Hollywood and the Home Front

Re “CBS Sitcom Plot Rises From Trade Center Ruins” (Oct. 12): The title of the article should instead read “Carrion Network Strips Terrorists’ Victims of Dignity.”

It was only a matter of time (apparently, 30 days) before the most terrifying, galvanizing moment in our recent history would be reduced to sitcom fodder, as though the nation would enjoy, indeed require, the network’s simplistic rendering of this event in order to properly comprehend it. In reality, the viewers, the victims’ families (as well as the victims themselves) and the actual event are being leached of real significance, merely and predictably exploited for financial gain.

JACK WEBER

Los Angeles

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Having just read Elizabeth Jensen’s article, “CBS Sitcom Plot Rises From Trade Center Ruins,” I’m finding myself wondering if the world has now, finally, gone completely off the deep end. How CBS’ president, Leslie Moonves, manages to even construct a sentence that includes the words “sitcom” and “terrorist attacks” at a time like this is beyond me.

I’m afraid Mr. Moonves is on his own with this one. I’ve just picked CBS’ button out of my remote control with a ballpoint pen.

ANN PICKARD

South Pasadena

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Re your interview with Moby (Oct. 13) and several other celebrity interviews you’ve run since Sept. 11: I do hope you are going to stop asking actors and directors and musicians and sitcom writers where they were when they heard about the attacks, how the attacks affected them personally and how the attacks will affect their work in the future.

I know you probably don’t mean to, but using the events of Sept. 11 as the framework for a celebrity to prattle on about himself or herself seriously trivializes a monumental and sacred human and national tragedy in a way that is extremely self-serving and distasteful, not to mention horribly disrespectful to the victims and their families.

Please stop it. Now.

RAY MORTON

Glendale

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It was fascinating to read the soul-searching being done by Hollywood writers in the wake of Sept. 11 (“Attacks Prompt Writers to Choose Words Carefully,” Oct. 15).

Most seemed to get it: Audiences will not want to see America, the military or the intelligence agencies being used as villains. Not only will audiences rebel against such messages, but they should rebel. We have an enemy who has vowed to destroy us and made a good start at it with murder and terror directed against our countrymen. Dramatizing America’s flaws at this time would be too comforting to this enemy.

Instead, audiences would no doubt flock to films emphasizing our renowned courage, resilience and resourcefulness in the face of danger. Let’s face it. If we’re going to win this battle against terrorists who are willing to incinerate themselves and thousands of innocent people to make a political point, we’re going to have to give up--at least temporarily--bashing all the handy “bad guys” of recent years.

Though some writers may not yet be able to fathom it, we are going to need our intelligence services and the military-industrial complex. GM, IBM, Microsoft, Dupont, et al, will be as necessary as Henry Kaiser’s assembly lines were in World War II. May I recommend that Hollywood writers review “Mrs. Miniver,” “Guadalcanal Diary,” “The Clock,” “So Proudly We Hail!” and “Battleground” to see how movies were made to touch, inspire, motivate and encourage in wartime.

Even farces like “The Great Dictator” and “Buck Privates” had a place, serving to relieve tension with humor.

MARILYN DUFF

Fullerton

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Now I’ve seen it all. Robert Levin, MGM’s head of distribution, is blaming the less than stellar opening of MGM’s “Bandits” on fears of terrorism (“‘Training Day’ Keeps Top Spot From Being Stolen by ‘Bandits,”’ Oct. 15).

How dare he use that as an excuse for the failure of this turkey? Anthrax scares involving the U.S. postal system did not keep myself, my wife or a couple of hundred other people from enjoying “Training Day” on Friday night. Poor marketing--same (non)jokes in every TV spot; not knowing if it was a comedy or drama; pretentious U2 song that must have cost a bundle; smirky poster--are some of the many reasons that kept us, and probably many more, from “Bandits.”

Instead of pointing the finger at frightened Americans, how about looking down the hall to the marketing department in your own studio?

DWAYNE PATTERSON

Santa Monica

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Reader Gino V. Farrara wrote, “Celebrities make millions while others make pennies to defend our freedom” (Saturday letters to the editor about the Emmy Awards, Oct. 13).

Indeed, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the underpaid men and women of the military who protect our many freedoms: the freedom to pursue any occupation, be it soldier, fireman or actor on a television show; the freedom to excel at that job, and be recognized by our peers; the freedom, in this democratic, free-enterprise system, to make as much money for our families as we can; and the freedom to turn the channel if some program, like an awards show, offends our sensibilities--to name but a few.

I wonder which “freedom” Mr. Farrara was referring to, other than the freedom to write letters to the editor complaining about the “shallow and insignificant” lives of celebrities.

ERIC McCORMACK

Actor, “Will & Grace” Los Angeles