Some we love, one we loathe; we'll reserve judgment on the rest. The only thing certain with this bunch is that they'll never bore us...

What makes a man loveable isn't what makes him want-able as more than one female Genoa City resident found out this year. But before we get to hatin' on the wily women of Wisconsin, let's be fair; she among us who hasn't occasionally left her brains parked on P2 when they should have been safely stowed in the Penthouse can cast the first EPT. We're talking some serious masculine pulchritude here. We can afford to be charitable to those who lose themselves in the allure of a sleek exterior, killer paint job, 0 to 60 in under a minute, and occasionally, a power plant controlled by a beating heart. Considering a Sport or Luxury Package? We still recommend you check first to see if either option includes a Conscience...

Daniel Romalotti

The beautiful may yet escape damnation. Sequestered for most of his childhood at posh Swiss boarding school Le Rosey, four years into this century our coverman crossed the ocean and the prairie just in time to start high school at exclusive Walnut Grove. "That didn't last long," he laughs. "Believe it or not, compared to my 'elite Swiss boarding school' Walnut Grove was a regimented gulag," he says, laughing. "I was used to a lot more freedom in Europe. I was totally unprepared for Genoa City, which is a sizeable city, but still 'The Heartland,' so to speak, and more conservative."

It doesn't help when you're Rock Royalty (his dad is Danny Romalotti) crossed with Red Menace genetics (mom is media guru Phyllis Newman). These days, instead of getting into trouble, he's getting into art, painting to be precise and his recent New York show sold out. Currently, he shares his loft and life with girl-with-a-past-turned-fashionista-with-a-future Amber Moore. "Life is always complicated," says the rising art star. "But right now, I can't complain."

William "Billy" Foster Abbott
Ethan "Cane" Ashby

Observe these two magnificent specimens of masculine magnetism. Could they be couple of heavyweights sparring for the cameras to promote an upcoming bout? Perhaps a "GC Beatdown"? A "Wisconsin Walkover?" Try "Relentless Half-Sibling Set-To." All we can say is sibling rivalry has a long and distinguished history (see illustration) and sharing a maternal bond with Jill Foster Abbott is, well, let's just say there's fresh fodder there for the continuing "Nature vs. Nurture" debate.

One thing's for certain; there's plenty of brains and talent to go with those looks. Abbott spends his days directing marketing efforts for Jabot as the cosmetic giant tries to stem sliding sales caused by the economy and ongoing shakeups. "Beauty is an ugly business," he says, only half-jokingly. Which is probably why he's known for indulging his bi-coastal (East Coast/Gulf Coast/Chinese Coast) tendencies, getting away to Manhattan, where the bling still shines, and to still-tarnished New Orleans, where he volunteers with Habitat for Humanity. More recently, he was stationed in Hong Kong where he directed overseas market development for the family business.

"It's a life of contrasts," he observes. "But I always say, 'Everything in moderation, including moderation.'" We say "Whatever works."

Though he's American-born, half-brother Cane grew up in Brisbane, Australia, where he first made a name for himself after being charged with drunk and disorderly conduct. "I had just turned 18, and I was hanging out with my mates, and well, all I can say is I was still learning that just because you have an entire six-pack of beer, you don't have to drink an entire six-pack of beer, and we were in the middle of a heatwave. I knew about the country club pool nearby, and well, at the time, it made perfect sense and we didn't have togs with us. So we dove in. 15 minutes later, the cops arrive and herd all of us into a wagon and down to the police barracks. Very dignified, for sure."

Which somehow makes law enforcement seem like a rather pleasant way to make a living. He's since put public misbehavior behind him and wise move that was, since he's recently learned he is a member of the superpowered Chancellor clan. An exciting bit of news, no doubt, made all the sweeter by the impending arrival of his first child with RS Fashion Editor, Chloe Mitchell. "Talk about a mixed bag," he says of impending dad-dom. "I swing between freaked out and incredibly excited."


Jack Abbott

Wasn't it Abraham Lincoln who once said "Any man can weather adversity. If you want to know what someone's character is really like, give them power." Wise words, except when that man is Jack Abbott, who always manages to be consistently reptilian whether he's riding high in April or shot down in May. To say controversy trails Abbot would be an understatement. (Full disclosure: Abbot, along with wife Number 6, Sharon, is a co-founder of this magazine. Last fall, the Abbotts and Restless Style parted ways; over the Holidays, the Abbotts themselves parted ways.)

From his business dealings to his personal life, one question always remains: Is Jack Abbott a Sociopath or is he just drawn that way? His parents, John Abbott and Dina Abbott Mergeron were certainly nice people, who seemed to have escaped with their reputations intact despite their son's unnerving hijinks.

One of Abbott's childhood acquaintances recalls his penchant for "giggling fiendishly" as he donned an NHL goalie mask, grabbed a pair of maracas and then lurched around in what he called his "ritual dance" accompanied by a backwards version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" blasting on a portable 8-track. The effect of these impromptu dance recitals was terrifying to neighborhood children and a cause for concern among more than a few parents as well.

The giggle is long gone, replaced with an arsenal of facial expressions including, but not limited to: Grave Concern, Wounded Puppy, and Synthetic Sincerity, all deployed with surgical precision.

All of which begs the real question, is Jack Abbott diabolical, or merely devilish? We lean toward the latter conclusion, but we are reminded that most Western religious texts make a point of informing us that in addition to all his other talents, the Maker of all Mischief has the power to assume a pleasing form. Perhaps Jack Abbott is best loved from a distance...


