'Games' Manship
Thank you for your great article on Patriot Games (#122, June 12) and super cover of Harrison Ford, who is surely America's most
versatile actor and just keeps getting better. He is truly the only
male ''movie star'' around, combining the qualities of an action hero
and thoughtful maturity that appeal to almost everyone. You captured
this well and with great insight, and I hope both Ford and your
wonderful publication keep up the good work.
Susan Schmuckler
San Diego
Patriot Games director Phillip Noyce calls Tom Clancy's research
''exemplary'' ? Clancy's adulation of Thatcherism and the royal family
resulted in such a distorted, through-British-eyes-only view of ''the
Troubles'' in Northern Ireland that I found myself rooting for the
terrorists out of contempt for Clancy's simplistic Good Us/Bad Them
treatment of Britain's war with the IRA. Clancy's technical research
may be ''exemplary,'' but his shallow (mis) understanding of social,
political, and economic realities makes him the Ronald Reagan of
thriller writers: The less you know, the more believable he is.
Bill Wescott
Van Buren, Ark.
Yea, Billy Ray
Yes, Billy Ray Cyrus is definitely a hunk and has some moves that
could make Michael Jackson blush. And yes, this probably helped to
sell his first album, Some Gave All. But he really can sing, and he
can write some darned good songs. So Billy Ray, don't listen to the
critics; listen to your fans. We know you're here to stay, and we
love you.
Karen Harris
La Monte, Mo.
Although I appreciate the article recognizing newcomer Billy Ray
Cyrus, I am also a big Garth Brooks fan. You state that ''Cyrus, 30,
has done what even Garth Brooks didn't do: get a country song played
on pop radio.'' I have personally heard Brooks' songs ''Shameless'' and
''Thunder Rolls'' on a local pop station.
Dana Harrell
Tallahassee, Fla.
Fits Like A Glover
Your story on Danny Glover says that ''he's not a guy with any
label, which sometimes confounds people looking to put one of
Hollywood's most bankable black actors in some kind of category. And
yet, category-free...'' But aren't you categorizing him as a ''black
actor''? Why can't Mr. Glover just be ''one of Hollywood's most
bankable actors''?
Brandt Heisner
El Dorado, Ark.
Mix Master
Regarding Sir Mix-A-Lot's ''Baby Got Back'' being called racist and
sexist (News & Notes): I'll be the first one to say that much of the
music industry is sexist and racist. But I found Sir Mix-A-Lot's song
funny, refreshing, and validating to those of us who fit the song's
description. So, ''Cosmo says you're fat/Well I ain't down with that.''
Luckily, my husband and others like him agree.
J. Gallagher
New Baltimore, Mich.
