Annual Oscars song and dance

hoping the film academy would correct the Golden Globe silliness. It’s a pleasant musical with some great music, but Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling can neither sing nor dance. Why doesn’t Hollywood use actors who are trained and experienced for such roles? Sally Sunderhaus Laguna Woods

A while ago, a film came out about two youngish people striving to make it big. Their story of love and loss was told in song and dance, and it took place in Los Angeles. It was an extremely popular film and won several awards … and that was the end of society as we knew it. One critic wondered why the lead couldn’t be a middle-aged woman. My own grandson wanted them to be multiracial. Glenn Whipp wrote that we didn’t need a “white guy trying to save jazz” and that the music wasn’t exactly Gershwin. A friend said, “Well, it sure ain’t ‘West Side Story.’ ”

Lighten up, people. Just leave me alone to go see “La La Land” again and enjoy it thoroughly again. Barbara Pritzkat Redondo Beach

Regarding “Oscar Nominations: A Reason to Sing” [Jan. 25]: Meryl Streep’s nomination was “something of a surprise”? To whom? Streep earned Golden Globe and SAG Awards nods for her performance in “Florence Foster Jenkins,” and her name has been on most lists of probable nomiwas nees this awards season. Anthony DiSalvo Culver City

Regarding “Oscar Nominations: Voters Stick Mostly to a Familiar Program” [Jan. 25]: As a 72-year-old film buff, I was pleased to see Ruth Negga’s name among those nominated for lead actress. Her beautifully nuanced performance in “Loving” is profoundly moving and deserving of an Oscar. Larry Lasseter Brea