Neil Winters

If ever there was a rebuke to the pedestrian notion that sexy and smart rarely reside in the same human, Neil Winters is that and more. Additionally, he'll gladly point out that when observed, rather than lived, "charmed" lives are sometimes far from charming. Gracious and personable, the Stanford-minted MBA, cosmetics wizard and newly-minted Jazz club owner, is a model for Success Worn Well.

There's a reason for that. "I can't afford to be too impressed with myself," he explains. "The way I see it, anyone who imagines they get anywhere on their own is kidding themselves. Yes, I worked very hard to get to where I am, but I had some lucky breaks and people who were willing to give me a chance. There are a lot of people in this world who work very hard and get very little for it. Add to all that the gift of sobriety and I'd say the list of people I have to thank is very long."

So, if those deep brown eyes, chiseled cheekbones and beefy biceps don't do you in, maybe his lack of pretension will. Recently wedded to Karen Taylor, Winters isn't saying much. "Any man would thrilled to have someone like Karen in his life," he says. But he's mum on the question of long-term commitments. "We take it a day at a time," he explains. "That's all any of us have anyway." Don't you wish more men saw the aphrodisiac value in humility and living in the present?


J.T. Hellstrom

Don't let the glass-of-milk face fool you; Jeffrey Todd Hellstrom is anything but vanilla. "I do know my way around a good time," the now-married father of one admits.

And certainly, his chiseled good looks have been opening (and closing) doors since he blew into town to attend toney prep school Walnut Grove Academy right around the turn of this century. "It has taken me awhile to figure out where I fit into the scheme of things," says the man who once walked away from what could have been an extremely lucrative recording contract. "And I don't think I would have predicted where I'd end up by a longshot."

"Where" now would be Newman Enterprises during the day, where he labors protecting property both material and intellectual, while wife Victoria toils upstairs in the executive suite, presumably creating more property in need of protection. He also heads up the care and feeding of their baby son, Reed, who graciously consented to pose with his dad here after we agreed to turn the heat in the photo studio up to a toasty 95 F.

"There is no more compelling reason to get out of bed in the morning than this one," says the clearly besotted dad of his bare-bottomed offspring. "He can do no wrong." (See below.)

Reed Hellstrom Declined to speak to the Press after a slightly embarrassing mishap on Dad (to be expected when a guy has to work without a diaper).


Kevin Fisher

"I was the classic nerd," explains Kevin Fisher. "I've definitely improved. Still, my career has veered between Accounting and the Internet - not intrinsically the most restless, stylish pursuits" he observes.

"On the other hand," he continues, "I did have the good sense to marry my very cool wife (the former Jana Hawkes) and buy into Crimson Lights, both of which have made my life far more interesting."

We can buy the idea that Fisher wasn't always hip, but "interesting" is another story. There's more to Fisher than his resume and he are letting on. For one thing, there's all those unanswered questions; he's no stranger to high-stakes drama, nor is he a stranger to the GC Police or the FBI. Even so, he's never been indicted. Questioned about Jabot's Director of Internet Affairs and Co-Owner of aforementioned GC hangout, a police department spokesman would only offer "You must remember that in our Justice system, the burden of proof is on the accuser, not the suspect. Criminals walk free all the time because prosecutors try cases without having enough evidence to convince a jury. We don't like to do that, here."

"Look, it's not like I grew up in Social Register territory," offers Fisher. "I had a very hellacious childhood and let's just leave it at that."

Is the past always prologue? Not if you deal with your karma, the Hindus believe. Maybe that first step was his wedding to wife Jana, at an ashram in the hills over Malibu, CA. "It was definitely out of character for both of us," Fisher remarks. "A very surprising day." We're reserving judgment.


Victor Adam Wilson Newman

Is his last name Wilson or Newman? Depends on the day and who's acting up. The man who reared him was named Cliff Wilson. The man who sired him is named Victor Newman. He grew up on a farm in Kansas, protected by a mother who wanted to keep him as far away from the Newman family's special brand of insanity as she could.

Nice try. Young Victor (he prefers to be called Adam) found out about his confused parentage when his mom made a deathbed confession as Victor Newman Sr. looked on (Adam's adoptive father had been killed several years earlier by a drunk driver. And, for those of us who live and die by the intrigues and outrages of the nouveau riche, young Adam shares his biological father's ruthlessness and icy resolve as well as his dash and good looks. These are two men you'd best not mess with.

Sadly, at the moment, father and son are messing with each other. Adam is in the Genoa City lockup awaiting transfer to a Wisconsin max security while he awaits trial for fraud and forgery after creating and selling a fake diary by his father in which among other things, Victor implicates himself in a murder.

Sources close to the investigation say young Newman was trying to get back at Dad for firing and disowning him over impolitic business decisions made while the elder Newman was on the lam.

It's a case and a story that's attracting attention all over the world. As world class crime-and-scandal scribe Dominic Donner put it "We tend to think all the dirt in America happens in three places: New York, Los Angeles, and sometimes, Palm Beach, but Genoa City really holds its own, especially considering its size. This latest Newman scandal is like a Shakespearean and Greek combo platter with unlimited refills of money and power. Add to that the fact that it was Adam's girlfriend, the Assistant D.A., who arrested him! You really couldn't make this story up." We wouldn't dare...