Willman

In his retrospective "Traveling Along the MTV Time Line," Chris Willman implies that Joe Jackson needed to help his record sales and "gave in" by making his first video after a nine-year holdout. Actually, it's been only two years since his last video. From his 1989 "Blaze of Glory" album, Jackson released "Nineteen Forever," a parody of aging rock stars who don't know when to quit. Unfortunately, it wasn't in heavy rotation (stepping on too many toes, perhaps?) and was missed, obviously, by Willman.

Justin Willman's Magic Meltdown Where: The Nerdist Theater at Meltdown Comics, 7522 Sunset Blvd., L.A. When: 8 p.m. Tues. Price: $10 at door Info: nerdmeltla.com

In response to the review of Nancy Sinatra's first live concert in two decades at the House of Blues by Chris Willman ("Nancy Sinatra Takes a Game Walk at the House of Blues," Calendar, April 21), I would like to set the record straight. While Willman eagerly points out that "the effect of two decades off was felt" by citing that Sinatra hit a few sour notes early on, he failed to mention that by the midpoint Sinatra was in top vocal form for the remainder of the set. Remarks like "at least she was in no danger of being vocally outshined by her '60s producer-writer Lee Hazlewood, who joined in for six raggedy duets" make me wonder how Willman would review a Bob Dylan concert.

Tom Wilson Sr. Creator of comic strip character Ziggy Tom Wilson Sr., 80, creator of the hard-luck comic strip character Ziggy, died of pneumonia Friday at a Cincinnati hospital, his family said. Wilson was an artist at the American Greetings Corp. card company in Cleveland for more than 35 years and first published Ziggy in a 1969 cartoon collection, "When You're Not Around. " Ziggy was launched in 15 newspapers in 1971 and now appears in more than 500 daily and Sunday newspapers.

In Chris Willman's piece on "White Man's Burden" ("Turnabout of Foul Play," March 19), he explains that it "takes place in an alternate universe nearly identical to ours but for the fact that in this doppelganger America the black culture is the dominant one, socially and economically, and whites are primarily a patronized underclass." Willman says the "nearest parallel in terms of such a major twist might be 'Fatherland,' the novel and TV movie whose post-World War II story took place against the precept that Germany won the war."

In his Feb. 12 review of the television drama "Not of This World," Chris Willman not only took the movie to task but he singled out 10-year-old Luke Edwards and insulted his ears. I can understand Willman not liking the movie and I can appreciate his vitriol directed at the makers of a film he so despises, but I cannot fathom his insensitivity toward a child actor's feelings, someone who dreams of acting and could harm no one. Even if Luke's performance was abominable (which it was not)

I was surprised to read Willman's rather naive views on Madonna's and Prince's careers. As someone who has worked in the recording industry for the last 15 years, I feel that an answer to this rather misguided commentary is warranted. Both of these artists are seasoned veterans who are adept at running very complex entertainment business empires, and note the use of the word business . To try to judge the impact of a single release on their long-term careers misses the mark when you are trying to equate some sort of artistic motive to something that is, in comparative terms to most people's working lives, a "career move."

Regarding "A Periodic Table of Fatal Amusements," Chris Willman's suggested "Summer Splash" itineraries (May 30): In writing, "To wean the tots off that simple-minded brontosaurus (Barney), parents, we suggest a quick trip to 'Jurrasic Park,' " Willman fails to realize that the PG-13 rating serves a valuable function for parents in shielding children from unnecessary trauma: in this case, "intense science fiction terror." This sadly malevolent, impatient and violence-embracing advice serves only to subject children to trauma they are unprepared to handle: Screen violence is real violence to children under 7. While most parents are probably as sick of Barney as Willman appears to be, the television dinosaur's message of peaceful resolution, good cheer and happy coexistence--however mundane to adults--serves many children's developmental capacities well.

Justin Willman's Magic Meltdown Where: The Nerdist Theater at Meltdown Comics, 7522 Sunset Blvd., L.A. When: 8 p.m. Tues. Price: $10 at door Info: nerdmeltla.com

Minor Derryl Willman, a longtime news editor for The Times, has died at a Valencia hospital. He was 64. Willman, a Canyon Country resident since 1976, died Friday of congestive heart failure, said his wife, Martha Willman, a veteran Times reporter. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Hollywood, Willman attended Los Angeles City College, where in 1957 he received his bachelor's degree in journalism.

