BALANCING ACT

As a contemporary, educated, card-carrying Latino (don’t go there!), I enjoyed last Sunday’s Calendar with its articles on John Sayles’ “Hombres Armados (Men With Guns)” and the San Diego-Baja California Latino Film Festival.

First, however, I wanted to read about . . . “Frasier”! Kelsey Grammer is correct. We are hungry for television writing to “play up” to us (“All in Their Family,” by Bruce Newman). By “us” I mean people who watch TV, not just Latins.

Peri Gilpin is also correct. Frasier and Niles are exactly the kind of people we like to make fun of. Part of the show’s appeal is that although Frasier drives a BMW, wears expensive suits, has a great job and a high-rise condo, he does about as well with women as I do!

Though Seattle does have a sizable Latino population (my brother, his wife and children live there, and that’s 25 Mexicans right there!), as a Chicano actor I am not upset that “Frasier” does not feature Latin characters. For Latinos to suddenly hang out with the Cranes would smack of tokenism. “Frasier” must always adhere to the golden rule of sitcoms: Be funny!

I love the Calendar section with its reports on Latin music, theater and film. I also enjoy articles on mainstream entertainment. To borrow a statement from Alex Nogales, chairman of the National Hispanic Media Coalition: “As long as there’s balance, there’s no problem.”

PERRY D’MARCO

Los Angeles

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It’s ironic that “Frasier” isn’t “afraid to play provocatively with questions of sexual identity,” yet shrinks so completely from issues of cultural identity.

Why shouldn’t these character have the occasional person of color as a friend?

With all the bucks these writers and producers are making, you’d think they’d want, in their own way, to contribute something to solving the racial problems we face in this country.

MARCIA LEWIS

Woodland Hills