Feedback: Sarah Cooper to Sean Hannity, readers have opinions

Spitting images

Regarding “The Donald and the Art of Caricature” by Charles McNulty [Aug. 9]: Impersonation is a clever form of performance art that underscores the quirks and tics of the famous and infamous among us. Frank Gorshin’s impressions of Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Marlon Brando were masterful, as were Rich Little’s John Wayne walk and talk. Dana Carvey brought a humorous nod to George H.W. Bush’s truncated speech cadences, and it was delightful to witness.

In this era of social media and influencers, few impersonators have had the reach and spotlighting power of Sarah Cooper and J-L Cauvin. Their sendups of Trump are not only hilarious, they are tellingly insightful.

Ben Miles

Huntington Beach

Casting against type

Regarding “Time to Collect on Questions of Brownface” by Daniel Hernandez [Aug. 9]: I would have no problem seeing Shia LaBeouf play a "cholo" in a gangster movie, Latino or otherwise, he's a really good actor and he's a good writer.

Don't get me wrong, I would appreciate more diversity in all forms of entertainment as well as everywhere in the job market, but the right person for the right job, ya know?

Tom Allen

Los Angeles

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I, as a moviegoer, don’t care about the race of an actor, as long as the depiction of the character is accurate, believable and well acted.

Should we use only German actors to portray a German character in an American film. Should we have used American actors in all the films where Gary Oldman, a Brit, played an American?

The requisite for a talented actor is to be able to play believably any character, regardless of ethnic origin. That’s the art of acting.

Giuseppe Mirelli

Los Angeles

View from the driver's seat

Regarding “He's a Visiting Artist” [Aug. 5]: Kudos to Carolina Miranda for her insightful, off-the-beaten-path arts coverage. Ian Byers-Gamber’s car-seat portraits of the L.A. creative scene is a great heads-up.

Honestly, having the Calendar’s focus shift from the usual gallery, theater or concert halls has been delightful, much more interesting and a lot more representative of the racial makeup of our local art scene.

I also appreciate music critic Mark Swed’s "How to Listen" feature ["Lend Your Ear, Your Whole Body,"Aug. 5] about Pauline Oliveros’ “The Well & The Gentle.” Besides the great description of the work Oliveros made, the connections to how we can access it are invaluable. I hope you will keep these kinds of reportage coming, even after things open up.

Suvan Geer

Santa Ana

'Mulan' home box office

Regarding Mary McNamara's column "'Mulan' Deserves Better Than This" [Aug. 6]: Shame on Disney charging $30 to see a movie on their channel. People are out of work and parents trying to manage their children. When is enough money enough?

Marilyn Sokoloff

Tarzana

Matches not made in heaven

I applaud Nikita Doval for sharing her views on “Indian Matchmaking” [“Wrong Way to Find a Spouse,” Aug. 3], a singularly debased variant of reality TV programming.

As Doval relates from personal experience, arranged marriages betray the forced rigidity of a cultural caste system.

Edward Alston

Santa Maria

Preaching to the right wing choir

Sean Hannity can really tap dance his way through a interview [“Fox Host Is Sure This Is Right” by Stephen Battaglio, Aug. 4]. Of course, this is made easy when his followers only want to hear what he says and not necessarily fact.

Allen F. Dziuk

Carlsbad

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Hannity’s propaganda methods were on full display in Battaglio’s interview: repetition, fear-mongering, name-calling, exaggeration, projection and counterfactual assertions.

Hannity mentions “the mob” and “socialism” each three times. His book title itself is meant to frighten (“On the Brink”). He engages in schoolyard taunts (“Bolshevik Bernie”), dismisses the media as a “mob,” says with the pandemic that every medical expert "got it wrong.”

It’s shameless profiteering using rhetoric tailored to anger, frighten and mislead.

Gary Stewart

Laguna Beach

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I almost fell of my chair when I read Donald Trump’s leading media apologist Hannity quoted as saying that President Trump "is the most transparent politician and honest politician I’ve seen in my lifetime.” Really?

That’s like saying Charles Manson is the kindest, most empathetic gentleman who ever lived. That’s like saying lung cancer is the nicest medical condition you can have.

Bernie Sanders had it right when he described Trump as “simply a pathological liar.” He’s that and much worse. That’s why he is so dangerous to the republic.

Luis Torres

Pasadena

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Hannity's cable show is tops because a third of the country is still bedazzled by this president and can’t find any other major media support that agrees.

Hannity sows fear into every broadcast he delivers, and because Fox has high production values, it gives the appearance of legitimacy.

Miracle drug hydroxychloroquine; Antifa’s violent protests and deep state theories all have a place in his hour. And he beckons viewers in with his patented “take a look" preface before cutting to the gist of his angle.

As the saying goes: "Often wrong, never in doubt." Hannity is a salesman.

David Comden

Ventura

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Hannity nicely reveals his true nature in his smirking answers to questions about his relationship with President Trump.

He couldn’t have been clearer if he had included a “Nyah, nyah” in his response.

He couldn’t care less about the workers he riles up with manufactured controversies while he pretends to fight for them.

No thanks, Sean. We can see you for who you are.

Geoff Kuenning

Claremont

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I feel you owe your readers and subscribers an apology for your softball Q&A with Sean Hannity interview.

You basically gave him an open forum to spew his vile and disgusting opinions even though he already has his own radio, TV and book outlets.

Brent Trafton

Long Beach

A biography is not a review

I read Scott Bradfield’s review [“Exploring Dickens' Dark, Divided Self,” Aug. 9] of A.N. Wilson's “The Mystery of Charles Dickens” expecting to find out if the book might be worth reading.

Instead, I read a biography of Dickens’ life, which, although interesting, was not a review of the book.

Richard Showstack

Irvine

The usual suspect

About halfway through The Times' review of the movie “She Dies Tomorrow” [“More Than a Bad Feeling; It's Like a Virus,” Aug. 7], I said to myself, “I wonder if this review was written by Justin Chang?” And guess what?

I was right.

It says something when a reviewer’s style, which includes insight and depth of analysis, is so forceful it becomes a work of art in its own right.

John Snyder

Newbury Park