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Photo of Audrey Hepburn as Natasha in War and Peace, directed by King Vidor, from imdb. Only watch the movie if you want to see Audrey. From imdb: “Audrey Hepburn’s salary of $350,000 for the film was the highest salary an actress had ever received to date. When notified of her record salary Hepburn modestly told her agent, “I’m not worth it. It’s impossible. Please don’t tell anyone.” One of the reasons we love Audrey Hepburn.

Two weeks to go in our War and Peace reading project and the end is in sight. The two-month schedule suited us–we were able to read Tolstoy at a leisurely pace while observing our daily routines, meeting deadlines, and noshing on other books.

When you finish reading W&P, post a short essay in Comments below. Tell us what you really enjoyed about the Tolstoy, and what sections if any almost made you quit. (The looong sections about religion reminded me of the loooong sections about agriculture in Anna Karenina–I took to walking while reading, which looked funny but was the only way to keep my mind awake.) At the end of the W&P project we’re giving away books (including The Last Station by Jay Parini, a novel about Leo Tolstoy’s last days) to some of the readers who signed up for this reading group.

The Weekly LitWit Challenge is brought to you by our friends at National Bookstore.

Henry Fonda as Pierre (?!!) Audrey Hepburn as Natasha, and Mel Ferrer as Andrei (?!!). Fonda is all wrong for Pierre. Pierre is fat and ungainly, it’s part of his Pierre-ness. And Mel Ferrer–yikes.

At a restaurant I happened to glance at the current issue (March 27, 2011) of Expat newspaper. The headline was about the influx of Japanese visitors to the Philippines after the recent earthquake.

“The increasing Japanese presence in the Philippines may not be immediately visible to the Filipinos considering the similarity in features between the Japanese and the South Koreans.”

I don’t think the Japanese would like that.

I don’t think the Koreans would like that.

And I don’t do political correctness, but that lede sounds like “They all look the same to us.”

The article also referred to the Japanese visitors as “refugees”. They REALLY will not like that.

Read Kurosawa on Earthquakes in the New York Times.

BenCab from Perinspire on Vimeo.

Brooklyn-based filmmakers Esy Casey and Sarah Friedland took a tour of BenCab’s museum of tribal and contemporary art in Baguio. Have a look.

This is the poem that Colin Farrell read at Elizabeth Taylor’s funeral service: The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Listen to this recording of the poem read at amazing speed by Ms Taylor’s ex-husband twice over, Richard Burton.

The Azkals rejoice at last year’s Suzuki Cup. AFP photo from fifa.com. Is Neil the Black Swan or the White Swan?

Philippines, Welcome to Earth, my column today in InterAksyon.com.

Philippines vs Bangladesh in Myanmar today, cross fingers and toes.

* * * * *

1745. Goal! Araneta scores in the 41st minute of the 1st half.

Philippines 1, Bangladesh 0

1815. Guirado with a header in the 54th minute!

Philippines 2, Bangladesh 0

1843. Guirado again in the 79th minute!

Philippines 3, Bangladesh 0

Game over! Azkals top are second in their group and through to the next stage.

Dramatic finish: So Pinoy.

Remember the fearsome New Zealand All Blacks Skills video we posted last month? Here’s another one to refresh your memory.

Now here’s a parody by Gaz Holgate of the Philippine Volcanoes and his teammates from Rugby Badia in Italy. It’s hysterical!

It has a certain Tito, Vic & Joey-ness to it, no? If TVJ were Filipino, Argentinian and Italian.

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