Will Mallett is accustomed to attracting attention for his music, but not so much for his good looks. That changed this week when the November issue of Cosmopolitan came out with its annual hottest bachelors issue. The magazine features Mallett as the most eligible guy from Maine.

“When they called it was a huge surprise,” said Mallett, a member of The Mallett Brothers Band, which he describes as “grungy, country rock.” Mallett, the son of Maine songwriter David Mallett, knew he’d been nominated. “But I didn’t think I’d get it,” he said.

Jessica Roberts of Portland nominated the ginger-haired, guitar-playing, singer/songwriter.

“I heard about (the nomination process) through another friend and Will immediately came to mind,” Roberts said. “He’s obviously attractive, but he’s a talented musician and, more importantly, he cares about everyone in his life.”

In his profile in Cosmo, Mallett says that his celebrity crush is Penelope Cruz and that he considers sundresses to be the “hottest girl getup.”

Mallett learned in May that he was Cosmo’s pick for Maine, but he was asked to keep the news quiet. In June, he went to the Hamptons for a photo shoot with the other bachelors.

“I was playing a gig in Dover, N.H., the night before,” Mallett said. “And I had to be in the Hamptons at 7 a.m.”

He recruited a friend to drive through the night to get him to the oceanfront mansion on time.

In a prepared statement, Cosmo’s Editor-in-Chief Kate White said: “We’ve found men from every part of the country who are perfect boyfriend material — fun, sexy, nice, and full of personality. We’re delighted to introduce our readers to this year’s group.”

Through Sunday, Cosmo is accepting online votes for the hottest of the hot bachelors. The 10 bachelors who get the most votes will be named semifinalists. A panel of Cosmo editors will pick one of the 10 to be the magazine’s Bachelor of the Year and award him $10,000.

The top bachelor will be announced Oct. 18 during the annual Cosmo Bachelor Party at Arena in New York City.

Two nights later, The Mallet Brothers will play with six other Maine bands at the CMJ Showcase at Sullivan Hall in New York City.

Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at: akamila@pressherald.com

Twitter: AveryYaleKamila

Douglas, Damon in HBO’s Liberace

 

LOS ANGELES – “Behind the Candelabra,” the Liberace biopic starring Michael Douglas, will air on HBO.

The film, directed by Steven Soderbergh (“Traffic,” “Contagion”), takes a look at the turbulent relationship between the late, flamboyant pianist and his younger live-in lover Scott Thorson, played by Matt Damon.

“From the inception of this project, we’ve had two priorities: getting it right creatively, and getting as many people as possible to see it,” says Soderbergh. “HBO’s fearless approach to original programming and their unparalleled ability to pull in viewers make them the perfect fit for us. .”

Born Wladziu Valentino Liberace, the “Glitter Man” was a staple of early 1950s television and an institution in Las Vegas until his death from AIDS in 1987.

Rihanna moves on

 

NEW YORK – Rihanna says she resented Chris Brown for a time, but has put that behind her and is happy that her former boyfriend has found success in music again, she tells Esquire magazine.

Brown, 21, is serving five years of probation after pleading guilty to felony assault for the attack on Rihanna in the early morning hours before the 2009 Grammys.