May the Best Man Win

Well, darlings, I've been on a research roll lately, ever since I discovered what amounts to a kind of Café synchronicity. There is, it turns out, a hitherto-unsuspected link between two local favorites: both cutielicious Bollyhunk John Abraham and sometime would-be Indonesian politico Adrian Maulana are veterans of the intriguingly named Manhunt International handsomeness pageant!

It turns out this whole thing is a phenomenon on a scale I really would not have predicted.

The prestigious MI event features all of the usual pageant highlights - here we see a lineup of contestants in evening wear; note the butch scarves standing in for the sash more commonly seen in distaff pageants...

...and the swimwear competition is a doubtless much-anticipated aspect of the Manhunt experience.

What has truly blown my mind, though, is the evening's most lavish, colorful, and deeply ridiculous component: the National Costume Parade. Here we see last year's hopefuls in glittering array...

Although, regrettably, some gents don't really seem to be trying all that hard.

And I'm still not quite sure why Mr. Ireland showed up in kilt-and-sporran, unless he's representing a kind of generalized Celtish Boyishness.

Most, however, would satisfy the most demanding fan of the intersection between hotness and insanity, whether in the form of an Incan Phoenix theme...

...Golden Dragon Temple Goddess...

...starring role in a Boylesque version of The King and I...

...or simply full-bore, what-the-hell demented splendour. I think there are fetishes for this kind of costume, but I really wouldn't want to know.

Just so you don't languish in suspense, here we have the reigning Mr. Manhunt International 2008, one Abdelmoumen El Maghraouy, Mr. Morocco, in all his alarmingly depilated glory. Not to be unkind, but I'm not sure those trunks are his best friend on the impressiveness front, if you know what I mean. But I'm sure he has a lovely personality.

I hope you won't mind an occasional MI update from here on out. the 2009 iteration is coming up in June, and I'm sure excitement in the still-to-be-announced host city is building and the competition looks to be fierce.