Bradley Cooper is crowned "sexiest man alive" in People magazine's Nov. 28, 2011, issue.

Blogger Kara Gause agrees with People’s selection of Bradley Cooper as this year’s “sexiest man alive.” Do you?

Last month, I got away for the weekend with some of my best friends. On a walk by the lake, my girlfriends and I confessed our “celebrity crushes” past and present. Among the most admired was Bradley Cooper, and today he’s proving to be universally swoon-worthy as the latest dreamboat to be crowned People‘s “sexiest man alive.”

I like to say my friends and I “found” Cooper back in his “Alias” days, starring opposite Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan. Back then, as Will Tippin, our boy wonder Cooper was portrayed as a lovable yet slightly nerdy (only in Hollywood) best bud pining away for Garner’s character, Sydney Bristow. Today, he’s calling all the shots.

Of his official heartthrob status, Cooper humbly tells the magazine, “I think it’s really cool that a guy who doesn’t look like a model can have this [title].” When pressed, the actor admits, “I think I’m a decent-looking guy. Sometimes I can look great, and other times I can look horrifying.”

Besides becoming a Hollywood “it” guy since star-making turns in “The Hangover” and “Limitless,” Cooper is also a Georgetown grad who speaks fluent French. Did I mention he’s a fan of his mama? After his father, Charles, passed away in January, Cooper invited his mother, Gloria, to move across the country and into his own Hollywood home. (Collective “awwwww.”)

Yes, it’s no wonder Cooper’s been able to steal the hearts of fans and many a Tinseltown lady, including Renée Zellweger, with whom he ended a two-year relationship earlier this year, and rumored love interest Jennifer Lopez.

While I can’t imagine that Cooper isn’t atop many ladies’ crush-inducing lists, People is offering up someone to suit everyone’s tastes in the special annual issue. Among them are “The Hunger Games” star Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Aniston’s honey Justin Theroux, country music superstar Tim McGraw, and “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” star Ryan Gosling.

And ladies, we’re not alone in our admiration of these fellas. Of his “Crazy…” co-star, funny man Steve Carell (rather dashing in his own right) said of Gosling, “He’s a good-looking guy. I did notice that.”

Sigh. So have we. So. Have. We.

What do you think of Cooper landing at the top of the list? Did your favorites make the cut? Who is truly swoon-worthy in your book?

Update: People is facing some backlash for its decision to put Cooper on the cover. Some fans of Ryan Gosling are crying foul–even picketing the magazine’s headquarters–claiming the magazine made a huge mistake by not naming the “The Notebook” star its “Sexiest.”

What do you think? Was Gosling robbed?