Fridae

1. Edison Chen (Hong Kong)
Ever since Next Magazine reported that 24-year-old actor/singer Edison Chen was caught with his pants down (literally), playing with his well-endowed appendage and engaging in cyber sex with a girl, yours truly has been trawling heterosexual Internet chat-rooms in the hope of getting a repeat telecast (purely for the purpose writing this article of course!).

Despite his wooden acting and droning vocals, the Canadian-born Edison has earned a growing reputation as Hong Kong entertainment industry's premier bad boy with his insolent stare, spoilt brat behaviour and scandal rocked love life. And these are essential qualities for a Men Fridae Award winner because as everyone knows, we gay men simply adore them bad boys.

2. Wilber Pan (Taiwan)
The undisputed favourite of chub-chasers everywhere, the 25-year-old Wilber Pan melts hearts with his goofy smile, boyish looks and generous girth. Nicknamed "Pan-Shuai" (or Cutie Pan) by his fans, the American-born Chinese is comfortable with his weight and is reported to have said: "Who says being fat or short is bad? I feel great!" (Applause please!)

A former MTV VJ, the Taiwanese teenybopper has earned himself a following with his brand of R & B and hip-hop music - despite his less-than-fluent Chinese/Cantonese rap. The heartening news for gay men who love Wilber is the "no-girlfriend" clause in his recording contract. The heart-breaking news for gay men who love Wilber would be his confession that he is easily distracted by members of the opposite sex.

3. Greg Uttsada Panichkul (Thailand)
There's just something about slim beautiful boys with brown doe-like eyes and flawless skin that makes the most fey of gay men feel butch (yes, I'm speaking from experience). And when it comes to beautiful boys, no one even comes close to Greg Uttsada Panichkul or VJ Utt to MTV viewers.

Fortunately, the Thai-American man-child is more than just a pretty face. He is an award-winning actor in Thailand and well known for his oral skills (I was referring to his hosting abilities - what were you thinking?). Even after he strips off his shirt to show off an erection deflating sunken chest in a MTV trailer, Utt still gets my vote for television's most beautiful boy (real age of 31 notwithstanding).

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4. Julian Hee (Singapore)
A relatively new face to local television, Julian Hee with his hot bod is already a firm favourite of gay men in Singapore. A former model and Mr. Singapore World 2003, the dimpled one with the killer pecs appeals to gay men who have a weakness for the outdoorsy and sporty type.

Despite having an acting range limited to two facial expressions (i.e. overeager and distressed), the TV heartthrob has managed to capture the hearts of viewers who remain glued to the goggle box just to catch him in decorative but homo-erotic roles which has him playing a policeman (uniform fetish alert!) and a lifeguard (Speedos fetish alert!).

5. Won Bin (Korea)
Rivalling Takeshi Kaneshiro for the best-looker award and Utt for the pretty-boy award would be actor Won Bin. With his expressive puppy eyes and a rebellious streak that sets him apart from the usual batch of pale wimpy Korean actors, the 27-year-old actor possesses the ability to call forth mysterious stains on the undergarments of heterosexual woman and homosexual men just by appearing onscreen.

Whether he's acting as a lovelorn romantic (Autumn Story), a bumbling gangster (Guns and Talks) or a reluctant soldier (Brotherhood), the talented Korean (with the much-mimicked haircut) is evidently quite the thespian. Slated to begin military service late this year, the ever adorable Won Bin will definitely find his fan base expanding to include homosexual military fetishists.

6. Takeshi Kaneshiro (Taiwan/Japan)
Also known by his Mandarin name Aniki Jin, actor Takeshi Kaneshiro sets hearts a-flutter with his combination of manga-perfect good looks, model frame and cheekbones to die for. Famous for his leading roles in crossover art films such as Chungking Express and House of Flying Daggers, this half-Taiwanese, half-Japanese movie star also happens to be the celebrity clothes horse for fashion houses such as Prada and Miu Miu.

More scandalously, when in Cannes for the screening of House of Flying Daggers, our dear Takeshi - who speaks an impressive five languages - apparently checked into the same room with another man, and was also photographed by the paparazzi feeding soup and holding hands with that same lucky fellow (Oh Takeshi! When will it be me?).

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7. Kwon Sang Woo (Korea)
For gay men who pray at the Temple of The Body Beautiful, there is no better object of worship than Korean actor Kwong Sang Woo. In his first movie outing as a kung-fu fighting high-school senior in 2001's Volcano High and in subsequent hits such as My Tutor Friend, the beady-eyed actor had an undeniable testosterone-charged presence that turned many knees to jelly.

Standing at 1.82 metres tall, the athletic Sang Woo stays in shape by engaging in oh-so-manly activities such as basketball, weightlifting, swimming and boxing, and occasionally struts his stuff on the catwalk - most recently for Korean designer Andre Kim as well as Giorgio Armani when the latter held his first ever Asian show in Shanghai.

8. Tian Liang (China)
When Tian Liang made his first splash at the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000 and walked away with the gold medal for the 10 metres platform event, my partner had to pry my claws off his thighs. Unfortunately, the Olympic champion has since been ungraciously ejected from China's diving team for reportedly signing one too many commercial contracts with a Hong Kong-based entertainment company.

Recent woes notwithstanding, Tian Liang remains a popular sport star in China and was once voted one of China's Most Wanted Men by City Weekend. With his baby face and a body sculpted by hours of training in the pool, the 26-year-old Chinese diver sets temperatures soaring - especially when clad in his leave-little-to-the-imagination Speedos.

9. Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan)
There's something about grown men running around in shorts chasing after a ball that appeals to my baser instincts - especially if they possess the magnificent thighs of Japanese soccer god Hidetoshi Nakata. Whenever I catch him playing soccer on TV, I often imagine I could hear his chafing thighs all the way here in Singapore (sigh�).

A national hero who lifted Japan's World Cup hopes in 1998 and 2002 and a player in the Italian Serie A team A. C. Parma, the David Beckham of Japanese soccer with his slit eyes, chiseled looks and ever-changing coloured hair has become the stuff of daydreams for school girls, Japanese housewives and, of course, gay men obsessed with magnificent thighs.

10. Joe L (Singapore)
Where Nakata has magnificent thighs, local model Joe L is simply magnificent! When Joe bared his honey-coloured ass on the cover of women's magazine NuYou, it disappeared off the shelves faster than a speeding bullet and miraculously reappeared on the coffee tables of many a Singaporean gay man.

With a body built for sin, an even body tan sans any tan-lines (I should know, I have gone through the magazine with a magnifying glass) and a shoe size of 10.5 (you know what they say about a man's shoe size), the statuesque model with the trademark Clark Kent specs is all ready to set the fashion world and the loins of gay men all aflame!