Beauty and the best

Hollywood actress Eva Mendes was crowned the most desirable woman of 2009 in a poll by online men's magazine AskMen.com.

The selection, organisers say, is not only about beauty but about overall qualities.

Mendes, 34, topped the magazine's ninth annual list of Top 99 Most Desirable Women.

Readers cast more than 10 million votes for the women with the best qualities for the ideal girlfriend or wife.

Mendes took the top slot from actress Katherine Heigl after being placed fourth last year.

Actress Megan Fox ranked second and model Marisa Miller came in at third place.

More than pretty

James Bassil, editor-in-chief of AskMen.com, said the list was a “pulse-check'' of the women perceived as more than just pretty faces.

“Looks are obviously a quality but intelligence, ambition and humour also count,'' Bassil said.

There are women in their thirties on this list who may be old by industry standards.

Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie were not on the list.

Britney Spears, on the other hand, staged a comeback after dropping off the list for a couple of years. She was ranked at No 90.

The list included all-time favourites such as Beyonce, at No 50, and Jessica Simpson, at No 70, but also newcomers such as Australian actress Isla Fisher (No 31) and singer Katy Perry (No 38).

French singer Carla Bruni, wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, made her debut on the list in the 76th place while comedian Tina Fey, who was praised for her Sarah Palin impression this past election season, made the list at No 97.

Political attraction

Bassil said the US's new First Lady Michelle Obama and Republican vice-presidential contender Sarah Palin could have also made it to the list but couldn't garner enough support as the poll was largely conducted before the US elections.

Brooke Burke, a former model-turned-TV personality who won the seventh season of TV show Dancing with the Stars, rose to No 14 on the list from No 32 last year.

Burke, 37, who has four children, said it was a compliment to be included — and to have jumped a few slots.

“It is great to get that attention. I think it is more of an intelligence vote and people are looking at who they would like to have as an ideal mate. It's not about the average pin-up,'' Burke said.

The rest of the women who made it to the list in the Top 10, in the following order, were: