WHAT started as a battle of the biceps has turned into the battle of the bulges between stars of Broadway’s “A Chorus Line.”
Last month, Mario Lopez and co-star Nick Adams clashed when Lopez refused to wear his character Zach’s trademark costume of a long-sleeve tan sweater. As first reported by The Post’s Michael Riedel, Lopez wanted to show off his biceps, so he wore a short-sleeve brown shirt in order to display his “guns.”
Lopez also requested that Adams, who plays assistant choreographer Larry, cover up his navy-blue tank top with a baggy hoodie whenever he danced next to Lopez. When Adams does wear just the tank top, it’s in the show’s opening dance number, where he’s banished to the back of the line and can barely be seen by the audience.
Now the rivalry between the hunks has been pumped up with word that the men’s-underwear company 2(x)ist has decided it wants Adams front and center in a shirtless ad and that it passed over Lopez.
“Mario was originally No. 1 on our radar as we planned the campaign,” said an insider. “We were ready to call him with an offer, but then we saw Nick. He’s younger, sexy, more interesting. On top of that, his body was crazy. We set up a meeting, and when he walked in, that was it. We never even looked at anyone else after that.”
Jason Scarlatti, 2(x)ist’s creative director, gave final approval. He told us, “Nick’s very masculine, sexy, modern. It’s totally all about his body. Mario is a good-looking guy, but Nick had it. He’s up and coming, the new face of sexy. He’s original. He’s hot.”
The ad campaign was shot in one day at Via Della Pace restaurant in the East Village. The series of shots shows Adams in an unbuttoned tuxedo shirt, a bow tie and underwear. It will appear in Out’s August issue first and then in other magazines.
Lopez’s rep did not return calls.
(source)
