Off-Kilter: Insulting or Original Voice?

The splendid photograph of the former director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, that ran with Off-Kilter (“In the Words of Robert Zimmerman: Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Write,” Dec. 31) caught my attention. I expected a bit of information of interest, enlightenment or social redeeming value. Instead, the article slaps the reader with the suggestion that Mr. Hoover should be displayed in a magazine centerfold “in a stunning sequined evening gown” as a “playmate of the millennium.” Why?

I consider the article defamatory to the memory of a great American, and I am surprised the editor of the Los Angeles Times let it go to print. Sorry, the effect was not amusing. I think it was in poor taste, insulting to many of your readers and just plain dumb!

--WILLIAM HEATON

Calabasas

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Just a short note to thank you for carrying Off-Kilter. Over the last two years, it has become my favorite feature in the Los Angeles Times, and I always turn to Off-Kilter first on the days it appears. Why? Although there are other news-oriented humor columns in syndication, most (like the well-known “News of the Weird”) tend merely to regurgitate humorous current events. Roy Rivenburg adds an original comic voice and a distinct point of view to his riffs on his oddball discoveries. The title for his column couldn’t be more appropriate.

--TOM OGDEN

Hollywood