Readers agree with Mary McNamara on all fronts
Needed name recognition
I eagerly turned to Dawn Burkes' interview with the creators of “P-Valley” [“The clothes of 'P-Valley' add to the drama,” July 29], as I am a fan of the show and its wonderful costumes. But I was dismayed to see the names of the costume designers — Alita McGhee Bailey and Tiffany Hasbourne — were not even mentioned. As a costume designer myself, I know how much blood, sweat and tears go into designing for a show.
The Costume Designers Guild has been fighting for recognition in the industry as well as pay equity. Our members are 81% female and are paid substantially lower than our male counterparts in the Art Directors Guild. Please respect our work and don’t edit our names out of your article.
Alexis Scott, member of Costume Designers Guild 892
Los Angeles
Joni still inspires
I loved reading Mary McNamara’s piece on Joni Mitchell’s appearance at the Newport Folk Festival [“Look at life Joni Mitchell's way,” July 27]. It was beautifully written, and it brought tears to my eyes. “Both Sides Now” captures how we can feel hope and despair at the same time, and hope is so needed now.
Scott Wimer
Santa Monica
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Thank you, Mary McNamara, for the beautiful tribute to Joni Mitchell. She is still a wonderful and gutsy lady at 78. And still looking at life her own way.
Cynthia Lokitz
Westlake Village
A smear on Pappy’s?
I am an active member of the Pioneertown community and a local historian, and I take issue with the tone of Randall Roberts' article [“A battle rocking the high desert,” July 24] and its lack of disclosure. Our community is not divided over Pappy & Harriet’s ownership, no more than we ever have been.
Like any restaurant that changes ownership, some people will be unhappy about it, whether anything changes or not. That is the case here. Post-COVID-19 lockdowns, every restaurant raised prices and made menu changes.
Everyone quoted in the article either has a personal gripe with the owners or would profit from Pappy & Harriet’s failure. The person upset because they have had their namesake menu item removed is biased. One person is complaining about increased security in a time when mass shootings are almost daily occurrences and making it sound as if their security protocols are being aggressive.
The writer also remarks on what one of the restaurant's owners is wearing. (It’s Pioneertown, we all wear cowboy hats and boots.)
All of this makes the article look like a smear campaign by those in the lawsuit with Pappy & Harriet’s ownership.
Curt Sautter
Pioneertown
Self-service sans smile
I laughed until I cried reading Mary McNamara’s article about self-checkout lanes at grocery stores [“I'm not paying to serve myself,” July 22]. What irritates me the most is that at some locations you can put your shopping bag in the bagging area before you start scanning but in other locations the machine yells at you if you try to put it down before starting to scan. This slows down the process and makes people impatient while waiting as you pay and then have to bag your groceries. Why aren’t all machines the same? Technology sometimes falls short when these machines are not created equal.
Sharon Poggi
Fullerton
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Thanks to Mary McNamara for her focus on the inconvenient self-service requirements that have found their way into our way of life. I must admit that I am a fan of ATMs. This is mainly because banking hours are so few that anyone working during the day can’t get there while they are open.
However, as a somewhat handicapped senior I need help putting gas in my car. I don’t get it because most stations have only one employee and are only required to help if they have two. Watch me inch around my car from the driver’s seat to the gas cap on the other side of my car.
As for grocery store self-serve stations, I gave them a pass long ago. I am old enough to remember house calls by doctors. Recently my doctor did not understand why I opted for an online visit rather than going to the clinic.
Maybe I should reread my Agatha Christie books as McNamara is doing.
Connie Elliot
Studio City
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A big thank you to Mary McNamara’s column. She told us how it really is, and she still used graceful humor to tell her story.
I’m with her — this has become abusive behavior delivered to us by big banks, airlines, grocers, doctor’s offices, insurance companies and, of course, government agencies.
I loved her ability to laugh, but about some of this, I’m not there yet.
David Lampert
Goleta
A negative review
Regarding Justin Chang’s review of the movie “Nope” [“Yup, he's done it again,” July 21]: We just saw “Nope” and if someone were to ask if I’d recommend it, I’d say, "Nope."
Hal Rothberg
Calabasas
Two dozen songwriters
Regarding Nardine Saad’s online story “Diane Warren questioned why Beyoncé has 24 writers on one song. She found out real fast” [Aug. 2]: Diane Warren asked a perfectly acceptable question. The responders preferred to turn it into an issue rather than deal with the question.
John Zavesky
Riverside
That’s progress?
Between Beyoncé’s photograph in the Calendar section and J Lo’s photograph on a full-page ad, we really have valuable indications how far we women have come to be the sources of respect and admiration for our business acumen.
Linda Bradshaw Carpenter
Los Angeles
TV listings are missed by some
It is inconceivable to me that the primary newspaper in “the entertainment capital of the world” no longer provides daily television listings.
Judy Brooks
Sherman Oaks
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
