Royal Treatment

Jerry Hulse's article on Raiatea (May 21) was delightful, as was his piece on Bora Bora. We have just returned from our seventh visit to the islands. I'm sorry to disagree with his observation of the Relais Mahana. I'm certain that because of his position and the fact that he was with travel agent Ted Cook, he no doubt had royal treatment. I do not want royal treatment, but the charming French family was anything but. They were rude, unhelpful and discourteous. The rooms were small and had an extremely obnoxious odor--we could not use the pillows (because)

I have been to Silky Oaks ("From the Reef to the Rain Forest of Queensland," Jan. 19). My travel agent told us the same things that Robert Ragaini wrote about in his article. We never had a chance to talk to the Hunts during our four-day visit because they were too busy entertaining travel agents. One evening when we went to dinner we were told that we couldn't eat until after a special show that was being staged for a group of travel agents. While we waited they led us to a corner so far away we could not enjoy the show.

Tuesday's Google+ Hangout featured a discussion of MMA with Times boxing/MMA writer Lance Pugmire, focusing on this weekend's pay-per-view match between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit for the UFC welterweight title. The big question, who will win the fight? According to Pugmire, St-Pierre. You will have to watch the video to see why! Plus, who would win a grudge match between TJ Simers and Bill Plaschke? St-Pierre is coming off a 19-month layoff after surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee.

The age-old question "What is art?" is again considered in the colorful and spirited documentary "Beautiful Losers," an absorbing look at how a circle of dispossessed young artists from the 1990s eventually found its way to mainstream success. The film, directed by Aaron Rose, whose influential Alleged Gallery in Lower Manhattan began as a grungy party spot-exhibition space for such do-it-yourselfers as Ed Templeton, Geoff McFetridge and Shepard Fairey, immerses the viewer in a world of anything-goes creativity and eccentric self-expression.

"The King's Speech" is poised to be crowned with several Oscars on Sunday, Hollywood's biggest night of the year. But the small, independent movie, which has been both a critical and commercial hit with more than $200 million in worldwide ticket sales, hardly received the royal treatment when it was filmed in Britain. Starring Oscar nominees Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, the picture tells the story of King George VI's triumph over a debilitating stutter.

Rock guitar king Jimi Hendrix is the focal point of a new exhibition in London including unreleased music and unseen footage of his performances. The show, which opens next month at the Marquee Club, is based on a collection of memorabilia put together by an American fan and features thousands of items worth nearly $30 million. The collection was built up by Bob Terry, a fan from Hendrix's home city, Seattle, who started on a tiny scale at age 17 and then sold it to another collector.

While far smaller than its network cousins, cable TV's Lifetime channel, which says it offers "provocative information and entertainment programming of special interest to today's woman," will report on Wednesday's royal wedding in a big way. With a commentary troupe that includes Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the sex-advice sage, Lifetime plans 13 1/2 hours of live and taped programming, starting with live coverage of the wedding and accompanying festivities from 1:30 to 5:30 a.m. PDT Wednesday.