Colbert Is No. 2 on Sexiest Anchor List

Friday, September 22, 2006

(09-22) 12:41 PDT New York (AP) --

Is Stephen Colbert the hottest thing in TV news? Almost, according to a list compiled by editors at Maxim.com.

Colbert, the 42-year-old anchor of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," placed second on the list of "TV's Sexiest News Anchors," posted on Maxim magazine's Web site. Melissa Theuriau, anchor of French TV news magazine "Forbidden Zone," is No. 1.

Colbert is the only male on the list, and he can take comfort in the notion that he is apparently sexier than network newspeople who didn't make the cut, including "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, co-host of ABC's "Good Morning America," and Matt Lauer, co-host of NBC's "Today" show.

"Sure, he lacks functional cleavage and, in his hermetically sealed suits flashes less skin than Diane Sawyer," the Web site says of Colbert. "But shame on you, liberal media, to tell us that ... (he) can't be as sexy as a Joy Behar or a Helen Thomas. Hard-left media arbiters of sexy, you're on notice."

Kiran Chetry of Fox News is No. 3, followed by Suzy Kolber of ESPN; Melissa Stark of NBC/MSNBC; Bobbie Thomas of Fox Sports; Sharon Tay, former host of "MSNBC at the Movies"; TV personality Lisa Guerrero; Cinnamon Stouffer of CNN Headline News; and Lara Logan of CBS News.