There is a lot to like about "Footloose," the movie-turned-musical about a small town that bans dancing — the music, the choreography, the tractors. But mainly we love hero Ren McCormack. And by love, we mean "in love," as in, "Wouldn’t it be rad to slow dance with Ren McCormack to Kenny Loggins in an abandoned grain silo?"
Along with Lloyd Dobler from "Say Anything," Jim Stark from "Rebel Without a Cause" and, everyone’s favorite hottie, Romeo from "Romeo and Juliet,Charm pendant," Ren ranks among the best teenage boyfriends from screen and stage. He’s wounded but not weak, dangerous but never cruel, caring without being creepy.
Here, Go! magazine rips a page from the high school sweeties yearbook. The boys span the ages, but they all are dreamy (or at least adorkable), masters of the meaningful gesture (making snow, killing rivals, kicking away broken glass) and loyal to their gals despite their flaws (mean parents, snobby friends, desire to butcher entire student body).
Plus, we talk to two actors who are well-acquainted with being teen idols: Zac Efron, who stars in the new film "Charlie St. Cloud," and Curtis Holbrook, who plays Ren in "Footloose" at the Muny.
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PAULIE BLEEKER
Played by Michael Cera in "Juno" (2007)
Lowdown: Accepts Juno’s decision to give up his oops-baby for adoption. Good at rocking tiny track shorts and matching sweatbands.
Quoted: "I don’t like Katrina. She smells like soup."
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TROY BOLTON
Played by Zac Efron in the "High School Musical" series (2006-2008)
Lowdown: Defies the odds and deflects ridicule by balancing basketball and musical theater. Good at multitasking and spontaneous hallway dance numbers.
Voted: Most likely to appear in "Footloose."
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LANDON CARTER
Played by Shane West in "A Walk to Remember" (2002)
Lowdown: Makes all of dying Jamie’s wishes come true. Good at hugging.
Voted: Most likely to star with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson in "The Bucket List 2."
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EDWARD CULLEN
Played by Robert Pattinson in the "Twilight" series (2008-present)
Lowdown: Resists the urge to turn his girlfriend into supper. Good at fighting rogue vampires, werewolves and wrinkles.
Voted: Most likely to develop "Sucker," a new line of pigmented powders for men.
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DEREK
Played by Sean Patrick Thomas in "Save the Last Dance" (2001)
Lowdown: Keeps ballerina Sara on her toes. Excels at dirty dancing and chemistry, both the organic and sexual kind.
Quoted: "Let’s put some S-E-X in those H-I-Ps!"
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LLOYD DOBLER
Played by John Cusack in "Say Anything" (1989)
Lowdown: Woos Diane Court, a brain trapped inside the body of a game-show hostess. Good at kickboxing, sport of the future; bad at selling, buying and processing.
Voted: Most likely to develop a lightweight boom box.
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DEAN FORESTER
Played by Jared Padalecki in "Gilmore Girls" (2000-2005)
Lowdown: Understands fast-talking Rory Gilmore. Good at building cars and bagging groceries; bad at marriage.
Voted: Most likely to investigate the supernatural.
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DAN HUMPHREY
Played by Penn Badgley on "Gossip Girl" (2007-present)
Lowdown: Catches the eye of Upper East Side socialite Serena van der Woodsen, despite his Brooklyn background. Good at carrying a flame and sparking rumors.
Quoted: "If you ever need someone to talk to. Or not talk to. I’d be happy to do either."
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LAURIE (Theodore Laurence)
Played by Peter Lawford in "Little Women" (1949)
Lowdown: Jumps into the March girls’ world with glee because their busy, idealistic home is so much cooler than the cold mansion where he’s growing up. Good at acting sickly and romantic.
Voted: Most likely to have an affair with his sister-in-law.
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NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM
Played by Matthew Lewis in the "Harry Potter" series (2001-present)
Lowdown: Wows Hufflepuff Hannah Abbott with his decency and loyalty. Good at Herbology and finding swords in surprising places.
Voted: Most likely to become a professor at Hogwarts.
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REN McCORMACK
Played by Kevin Bacon in "Footloose" (1984)
Lowdown: Accepts Ariel despite her promiscuous past and total lack of rhythm. Good at dancing in warehouses, reading Kurt Vonnegut, combing the Bible for God’s explicit endorsement of "boppin.’"
Voted: Most likely to be connected to anybody famous.
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ROMEO MONTAGUE
Played by Leonard Whiting in "Romeo and Juliet" (1968)
Lowdown: When he says he’d die for you, he means it. Good at wall-climbing and going without sleep; bad at planning ahead.
Quoted: "Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, /Take him and cut him out in little stars,/ And he will make the face of heaven so fine/ That all the world will be in love with night." — Juliet
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MOONDOGGIE
Played by James Darren in "Gidget" (1959)
Lowdown: Declares "although she’s not king size, her finger is ring-size. Gidget is the one for me." Good at surfing and kissing short girls.
