Letters to Calendar: Coachella, architecture and ‘Elvis & Nixon’

Coachella initiation

Thank you to Lorraine Ali for such a joyous and touching article about bringing her Iraqi nephew to the Coachella concert [“Crash Course at Coachella,” April 23]. Experiencing music in a festival atmosphere surrounded by thousands of appreciative fans can truly be transforming.

Julie Gollin

La Jolla

Thank you for the charming, disarming look at the writer’s nephew’s crash immersion in American pop culture. Art, in its universal appeal, makes itself available as a mediator between and among worlds, and young people are first in line with a resounding “Yes”!

Deborah W. Elliott

Pacific Palisades

Seeing a rush to judgment

Chris Barton notes that the movies “Keanu” and the new “Ghostbusters” are underrated [“Underrated/Overrated,” April 24]. How is that possible? They’re not even out. Should we be parading the streets because the trailers are in theaters? Barton then goes on to “overrate” the new Todd Solondz movie — that is not out and he hasn’t seen. Thanks for picking on the little guys when you haven’t seen the material.

Adam White

Burbank

Architecture as works of art

Regarding “Home Saving: Landmark Houses in Los Angeles and Other Cities May Need More Protection” [April 24]: It is unthinkable someone would buy the canvas of a master artist and repaint it, yet acceptable one could buy the home of a master architect and tear out walls or tear it down. This only reinforces how underappreciated architecture is today.

Todd Hays

Pasadena

Nixon meets Elvis movie

Regarding “Elvis & Nixon” review [April 22]: In 1997 there was a comedy/mockumentary “Elvis Meets Nixon” directed by Allan Arkush, starring Rick Peters (Elvis) and Bob Gunton (Nixon). They were excellent, the characterizations hilarious. Dick Cavett narrated, his amused tone (“You couldn’t make up this stuff”) a perfect fit. It was, and is, a must-see not only for anyone who’d want to see “Elvis & Nixon.”

Dave Schaffer

Los Angeles

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What a lost opportunity for a rich, quirky and frank look into Elvis, the prescription drug addict, who showed such terrible, paranoid side-effects from his narcotic abuse that he tried to undo it by meeting with Nixon. There would have been plenty of room for comedic irony and general lunacy.

William Josephs, Ph.D., Clinical Psychology

Encino

Money in Hollywood

Did George Clooney really say there’s an obscene amount of money in politics? How about the film industry, where an actor can make $20 million for every movie he makes? Now that’s obscene!

Michele Cazanes

Sugarloaf

Solid advice from Ed Moses

Regarding “An Action Art Hero” [April 26]: I was enrolled in some art classes taught by Ed Moses at UC Irvine in the late ‘60s. Ed said to look at things as if we were seeing them for the first time. Then look again. Then again. Then again. Never stop. So I looked. And I looked. And I looked. Until I saw things I had not seen before. A good process for both art and life.

Jack Oakes

Santa Ana

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I must say this about the great 90-year-old artist Ed Moses: “Once sexy, always sexy.”

Lynn Leatart

Sherman Oaks

Megyn Kelly in the spotlight

After Donald Trump said the disgusting things about Megyn Kelly in the first Republican debate, I confess I did feel sympathy for her. But now that Fox is touting the major sit-down interview Kelly will do with Trump, I think she will do anything to get ahead.

Liz Sherwin

Los Angeles