really recall anything like that in the past five years or more).

So, sure, get the testosterone flowing with your manly-man football picks! This topic ain't working too well for me anyway! ;)

For my money, there is no cooking show better than that of Jacques Pepin's. Whichever one his latest is. Also, I'm a sucker for the good peoples at America's Test Kitchen (and their publication Cook's Illustrated). Does the Food Network actually have a good cooking show these days?

I also think Flay is an ass. And I think that is a pretty widely held view. The jerk chicken throwdown that featured a guy who used to work on the set of Boy Meets Grill was illuminating in this regard. When Bobby showed up for the throwdown and the guy saw him, his reaction was "Hey, it's the rude one!" Bobby just kind of laughed it off.

Although I guess you can give him points for allowing it to be included in the show.

Flay is a television superstar who allows himself to be seen as a douche, sometimes. The throwdown show is part cooking show, part sporting event. It is good television. I don't find Flay's cooking style that complicated, but I haven't followed anything out of any of his cook books.

I really like America's Test Kitchen. I'm not a huge fan of French cooking, so Pepin I could take or leave.