Mail

Say Ahhhh!

Thank you for your excellent article on television's hottest show, ER ( 252, Dec. 9). The cast is great, the writing compelling, and the show gets better every week. Kudos to NBC! This is the most worthwhile television we've seen since Hill Street Blues was canceled.
Scott Simonds
Brockport, N.Y.

As a premed undergraduate, I am fascinated by ER, and I loved reading about the people who bring it to life. It is refreshing to see a television program that depicts people working for a living. It's about time TV devoted a little time to reality.
Eric Esrailian
ktdd74aProdigy.com
San Mateo, Calif.

Double Take

Here's the real connection between Picket Fences creator David Kelley and The X-Files creator Chris Carter. Take the quirky, small town of Fences, mix in a spooky FBI man via X-Files, and tah-dah! It's Twin Peaks! Kelley and Carter probably spend a lot of time together saying, ''Gosh, I can't believe we've gotten away with this so far!''
Robert Wolpert
Gainesville, Fla.

Rourke 'N Roles

It's sad to see that Mickey Rourke suffers from the Roseanne, Madonna syndrome. It's a fact that they're all talented performers, but their self- obsessed real lives are a pretentious bore.
Daniel Navarra
San Jose, Calif.

Mickey Rourke is extremely talented, complex, and mysterious, and he exudes raw sensuality. It is a shame that his reputation warrants tabloid exploitation. Often, great artists are perceived as dif cult to work with, simply because they strive for perfection. Mickey Rourke is truly a great actor who needs a great role to boost his career back into overdrive. Let Quentin Tarantino direct him and you will have a guaranteed hit.
Kay Henderson
Dacula, Ga.

Beatles Influence

I was disappointed by your review of the Beatles' Live at the BBC, which proves what a great live band they really were. One of the many highlights is George Harrison's guitar playing. He really rips it up on some of the tracks. To suggest that the playing is almost amateurish is also misguided. Besides, it's amateurs who make the best rock & roll, not professionals. I mean, do you really think Kurt Cobain considered himself a professional musician?
Chris Bard
North Bergen, N.J.

David Browne says the Beatles' influence is waning, yet he commends Pearl Jam for its song ''Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me,'' whose blending of spoken words and music was employed by the Beatles in songs like ''Strawberry Fields Forever.''
Jonathan Plummer
Raytown, Mo.