Jewelers and designers who pay to play

It’s shameless that some actors and actresses who are earning millions of dollars per picture are pushing the envelope even further and asking fashion designers and jewelers to compensate them for wearing their wares [“Red Carpet Revenue,” Feb. 22]. It was bad enough that they were once getting all of this for free, but to prostitute themselves to the highest bidder reaches an all-time low. I used to defend the entertainment industry to those who said Hollywood was out of touch with the rest of America, but I’ve been proven wrong.

Greg Jenkins

Long Beach

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Is this supposed to be news? Hollywood stars have been either deliberate or “inadvertent” corporate spokespersons for years. Aren’t contracts between clothing designers, manufacturers and celebrities for “prime time on the red carpet” just the logical extension of product placement that is endemic in film today? Or is it a more discreet form of subliminal advertising that was banned years ago?

Greg W. Garrotto

Los Angeles