Gracing the prestigious Number 1 spot is Shane McCutcheon from the American drama series The L Word, a character appearing alongside our Number 4 Hot List hottie, Bette. The DVD has only just been released here in Japan but already Shane, played by actress Katherine Moennig, has rocketed to the Number 1 spot.
At the time of her first trip to Japan in June this year, Moennig arrived at Narita airport to discover over 1000 cheering fans (overwhelmingly female, of course) there to greet her. The Japanese media, particularly sports and women's magazines, were rushing to cover all Moennig-related happenings during her stay, and article after article declared her to be, "the number one female heartthrob among women in Japan". In fact, the perfectly gender-defying allure of Shane's tall, slender frame, her untamed look, and her entrancing and boyishly-husky voice were enough to make female journalists present at media events unwittingly whisper under their breath, "For this woman, I'd be wiling..."
While her punked-up exterior and womanizing ways strongly suggest that she's one tough babe, Shane's true-blue concern for her friends along with her vulnerable and awkward side keep women around the world enamored and clamoring - totally convinced that, "She needs me!"
As we saw during her visit, Moennig prefers a more casual boyish look of her own in her private life as well. Fans at the TW Premium Fan Conference were beside themselves to see that Moennig herself was almost identical in manner and appearance to the character she plays. On top of that, her kindness was moving - she swiftly offered her hand to fans that approached her and even hugged a fan that had nervously read a message to Moennig aloud.
Rumor has it that the character of Shane was modeled after Sally Hershberger - America's hairstylist to the stars - famous for her work on such clients as Meg Ryan, Courtney Love, and Winona Ryder. However, the drama's creators deny this.
※Sally Hershberger
Naturally, Shane - the lady killer of straight and queer hearts alike, and the hot inspirational force behind a current storm of mass-media fascination for "lesbian sexy" the world over - is our slam-dunk choice for Number One!