L.A. WeeklySend letters to the editor to: L.A. Weekly, P.O. Box 4315, L.A., CA 90078. Or fax us at (323) 465-3220. Or e-mail us at letters@laweekly.com. Letters, which must be typewritten and include a daytime telephone number for verification, may be edited for purposes of space or clarity.
SAG STRUCK
DEAR EDITOR:
In his article about the continuing strike by SAG actors against advertisers [“Turn the Channel,” October 6–12], John Seeley neglected to mention the true victims of the strike. By choosing to focus its strike on disrupting working sets, SAG has effectively driven commercial production out of Los Angeles. This has had an adverse effect on all local crew members, and on most of the auxiliary companies, such as equipment vendors and editing facilities. SAG actors, in their shortsighted attempt to gain more money for their already well-paid work, have permanently damaged our local economy. In the future, producers will seriously consider Canada before deciding to shoot here in Hollywood. Those of us who earn our livings full-time and year-round in commercials have been sabotaged by a militant group of greedy part-time temps.
As you stated, the majority of SAG commercial actors earned less than $5,000 annually under the expired contract. This is an issue of an overwhelming supply of actors (more than 100,000 in SAG alone) and a relatively small demand for their services. It’s unlikely, under the best of circumstances and with the highest wages, that any commercial actor will earn a living acting. There is far too much competition within the union, and from outside the union. Simply put, they have already priced themselves above their market, and advertisers have responded accordingly. This should be a warning sign to other unions in the industry to think about the global market before demanding a pay raise. Employees must compete for jobs, just as employers compete for their services. Still, the advertisers made a generous offer, which was refused. That is why there is no public support for the actors. They don’t deserve it.
—Thad Parks
Venice
SLAP HAPPY
DEAR EDITOR:
Re: “Hillary Bashing, Horowitz Style” [OffBeat, October 6–12]. A Drew Carey rerun ridicules a man getting an arrow through his genitals. A Spin City commercial shows Heather Locklear repeatedly slapping Michael J. Fox. Good clean fun. But when the SlapHillary.com Web site pokes fun at Hillary, Johnny Angel cries misogyny without missing a beat. What chivalry. I think I’ll build a SlapBill.com Web site and see if the L.A. Weekly cries misandry.
—Marc-Etienne Angelucci
Los Angeles
STRIKEBREAKERS ANONYMOUS
DEAR EDITOR:
Thank you for Harold Meyerson’s article on the MTA strike, the MTA board’s indifference to the plight of those left without transportation, and the attempts to misinform the public as to the lifestyles of the MTA drivers [“Experiencing Mechanical Decency,” October 6–12]. I do have one complaint, however: I wish Meyerson had named the supervisors he quoted so that we could have started working to get them out of office. No one with such a cavalier attitude toward the citizens of this city should hold office. I only wish Riordan could run again so we could vote him out of office.
—Daniel McVey
Los Angeles
“BEST” LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
DEAR EDITOR:
Re: “Into the Heart of Hipness” [Best of L.A. issue, September 22–28]. Merrill Markoe includes Silver Lake among the hip L.A. areas (and who wouldn’t?), yet the places she mentions as being our bastions of hipness are in Los Feliz. Of course, Los Feliz is hip, but if you’re gonna write about Silver Lake, then write about Silver Lake. She included the Good Luck Bar and Vida, neither one in Silver Lake, while leaving out the real places one should go if one wants to feel “not underground enough . . . not pierced or tattooed enough, or original enough in your choice of clothing,” like Millie’s, or the Fold at the Silverlake Lounge. And then there is the big deal Ms. Markoe made of the fact that the Good Luck Bar doesn’t have much of a sign. Duh! Good Luck happens to have a huge, bright, blinking, lit-up sign just above the door. Not sure what kind of crack she was smokin’ when she visited, but it must’ve been strong. Anyhow, next time try to get the Eastside neighborhoods and the facts about them straight, as us Silverlakians get very touchy about our little town.
—Lauren Lepucki
Silver Lake
DEAR EDITOR:
Re: “Best Doughnuts.” First of all, Tang’s doughnuts suck. Krispy Kreme is more hype than happiness. (Yes, a good glazed doughnut, but that’s it.) Yum Yum? Please! As true doughnut connoisseurs, we would love to tell you about some truly divine doughnut establishments around the city, but we won’t, because it will mean less great doughnuts just for the two of us.
—The Psychocats
Silver Lake
DEAR EDITOR:
“A Waving-Type Motion,” in your Best of L.A. issue, was spot-on, â funny and a bit too close to home. Thank you, Andy Kindler, for the Long Island perspective.
—Jim Bianco
Los Angeles
DEAR EDITOR:
Just a technical note: In your Best of L.A. article “Broken News: L.A.’s Finest,” Tom Frykman writes that Hal Fishman works for KCAL-TV Channel 9. This is incorrect. Hal Fishman is a news anchor at KTLA-TV Channel 5 and has held that position since 1975. A simple technicality, but noteworthy nonetheless.
—C. Anthony Galloway, NBC News
Los Angeles
14.5 MINUTES REMAINING
DEAR EDITOR:
I don’t know “Falling James,” but he certainly made my day yesterday when I picked up the Weekly and saw that great write-up on RF7, in Scoring the Clubs [Calendar section, September 29–October 5]. It is amazing to me, the number of people who actually know what we’ve been doing all these years. Thank you very much. I feel like I’ve just gotten another 15 seconds of fame, as my phone has been ringing off the hook.
—Felix Alanis, RF7
Simi Valley
UNHIP-HYPE
DEAR EDITOR:
I’ve been reading your paper for longer than I know, and I am always disappointed when it comes to the hip-hop reviews, specifically by Oliver Wang. It is clear that he does not know what hip-hop, or even rap, is. It seems like his editor makes him do the reviews against his own will. How about you get someone doing the reviews who has listened to it for more than 3.5 years? If you want particular examples, e-mail me and I’ll go off for days.
—Seth Siegel
Los Angeles
CRIES AND MISNOMERS
DEAR EDITOR:
Re: Deborah Klugman’s review of the Stella Adler Theater’s production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest [New Theater Reviews, September 29–October 5]. As actors, we spend weeks if not months creating a stage role, and to have your character favorably mentioned in a review can be a tremendous career boost. However, in this case, Ms. Klugman made a positive comment clearly about one specific character, but gave that character the wrong name (substituting “Cheswick” for “Harding”). This reflects a sad lack of care and attention for someone whose supposed profession this is.
—Geoffrey Donne
Studio City
CORRECTION
In “Power Play” by Sara Catania [cover story, October 6–12], the name of Peter Mortiz burke of the Oakland-based Cambridge Research Associates was misspelled. We regret the error.
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