Marisa Miller heads Maxim's Hot 100 list

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - American supermodel Marisa Miller has knocked actress Lindsay Lohan from the top of men magazine Maxim's list of the 100 hottest women in the world, the magazine said on Wednesday.

It was the first time that Miller, 29, a Victoria's Secret model, appeared on the annual list and comes after she also graced the cover of the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

"(Miller) embodies the official return of the all-American supermodel. Not since Cindy Crawford ruled the catwalk has a pinup born and bred on U.S. soil so thoroughly captured the imagination of the American male," noted Maxim editorial director James Kaminsky.

Lohan, who topped last year's list of the Hot 100 "Ultimate List of the World's Most Beautiful Women," fell to a somewhat lukewarm No. 9.

"After a tumultuous year involving a car wreck and rehab, La Lohan had Hollywood wondering if she was worth the trouble," said Kaminsky.

Miller was followed by actress Scarlett Johansson, a "dangerously curvy bombshell" who, according to Maxim, also possesses "the acting chops to back up her mind-melting hotness."

And while Jessica Biel may have starred on the U.S. family-friendly television drama "7th Heaven" as a preacher's daughter, the actress is starring at No. 3 on the Hot 100.

Britney Spears just cracked the Top 20 in the ninth annual list, squeaking in at No.19 after a year that included stints in rehab and a notorious head-shaving incident.

The rest of the list includes the usual suspects - Beyonce, Charlize Theron, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Heidi Klum, and some new faces, including 22-year-old Ashley Tisdale from the hit tween movie series "High School Musical."