Cintra Wilson's essay was so on-target and downright funny that I laughed myself silly reading it. It's as if she was channeling my own thoughts about the ridiculousness of Hollywood. I grew up watching Oscar telecasts and have only recently begun to see them with the same vision as expressed so beautifully by Ms. Wilson (and I'm almost 40! How sad). But what a hoot to read my exact thoughts so succinctly and uproariously expressed here at Salon.com.

Every self-obsessed, silly celebrity should read this essay and go straight to their checkbook to write a big ol' check to charities that support underprivileged children instead of sifting through their $20,000 goodie baskets.

Thanks for the chuckles.

-- Cindy Murphy

Once more, an overly smug writer (?) feels the need to prove their high I.Q. to the rest of us. Clueless Cintra: The Oscars are not highbrow; they're fun to watch anyway. Only a pretentious snob would rain on the parade.

As for all the ranting about "negroes," she proves once again that most non-African-Americans (and a few conservative African-Americans) just don't get it. It is a source of pride to a huge, influential part of our population to receive recognition by everyone. These are people who don't feel a sense of entitlement -- even after consistent, overwhelming performances. So two African-Americans win a couple of Oscars. It's about damn time.

Cintra's racism is of a particularly ugly type. I bet she voted for Ralph Nader.

Cintra, lighten up. Cintra, get a life.

-- Sylvia Silliman

Would someone please give Cintra Wilson a gaudy-ass statue for this simply scathing and utterly truthful article? Oh the joy I derived out of reading those words. It was totally priceless, right on-target and so fucking funny, I literally cried from laughing so hard. You go girl!!

-- Sandy Green

And to think, I gave up "Bride of Chucky" to watch the Oscars.

-- Sherry Bruce

Are you out of your mind? "America squirmed" during Halle Berry's acceptance speech? What America shared at that moment, which your writer may not be aware of, is called "emotion." Halle's acceptance speech was one of the few heartfelt moments of true human spirit and emotion during an otherwise overlong show. I for one thought she was great, as did just about everyone else who watched, at least according to every newspaper article I've read, radio show I have listened to, TV program I watched and every single person I have talked to about it since Sunday evening.

Maybe the writer squirmed, but she was all by herself.

-- Tom Ortenberg

Cintra Wilson's piece on the Oscars was mind-bendingly funny and painfully accurate. Thank you for reaffirming my faith in the human condition (not to mention intelligent and objective entertainment reportage) and reassuring me that I am not alone in my growing disaffection with the bloated excesses of our beloved Hollywood superstars.

-- Michael Idato, the Sydney Morning Herald

Cintra does not get it. And when I think about it, it probably isn't necessary that she does except that her words get published and read by other people, and because of that, it is always possible for her to influence someone else.

Halle Berry's speech made no sense to you, Cintra, because you are either not of color, or you are under 40, or both. Did you not hear Sidney Poitier speak? Anyone that grew up in the '60s knows and understands what true racism and bigotry are, and if they no longer admit how ingrained racism is in our society, they choose to do so because they know and witnessed the truth. Racism is so prevalent and accepted that African-Americans were very happy that three awards were presented to African-Americans last night because that has never happened before. Forget your "we are the world" idea that it all shouldn't matter. Yes, you are right, it shouldn't but it does, very much so.

-- A. Grayson

I loved Cintra Wilson's Oscar 2002 review! It nailed exactly those dark little thoughts in the corner of my mind -- that the Academy was making this Black Appreciation Night. Granted, I haven't seen "Monster's Ball" so I can't comment on Berry's Oscar, but Denzel's performance in "Training Day" didn't come across as being the best of the year. He was good, but was he that good?

Kudos also for bitching about "A Beautiful Mind" and Ron Howard. It's like he's the poster boy of What Hollywood Accepts, which happens to be safe fare. Ugh.

-- Joseph Prisco

Cintra Wilson's Oscar diatribe could be dismissed as merely adolescent if it weren't so fucking racist.

Fine, she hates Tom Cruise. Fine, she thinks celebrities are ludicrous. (Not that this keeps her from writing about them again and again, but anyway.)

However, she then makes the injurious assumption that several thousand Academy members collectively voted for Denzel Washington and Halle Berry, honored Sidney Poitier and applauded Whoopi Goldberg just to appease the darkies.

In one fell swoop -- and more sickeningly under the guise of egalitarianism and searching for meaning in a post-Sept. 11 world -- she fells the accomplishment of four enormously talented artists and entertainers who earned much deserved praise for their work.

The KKK couldn't have done it better.

-- Litsa Dremousis

Just read Cintra Wilson's reduction of the Academy Awards telecast and thought, Whoa, there goes my need for melted cheese on my vegetables, chocolate layer cake with chocolate fudge frosting, having my toes sucked by Keanu Reeves or any number of other, now-superfluous excessive indulgences. In her deconstruction of the Academy Awards, Cintra has ladled a fabulously rich, thick and salty chicken-fat gravy of comeuppance over the piping hot biscuits of celebrity excess baked in the Kodak Theater last night, and, while I felt horribly guilty eating it, I did clean my plate.

-- Julia C. Smith

A note from the author:

I wouldn't have said what I said about Ryan O'Neal if I had known he had leukemia. It's only funny if he was merely fat. Apologies.

-- Cintra Wilson

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