Mail Call

Other stages:I was excited to see that finally the comedy scene was getting some coverage ["Funny Business," by Dusti Rhodes, May 24]. I was, however, disappointed to find that while the article was well written and factual, it showed a very narrow view of the scene. There are many other venues that the comedians go to and the majority of the time the shows aren't canceled. They are so dedicated to their craft that they perform despite the fact that an audience may or may not show up or if the audience is even listening to them. I've seen many of them perform without PA's, compete with large-screen TVs for attention and perform with the same passion as they would for a thousand people. I think a more positive spin could have been put on the article if more comedians had been interviewed about their experiences.

Alyson Toups
Houston

Shuffle Bored

Cop calls:Being a Houston police officer, you think that I could get something done with the trench drains on Milam. [Hair Balls: "Street Noise," by Richard Connelly, May 24]. I work an extra job across the street from the Houston Press and am also having to call to have these drains fixed. It's really ironic that I will call the city and have them tell me that it's Metro's problem. And then, after calling Metro, they tell me it's the city's problem. If the noise is too loud where I work, I pity you fine people working at the Press. It just goes to show Metro and the city at its best!

Love your paper!!!

Name withheld by request
Houston

Being Artistic

Take another look:Hello, this is Houston-based mixed-media multi-visual artist Dune-Micheli writing to you. I am writing to you in regard to an article you wrote on the exhibition "LU" [in "Artbeat"] on view at The Art Car Museum [by Sean Carroll, May 24.] Upon reading the quaint article, I realized that you misrepresented a critical aesthetic element of my performance presentation video. Your description of this particular aesthetic element as being in "blackface" is not only a gross short sight but not even accurate in the least. I would challenge you to actually go to the museum again and actually "look" at the video of the performance. It is to my disappointment, in the critical analysis of the art reviewers of the Houston Press, to witness such an error; to realize that you had a perfect opportunity to write coherently about a wonderful group exhibition and you blew it.

Dune-Micheli Patten
Houston

Editor's note: Dune-Micheli Patten appears in the video with what appears to be black makeup on his face.

Write a Check

Give me a brake:It is funny, but every time I hear someone complain about the sponsors ["Moving Violation," by Richard Connelly, May 24,], I immediately ask them to step up then and write a check so we can put their name on stuff instead of banks or whatever. Funny thing is, not a single one of them have taken me up on it yet. Go figure. It's easier to just bitch about something than actually do anything about it.

Stuff costs money. Cool stuff costs more money. Get over it. The overall quality of the Art Car Parade has not been slighted because of a big red shoe, for goodness' sake.

I have seen, organized or participated in all of the last 20 years and remember how lean the first few were. It's a great parade with the best crowds, but some folks are just never happy.

Give the O Show a break, for Pete's sake.

It was a truly great parade.

The Rev. Bryan Taylor
HoustonWater Break

School's out for summer, and the absence of pencils, books and teachers' dirty looks means the arrival of the sweltering Houston heat. We're big fans of keeping cool, so the theme for this month's high school photo contest is water. Fresh water, salt water, bath water, fish water — anything that's wet, really. Send all entries to studentphotos@houstonpress.com. Visit blogs.houstonpress.com for more details and to vote on last month's entries

Funny Guy Richard Connelly is a national finalist for humor writing

Houston Pressstaff writer Richard Connelly, who does the column Hair Balls, has been named a finalist in the 2007 National Society of Newspaper Columnists writing contest.

Competing in the Humor Column category, Connelly was cited for a collection of his columns covering topics from a rescued dog mistakenly euthanized, to the dangers of wandering into a particular alley in Houston where cameras were trained on anyone going there, to the candidate for public office who promises to kill the oversupply of cats and dogs.

Winners of the competition will be named at a banquet on June 23 in Philadelphia.