Calendar letters: Aiming for the stars — in overdrive
Actor Vin Diesel claims, “I’m the one that dreams up all these stories,” regarding the numerous tales told in the “Fast and Furious” franchise [“Vin Diesel Wants to Get Even Bigger,” April 13]. I have little doubt this statement would induce many an eye roll among the bevy of screenwriters who stared at the blank screen for endless hours, carving together the actual stories from which the series star has so generously benefited.
William P. Bekkala
West Hollywood
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Diesel’s thinking he’s Oscar bait is the best laugh this morning. In tough political times, laughs are so valuable.
Alex Downs
Long Beach
Scottish-English? That’s a bogey
Subtitles would make “Tommy’s Honour” [“True Masters On and Off the Course,” April 14] a very passable and enjoyable film. Without them, it’s one long Scottish-English mumble.
Ronald Gurney
Walnut, Calif.
Yes, one nation under a groove
Regarding “More Than Ever, Coachella Is an Escape, but for Some It’s Too Much” [April 16]: Just because sound issues hit the Radiohead stage at Coachella doesn’t mean the Trump effect should be called into play. Can’t we just have a day or two without evoking our ill-forsaken president’s name? Coachella is, and hopefully always will be, a weekend(s) of music and friends. Yes, politics has a place in the music industry (thank you, Bob Dylan and the Dixie Chicks), but this past weekend, I for one was glad not to hear the president’s name raised by any artists, especially Lady Gaga. In my book, the larger festival size brought out a larger diversity of attendees, proving we are still a nation, if not just for these two weekends, of a multitude of people who can and do get along.
Conrad Corral
Cathedral City
Headline’s gone to the dogs too
I love your paper. I read it front to back, every day. It’s one of only a few things keeping me sane these days. So it is with deep respect and appreciation that I beg you to think a bit harder before putting a headline like “Beverly Hills Happily Goes to the Dogs” above an article about a dog show in Beverly Hills [April 16]. You can do better.
Monte Montgomery
Los Angeles
The sum of this equation
I’m afraid The Times and Lawrence Weschler have done a disservice to the community trying to decide whether to trust scientists [“Crashing the Scientists’ Club,” April 16]. It’s interesting to have an author and a sound editor, both accomplished but unable to solve the general relativity equations that govern the planets’ motion, argue that they should be listened to, and perhaps awarded a Nobel, by those who can. Arguing that professional scientists are a recent phenomenon is equally fallacious. Yes, Einstein worked at the patent office, but he had a PhD in physics. Newton did many things; the Royal Society published his “Principia” in 1714. They published Darwin too. It would have been a good idea to enroll the science editor in your review before misleading your public.
Dan Stern
Manhattan Beach
Diverse spin on U.S. history
Regarding “Calendar Feedback: The Role of Racial Responsibility” [April 16]: I saw “Hamilton” in New York, one of the most popular and successful theater productions in many years. I have not heard one comment about George Washington being played by a black actor or Alexander Hamilton by a Latino actor; if my memory is correct, they were both white.
Ruth Miller
Los Angeles
A bit of love from Big Apple
What a wonderful article about Lee Grant [“Never Known as a Shy and Retiring Type,” April 5]. A true survivor and a pioneer. Thank you so much for this spotlight on a woman who most assuredly deserves it. I am a recent subscriber to The Times, and I have been enjoying the entertainment section and the editorials. Thanks again for good writing and good work.
Kathy Fauntleroy
New York City
Taking men out of this tango
Regarding “On TV, Moving Past Taboos” [April 2]: As usual, not mentioned are the male “collaborators” in the acts that resulted in unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. It would be illuminating to know what percentage of men, especially anti-abortion advocates, would be willing to refrain from sex in order not to create a fetus that might be aborted. How far would their commitment go if they “paid the price”
Deborah W. Elliott
Pacific Palisades
