Hello! You're most attractive, KStew and Hugh Laurie!

The Ministry loves nonscientific online polls in general, but when we were tipped to this one via tweets from @kstewartnews and @kstewartfans, we got a pleasant surprise with a cherry on top: Seems Hugh Laurie has edged out Robert Pattinson for "most attractive male" in Hello! magazine's annual survey hottie survey. 

Not that we wish anything ill for Mr. Pattinson; not at all. Rather, the idea that Laurie has enough fans out there that he could break through by a slim margin and score one for the, um, "more experienced" team tickles us no end.

Pretty cool, also, that a fresh face like Kristen Stewart's rallied the votes to blow away the competition for "most attractive woman." Britney Spears in second place? Suffice to say she was a distant second. Color us puzzled.

Angelina Jolie was voted "most elegant woman," elbowing out Madonna after Madge's two years on top in that category -- and in a clear indication that this was a not a U.S. tabloid running the voting, Queen Rania of Jordan came in fourth. She's gorgeous, yes, but not exactly top-of-mind for most of us here in stuck-in-traffic Los Angeles. 

Hello! -- a London-based celeb weekly that competes with OK! and has knocked heads with People -- kicks  the nonscientific online polling up a notch with an additional follow-up poll asking whether Laurie's and Pattinson's success with female fans has to do with the roles they play, or their real life personas.

And even as I make light, I'll be pondering that before I click. And I will click. Because I haven't gotten any of those new-and-impressive hobbies yet.

Full disclosure: The Ministry (or at least my vast, marble-tiled wing of it) has a Hugh Laurie pic posted up on one fine-art-laden cubicle wall. And we really appreciate all the KStew fans following us on Twitter. Y'all rock.

Check out the results here. It ain't scientific (says the gossip blogger with a science background), nor is this blog post rocket science by any stretch of the imagination. But it's fun, right?

And fun, IMHO, is the best hobby ever. Read on, of course, for a poll from our Office of Absolutely Accurate Online Statistics.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photos: Kristen Stewart at the Nov. 16, 2009, premiere of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" in Westwood. Hugh Laurie in August 2009. And, in an angle rarely seen, Angelina Jolie -- elegant even from behind -- at MOCA's 30th anniversary celebration in L.A. on Nov. 14, 2009. Credits: Kevin Winter / Getty Images, top left, Chris Pizzello / Associated Press, top right; Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for MOCA, bottom left.

Love nonscientific online polls as much as we do? Click here for more from the Ministry's archives.

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Comments

[holly]

Actually fans have been looking at the votes for weeks and in the last two days a web bot was used to push Laurie ahead. He suddenly got thousands and thousands of votes - all in less than 2 days.

[CDZ from the Ministry]

@holly -- OK, now the Ministry is crushed. But -- what about that saying, "Age and treachery can defeat youth and enthusiasm"? I'm gonna stick with that, so I don't have to go plunge a knife through my heart.

//cdz

[JJ]

It's so very easy to cry "bot" if one of these web things doesn't end the way you want it to end, but where is the proof? Maybe the truth is that Pattinson (no offense to him) is not the definition of attractiveness for every single person in the whole world. Different strokes for different folks. I'm in my twenties, and I would pick rugged and virile Hugh over a pale pretty boy any day of the week.

[Lina]

Hugh is HOT and a brilliant actor, musician, writer. He's smart and really polite ... So many talents and not just physical. That's why he won!!!

[Cam]

Well, holly, since House is the most watched tv show in the world (a little scientific info for you; plus on the Harris poll, which does not involve online votes nor bots, Laurie was voted one of America's favorite TV personalities), and there was rallying of fans on House twitters and forums all over, I guess it's just inconceivable to think that thousands of people would vote for someone besides the teen idol.

[Geri Anderson]

Congrats to Hughs Fans.

I do find it interesting that the magazine felt it could not call a winner at the original deadline when the leader held a 20000 vote lead over the second place (not Laurie (he was at around minus 60000)) at the originally defined end date but was able to call a winner with a 5000 vote lead at the end of the extension. I guess you keep extending until you get the results (or hits) you want.

[Smarm]

Truthfully, Pattinson fans did themselves in. I didn't hear a word about this poll until it popped up in Google Alerts for Hugh Laurie two days before the survey ended. The alert? A blog rallying Pattinson fans to trounce Laurie. Next thing I knew everywhere I looked Laurie fans were posting reminders to vote every 10 minutes. Following the event (home sick and bored), I was sad to see Pattinson fans accusing the Russians of cheating before the poll even closed. Then they started blaming with Russian hackers. Honestly, it's not that important a poll for anyone to bother cheating. They should be glad Pattinson did so well. I'm sure Hello will listen to their votes and publish more Pattinson pics and stories.

[Ane]

HUGH IS HOT!!!
I'm not a House fan but I have to say that Hugh is really an attractive man. Definitely he is!

[Pattinson fan]

Flagging poll "Most Attractive Man" - Robert Pattinson had the ultimate amount of votes but suddenly Federer's numbers popped up very high, voting end date was canceled and rescheduled, then Hugh Laurie numbers changed into extra zeros 000.000 and was ahead of Mr. Pattinson - Hallo! WHAT'S GOING ON?
Robert Pattinson is undeniably the greatest and we fans witness it.