Speaking of Oscar

I have no argument with Patrick Goldstein’s assessment of how an actor should make the right moves to get in good graces with the academy (“Following the Club Rules,” Jan. 11).

I do, however, want to set the academy straight. Doing an accent should not warrant an Academy Award nomination. Doing just an accent is called imitation. Go around the globe and you can find millions of folks who sit by their tellies all day long imitating every accent imaginable.

All accents aside, tell me something: What is going on underneath that accent? Is the actor baring his or her soul for all to see? If so, then this is what should warrant an acting nomination. For good acting is not about “acting,” it’s about courageous persons who access 110% of their souls, which in turn, affects ours.

Note to the academy: If you want to see the school of acting I speak of, you need only go as far as Harvey Keitel, and even Kate Winslet, in Jane Campion’s brilliant “Holy Smoke.”

RICK CIPES

Los Angeles

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The points Goldstein made are valid; however, I take exception to the characterization of Barbra Streisand as “out” of the academy’s club for the simple reason that she has been nominated for best actress twice (and won for “Funny Girl”), nominated for best song twice (and won for “Evergreen”) and, if you count her work as producer of “The Prince of Tides,” has also received a nomination for best picture.

I realize that she is unpopular with many in the industry because of some preconceived notion that she is “difficult’, but the academy certainly has recognized her work over the years.

DARREN GLAUDINI

Torrance

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Goldstein neglected to include a very talented actress on his “Members Only” list. Although Kate Winslet only has two nominations, she is not even 25. Receiving that kind of recognition from the academy at such a young age should merit a place among his elite.

SARAH HATFIELD

Sherman Oaks

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It’s not too hard to figure out why the same people get nominated for Oscars: It’s because the same group of people keep getting all the jobs! A quick perusal through the movie ads reminds us of the small pool of actors who appeared in more than one film last year.

It seems time to allow others to make a name for themselves by broadening the playing field.

CINDY MEDIAVILLA

Culver City

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Goldstein errs when he remarks, “Less is not more with Oscar roles.” Often, the less an actress speaks, the more likely she is to win, as with Jane Wyman (“Johnny Belinda”), Patty Duke (“The Miracle Worker”), Marlee Matlin (“Children of a Lesser God”) and Holly Hunter (“The Piano”).

Does one have to be a Freudian to figure out that the Hollywood establishment still believes that women, like children, should be seen and not heard?

GERALD DUGAN

San Diego