Letters to Calendar: ‘Hamilton’ leads the way

‘Hamilton’ leads the way

Thank you for Charles McNulty’s column about “Hamilton” [“Show Could Teach Oscar a Lesson,” Jan. 28] and what it says about diversity. In a sea of articles about the Oscars recently, your piece is the best-written, most well-rounded and intelligent commentary I’ve read about the issue in recent weeks. I can’t wait to see “Hamilton.”

Karen Painter-Wyffels

Sierra Madre

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Bravo to Broadway for its nods to diversity in such productions as “Fun Home” and “Hamilton.” Now we need to think of another sobriquet for the Great White Way. Perhaps the Great Fair Way would be more appropriate.

Ben Miles

Huntington Beach

But what about award standards?

Regarding “A Wider Race: With Diversity, the Academy May Welcome the ‘Furious 7s’ to the Starting Line” [Jan . 31]. The Oscars are losing the little exclusivity they once possessed, but now with the impending diversity it will degenerate to voting for a potpourri of superficial and juvenile filmmaking as they aim for the lowest common denominator. Apropos, we must complain to the Royal Swedish Academy for bestowing their Nobel prizes exclusively to intellectuals. After all, they’re not the majority. The Swedish Academy must diversify and award their prestigious prizes to the unqualified plebeians. And that day will come, be warned.

Giuseppe Mirelli

Los Angeles

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I was expecting an article like Jeffrey Fleishman’s after the kerfuffle over the diversity problem at the Oscars: Liberal agitprop condoning the soft bigotry of diminished standards for minorities in terms of nominations. To posit that “Fast and Furious 7” is Oscar-worthy is absurd given its terrible acting, its silly plot, etc. If anything, it should win for special effects and stunts, which were pretty mind-boggling. I’m all for more nominations for people of color, but please, may it be for work that lives up to a standard of excellence.

Stan Evans

Valley Village

‘Failure’ claims are uninformed

Although it was an interesting review [“Malcolm X, in Ali’s Corner,” Jan. 31] of the book “Blood Brothers,” reviewer Robert Anasi’s comment about the supposed “failure” of the civil rights movement is absurd. We still have a long way to go pertaining to fairness and equality in this country, but Anasi needs to study the exhaustive history of African Americans in the United States before making such a silly and uninformed statement.

Rodney K. Boswell

Thousand Oaks

More classical music coverage

If The Times reports what is going on in Los Angeles to the rest of the world, that world must believe that all we do is go to movies and watch TV. But many thousands of us — each week — joyously attend classical music events. Some of the best musicians and composers in the world make their living here. By reading The Times, who would know? The rare reviews published in the paper by your distinguished critic Mark Swed, occasionally supplemented by Richard S. Ginell and Rick Schultz, are illuminating and worth the read.

Heidi Lesemann

Los Angeles

Favorite comic strip is MIA

Where is the comic “Stone Soup”? You seem to have replaced it with something vapid, without so much as a “by your leave.” You have made a mistake in cutting it. Please give us back “Stone Soup.”

Amanda Frost

Santa Barbara

Kudos from C.Y. Lee fans

Thank you so much for an excellent article on C.Y. Lee. [“‘Flower Drum Song’ Author C.Y. Lee Turns to the San Gabriel Valley,” Jan. 31] It was incredible to trace Lee’s journey over 99 years.

Clyde Derrick

Claremont

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Your lovely article about C.Y. Lee got my attention. Very nicely done, informative and fascinating.

Bob Koster

Camarillo

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Great article on C.Y. Lee. About two years ago, I responded to a Los Angeles Times survey on the type of articles I would like to see. My response was “more articles about the Asian population.” Good to know someone was listening.

Lynne Choy Uyeda

Seal Beach