Sexy, by George

By Stone Martindale Nov 16, 2006, 3:22 GMT

Actorvist George Clooney has been named the "sexiest man alive" for the second time by People magazine.

Clooney, 45,  is pictured on the cover of People's annual issue, on newsstands Friday. Clooney, who took the title back in 1997, is tied with pal Brad Pitt.

"This is one that's going to be hard for Brad since he's been 'sexiest man alive' twice," Clooney quipped in People. "I'd say `sexiest man alive' to him and he'd go, `two-time.' So that's been taken away."

"Brad's been working out a lot," he adds. "After `Troy,' he thought he'd be named it a third time, pull the hat trick, as we called it. But for me, I'll tell him, `This is my last hurrah.'"

The magazine also names 12 "men of the year," including Pitt, Jamie Foxx, Patrick Dempsey, Matt Damon, Justin Timberlake and Daniel Craig.

Clooney won a best supporting actor Oscar this year for his role in "Syriana." He'll next be seen opposite Cate Blanchett in "The Good German," slated for release Dec. 22nd.

Clooney says referring to dream date actress Sophia Loren-who he told People he admired: "Oh my god. I met her in Milan, she's unbelievably beautiful, unbelievably fun."