Press Whore (Age: 31)

Photograph by Ahmad Elatab/Splash News

There are two John Mayers: the first an arena-filling blues-pop prodigy prone to earnest emo-balladry, the second—the interesting one—a starlet-bagging Lothario as shamelessly efficient about the telling as he is about the kissing. The secret of his success is his sensitive exterior. With his clever blog posts and ad hoc stand-up routines, Mayer seems too smart, too sweet, too self-aware to revel in celebrity climbing. But the proof is in the photo op: In July he delivered eloquent, scathing testimony at Los Angeles' City Hall pleading for anti-paparazzi legislation; a month later he held court outside his New York gym, telling the shutterbugs who mysteriously knew he'd be there why dumping Jennifer Aniston was actually the ultimate sign of his respect for her. "Instead of a 'no comment,' he launches into a speech about how he wants them to 'write some real stuff' and what a 'great' girl Aniston is," says Seth Abramovitch, the editor of Defamer. "At most, it's something you tell your best friend after eight beers—not a reporter from OK! after spin class." Given Mayer's compulsive codependency, Johnifer's (or is it Mayniston's?) rumored reconciliation in October came as little surpise. The way we learned about it was less surprising still: They were reportedly spotted canoodling in the oh-so-private confines of LAX.

12. THE HIPSTER FARMER >>