Mailbag

RED CARPET REVIEW

Hilary Swank deserved two pages just for her dress, front and back. She looked stunning.

Sandra Smith

Alta Loma, Calif.

To see Swank chow down on an Astro Burger wearing Guy Laroche couture is priceless!

Andrea Crawford

Novi, Mich.

Congrats to Morgan “Easy Reader” Freeman! You were my favorite actor on The Electric Company and continue to be my favorite actor today.

Helen Rogers

Dumfries, Va.

I think Sean Penn is a wonderful actor, and I especially enjoyed him in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. That’s why I must comment on his condescending remarks to Chris Rock at the Oscars. Lighten up, dude!

Janet Cimmino

Revere, Mass.

My first language is French. But when I heard Beyoncé sing in French, I did not understand a word. I’m sure the man who wrote the lyrics and listened to her also scratched his head.

Claudia Hackett

Memphis, Term.

I have been reading PEOPLE for years, and the Oscars issue was by far the best. I love the dresses, parties, hair and makeup and the bling. Thanks for letting us ordinary people be a part of it.

Gina Rhodes,

Cheboygan, Mich.

After viewing all the photos in the Oscars issue I have one question: Do any of these gals ever get a chest cold?

Cecil Kelsey

Peru, Ill.

WEB OF TROUBLE

Four days before reading your article on cyberbullying I told my daughters how wrong it is to make fun of others. When I got the magazine, I laid it down in front of them and said, “This little boy was only 13 and was always picked on, so he thought it would be better to kill himself than to take insults from other kids.” I think this made them realize the magnitude of what inappropriate treatment can do to other children. I think if more parents talked to their kids about how to treat others and set an example, there may not be stories like this.

Susan Rhyner

Appomattox, Va.

Oh, give me a break. If you ever get bullied in a chatroom, then leave. If someone taunts you in an IM, there’s a simple solution: Block them. To sit around and endure suffering that you could easily stop, then take drastic action and blame it on the pranksters, is ignorant and cowardly. I’m 13, and even I know that.

Matt Schwager

Kalispell, Mont.

ON SECOND THOUGHT…

I loved the last episode of The Bachelorette, in which Jen said no to Jerry’s proposal because she knew it wasn’t right. Who could fault her for doing the right thing? Perhaps half of the divorces in this world would never have taken place if people had the same courage. That episode put the believability back into The Bachelor franchise for me.

Eileen Johnson

Tsawwassen, B.C.

All I can say is that Jen missed out on a great guy. If Jerry ever gets to be The Bachelor, sign me up.

Holly Johnson

Yorktown, Va.

A LIFE NOT IN VEIN

Thank you for your article regarding deep vein thrombosis. After a long return flight from Hawaii, I experienced what I thought was a pulled muscle in my right calf. But after my mother read “Fighting for David,” we decided I should go to the emergency room. An ultrasound confirmed that I had DVT. If it weren’t for your article I might not be here today. At 29 I never would have thought I was a candidate for this life-threatening condition. I will always be grateful to Melanie Bloom for the work she’s doing to promote DVT awareness.

Alicia Lemmon

Renton, Wash.