The Mirage Man: Bruce Ivins, the Anthrax Attacks, and America's Rush to War David Willman Bantam: 449 pp., $27 The anthrax-laced letters that killed five people in the fall of 2001, shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, heightened America's sense of being a nation under siege. The Bush administration used the letters as support for the invasion of Iraq, seizing on dubious evidence that the anthrax in them had been "weaponized" as proof that Saddam Hussein's regime was involved.

David Willman, a veteran reporter in the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times, won a Pulitzer Prize on Monday for his investigation into Food and Drug Administration approval of seven drugs that are suspected of causing the deaths of more than 1,000 patients. Willman's two-year examination of the FDA--highlighted by a 12,000-word package of stories published on Dec.

In response to the review of Nancy Sinatra's first live concert in two decades at the House of Blues by Chris Willman ("Nancy Sinatra Takes a Game Walk at the House of Blues," Calendar, April 21), I would like to set the record straight. While Willman eagerly points out that "the effect of two decades off was felt" by citing that Sinatra hit a few sour notes early on, he failed to mention that by the midpoint Sinatra was in top vocal form for the remainder of the set. Remarks like "at least she was in no danger of being vocally outshined by her '60s producer-writer Lee Hazlewood, who joined in for six raggedy duets" make me wonder how Willman would review a Bob Dylan concert.

In Chris Willman's piece on "White Man's Burden" ("Turnabout of Foul Play," March 19), he explains that it "takes place in an alternate universe nearly identical to ours but for the fact that in this doppelganger America the black culture is the dominant one, socially and economically, and whites are primarily a patronized underclass." Willman says the "nearest parallel in terms of such a major twist might be 'Fatherland,' the novel and TV movie whose post-World War II story took place against the precept that Germany won the war."

Minor Derryl Willman, a longtime news editor for The Times, has died at a Valencia hospital. He was 64. Willman, a Canyon Country resident since 1976, died Friday of congestive heart failure, said his wife, Martha Willman, a veteran Times reporter. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Hollywood, Willman attended Los Angeles City College, where in 1957 he received his bachelor's degree in journalism.

Regarding "A Periodic Table of Fatal Amusements," Chris Willman's suggested "Summer Splash" itineraries (May 30): In writing, "To wean the tots off that simple-minded brontosaurus (Barney), parents, we suggest a quick trip to 'Jurrasic Park,' " Willman fails to realize that the PG-13 rating serves a valuable function for parents in shielding children from unnecessary trauma: in this case, "intense science fiction terror." This sadly malevolent, impatient and violence-embracing advice serves only to subject children to trauma they are unprepared to handle: Screen violence is real violence to children under 7. While most parents are probably as sick of Barney as Willman appears to be, the television dinosaur's message of peaceful resolution, good cheer and happy coexistence--however mundane to adults--serves many children's developmental capacities well.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's family has amassed enormous wealth this decade, pulling in more than $109 million through books, speaking fees and investments, according to tax returns released Friday by the Clinton campaign. The returns show that the family's annual income shot up after her husband left the White House, rising from $358,000 in 2000 to $16 million a year later, when Bill Clinton listed his occupation as "speaking and writing."

Noel Willman, an Irish-born actor and director who staged the Tony Award-winning "A Man for All Seasons," suffered a fatal heart attack in a movie theater, friends said Monday. He was 70 years old. Willman, a native of Londonderry, Ireland, died Saturday on the way to a New York hospital, said a friend, Emanuel Gambino. He was recently diagnosed as having a heart ailment and was stricken while watching an afternoon movie at a theater near his home.

I was surprised to read Willman's rather naive views on Madonna's and Prince's careers. As someone who has worked in the recording industry for the last 15 years, I feel that an answer to this rather misguided commentary is warranted. Both of these artists are seasoned veterans who are adept at running very complex entertainment business empires, and note the use of the word business . To try to judge the impact of a single release on their long-term careers misses the mark when you are trying to equate some sort of artistic motive to something that is, in comparative terms to most people's working lives, a "career move."