The Readers Spoke Loudly . . . : Isn’t AIDS a Costa Mesa Issue?

In response to Zan Dubin’s article “Costa Mesa Refuses to Issue Proclamation” (Nov. 30), I find it hard to believe that cost alone was the determining factor behind Mayor Sandra L. Genis’ decision not to officially proclaim Dec. 1 as A Day Without Art.

The mayor states in the article that “she supports proclamations only for individuals or groups based in Costa Mesa or involved in projects that directly benefit the city and its residents.” Are we to understand that there are no HIV-positive or AIDS-infected residents in the fair city of Costa Mesa? Are we to believe that if, through an outpouring of financial and moral support, a cure for AIDS is discovered, it would have no “direct benefit to the city of Costa Mesa and its residents”?

Just in case this terrible scourge is with us at this time next year, I will be sending Ms. Genis a $5 bill in support of next year’s Day Without Art. That way, she will not need to worry whether a proclamation would be “a good use of taxpayers’ money.” With an estimated 1 million Americans already infected with HIV, AIDS research and HIV-infected individuals need all the help we can give.

LUCILLE A. HARRISON, Corona del Mar

Center’s Policy ‘Elitist’

The Times’ editorial of Feb. 14 (“Let Arts Center Be Impresario, Not Czar”) gave me further reason to write about an experience with the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

I am a native Southern Californian who recently returned to this area in retirement and immediately joined the Laguna Hills Philharmonic Committee, which entails a contribution to OCPAC.

Now, I am appalled at the center and its designated ticket outlet for refusing to sell any but the higher-priced tickets over the telephone.

Not only was I unable to purchase $20 tickets for “The Marriage of Figaro” over the telephone, despite a plethora of reputable credit cards, but I was forced to drive from Leisure World to the center to buy tickets.

In more than 40 years as both a volunteer and professional employee in the performing-arts field, I have applauded efforts to make the arts less elitist as basic to their survival.

I have been able to charge tickets of any price via telephone at Lyric Opera in Chicago and Portland Opera in Oregon. Why this price discrimination in Orange County?

And now OCPAC refuses to permit the performance of anything other than classical music? My, aren’t we elitist!

I wonder what kind of fund raising will have to be undertaken to keep the center afloat!

JOAN FOSTER NUGENT, Laguna Hills

Rap-Show Brawls Rapped

This is an open letter to all the rap fans who feel that a good brawl is the perfect topper to a rap concert. I’m not speaking as a rap fan, but as a veteran of more than 100 rock concerts, dating back almost 20 years. I have attended everything from concerts by Los Lobos to Bob Marley to X, and not once have I had a chair hurled at me.

Granted, at a few of those X concerts, there were objects airborne. But those were bodies, and they were only involved in that unique pagan ritual known as slam dancing. No one was seriously injured, and not once were the riot police called in.

If rap fans wish to have venues such as the Forum and the Sports Arena continue to allow rap shows to be held there, some serious attitude changes will have to be made by those few “rotten apples” who insist on spoiling the fun for everyone else.

JOHN McELLIGOTT JR., Fullerton

Not Scared by ‘Jurassic Park’

I’m 12 years old and have just been to see “Jurassic Park,” and both my 7-year-old brother, Jesse, and I agree it is not as scary as the newspapers, like yours, and the news shows say. So please stop making such a big deal about it. Let people judge for themselves.

CAITLIN KURVINK, Huntington Beach

Butting Heads Over TV Cartoon

Beavis and Butt-head are not meant to be role models. They are not meant to educate the youth of America. What they are meant to do is be funny, and at that they succeed. They’re the two losers we all had in our ninth-grade biology class who did nothing but sit in the back of the class and screw around with the Bunsen burners.

I am willing to admit that the show is for adolescents and adults and that I do not think small children should watch. I also agree with taking the show out of its 7 p.m. time slot, but for parents who say that they have no control over what their kids watch and that the show should be taken off the air, here’s an idea: Turn the TV off. Or get rid of the TV and give your kids a book. But I’m not your kid, so stop telling me what to watch.

LUKE MANNIX, Capistrano Beach

Blame Security, Not Bands

The stabbing that occurred Sept. 5 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre may have been the second of its type reported over the last two years, but it is not as uncommon as city officials claim.

