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CNN Live At Daybreak
'People' Writer Discusses Criteria for 'America's Top 50 Bachelors'
Aired June 21, 2001 - 08:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: We all know who Tiger Woods is, but many may not know who Jason Cerbone and Josh Hartnett are.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's a hint: They're sexy, single and sizzling, according to "People" magazine -- it depends on your taste -- which is out with a list of America's top bachelors.
"People," of course, is owned by AOL Time Warner, which is also the parent company of this network, which just goes to show the range that we have at our company and what we cover.
Galina Espinoza is a staff writer for "People" magazine, and she's in New York this morning.
MCEDWARDS: Hi -- Galina.
GALINA ESPINOZA, "PEOPLE": Good morning -- hi.
MCEDWARDS: It's an obvious question, I guess, but how do you pick them?
ESPINOZA: We sent our reporters out all across the county with a mission. We wanted cute, single, successful guys who also had an interesting story to tell. I think that that's where the fun comes in. We've got, for example, a sheep farmer on the list who also, on the side, happens to make independent films. So we're looking for those kinds of combinations that really make you say, Wow, this is a guy I want to meet.
LIN: Let's take some of the more high-profile guys. Tiger Woods is one of your picks. Maybe an obvious one, but what is it about him, out of all the men in the country, short of his success, money and good looks, that gets him on the list.
ESPINOZA: You want something beyond that?
MCEDWARDS: That's three for three, but what else was it?
ESPINOZA: The interesting thing with Tiger Woods is that he's not going to be everyone's ideal mate. We spoke to his father about the kind of woman Tiger is looking for, and Earl Woods told us that Tiger is going to need someone's content to stay out of the spotlight, who's really willing to play a supporting role, because, obviously, his career, his lifestyle, is going to be the dominating factor in any kind of marriage.
MCEDWARDS: You've also got Ben Affleck, Matt Damon. I guess we know why they were chosen.
ESPINOZA: We do. I think that they're really interesting in that they're almost opposites. What women told us about Matt Damon is that he's kind of a nice guy. When you're done messing around with the bad boys and want a nice guy to settle down with, Matt Damon is the one. I think that Ben Affleck has a little bit of the devil in him. He's the guy who's dashing and handsome, but he's got a little bit of edge to him.
LIN: Obvious choices, right, but there's one that really kind of mystifies us here at CNN. Picture please. Do we have it?
ESPINOZA: It must be Bill Hemmer.
LIN: Oh, my God -- a nice guy. He is a wonderful guy.
MCEDWARDS: Our own Bill Hemmer.
ESPINOZA: Your own Bill Hemmer. I just want everyone there to know that he claims that he makes the best teriyaki salmon. So you better have him invite you over for dinner, to see if it's actually true.
MCEDWARDS: We'll have to take him up on that.
LIN: CNN's Bill Hemmer, of course, on "CNN TONIGHT," 10:00 p.m. Eastern. You can check him out yourself because we're going to put his picture up there.
MCEDWARDS: We're not going to give you his phone number either.
LIN: He is a cutey.
MCEDWARDS: What kind of age range do you have in the list?
LIN: The youngest guys on the list are 21 years old, and the oldest is 54. Most of the men fall into their 30s and 40s. We wanted that kind of diversity, not just in terms of age, but in terms of ethnicity, geographic location, and profession. There is a little something for everyone on this list, and that's really the message: You don't have to fit into a certain box in order to be considered eligible. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and what appeals to one woman is not going to appeal to the next. Really, it's great fun just to flip through the issue and find the guy who sounds right for you.
LIN: Galina, make CNN management happy: What is sexy about a 54-year-old man?
ESPINOZA: I think that what's sexy about all of these guys is that they've got really interesting careers. They're either super- successful at what they do, or they've chosen to pursue something that's a little bit offbeat. We've got a guy who's a cowboy, in Montana, who's actually in demand as a stunt actor on movies like Mel Gibson's "The Patriot," yet he says he doesn't really like the scene in Los Angeles. He would much rather be out in Montana on his ranch. What he's looking for in a woman is someone who likes horses.
LIN: All right. Good to bring that up right away.
Thank you very much, Galina Espinoza, and your reporters could probably make bestseller just on their tips on finding these guys. Thanks for joining us.
MCEDWARDS: Thanks a lot.
ESPINOZA: Thank you.
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