Ryan Gosling attends a gala screening of Drive at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10 (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

Canadian actor Ryan Gosling has been anointed "coolest person of the year" by Time magazine columnist Joel Stein. It's a tongue-in-cheek honour meant to counteract the somewhat boring (or "dorky," as Stein says) choices the magazine made for person of the year.

Gosling, who hails from London, Ont., landed in the spotlight for his amazingly varied film work this year: early on for the relationship drama Blue Valentine, continuing with the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love and through the fall with the action-filled Drive and political thriller The Ides of March.

Stein also gives Gosling the nod for his smooth public persona. He overlooks the actor's humble Canadian origins and the fact that he was a Mouseketeer alongside Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. Instead, he praises Gosling as "tough but emotional. A movie star who broke up a fight on the streets of Manhattan and was also caught walking down a Manhattan street playing a Strumstick, which is like a ukulele only ukulelier. An Oscar nominee who also smokes, tags graffiti and has a predilection for posing with a fist to the camera but makes dioramas and takes public ballet classes alongside little girls too."

There is even a reference to his "classic Marlon Brando way" of projecting coolness. Gosling, Stein reveals, refused to talk to Time about the distinguished new title. No matter. The actor has other honours coming his way, after scoring a pair of Golden Globe best actor nominations (for Ides of March and Crazy, Stupid, Love) on Thursday.