OSCAR FIELD

In “It May Be a Night to Remember� (Jan. 4), Kenneth Turan lists all the men and women even faintly likely to go onstage for an Academy Award for best director, actor and actress (lead and supporting) and screenplay (original and adapted).

Fifty-five contenders. One black man. No black women.

Even had I not produced “Eve’s Bayou,� which to some people’s minds might merit a spot or two on that list, I’d be disgusted by the likelihood that Turan’s estimate is probably right, but still insufficiently a philosopher to speculate why.

CALDECOT CHUBB

Santa Monica

*

Turan’s insufferable snobbism was, as usual, highly visible in his piece about Oscar prospects. As a film critic, he proves a cliche example of his profession: applaud those films that are meandering and obtuse (“The Sweet Hereafter� et al) and put down anything with wide appeal.

He states that “both ‘The Sweet Hereafter’ and ‘Boogie Nights’ are probably too demanding for academy tastes.� I guess the thousands of professionals who actually make a direct contribution to filmmaking couldn’t be expected to understand a story with only a single bus crash or one about ‘70s pornography.

One can only hope those morons in the academy are too dense to comprehend Turan’s “expert� predictions and will cast their nominating votes based on their own less poisonous instincts.

ROBERT J. WRIGHT

Los Angeles

*

Turan is correct in that choices in the best actress Oscar category are slim. However, he fails to note that the best performance by an American actress in ’97 was given by Jennifer Lopez as “Selena.� Her brilliant performance captures the beauty, grace and magic that was Selena to emotional perfection. She is every bit as powerful as Angela Bassett was as Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It.�

Before academy members vote, I urge them to see “Selena.� That also goes for Turan.

BUDDY OCHOA

West Hollywood