11. Lemonhead Candy - Evan Dando
The Lemonheads were a classic 90s pop alternative band that saw a wealth of associated acts as cameos in various Lemonhead lineups throughout the decade. And Evan was their eponymous leader from start to finish, the only part of the original lineup to still be a part of the act. A nicely rugged, faintly hippie face was not enough of a cover for eyes that looked like they were stolen from a starving, homeless dog hungry for affection. Not as well-known as most heartthrobs of the time but topped most of my lists.
12. Pretty Candy - Sebastian Bach
Skid Row made their first appearance in the late 80s but the 10 years they took up most of the 90s. Their leader, Sebastian Bach, set himself apart from the average heavy metal front man with a face that was strangely feminine and voice that was just as beautiful. Yet there was still no denying the masculinity of his bad-boy charm.
13. Gone too Soon Candy - River Phoenix
I often refer to River as the person who should have been the love of my life. This young man nailed every role he ever had in a litany of movies vastly different from each other. The emotional strength he brought to his roles seemed evident as a part of his actual personality. But those emotional strengths are easily turned around as emotional weaknesses in beautiful heart that was much too fragile for this world. Though most close to him and the legion of fans River still has could almost predict his death in 1993, it stunned people nonetheless. Here was the one actor of his generation who could have been bigger and greater than all the rest.
14. Crow Candy - Brandon Lee
Speaking of gone to soon, here's someone we lost before he really got the chance to show us how incredible he could have been. Though he did a handful of movies that didn't hit the mainstream and didn't get him noticed, it was cult classic The Crow that put him on the radar. Sadly, it was also the movie he was filming when he lost his life to a horrible accident, one that scarred those around him for years. Many props have to be given to the directors of The Crow for not only choosing the only man who could play Eric Draven, but continuing the movie in honor of his legacy and retaining Brandon as Draven, using footage they had gathered before his untimely death.
15. Alternative Candy 1 - Mike Patton
Faith No More OWNED alternative music in the 90s, along with acts like Porno for Pyros and Jane's Addiction, instead of the many years that followed where nearly every band that wasn't classic rock or hard rock was stuck with an "alternative" label where it didn't really fit. But Faith No More was the only band of the early 90s with a some sweet, sweet candy leading the pack.
16. Alternative Candy 2 - Gavin Rossdale
In the mid-90s, we were introduced to Bush and their gorgeous crooner, Gavin. This particular magazine cover graced my walls throughout my teen years and was responsible for many good dreams.
17. Grunge Candy - Chris Cornell
Few musical movements can define the 90s the way grunge has. Of all the bands to have come from the Seattle area and reach the mainstream, Soundgarden was one of the biggest to actually stick to the grunge formula, albeit in a harder, more power-chord driven way. And Chris was the hottest man to lead a group of grungy rockers.
18. Candy with a Message - Eddie Vedder
Also leading a band from the Seattle area, this was the least grungy of the groups though they eventually developed a sound a lot closer to the music that came from the grunge era. Eddie also set himself apart as the non-Seattle native to front a band from the area and characterized himself as a singer and songwriter with a message, drawing from the news to fuel their music and setting melody to social commentary. Obviously a personal favorite of mine, this is a crush that has not ended for me.
19. Character Candy - Jordan Catalano
Like Legolas many years later, this is an example of how a character can be totally dreamy while the actual actor isn't so much. Dumb, cute and totally oblivious, Jordan made alienated teenage girls all over the world blush.
20. Untamed Candy - Christian Slater
One of my first celebrity crushes of the late 80s and early 90s, Christian Slater had a wealth of movies with different roles that had girls drooling. After his 80s appearance as J.D., the destructive anarchist we all knew and loved years before we knew anything about Fight Club, Slater played a young mobster, a shy busboy with a baboon heart and wayward Clyde-like character in an ensemble cast that became a super cult classic.