Voted: Most likely to name child Starbunny.
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MURRAY
Played by Donald Faison in "Clueless" (1995)
Lowdown: Reveals to Dionne that underneath his street-smart facade, he is a caring and articulate Baldwin. Boasts good gaydar and hats.
Quoted: "Street slang is an increasingly valid form of expression. Most of the feminine pronouns do have mocking, but not necessarily misogynistic,tiffany money clips, undertones."
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TOMMY ROSS
Played by William Katt in "Carrie" (1976)
Lowdown: Falls for Carrie, despite her mommy issues and taste for blood. Good at wearing crowns and taking pity.
Voted: Most likely to do nothing because, you know, Carrie killed him.
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JAKE RYAN
Played by Michael Schoeffling in "Sixteen Candles" (1984)
Lowdown: Picks overlooked sophomore Samantha Baker over his prom-queen girlfriend. Good at wearing sweater vests,tiffany rings, throwing parties and driving a Porsche.
Quoted: "I want a serious girlfriend. Somebody I can love, that’s gonna love me back. Is that psycho?"
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MATT SARACEN
Played by Zach Gilford in "Friday Night Lights" (2006-present)
Lowdown: Wins over the coach’s daughter with his awkward pauses and sweet smile. Good at taking care of granny, enduring his girlfriend’s many mood swings and winning the big game.
Voted: Most likely to never return to Dillon, Texas.
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EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
Played by Johnny Depp in "Edward Scissorhands" (1990)
Lowdown: Shows Kim that her thuggish jock boyfriend is the town’s real freak show. Good at transforming shrubs into adorable forest animals and shaving ice into snow for Kim’s twirling pleasure.
Voted: Least likely to win a "rock, paper, scissors" competition.
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SIEGFRIED
Played by many big-voiced — or vocally suicidal — tenors over the years in the last two operas of Richard Wagner’s four-opera cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen": "Siegfried" and "Gotterdammerung" (1876)
Lowdown: Emerges as the hero Brunnhilde hungered for. Loves fighting dragons, walking through impenetrable fire, cougars.
Quoted: "I still haven’t learned fear!"
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A.C. SLATER
Played by Mario Lopez in "Saved by the Bell" (1989-93)
Lowdown: Turns feminist Jessie into his "Mama." Good at nicknames, dimples and casual flexing.
Quoted: "You macho pig!" — Jessie Spano; "Oink, oink, baby." — Slater
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JIM STARK
Played by James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955)
Lowdown: Plays house with Judy after killing her boyfriend in a chickie run. (It was the least he could do.) Good at knife fights and astronomy.
Quoted: "You’re tearing me apart!"
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SEAWEED J. STUBBS
Played by Elijah Kelley in "Hairspray" (2007)
Lowdown: Teaches Baltimore that race doesn’t matter to two hearts in love. Good at detention and cutting a rug.
Quoted: "The darker the chocolate, the richer the taste. … Run and tell that."
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BRANDON TEENA
Played by Hilary Swank in "Boys Don’t Cry" (1999)
Lowdown: Proves the best boyfriends are always good friends, but not necessarily boys. Likes masking tape and shoplifting.
Quoted: "I hate your life,tiffany bangles, too."
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JOHN TRUETT
Played by Tom Drake in "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1944)
Lowdown: Complies with all the romantic plans that next-door neighbor Esther Smith cooks up. Good at baseball, turning down the gas lamps and having the right address.
Quoted: "You’ve got a mighty strong grip for a girl."
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STEVE URKEL
Played by Jaleel White in "Family Matters" (1989-1998)
Lowdown: Persuades Laura Winslow to finally say yes to Mr. "Did I Do That?" after countless pratfalls, date rejections and sincerely sweet pickup lines. Good at the Urkel dance.
Voted: Most likely to wear suspenders at his wedding.
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BRANDON WALSH
Played by Jason Priestley in "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990)
Lowdown: Knows how to treat ‘sensitive, seductive, tortured" Kelly Taylor, unlike a certain bad boy. You know who you are, Dylan. Good at upholding Midwestern values and partying at the Peach Pit.
Voted: Most likely to die in a freak blow-drying accident.
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PACEY WITTER
Played by Joshua Jackson in "Dawson’s Creek" (1998-2003)
Lowdown: Is a faithful and supportive boyfriend to Andie McPhee and, later, Joey Potter. Good at wooing English teachers, dating girls with gender-ambiguous first names and dabbling in a variety of careers.
Quoted: "You reminded me of what I’m capable of feeling. It’s like I was walking around seeing my life through a smudged window, and then I saw you and the smudges were gone."
Contributors: Diane Toroian Keaggy, Gabe Hartwig, Jody Mitori, Evan S. Benn, Sarah Bryan Miller, Aisha Sultan and Judith Newmark