Manila Bulletin

Carnival of hunks

Dad bods were nowhere to be seen on stage at the Cosmo Carnival 2015 and thankfully so.

- By JON MONTESA

Dad bods were nowhere to be seen on stage at the Cosmo Carnival 2015 and thankfully so.

With the promise of mostly celebrity hunks on parade, the event drew females in droves to the SM Mall of Asia concert grounds over the weekend, traffic and heavy downpour notwithsta­nding. The audience screamed themselves hoarse while ogling the likes of Daniel Matsunaga who led the show with his finely chiseled frame.

The show opened with a sizzling performanc­e by mighty dancer Zeus Collins. Faithful to the bash’s theme, a magician with Sam Ajdani, John Spainhour, and Vince Ferraren conjured in three boxes. All wore just boxer shorts.

Other Filipino and foreign models joined in on the fun, walking the ramp in white trunks.

Kapuso actor Enzo Pineda teased the ladies when he whipped out a pair of scissors and feigned attempt to cut his pants loose. Too bad the pants proved tough and it stayed on.

Benjamin Alves did not resort to gimmicks and simply strutted on stage in suspender pants.

Some ladies weren’t able to hold back their excitement, going on to grope Kapamilya actors Alex Medina and Alex Castro. In an interview with Bulletin Entertainm­ent after the show, Medina said he wasn’t offended at all. “Okay lang ’yun, wala naman sa akin… parang it’s part

of (the show), game game lang naman

kami.”

The show’s highlight was the presentati­on of the nine hearththro­bs who’ve made it on the centerfold­s of Cosmo Men this year, namely Matsunaga, JC de Vera, Elmo Magalona, Derrick Monasterio, Jens Knuttel, Ryan Arana, LA Aguinaldo, Kirst Viray, Amadeo Leandro, and Clint Bondad.

Models Aguinaldo, Bondad and PBA player Knuttle scorched the dance floor with their moves on the dance floor to “Twerk It Like Miley” and “Worth It.”

Despite sporting long hair, daredevil Viray still looked every inch a hottie, thrilling fans when he made as if he was about to unzip his pants. Leandro bettered him by actually exposing part of his butt.

Actor-singer Magalona danced to Chris Brown’s “Take You Down,” going on to seemingly ask audiences for a kiss. Francis Magalona’s 21-year-old son continued the seduction when he took off his shirt to screams.

Teen hunk Monasterio entered the stage with gray shirt on. He eventually removed it as if symbolic of his passage from teenyboppe­r to hunk. Though the youngest among this year’s participan­ts, the 20-year-old Kapuso actor boasted wellformed chest and abs. He teased the ladies by pulling out a lollipop from his underwear and licking it.

Actor de Vera fulfilled fantasies simple enough: He blew everyone a flying kiss.

Defeaning screams were heard when Matsunaga appeared on stage in a black robe which he would later discard to reveal himself wearing just green pants.

Note that Matsunaga, together with girlfriend Erich Gonzales, graced back-toback covers of Cosmopolit­an Philippine­s and Cosmo Men.

He is happy to have participat­ed in the event, sharing, “It’s nice to see ’yung crowd

na always having fun, sobrang masaya.”

Great bod equals great career?

With most of them seemingly enjoying popularity mainly because of their well-built bodies, we asked if they feel being hunky is necessary for male celebritie­s to get a boost in their career.

Castro, a singer and an actor, said, “Actually, hindi naman eh. Kasi kaming mga

artists, kailangan lagi kang presentabl­e. Siguro isa sa magpapakit­ang presentabl­e ka is ’yung maganda ’yung physique mo and ina-admire nila ’yung discipline mo sa work out.” De Vera, however, maintained it’s more about being healthy to keep up with their busy schedule. “’Yung work kasi namin is very tiring talaga. Long hours of work so, kapag hindi rin ako nag-exercise ah, mapapagod ako magtrabaho. Hindi ako makakataga­l for long hours talaga. That’s why part of my routine is running, cycling, and boxing more on cardio talaga. Para

hindi maging sakitin.”

Magalona conceded that many go hunky to gain attention. “It gives them advantage. It gives them a better career so good for them. It’s a plus but definitely not the requiremen­t.” Monasterio added, “Well, kapag gumanda ’yung katawan mo and you start taking off your shirt, iba na ’yung market mo eh. Lumalaki. Kumbaga ’yung market mo kasama na ’yung mga taong nagbabayad. So in short, mas maraming supporters mas maraming fans na nagbabayad. ’Yun, may advantage talaga ’pag naging

hunk ka.”

 ??  ??
 ??  ?? CLOCKWISE FROM top: Elmo Magalona, Derrick Monasterio, JC de Vera, Alex Castro and Enzo Pineda at the Cosmo Carnival 2015 (Photos by Jun Arañas)
CLOCKWISE FROM top: Elmo Magalona, Derrick Monasterio, JC de Vera, Alex Castro and Enzo Pineda at the Cosmo Carnival 2015 (Photos by Jun Arañas)
 ??  ?? DANIEL MATSUNAGA
DANIEL MATSUNAGA

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