Sex Politics

Although I found his article interesting, Richard Natale's revelations are hardly new ("Political Intrigue," Feb. 17). The sex lives of public officials have been entertaining theater-goers for centuries. If you doubt it, then check out a copy of "Oedipus Rex" the next time you're in your local public library or rent a copy of "Hamlet" during your next trip to the video store. Audiences today are no better or worse than their Greek and Elizabethan ancestors. Sophocles and Shakespeare knew what sells, and so do Barry Levinson, Mike Nichols, et al. CINDY MEDIAVILLA Los Angeles I think both Natale and Mike Nichols missed the boat while climbing on the spin wagon.

Corey Stoll dropped by The Times' TV studio to talk about his role as Congressman Peter Russo on Netflix's political drama "House of Cards. " Stoll discussed the reception to the show's all-episodes-at-once distribution (he had a Facebook friend watch all 13 episodes the moment they dropped!) and the challenges and satisfactions of playing a character who shuttles between the gutter and glory at an amazing speed. It's a pretty spoiler-rific chat, so if you haven't finished "House of Cards" yet ( what's taking you so long?

Is it me or are the Democrats the only people who were having sex over the last 30 years? CHARLES SUPPLE Seal Beach

Many years ago, when Sen. Ted Kennedy was challenging President Carter for the Democratic presidential nomination, I quit my job at a national magazine in protest of the owner's refusal to publish an article I had edited about the senator's extramarital activities. At that time, there was a general consensus among Washington journalists that one didn't do that sort of thing. ("That sort of thing" being reporting on politicians' extramarital affairs. Having the affairs was OK.) The article, which was eventually published in another magazine, didn't discuss any actual affairs or name any names.

Talk about timing. Ralph Tropf's "Shadow Hour" at the Stella Adler Theatre revolves around the plight of a U.S. senator accused of sexual assault by a romantically vulnerable female intern. Supposedly first written in 1993, Tropf's take on Washington sexual politics is certainly timely. However, despite crisp staging and some impressive performances, the piece is didactic and generally overwrought, leaving no stereotype unturned in its headlong rush toward hyperbole.

Sex, politics and computer shopping are just some of the topics on tap for the fourth annual Ventura County Regional Conference for Women scheduled for Sept. 9. Ashley Phillips, executive director of WomanCare Clinic in San Diego, will kick off the one-day conference with the talk "Achieving Balance, Contentment and Peace of Mind in the '90s."

Many years ago, when Sen. Ted Kennedy was challenging President Carter for the Democratic presidential nomination, I quit my job at a national magazine in protest of the owner's refusal to publish an article I had edited about the senator's extramarital activities. At that time, there was a general consensus among Washington journalists that one didn't do that sort of thing. ("That sort of thing" being reporting on politicians' extramarital affairs. Having the affairs was OK.) The article, which was eventually published in another magazine, didn't discuss any actual affairs or name any names.

Corey Stoll dropped by The Times' TV studio to talk about his role as Congressman Peter Russo on Netflix's political drama "House of Cards. " Stoll discussed the reception to the show's all-episodes-at-once distribution (he had a Facebook friend watch all 13 episodes the moment they dropped!) and the challenges and satisfactions of playing a character who shuttles between the gutter and glory at an amazing speed. It's a pretty spoiler-rific chat, so if you haven't finished "House of Cards" yet ( what's taking you so long?

I have been under siege for writing that I couldn't think of any good American novels that weren't heavy on sex or politics. Ruth Lerner of Pacific Palisades had asked me to name 10 such books for her son, who is sojourning in China. He had asked her to send him works of American fiction, but none that might be confiscated by the Chinese. Obviously my answer was ironic. I was saying that it is hard to find a contemporary novel that isn't saturated with sex, politics or both.

One movie poster showed a bare-chested woman embraced by a man. Another depicted a crucified figure advertising the Hungarian film "Jesus Christ's Horoscope." A few feet away were 6-foot-high placards trumpeting films from both sides of the Berlin Wall. Sex, religion, politics. It all boiled down to glasnost in Moscow on Friday at the opening of the 16th International Film Festival. "In the past the themes which were featured in our film festivals were dictated by ideological concerns.

