... Not to be confused with the Year in Sex, which is in the January issue on newsstands now. This is my top 10 sights, stories, and ... uh ... things that were sexy in some way in 2006.

Deutsch Treat: Here in the editorial offices, we'd been fans of Janine Habeck for some time. The naughty maid getup Playmate pictorial from February 2004 (shot by Florian Lohmann) got her off to a hot start, and her Playmate of the Year shoot (by Giovanni Cozzi) was another masterpiece. I wondered whether the German PMOY accolade would disqualify her from being a Playmate in the U.S. edition — not so, apparently. In case you're not familiar with Janine's German edition pictorials, here are a few links: A small gallery from the original Playmate shoot, a zoomable image from the Playmate of the Year shoot and an addictive match game from same. Wunderbar.

Britney Spears Over-share: Ugh. It makes the sexy list because it was the most egregious celebrity "accidental" nudity; the Tara Reid boob-out of 2006. Not providing a link or explaining any further.

Cherry, cherry: Rosario Dawson demonstrated her freakish tongue at a photoshoot for Petra Nemcova's book. She was also in Clerks 2, which had some amusing posters. If you were a fan of the original, maybe the shlubby mugs of Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith would entice you to see the sequel. If you didn't like or don't know the original... how about Rosario in a tight wife-beater tee and leather pants? That do anything for you?

Call 'Em Like You See 'Em: Scarlett Johansson's breasts topped InTouch magazine's list. Sure, she's a "serious" actress who will probably win Golden Globes and Oscars before all's said and done, but she's also very proud of her hooters and shows them off every chance she gets. While men's magazines like Playboy and Esquire wax rhapsodic about the overall package—the voice! the wit! the roles!—it's somehow cool that a female-friendly checkout-aisle rag can step up and say, "Chee, loookit the tits on this hoity-toity actress dame!"

"Legs" Aniston: After months in quasi-hiding following her break with Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston returned to the public eye wearing hot pants on Letterman. I thought it was cut and dried; I thought in the Jen-vs.-Angelina hypothetical my choice would be Angelina. Maybe it still would be if you're solely talking sex appeal. But Angelina would be no picnic as a girlfriend or wife. She seems a bit dramatic for my taste, what with the emphasis on human blood and tattoos. In the interview on Letterman (not included in clip), Aniston was charming and very funny even though the subject matter was awkward. What can I say—she won me over. Never thought I'd say it, but I'm a Jennifer Aniston fan now.

Adios, FHM: The lad mag that gave us Vida Guerra is folding, and we're big enough to admit they did a good thing or two over their seven-year run. Thing one being Vida—thanks, guys, she sold buttloads of our July issue. The other bold and totally sexy move I give them a thumbs-up for is putting Tera Patrick on the cover of their July issue. It was a culturally significant moment, I think, for a magazine that doesn't show nudity to lead with a porn star. It was also, in hindsight, a desperate ploy, but such is life on the newsstand. The photos were also just plain great; my experience with Tera's oeuvre is limited but I think she is a beautiful woman—and I won't even qualify that with "...for a pornstar."

It Can Be Done: There's an expression that refers to a dance move you see in a lot of hip hop videos—"booty clap." It's the talent or perhaps art of moving the waist and hips in such a way that the butt cheeks smoosh together and separate in time to the music. I had thought that "clap" was merely a visual description of the motion. I mean, no woman can actually make noise with her ass cheeks, right? Then I met rising Internet star Buffie the Body. Applause.

The Thrill of Victory: Leggy Russian Maria Sharapova won the U.S. Open. Similar to my feelings about Tera, Maria is not just beautiful "...for a tennis player." She's just beautiful. I suspect that people who still think Anna Kournikova is better-looking are smoking a lot of crack.

A Blow for Democracy: After too many years of incompetence and corruption, America breaks one-party deathlock on worst-ever legislative branch and puts seal of disapproval on worst-ever chief executive's administration. God, it gets me hot just thinking about it.

The 40-year-old Cleavage: Ten months into 2006, I was all set to give Elizabeth Hurley a make-believe award for Breasts of the Year. Everywhere she went, from red carpet to cancer fundraiser, her chest was elegantly crammed into some kind of Miracle/Wonder/Thankyoujesus bra that gave her something near perfect cleavage. I could have run a photo of Ms. Hurley's delightful decolletage on the Grapevine page every month—it was ubiquitous and always top notch. But then as October became November Salma Hayek made that cameo on Ugly Betty that made me waver in my devotion to Liz. Looking back, Hayek's body of body is equal to Hurley's. I call it a tie. Salma is 40; Liz is 41. It's the new 18, I hear.