To say they were "lackluster" sounds like a bit of sour grapes to me. I don't know what Mr. Jackman has ever done to either of you, but everyone I've spoken with raved about his amazing talent -- both in singing and dancing -- plus his charm at the microphone. He was marvelous, one of the best emcees (except for Billy Crystal, of course), and to write what you did was uncalled for, cruel and simply out of touch with most peoples' tastes.
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Readers respond to Oscar coverage
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What upset me during the show were the totally unnecessary comments by Jack Black and the ridiculous stunt by Ben Stiller. The Academy Awards have a special place in the hearts of moviegoers all over the world, and they are not the place to mock other winners, nor to laugh at foreign names.
Susan Osborn
Arcadia
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The review of the Oscars by McNamara was correct about several things. With the exception of Queen Latifah and Beyonce's performances, the musical numbers were botched.
However, the presentation of the nominees by previous winners gave us a bird's-eye view of why the stars were nominated and gave recognition to all of them before the Oscar was awarded.
We all thought it was brilliant.
Maybe we are a bunch of rubes compared to Mary, but an audience poll might prove that people watching at home liked this presentation forum. Is it OK to critique a critic?
Barbara Siegman
Van Nuys
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It was a treat to see Jackman partner with Anne Hathaway (who knew?) on what was so obviously a wacky number that didn't take the whole awards thing too seriously -- a tone underscored by Tina Fey's and Steve Martin's satiric turn and Ben Stiller's hilarious riff on Joaquin Phoenix.
Melonie Magruder
West Hollywood
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Did you ever go to a movie and you left feeling great, loved the movie, and everybody else who saw it loved it too, only to discover the next day . . . how could you like it? It was a bad movie, because the critics said so.
That's the way I felt when I read Mary McNamara's review. I thought, well, she's the professional, maybe I didn't like it, and if the critics tell you enough times it wasn't any good, maybe you start believing it.
No, wait a minute, I did like it.
And furthermore, you really liked it too, Miss Mary. Yes, you did. And your favorite part was the production numbers.
Nora Barsuk
Glendale
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And on a different note . . .
Dear Mary,
