Watching Kimmel

I’m a little disturbed by Paul Brownfield’s preoccupation with race. In his article “It’s a Man’s Man’s World” (Jan. 26) about Jimmy Kimmel’s foray into late-night television, he characterizes Kimmel as just the newest “white guy” in late night and later remarks that the format has “grown staid with white people.”

I’m no great defender of the quality of late-night television, but in this age aren’t we supposed to be striving toward a less racially stereotyping ideology?

Maybe Brownfield didn’t get the memo.

Terry Thiel

Highland Park

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Perhaps on cable television when Jimmy Kimmel was doing “The Man Show” it was appropriate for everyone in the studio audience to be drinking beer, but the late-night comedy show “The Jimmy Kimmel Show” on ABC is a different circumstance. Here, it is inappropriate to have the studio audience and guest drinking. Nor is it necessary for the comedy to be appealing and funny. When one looks at the number of people killed in car accidents involving alcohol and the dangers of drinking excessively, anything that encourages a “frat boy” environment of excess drink is not appropriate or appealing.

Michael L Stempel

West Hollywood

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Editor’s note: ABC decided to stop serving the audience alcohol last week.