But thanks to TiVo, cable TV and the Internet, folks who attend our party can watch Sen. Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention at some other time.

Meanwhile, you can still cast a vote for your favorite bachelor or bachelorette. Our online poll (www.philly.com) shuts down at 5 p.m. today. The male and female with the highest vote totals will be announced tonight. After a VIP reception, the doors of G will open to the public at 10 p.m.

In the interest of not ruining what's surely going to be a good time, I apologize again to everyone - Sexy Singles, other Daily News readers and friends and relatives of the singles - who were irritated by the voting irregularities early on in the contest. It was a pain, I know. At this point, though, our technical folks have assured me that they've done everything they can to ensure that voting is as fair as possible.

In the end, though, the poll was just for fun - not for determining who's the best or whatever. All the folks who managed to make it into this annual feature are standouts, selected from a field of about 500 applicants. The real prize in all this is the public recognition and the chance to make some new connections, as well as the bragging rights that come with being named one of Philly's sexiest singles.

As of late yesterday, the folks in the lead are Gail Kasper, a 43-year-old motivational speaker/TV personality, and Michael Belh, a 31-year-old high-school teacher.

This year's prizes include a year's supply of Glaceau Vitamin Water, the feature's official sponsor. Top vote getters also get a free night at Caesars Atlantic City, Match.com memberships, gift certificates to local restaurants and Meet Market Adventures, and free spa services compliments of Bernard's Salon & Spa of Cherry Hill, the official makeup artists and hair stylists for this year's Sexy Singles. The female winner gets lingerie compliments of Wifeville.com and Myla, as well as jewelry from Carolee.

So, please, no more hand-wringing over who got the highest vote totals, OK? Also, anyone who wants to be considered for next year's roundup should send his or her photos to the Daily News, care of Sexy Singles. They also can e-mail me their pictures directly and I'll hold onto them until next year.

My thanks to all who mailed in applications or who went to the happy hours we sponsored at local clubs around town. We met a lot of really cool people, which made it extremely difficult to whittle the list down to just 30 finalists.

Don't feel dissed if you think we overlooked you. Just send us your photo again next year and we'll consider you again. This was our sixth year having the Sexy Singles contest and, from the way things look now, this local rite of summer isn't about to end. Because as long as there are hot, steamy summers, there'll always be someone looking to make that next connection. *