Other views of Oscar ceremony

INSTEAD of heaping praise on Adrien Brody for his so-called moving war-related speech, the media and Brody’s colleagues should be condemning him for his uninvited lip-lock on Halle Berry. Brody won an Oscar; he did not win Berry. Unlike Oscar statuettes, women are not objects to be put to whatever use Brody desires in his revelry.

Though the role he played in “The Pianist” may have sensitized Brody to the ravages of some wars, it did not teach him anything about the war on women. To paraphrase another Oscar war-related speech, shame on you, Adrien Brody. Shame on you.

Wilda L. White

Oakland

*

AT a time when we are witnessing acts of incredible bravery by young Americans fighting evil in the Iraqi desert, we are privileged to have been witness to a far different act of grit and valor in, of all places, the Kodak Theatre. The hero: none other than Kirk Douglas.

When he made his way painfully across the stage to join son Michael as an Oscar presenter, he was courage personified. When, striving against the ravages of a debilitating stroke that has affected his speech, he managed to caution Michael to “speak distinctly,” that was effort above and beyond any call to duty. Though perhaps emotionally draining for stroke victims and their families to watch, it was proof beyond dispute that recovery is possible -- perhaps not in the sense of being wholly restorative, but certainly in a measure many victims now believe beyond their grasp.

Wes Pedersen

Washington, D.C.

*

BEST sound editing Oscar-winner Michael Hopkins is my hero. As a person who has stuttered most of my life, I was excited to see Hopkins say what he wanted to say despite a noticeable stutter. He is an example to every child and adult who stutters that they don’t have to let their stutter stop them from accomplishing great things.

Ira Zimmerman

San Juan Capistrano

*

I have always liked Steve Martin’s work; however, his remark about Jennifer Lopez’s past marriages was completely off the wall. It was nasty. The fact that so many of the male stars, Martin included, seem to trade in girlfriends annually for a new model makes the remark even more obscene.

Rodolfo F. Acuna

Northridge

*

KENNETH Turan’s politics appear to have colored his critical judgment. His suggestion that Oscar nods for “The Pianist” were actually a reflection of academy members’ antiwar sentiments seems a bit of a stretch. The fact is that without Allied military victory, Wladyslaw Szpilman eventually would have become one of the Six Million, his music unheard, his story untold. Understanding this, maybe academy voters were actually voicing their support for the war effort in Iraq. Or more likely, perhaps they just liked the movie.

Kirk Saduski

Santa Monica

*

ROMAN Polanski raped a 13-year-old girl. A plea bargain to a lesser charge of “sex with a minor” was agreed upon before Polanski became a fugitive in France. Note to child rapists everywhere: Add celebrity status and wealth to the direction of a film about the Holocaust and you will be more than forgiven.

Tina Guster

Sherman Oaks