Angelina Jolie

Los Angeles, Oct. 18 (Reuters): Angelina Jolie, who manages to mesmerise men ? and fight off robot invaders ? with just one eye in her latest movie, has been named the ?sexiest woman alive? in the latest edition of Esquire magazine.

Jolie, featured as the alluring, courageous fighter pilot with an eye patch in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, was the top pick of the magazine?s editors and mostly male readers to grace the cover of Esquire?s annual Women We Love issue.

The 29-year-old Jolie, who also lends her voice and sexy persona to a vampish fish named Lola in the computer-animated undersea adventure Shark Tale, received 7 per cent of all votes cast by readers.

Fellow Oscar winner and Catwoman star Halle Berry ran a close second with 6 per cent. Newlywed pop princess Britney Spears made the cut this year at number three.

In an Esquire interview, Jolie acknowledged her image as being ?kind of wild or bad or weird or crazy.?

?If you knew me privately, you might think I was even wilder than my reputation. But I?m also much softer. I?m a soft woman. Softer than people think.?

She also reveals that she recently bought an airplane and is taking flying lessons, a hobby she embraced because she and her 3-year-old adopted son share a fascination with planes.

?I have to concentrate on my son,? she said.?That's why I have lovers right now and not a boyfriend. I don't want my son to start calling somebody Daddy unless that person's gonna stay.?

Jolie's marriage to actor Billy Bob Thornton ended in divorce in May 2003. She will next be seen as Alexander the Great's mom in Oliver Stone's upcoming epic?Alexander.?

Rounding out the field of leading contenders for sexiest woman in the magazine's November issue, which hits newsstands this week, were TV/pop personality Jessica Simpson, sultry R&B singer Beyonce, Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron and former?Friends? star Jennifer Aniston.

Esquire is published by The Hearst Corp.