Mr Asia contest snubs brains and beefcake

Many of us have given up on traditional beauty pageants, which are a bit like meat markets. But ATV is reigniting media interest by relaunching its male pageant, renamed the Mr Asia Contest 2005 - meaning any Asian male aged above 18 can participate. The date is still a secret.

ATV's senior spokesman, Ip Ka-po, told CitySeen Mr Asia was about neither good looks nor wisdom (sounds like double standards). 'The contestants need to be stylish. They don't have to be very handsome. We hope they come from different disciplines,' he said.

ATV has appointed a group of 'consultants' to help the contestants. One consultant, actor-surfer Ken Wong Hop-hi (left), said he would probably nominate some of his surfer friends to take part. 'A strong personality is very important [for contestants],' he said. 'My role is to help discover their hidden talent and ensure they don't get stage fright.'