Mail

Correspondents were anything but misty-eyed over the impending jail-house nuptials of convicted murderer Lyle Menendez and his pen-pal fiancée, Anna Eriksson (PEOPLE, July 22). Those who wrote questioned Eriksson’s judgment and motives.

WILL SMITH

Will Smith is the funniest, nicest guy to come along in a decade. Great job in putting him on the cover!

NANCY BOARDMAN, Newport, N.H.

I went to school with Will Smith, and he was just as charming, goofy and charismatic then as he is today. I’m proud to say, “I knew him when.” Good for you, Will!

PATRICIA PLOWMAN BRANDIMARTO

Williamstown, N.J.

PATRICIA CORNWELL

Maybe Patricia Cornwell’s choice to live an “intensely private” life is because too many closed-minded people just won’t leave her alone. She and her literary character Kay Scarpetta may have some similarities, but remember which one has real feelings.

JULIE R. RUTAN, Richmond, Va.

Her private life? Who cares? The lady is a consummate author. We read to educate, amuse or escape. Patricia Cornwell does it all with brilliance.

JOANNE INGHAM

Lac du Flambeau, Wis.

ERIKSSON & MENENDEZ

I feel compelled to express my thanks for a moment of jaded laughter. Kudos for capturing the complete idiocy of Lyle Menendez and Anna Eriksson’s relationship. Whether intended or not, PEOPLE portrayed the story in the light it should be seen in—ridiculous.

MELINA TOMCZYK-PAYSON, Boston

Perhaps Anna Eriksson should have viewed the first part of Lyle Menendez’s trial. That way she could have seen the autopsy pictures of Kitty Menendez’s disfigured and bloodied face after her “sweet, kind and generous” son Lyle got through with her.

MAUREEN GRIFFIN, Flemington, N.J.

My comment concerning my mother came about after days of being hounded by the press and some ugly misconceptions being reported as facts. I was quoted as describing my mother as a woman who “loves to sue people.” What I said was, “Please leave my family alone. This has got to stop, and if you harass them, they’ll sue you.” Everyone who knows me knows that I had a terrific childhood, and it’s largely due to my mother. She is beautiful, talented, strong and the most brilliant woman I know. As for Lyle and I, we continue to take good care of each other. End of story.

ANNA G. ERIKSSON, Los Angeles

KEITH HAMILTON COBB

I love Keith and All My Children, but it sounds as if Keith is a trollop. Is having a “female guest” at his home a euphemism for a one-night stand? Could the same text, written about a woman, leave her smelling just as sweet?

JULIA SHANKS, Boston

RICK MIKULA

Your article contained a quote from Rick Mikula that said released balloons choke turtles and whales. That is untrue. The balloons used in celebratory balloon releases, bouquets and decors are made from natural latex, not plastic. They are 100 percent biodegradable and recyclable. When latex balloons are released, they travel to an altitude of approximately 5,000 feet, where they explode into spaghetti-like fragments. These return to earth, where they decompose as fast as an oak leaf in similar conditions.

ADRIENNE VINCENT

Qualatex Balloon Network Anaheim, Calif.

BRYAN WHITE

I wasn’t even a country music fan when I accidentally discovered Bryan White, and I have been hooked ever since. He’s living proof that there are still people in this world who aren’t afraid to be nice and decent. I think he is a role model not only for teenagers but for human beings in general. Is it too early to nominate him for the 50 Most Beautiful?

SUSAN J. YEAGER, Dunbar, W. Va.

• MAIL
• Those of us who wrote in complaining about Prince William rather than Ella Fitzgerald on PEOPLE’S cover are missing the point. Just who is it desiring the prince instead of the magnificent Ms. Fitzgerald? Thirteen and 15-year-olds? Most young people don’t even know who Ella Fitzgerald was. Shame on you, PEOPLE. I keep wanting your magazine to be more sophisticated than the teen mags.
• PAMELA J. BURNHAM, Calabasas, Calif.