Lion's Tale

 Where the wild things are: In Ben Paynter's article "Reality Bites (July 28)", I must point out one likely inaccuracy.

He wrote: "Branson picked him to visit Nelson Mandela, and they made trips to Hong Kong, London, the British Virgin Islands, Mozambique and Zimbabwe before Jamison was eliminated in the fourth episode for failing to stay awake during a solo campout on an African safari. Despite the threat of circling tigers, Jamison took a nap while his competitor, Mike, who Jamison claims was cranked on the nutritional supplement Ripped Fuel, stayed up all night, chatting continually with the camera and stoking his campfire into a bonfire."

Was this "African safari" actually taking place in Africa? If so, then I suspect there may have been circling lions, not tigers.

Apparently, there are few circling editors at the Pitch -- at least none who are aware that lions are indigenous to Africa and Asia, while tigers are native only to Asia.

Ann Gunther
Kansas City, Missouri

Gang Up
Moody blues: I am writing in regards to the stories you all have done recently about Fat Tone and the 51st Street gang (Kendrick Blackwood's "Tone Death," July 28, and Bryan Noonan's "When Moody Ruled," August 4). I feel as though the stories you all are telling are fabricated and that before you all slander people in your articles, you all should really research your facts.

It takes a long time for the families of the victims and so-called "convicts" to put this stuff behind them, and by you all dragging up old news, you only restart violence in our neighborhoods.

Find a way to uplift the community, not downgrade. Fat Tone was a killer and a gang member, so why pump him up to be a star? You all are promoting violence and giving ideas to our youth on how to "claim fame" by comparing society's misfits to today's hip-hop role models. In closing, I would just like to say I am not impressed and, along with a lot of families in my neighborhood, wish you would let sleeping dogs lie!

Name Withheld by Request
Fair and balanced: Regarding Kendrick Blackwood's Fat Tone story ("Tone Death," July 28): This was a very good writeup.

I can appreciate Blackwood's objective-ness for Fat Tone's credibility. He did not sway one way or another but remained neutral. I like that.

Name Withheld by Request

Brush Off
What's the matter with Hesse?: Regarding Gina Kaufmann's SeeSaw of July 28 about New York's Rare gallery in Chelsea hosting What's the Matter With Kansas?: I was visiting NYC last month and heard about the show and its theme, so I decided to take a peek. As I finished my viewing of the work, my initial reactions were that of an emo show -- painfully boring, extremely sterile and overall, just pointless.

It seemed that the whole show was contradicting its theme, which I thought was showing New York what great visual art KC has to offer. (And we do have lots of great art here.) Why Hesse McGraw picked these pieces is beyond me. I have seen some of the artists' work in recent previous shows and was very impressed. A lot of the work in this particular show (as you can see by the photos in the article) reminded me of craft projects I did at summer camp when I was 11.

I couldn't help but laugh when I read the sentence "McGraw couldn't have picked a more compelling crew of artists." Wow. Couldn't be more wrong. If I remember right, most of the artists are former students of the Kansas City Art Institute -- another very unfortunate decision. Hesse McGraw obviously needs to realize that there is so much great artwork being produced and displayed in KC by non-KCAI alumni. We all know the extreme, biased mindset KC has toward KCAI, but to only have former KCAI students' work be displayed at an important show like this is selfish, close-minded and just a huge fuck-up on McGraw's part.

Mike Springet
Kansas City, Missouri

Curtain Call
Against type: My hat is off to Alan Scherstuhl. Some recent theater reviews in the Pitch have included remarks on Kansas City's inability to celebrate its jazz roots, a nod to Chuck Haddix, and a comment on the Royals' youth movement.

I don't know how many theater patrons in town would appreciate such references, but I am grateful. I also admire the critic's coverage of "minor" productions in town.

Ry Kincaid, Minor Playwright
Kansas City, Missouri

Pit Stop
Mango a go-go: I want to thank Charles Ferruzza for his great review of the Mango Room in downtown KC ("A Fruitful Endeavor," June 30). I recently visited the restaurant, and everything was wonderful: the food, the atmosphere and, especially, the music.