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Top (L-R): Fr. Rocky of the Tuloy Foundation, Andrew Wolff, Marvin Kiefer, Slick Rick, Daniel Matsunaga, Phil Younghusband, James Younghusband, Anton Del Rosario, Armand Del Rosario, Patrick Deyto. Bottom (L-R): Rick Olivares, Steven Silva, Paolo Bediones, Mikko Mabanag, Yannick Tuason, Tony Toni, John Imperial (CLEAR Brand Manager).

On August 25 at the University of Makati, two teams composed of Philippine Azkals, United Football League (UFL) players, athletes from other sports, university players and celebrities will participate in the first-ever CLEAR Dream Match for the benefit of Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation. The two teams will be captained by national football players James and Phil Younghusband, and their members are up to you.

Go to facebook.com/CLEAR to see the pool of 50 players who are available for the Dream Match. Vote for your favorite players. The players who get the most votes will be drafted into the two teams.

THEN if you’d like to play sports correspondent, post your selection in Comments below.

We’re looking for two correspondents to cover the match for us. If you are selected, you will receive a ticket to the Dream Match and an access pass so you can talk to and photograph your favorite players. (Obviously this gig is not for the shy, retiring type.)

So select your team and tell us about it. Our two correspondents will be announced the week before the CLEAR Dream Match. Go.

Bonus mystery question: James or Phil?

Gary Oldman and Tim Roth in the film of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

Yesterday the Web reminded us that it was Tom Stoppard’s 75th birthday and recounted bits from his best-known plays.

Noel pointed out that Stoppard has written our manifesto.

We wrote an ironic geek rom-com with Mike Alcazaren. It hasn’t been green-lit or cast yet, or funded, but these are the actors Mike can see in the roles. (He designed the poster; we have nothing to do with the color pink. We tried recently but it didn’t take.) Let’s just say it involves comics and Kawaii Idol. It would’ve covered tennis too but we agreed that that might be too crowded.

Mat is white and black.

Our column this week on InterAksyon.com is about the optical shop and skin whitening product ads that have been decried as racist.

2.3. The ad repeats false notions about social mobility and upper class attitudes, but these are notions that the general Filipino public clings to. This is what they imagine being upper class/rich is like.

2.3.1. In effect the ad is highlighting—haha—a truth that no one dares point out. The truth is: Everyone’s a social climber.

2.3.2. People social-climb in their own way. Some people clamor to get into society magazines. Some people get into debt to buy a Birkin. And some people use skin-whitening products.

2.3.3. Maybe this isn’t about race. Maybe this is about class. If there’s a subject more incendiary than race, it’s class.

Why would you want to be white? on InterAksyon.com. Thanks to Noel, Ricky and Mike for the talking points.

The David Lynch version:

via Dangerous Minds

The Herb Ritts version:

Noel Orosa reviews Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men series. Noel has been an X-Men fan since primary school. His first comic book: Ms Marvel.

I just finished Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men. I kept laughing at the witty dialogue. Then I cried at the end :-(

Beast: This is very thoughtful of you, Emma.
Emma: Well, good Lord, why should we endure all that centrifugal nonsense? (Oo nga naman!)
(To Cyclops who’s holding the sugar) Two lumps, dear.
BWAHAHAHAHA!

Astonishing X-Men: Gifted, collecting Astonishing X-Men #1-6 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, Php779.00

Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous, collecting Astonishing X-Men #7-12 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, Php705.00

Astonishing X-Men: Torn, collecting Astonishing X-Men #13-18 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, Php779.00

Astonishing X-Men: Unstoppable, collecting Astonishing X-Men #19-24 and Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, Php1039.00

Astonishing X-Men graphic novels are available at National Bookstores.

* * * * *

We read Ultimate X-Men recently. Our first comic book: Hot Stuff the little devil.

In this extremely entertaining series, Professor Xavier’s mutants battle the Ultimates—the rebooted Avengers, who work for the US government. Ferocious action, black humor and lots of drama, from Cyclops’s never-ending relationship turmoil (You never do get over the one who keeps dying on you) to Magneto’s family issues. That’s what happens when you give your kids operatic names like Wanda and Pietro.

Madeline Miller’s rapturously-reviewed novel The Song for Achilles has just landed at our neighborhood bookstore. It’s a prose retelling of The Iliad. Sounds very Mary Renault but Jomari says it is more modern, with touches of magical realism. Of course it covers one of the most gossiped-about topics in history: the true relationship of Achilles and Patroclus. (Oo, sila nga.)

Note the similarity between Magneto’s helmet and the Greek helmet.

Could someone do a film of the Iliad, please? Troy didn’t really work.

Ultimate X-Men: Ultimate Collection, collecting Ultimate War #1-4 and Ultimate X-Men 26-33, written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Chris Bachalo, Ben and Ray Lai, David Finch and Adam Kubert, Php1409.00 at NBS.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Php725.00 at NBS.