Ian Somerhalder

It was hotter than usual in Miami over the weekend, but Florida's balmy weather was not responsible for this change in temperature.

At least not for the few hours on Saturday that Vampire Diaries stars Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley signed autographs for fans at a mall in the area.

As part of a Hot Topic-sponsored tour that also took them to Chicago and Dallas, the studly fake vampires answered questions, posed for pictures and made it clear which team they are playing for...

Click on the photos above, try to control your drool and decide: Who would you rather...

The Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder recently spoke to TV Fanatic about the ongoing recovery efforts in his native Louisiana and, of course, his hit CW series.

On where things stand in the Gulf: "It’s coming along. Everyone’s been so helpful. I think BP’s going to make it right. I know that the nurseries that we thought had been destroyed haven’t been destroyed, the marshes weren’t destroyed, which is great."

"With a lot of help from man, I think Mother Nature [will] bounce back. There’s going to be a lot of side effects. It’s too early to know. What we’re seeing right now, we have no idea what’s lurking under the surface or what’s going to happen next year."

On how people can get involved: "I am putting together a foundation that’s going to work in conjunction with a bunch of other foundations that will be very, very focused on going into that region, and helping. A great deal."

"The National Wildlife Federation, the RDC, are involved in what’s going on. Right now, there needs to be a solid go-to place in order to help, and that’s what I’m literally working on as we speak. I’m not even kidding. Keep up and support these people."

Follow the link for the full Ian Somerhalder interview ...

Ian Somerhalder is one sexy beast. Correction:

Ian Somerhalder is THE Sexy Beast.

In the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, the magazine asks readers to sound off on various Hollywood creatures. When over 1.5 million votes were tallied - between actors/actresses that have played vampires, werewolves and other supernatural beings - Somerhalder beat out Robert Pattinson by just 4,000 votes.

Naturally, this begs the question: did EW readers get it right? Do THG readers agree with their assessment? Is The Vampire Diaries star really the sexiest pretend beast in all the land?

Cast your vote now:

Our latest Teen Choice Awards style showdown may be a bloodbath.

Arm-in-arm with co-star Nina Dobrev, The Vampire Diaries' Ian Somerhalder (left) and Paul Wesley are a couple of choice TV hunks if we've ever seen them.

Not just 'cause vampires are all the rage, either. They're handsome.

The Vampire Diaries spoilers for the CW show's second season focus on Tyler and werewolf mythology, and how Elena's blood-sucking doppelganger Katherine will impact her relationship with Stefan (and possibly Damon).

But what we're focused on here is much simpler: Which hunk was better dressed at last night's awards show? Tell us by voting in our survey below!

Which Vampire Diaries hunk is your favorite? [Photo: Splash News Online]

The better-dressed vampire actor is ...

On The Vampire Diaries, Ian Somerhalder play Damon Salvatore, an often-scary blood sucker.

But in real life, the actor isn't frightened by garlic or stakes to the heart - he's simply taken aback by the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf.

A native of Louisiana, Somerhalder was front and center at the CNN telethon that raised $1.8 million this week. He's also devoted the last few weeks to doing all he can to call attention to this region and this catastrophe.

"You know when something bad happens in your life, or something goes wrong - that weird kind of really uneasy feeling you have in the pit of your stomach? I've had that for two months," he told Zap2It, adding:

"Basically, the entire area is shut down. Everyone from the waitress who serves you breakfast to the guy who owns the charter boat to the shrimpers - they all literally rely on the ocean to keep their industry going... Think about how frightening it is when you suddenly, though no fault of your own, can't feed your children or pay your mortgage."

Somerhalder is especially outraged over how and why this accident took place.

"All of this happened due to human error - the error is cutting corners, saving money at the expense of safety measures, and a nonexistent regulatory commission," he said. "The [U.S. Minerals Management Service] gets royalties from the oil industry. How is that any kind of regulatory body?"

It's a question the admistration most definitely has to answer, as many believe this is the time to enact a serious climate change bill and convince America that government can - nay, must! - play an important role in the free market.

Concluded Ian, who we greatly admire for putting himself out there in this manner:

"It's time to change, and I think this disaster is the game changer. It feels like this is one of those catastrophic events that truly changes the way that we think."

Though he enjoyed a steady gig on Lost during the show's initial, hugely popular first season, Ian Somerhalder didn't land any magazine features until the fall of 2009.

That's when The Vampire Diaries premiered on The CW and Somerhalder found himself the subject of cat calls and screams typically reserved for Taylor Lautner or Robert Pattinson.

"The decibel level at which a 13-year-old can explain how much she loves you - it's the coolest thing ever," the actor says in the latest issue of GQ.

Why all the excitement over this 32-year old actor? The photos below tell you all you need to know:

It was written off as a Twilight Saga clone at first, but The Vampire Diaries has made a solid impression on viewers.

This is a truly intriguing drama on The CW, anchored by a gorgeous cast. It's led by Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley.

The threesome posed for a series of photos with Nylon magazine this week, with each answering a question about the surprising hit:

Dobrev, on similarities with other vampire franchises: "When the show first started... you automatically thought Twilight.  But once you continue, there's a whole other side of it that goes a lot deeper... It's about letting everyone know that we're different but we all respect each other."

Wesley, on gratitude for Twilight: "Do I thing the show would be successful as it is, if it weren’t for all that? No.”

Somerhalder, on initial reaction to Damon Salvatore: “[My character] is gonna be the coolest character on television. There was no doubt about it. It reminded me of Sawyer, Josh Holloway’s character on Lost. He was always the character I secretly wished I could play.”

On television, Ian Somerhalder is over 160 years old.

But in real life, The Vampire Diaries actor turns 31 today.

Somerhalder rose to fame as the character of Boone on Lost. But he was killed off after 29 episodes on that ABC hit, only to end up in the role of a lifetime: as Damon Salvatore on the new CW smash, Ian mixes intensity with sarcasm as well as any actor on television.

He's like a younger version of Michael C. Hall's Dexter Morgan.

As we honor him with the following montage, forget Robert Pattinson for a moment and wish this pretend blood sucker the happiest of birthdays right now...

Also celebrating a birthday today? Somerhalder's former Lost co-star, Dominic Monaghan. Now a FlashForward cast member, he turns 33.

He isn't exactly making people forget about Robert Pattinson just yet.

But Ian Somerhalder continues to receive rave reviews for his role as Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries.

One part evil, one part sarcastic and all parts hot, Somerhalder's work on The CW hit is a major reason it's been picked up for an entire season.

In an interview with August Man, the actor says Damon is his ideal role. The former model also talks about his transition from modeling to acting, which has clearly gone well.

But don't get Ian wrong: he still knows how to strike a pose. These photos from the magazine are evidence of that:

We gotta hand it to The Vampire Diaries.

Accused of being a rip-off of the Twilight Saga, even though the aforementioned book series came out prior to Stephanie Meyer's novels, The CW hit winked at the controversy this week.

During an exchange with another character, Damon Salvatore - played brilliantly by Ian Somerhalder - puts down the book he's been reading and says:

What's so special about this Bella girl? Edward's so whipped!

We almost spit out our Strawberry Kimi Gatorade at the line. Damon then says the book "has it all wrong," regarding how humans are turned into vampires. It was a funny, unexpected moment; one we hope Twilight fans have a sense of humor about.

Considering the rave reviews Somerhalder has been receiving, it might be more apt to now ask again: Who makes the hotter pretend vampire?