I witnessed a fight three years ago at Irvine Meadows during and after a concert by those hard-core thrash metal head-bangers Crosby, Stills & Nash. It began during intermission in the lawn section, erupted again halfway through the second half, then resumed afterward in the parking lot, with one person pulling out a knife.

No more than 10 people were actively involved; the other 9,990 of us were on our best behavior. It is a disgrace not only that the weapon was allowed in the venue, but also that the perpetrators were not thrown out immediately.

To blame (the recent) violence on Anthrax is a blatant show of irresponsibility by (former Irvine) Mayor (Sally Anne) Sheridan and the amphitheater management. Instead of trying to figure out which groups to ban, perhaps security could be improved so that we can enjoy our rock concerts in peace.

GINNY CHAN, Westminster

Fans Are Angry Like the Wolf

In regard to Mike Boehm’s review of Duran Duran (“Duran Duran: No Mas, No Mas,” Aug. 20):

It seems as if every single music review that your paper prints is bad. If a concert comes up and you don’t like the group that’s playing, don’t go. Find somebody else who can enjoy it.

The groups that are getting the bad reviews are extremely talented and don’t deserve to be badgered because of your lack of interest. In my eyes, that arena was packed with people who thought Duran Duran was worth paying money for and worth screaming and cheering for.

SERENE WEBB, Villa Park

I was angered that the L.A. Times would send a close-minded blockhead to the Irvine Meadows.

NICOLE SANDER, Anaheim

Kathleen Battle’s Recital

Martin Bernheimer wasn’t the only one Battle-fatigued by the performance of (Kathleen Battle,) the dazzling diva, Our Lady of the Endless Encore (“An Exquisite--Perhaps Too Exquisite--Recital,” May 17). I, too, became increasingly annoyed at the flailing arms, the sappy musicality and the mock humility (and did we have to clap after every song?). The encores in particular grew cloying, and, by the sixth, yes, the sixth one, I wished I was packing an overripe tomato.

I’ll grant that she does have a beautiful, unforced voice; I would just rather hear her use it to serve the music than to serve herself.

ANNETTE NIBLEY, Laguna Beach

Did Reviewer See Same Show as Fans?

I disagree with your review on Paul McCartney’s concert at Anaheim Stadium (“Still Believing in Yesterday,” April 19).

You said Paul should have redone a song the way Eric Clapton did. First, Paul isn’t Eric Clapton, and second, the Beatles’ songs are impeccable the way they were written. The fans cherish the old songs, and you don’t change something that’s already perfect. Also, you said that most of the audience probably had been around at the time of the Beatles. Walking into the concert, I pointed out to my group that the parking lot was relatively full of teen-agers. I think it’s great that the “older” fans were there, but you should have noted the younger ones, too.

Paul’s concert was fantastic, everything a Beatles fan and a McCartney fan could expect. After an incredible concert, how could you end your article with a negative? Why not let it be?

JENNIFER PRESCOTT, Irvine

Don’t Water Down Stern

A thank you to Claudia Puig for her article on Howard Stern and KLSX’s editing practices (“Stern Editing Elicits a New Kind of Shock,” March 17). There seem to be two camps regarding Howard: Either you love him or you don’t. Watering him down makes neither happy.

We have listened to Howard Stern since his first day in New York on WNBC radio in 1982. Since our move to Southern California, we have continued to listen because we had missed him terribly and we wanted to hear all of the shows.

People who are offended by Howard’s show are not going to be less offended because some segments are omitted. They’ll just have less material to be offended by.

And to Howard: Although we know that there must be a viable reason that you are keeping quiet about this, we are really disappointed that you are allowing this to happen. We feel cheated by KLSX and hope that this is a temporary situation. We have a lot of respect for you, Howard, and we’ll always be loyal. Please don’t let them do this to you--or to us.

SHELLY and HOWARD KAPLAN, Rancho Santa Margarita

Theater Education Support

As a sophomore at El Dorado High School, I have been thoroughly enriched through drama activities in the past two years. I can hardly begin to express my belief that theater education is a very necessary part of the high-school experience.

