The story on Jim Capwill ["Rogue Businessman? Mafia Poseur? Hollywood Playboy?", May 2] knocked me off my chair. Not only was this an amazing article, but it shed some light on a guy who left me in the hole, with nothing but a badly written script and a ton of people asking me why I was never in the film Entrapped. The film I helped promote for so long was supposed to be the vehicle for my career. A film that assured my acting beside Robert De Niro and his wife; Loni Anderson; Judge Mills Lane; and Maurice Bernard. This article replaced all of his false assurances and lies with the truth.
No, not Jim Capwill. I am talking about Tony Marinozzi. For a stand-up and connected guy, he sure talks a lot. Every quote revealed a lie that he told me and countless other people in Cleveland about Entrapped. Until this article, every struggling artist, screenwriter, freelancer, and yes, even stripper had his empty promises on their minds. I can't wait to see you do a story about all of those affected by a wannabe movie producer and a movie that never got made.
Angelo Berlingeri
Lorain
Ripping grammar doesn't help the story:
I just finished reading Laura Putre's "Couch Patrol" [May 16], which was very interesting. I have a question, though: Why did you need to highlight Mr. Tanker's grammatical deficiency? Although at first it seems that Putre is helping him with the incident, the later references to his enunciation and vocabulary make it seem as though she's mocking him. And the closing paragraph leaves one feeling embarrassed for the Tankers.
I fail to see how pointing this out helped the story. Or maybe that is the point: to make it entertaining at anyone's expense. Hopefully, it was because Putre meant well and thought she could bring some empathy to the story by pointing out these things.
Simone Young
Cleveland
The Dead Kennedys were Jello's band:
It's a real shame the Dead Kennedys are slandering everything they stood for 15 years ago ["Better Dead," May 23]. But why not sell out for a Gap commercial? Maybe next they'll have their own Ben & Jerry's flavor called "Greedy Green."
Jello is the Dead Kennedys and their only real activist. These guys are just trying to rip off young kids who don't know any better and are too young to care. They think they're seeing a punk rock legend, but what they get is a punk rock joke without the punch line. From the sound of your interview, these guys are pissed about Jello's success. Who cares about how much his house cost? Whatever happened to "Just shut up and play the rock and roll"? Joey Ramone is probably turning over in his grave.
Anthony Montero
New Philadelphia
Find a music critic with an open mind:
Why do you insist on letting someone with a biased opinion about a style of music review that style of music? The review of the Get Up Kids' new CD, On a Wire [Playback, May 23], was one of the worst reviews ever written in your rag. The first half is a negative dissertation on the emo genre as a whole, which clearly shows the position the author has. Would you have Mr. Harvilla review a classical album or a country record? Is he qualified to give his opinion on such issues?
I agree that On a Wire is a bit of a disappointment, but Harvilla's review is so jumping-on-the-emo-bashing-bandwagon that all pathetic critics are on board with. How do you even walk the streets with us poseurs and pathetic saps who have fallen for the corporate emo assault? Why don't you go buy another amazing Radiohead record?
The Get Up Kids aren't great, but they sell a hell of a lot of records and sell out a majority of their shows. Why don't you guys stick to rap and crappy new metal that will be forgotten in a year? You are weak and sad.
Darren Irwin
Parma
Another vote for the Get Up Kids:
Here's a concept: Why not have the people who are supposed to be reviewing an album actually review the album? Reading Rob Harvilla's so-called review of the latest Get Up Kids release made me upset. Him talking about this so-called "emo backlash," as if the Get Up Kids came up with the term "emo."
He also ridicules the Get Up Kids for changing their style, saying they are trying to be sort of a Pete Yorn. Since when is it a crime for a band to experiment with new sounds? If the album sounded exactly the same as previous albums, he probably would have complained about that. I would just like to ask Scene to find someone who can actually review an album for the music and not just ramble about "those damn emo kids." If you need someone who is an actual fan of the music, I'm available.
Iris Chism
Cleveland Heights
Calendars should be informational:
Your calendars are very helpful. The comments included on some of the entries are tiresome. Take that valuable space and add more detail to the listing. For example, in the May 23 issue, the opener for Sunday, May 26 ["Local Italian Legends Take the Stage"] reads Rocco Scotti, Sonny Geraci, and "a bunch of other guys whose names end with vowels" take the stage.
This is not funny. Information about what kind of music they play might be helpful. Something that keeps ringing in my head is the screeching voice of my junior-high English teacher, saying, "Who, what, why, where, when."
Barb Bemus
Eastlake
