Matt Damon named People’s sexiest man alive

Published 10:34 pm Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Matt Damon has been named the sexiest man alive by People magazine, an honor that has been bestowed twice on his pals George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

The 37-year-old actor is featured on the cover of People’s annual issue, on newsstands Friday. Damon, who is married to Luciana Bozan, said the honor came as a surprise.

“You gave an aging suburban dad the ego boost of a lifetime,” he says in a letter published in the magazine. “My 9-year-old stepdaughter now thinks I’m cool — well, cooler.”

Damon, who has a 1-year-old daughter, Isabella, with Bozan, says “all the campaigning” by Clooney and Pitt finally paid off.

“Unfortunately, after all those years out on the trail, the meet and greets, the fundraisers, the stump speeches, I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that this is a mantle I wasn’t meant to hold,” he says in the letter, which was signed “Matty.”

Oprah recommends book

Oprah Winfrey went for the big time Wednesday with her latest book club pick, choosing Ken Follett’s 973-page “The Pillars of the Earth,” an announcement that will likely mean hundreds of thousands more sales for an author with a huge, international following.

Winfrey, whose TV talk show airs from Chicago, called Follett “a best-selling author that everybody has heard of, but this novel is unlike any of his books he’s known for around the world.”

Follett, 58, a native of Cardiff, Wales, is famous for spectacular thrillers such as “Lie Down With Lions,” “Eye of the Needle” and “World Without End,” published last month and a sequel to 1989’s “The Pillars of the Earth.”

Follett has called “The Pillars of the Earth,” a love story set in 12th century England, his favorite novel. The book still sells around 100,000 copies a year in the United States alone.

Ellen backs out of trip

Ellen DeGeneres has killed plans to tape her show next week in New York, where Writers Guild East members had vowed to protest her decision to stay on the air during their strike.

Michael Winship, president of the East Coast branch of the Writers Guild, said the organization was “delighted” with DeGeneres’ decision to stay on the West Coast.

“She knows that the Writers Guild East would have been there to protest her lack of solidarity, not only with her Guild writing staff but all the striking members of the Writers Guild, of which she is a member,” Winship said in a statement.

Laura Mandel, a representative for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” confirmed Wednesday that DeGeneres had scrapped the trip. When asked whether the cancellation was related to the strike, Mandel said: “We make changes all of the time. Our schedule is always fluid.”

Nancy Grace hospitalized

Nancy Grace, who gave birth to twins earlier this month, has been hospitalized with blood clots in her lungs, a complication of her recent pregnancy.

The 48-year-old CNN Headline News talk anchor sought treatment Sunday after she experienced discomfort and began having trouble breathing while on her way to church, said CNN spokeswoman Janine Iamunno.

“She was brought to the emergency room in Atlanta,” Iamunno said in a statement Tuesday. “Her doctors found two blood clots in her lungs, which occurred as a result of the pregnancy. She is currently recovering and is expected to be released by the end of the week.”

From Herald news services