This weekend, the world will get to see Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake’s butt in “Friends With Benefits.” But as we’ve shared with you before, there were actually three projects angling to grab this movie’s coveted title. The first became Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman‘s “No Strings Attached.” And the third, a television show that now shares the name “Friends with Benefits,” begins airing in two weeks on NBC.
So, of these three projects’ leading men—who would we shun, shag, and marry? Find out after the jump.First you, probably want a little more info on “Friends with Benefits,” the TV show, right? It stars Ryan Hansen of “Party Down” as a guy trying to find his perfect woman who, in the meantime, is sleeping with his best friend. (A busy doctor—sound familiar?) We hope the show will be the new “How I Met Your Mother,” though it’s hard to tell from this short preview clip.
And now, on to the shunning, shagging, and marrying.
Shun: Ashton Kutcher
Now, before you start huffing and puffing, I have very specific reasons for shunning Ashton. I actually adore him—from the fact that he has a twin brother who had health problems for most of his life to the nugget that he was simultaneously studying biochemical engineering and working at a Cheerios factory when he was model scouted. “That 70s Show,” “Punked,” and “Dude, Where’s My Car” have never been my thing, but Ashton has made up for it with an awesome slate of projects he produces. The reasons I shun him? Because I absolutely love him and Demi Moore as a couple and I wouldn’t want to even imagine myself coming between that. Oh, and he’s signed on for “Two and a Half Men,” which in my opinion is as low as television goes. Also, I’m just not feeling the long hair.
Shag: Ryan Hansen
Ryan is cute in that raised-in-San-Diego-and-surfs-a-lot way. He first came to my attention playing richie rich bully Dick Casablancas on “Veronica Mars.” Then he showed up in Josh Schwartz’s awesome web series “Rockville, CA,” playing a character everyone called The Douche. Next up, he played Kyle on the hilarious “Party Down,” an aspiring actor with a penchant for looking at his face in trays and cutlery. Even though Ryan is happily married in real life and does things like travel to Africa for a charity called The Invisible Children, it’s hard to be excited about walking down the aisle with a guy who plays characters named Dick and The Douche. So we’ll keep him confined to the bedroom.
Marry: Justin Timberlake
Really, do I need to explain why Justin and I are meant to be? He is the total package, carving out a place for himself in pop culture beyond his Mickey Mouse Club pedigree and the unfortunate hair days of his tenure in N’Sync. In the past two years, he’s made the almost unheard of transition from pop star to legit actor with roles in “The Social Network,” “Bad Teacher,” and the aforementioned “Friends with Benefits.” And his next movie looks like it could be my favorite sci fi thriller since “Gattaca.” Add in the fact that he’s had long-term relationships with high caliber women like Britney Spears (pre-breakdown), Cameron Diaz, and Jessica Biel and just happens to be single now? Yep, we could make it work.
Who would you shun, shag, and marry?