Mail

Love it or hate it, readers had strong opinions about our A.I. cover (#604, July 13). ''Spielberg should be ashamed for not being more productive with his time, such as working on Indiana Jones IV,'' writes Pierre Meunier of Kitchener, Ontario. A few took Spielberg's defense. Jennifer Job of Chapel Hill, N.C., poses a question that she ties to both A.I. and our ''Jackass Nation'' feature: ''Why is Hollywood willing to go too far with gore, but not far enough with creativity?'' Somewhere in the middle was Kimberley Garcia of Downingtown, Pa., who expressed interest in the story behind the Kubrick/Spielberg collaboration, but not at the expense of a Jack Lemmon cover: ''The passing of a legend should've taken precedence over the latest summer film.''

Ai-I-I-I

See, this is why you guys shouldn't take a vacation. Thanks to a terrible script and CGI sequences that were less than jaw-dropping, nobody's talking about A.I. STEWART MASON Albuquerque, N.M.

If Steven Spielberg was so stuck on naming this movie with two letters, I have a more appropriate title: P.U.! RACHEL AHERN Dayton, N.J.

Hit the Road, Jack

Is it me or is ''reality tv'' just another example of life- imitating-art-imitating-life (''Jackass Nation'')? Didn't Stephen King write about it in his future-shock novels The Running Man and The Long Walk? How about the brutal portrayal of violence for sport in the 1970s sci-fi flick Rollerball? Please, America, turn it off and read a book, before it's too late! MIKE GRIFFITH peppercub@aol.com Alexandria, Va.

Jet Setter

After watching critics condemn classic kung fu films out of ignorance (the way a Chinese critic might condemn a baseball film because he didn't know the rules), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon comes along to slap the term chop-socky out of their mouths (''Chop Talk''). Unfortunately, Kiss of the Dragon -- the ''first major martial-arts flick to debut Stateside since'' -- shoves it back in. When will dismissive producers and novice directors learn that the script needs to be almost as good as Jet Li's skills, or the genre will always return to the cinematic slum (despite honorable artists like Ang Lee)? RIC MEYERS Westport, Conn.

An American Master

What were you thinking? Jack Lemmon brought tears and laughter into our hearts for nearly 50 years, yet he's not deserving of a cover story (News and Notes)? Shame on you! SHELLEY KLOUZAL sugarkane1@hotmail.com Portsmouth, Va.

All in the Family

Why in Carroll O'connor's obituary (Legacy) was his son Hugh referenced as his adopted son who committed suicide? Would you describe other celebrity children as conceived out of wedlock or as products of a diaphragm that just didn't work? It's 2001 and families are made in different ways; one of those ways is through adoption. JUDY WOODRUFF Indianapolis

Cat Call

In Cats & Dogs, why is the cat always the bad guy but the dog can do no wrong (Movies)? I reside with a dog (Chocolate Chip) and a cat (Tecolote P.Q. Domingo). There should be an equal number of films where the dog is blackhearted and the cat is the angel, and vice versa. As a publisher of a movie mag, you can make moviegoers aware of this gross inequity. CONNIE GIBNEY, CHOCOLATE CHIP & TECOLOTE P.Q. DOMINGO consuelo23@aol.com Redwood City, Calif.