The clumsily shot and scripted "Now & Later" is a hollow concoction of sex, politics and endless chatter that's just a few camera angles short of hard-core porn. But, in truth, without its blunt ? and seemingly non-simulated ? array of sex scenes between international banker-on-the-lam Bill (James Wortham) and Angela (Shari Solanis), the free-spirited Nicaraguan nurse he hides out with for a little "Last Tango in Downtown L.A.," writer-director Philippe Diaz's film would be way more of a full-frontal bore.

At Sami Abu Hossein's cramped bookstore, the hundred or so book titles listed on a wall aren't bestsellers. They're banned. And the cheery Abu Hossein can you get you any of them, sometimes in the few minutes it takes to sit down and drink a cup of thick-brewed Turkish coffee. "There are three no-nos," the owner of Al Taliya Books explains with a big smile. "Sex, politics and religion. Unfortunately, that's all anyone ever wants to read about. " He laughs uproariously.

The Eyes of Willie McGee A Tragedy of Race, Sex, and Secrets in the Jim Crow South Alex Heard Harper: 404 pp., $26.99 In Jim Crow's dark closet, countless skeletons lie moldering and forgotten. For every "cold case" prosecution that brings a doddering ex-Klansman to trial, dozens more victims await their journey down the long "arc of justice." Now, another tragedy has come to light through the diligent detective work of author Alex Heard. When Willie McGee was executed in 1951, the civil-rights movement was just starting to stir.

I was trying to think of a person other than Hillary Rodham Clinton whose fainting would be breaking news on three continents. George and Laura, yes. Sen. John McCain, maybe. Jennifer Aniston? Possibly, if her swoon followed the sighting of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie en flagrante. My point is that Hillary is in a class by herself, and not just because she powered through two more speeches that day. Her historic move -- straight from the East Wing to the U.S.

Two guys--congressional staffers--liked to play a little game. When a fresh batch of interns arrived for their stint of photocopying, snaring politicians' signatures for petitions and other clerical tasks, Guy A would send one of the young women to pick up a package at Guy B's office. Only the package would never be quite ready. The young woman would wait, mill around the office and finally be given an envelope to return. The contents? A scorecard rating her looks.

The impeachment of President Bill Clinton may well be as much about the media as it is about politics, lying or misbehavior. The process began when a conservative magazine, the American Spectator, failed to excise a name from a reporter's draft and identified a woman named Paula as having had a sexual liaison with Clinton while he was governor. It ramped up to full bore when the news about Monica S. Lewinsky broke, not in the Washington Post or in Newsweek, but on the Internet's Drudge Report.

Scandal . . . Intrigue . . . Politics . . . Ambition . . . Corrupting power . . . Sex. These are the elements of TV's latest juicy saga. The Iran- contra affair? Jim and Tammy Faye? Gary Hart? No, the forum is "First Among Equals," a nine-part series from England's Granada Television that kicks off at 9 tonight on KCET Channel 28. It's a roaring good time--steamy, sexy and occasionally stupid, but irresistible from start to finish.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.) called Friday for an end to prying into the sex lives of politicians. Hyde, who chairs the committee that called for President Clinton's impeachment on allegations he lied to conceal a sexual affair, said the American public was not well served by exposing the private "sexual misadventures" of lawmakers. He commented a day after House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston (R-La.) admitted to extramarital affairs.

Talk about timing. Ralph Tropf's "Shadow Hour" at the Stella Adler Theatre revolves around the plight of a U.S. senator accused of sexual assault by a romantically vulnerable female intern. Supposedly first written in 1993, Tropf's take on Washington sexual politics is certainly timely. However, despite crisp staging and some impressive performances, the piece is didactic and generally overwrought, leaving no stereotype unturned in its headlong rush toward hyperbole.