Genius

The New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater has been the most significant not-for-profit theater group in this country since it was founded by Joe Papp more than 50 years ago. During his lifetime (he died in 1991), Papp made theater in America both accessible and essential. From the late '60s to the mid-'80s, he produced landmark plays such as "Hair," "A Chorus Line," "That Championship Season," "The Normal Heart" and "Short Eyes," plays that transcended their moment in time.

THANKS for the update on Tom Petty ["Happily Not Retired," Dec. 31]. As a longtime fan I also appreciate his durability. While I was not a fan of "The Last DJ," I will run out and get the latest one. Thanks for the reminder. Remember: It's "American Girl" that actress Brooke Smith is tapping to in the car in "Silence of the Lambs." I've often done that myself. I look forward to the documentary on the band. There was one on them a few years back that closes with Petty doing an impromptu version of a song called "I'm So Stupid" or something like that.

Regarding "All That Snazz," Feb. 11: I find it ironic and more than a little hypocritical that the people shouting at the top of their lungs that greenhouse gases are killing the Earth are the same ones who are buying oversize refrigerators and ranges. Those appliances, requiring more electricity and natural gas than regular residential ones, are installed in huge houses far from employment centers. It doesn't take a genius to see why so many important social issues come down to real estate utilization.

"WITHOUT the composer, the performer would not exist," Alfred Brendel noted, and "no performer should be called a genius -- certainly not that faker Hatto or even Horowitz." ["Absurdities of the Keyboard," March 11] Brendel dared to express his less-than-total enthusiasm for the most legendary of pianists. Is it not the highest goal of a piano player to make audiences fall in love with the music? Outstanding pianists of the past were proud to be "crowd pleasers." Audience members were touched, moved to tears and brought to ecstasy.

I never thought that I would see "Ozzie and Harriet" given such a fair and insightful treatment in the L.A. Times ["Ozzie, Bland? Look Deeper," May 2]. Isn't Robert Lloyd ultra-hip and super-sophisticated? No cultural Marxist agenda? No deconstructionist analysis? Ozzie Nelson had a certain kind of genius and Lloyd captured it wonderfully. Thanks! ROGER MCGRATH \o7Thousand Oaks \f7

Re the fate of James Ellroy's works when translated to film: There's a simple reason for the failures as well as the successes. Ellroy is a genius, and the track record for literary brilliance in Hollywood, whatever the genre, is rocky. Even a homegrown genius can find the going to be uphill. Thanks for the article and its insights. Carol Gwenn Hollywood

Robert Downey Jr. will strap on his metal suit to join the superhero team effort "The Avengers" in addition to "Iron Man 2," Marvel Studios says. Downey is reprising his role as billionaire genius Tony Stark from last summer's blockbuster "Iron Man," with the sequel due out May 7, 2010, and "The Avengers," scheduled for July 15, 2011. -- Associated Press

Lee Daniels' movie "Precious": An article in Thursday's Calendar about Lee Daniels' new drama misquoted the director when speaking of Billy Hopkins, his casting director for "Precious." He said, "Billy Hopkins, he's a genius, genius" -- not Barry Hopkins.

MacArthur 'genius' grants: An article in Tuesday's Section A on the awarding of the MacArthur "genius" grants said recipient Edwidge Danticat is 49. The novelist is 40.

Fox Broadcasting announced Wednesday that it has ordered "Our Little Genius," a prime-time game show where children 6 to 12 years old will be tested in their areas of expertise with the chance to win their family hundreds of thousands of dollars. In a show combining elements of such game shows as "Quiz Kids," "The $64,000 Question" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," children will be asked increasingly difficult questions. A premiere date was not announced. "Our Little Genius" will be produced by Mark Burnett, whose credits include "Survivor," "The Apprentice" and "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"