My self-image has improved due to the constant positive reinforcement I receive from others. I have a greater understanding of myself through explorations of the characters I portray and the emotions and characteristics I am composed of. I have learned to accept criticism with grace and gratitude.

I have seen obvious improvements in my basic memorization, public speaking, improvisation, creative thinking, writing and listening skills. In addition, I’ve met new people, earned money, won awards, gained exposure for a possible future career and gained many irreplaceable memories.

I ask you, the public, to please support high-school theater and encourage the valuable benefits it can have.

JULIE D. REMALA, Placentia

One Article Worth Saving, Other’s Not

Thanks for including Times TV critic Howard Rosenberg’s review of the Grammy telecast (“It Was a Grand Night for Singing Michael’s Praises,” Feb. 25) next to Times staff writer Randy Lewis’ piece on Michael Jackson’s speech (“Winless Jackson Scores in Speech”). It clearly demonstrated what an “old poop” Howard is.

Sometimes it’s only these juxtapositions between an “old poop” and a fresh, new mind that allows us readers to see the full picture. Lewis’ story is on my bulletin board for savoring. Rosenberg’s is in the outhouse, replacing the discontinued Sears catalogue.

JAN KNOWLTON, Anaheim

A Critical Opinion

Re Martin Bernheimer’s consistently ridiculing and invective reviews of practically every opera that Opera Pacific has presented (specifically “A Troubled ‘Il Trovatore’ at Arts Center,” Jan. 11):

As for the sets on which he is consistently carping, where does he think Opera Pacific is going to get the funds to commission and build new sets for a limited season? In a time of recession, the expenditure of a million or more dollars to do the same would be unthinkable.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Bernheimer review unless he managed to slip in some snide remarks on the supertitles. The supertitles have opened up the willingness of countless of thousands of people who would be frightened away by the language barrier and never see an opera.

Give us a break! We need to encourage the outreach of the arts, not trash them.

CLARENCE AND CELIA TURNER, Newport Beach

Martin Bernheimer responds: “I didn’t complain that they borrowed the sets for ‘Il Trovatore,’ only that they borrowed bad ones. And I didn’t complain (this time) that they used supertitles, only that the staging contradicted the supertitles. As for encouraging the arts, pretending that bad is good helps no one, and it isn’t the critic’s job to act as a cheerleader.”

The Public Should See Real Murder

In response to Howard Rosenberg’s column “A View to a Kill: How Low Can TV Go?” (Jan. 22), criticizing the TV news shows that aired the videotape of the man shooting his ex-wife to death while at the grave site of their teen-age daughter in Florida:

Rosenberg describes the tape as “deadly,” “ugly,” “gruesome” and ‘horrible” but “valueless as news.” He is vehement that it should not have been shown.

I disagree. I’ve been a deputy district attorney for the county of Los Angeles for 25 years and am no stranger to killing and murder. What this tape displays is horrible and grotesque, but that is exactly why it should be shown on TV. The public should know how horrible real murder is--that it can happen in a heartbeat, that it is often perpetrated in the most cowardly and callous fashion, and that the victims are often women.

We have got to face and understand the reality of murder in order to deal with it as jurors, judges, legislators and citizens. Airing this tape was the right thing to do.

RICHARD J. CHRYSTIE, Orange

A ‘Half Empty’ Approach

I question Cathy Curtis’ propensity to view the world “half empty” as she flailed the Bowers Museum’s exhibits “Peru Before the Inca” and ‘Colors of the Dawn/Invisible People: Arts of the Amazon” (“South American Cultures From the Wrong Angle,” Oct. 19).

Given the enormity of discouraging cultural events in our daily lives, how appropriate and profitable a “half full” perspective might have been, as there was value to be appreciated.

In her quest for substance, Curtis could have taken herself as well as her readers to the Bowers’ third exhibit, “Memories, Milestones and Miracles,” a multimedia expose on breast cancer, a “cultural reality.” Breast cancer strikes one in nine women, be they mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, friends or lovers.

This statistic belies Curtis’ diagnosis that the Bowers Museum suffers from an “allergy to ethnography and anthropology.”

PATRICIA DI SAIA, Santa Ana