November 14, 2002 · VOL. 12, NO. 09

FRONT OF BOOK Letters: A full page for two weeks in a row. Does this turn of events signal that The Stranger has deemed its readers' opinions worthy again? (Undoubtedly no).... Last Days: Hilarious and tender.... NEWS (Side note: In Seattle for a conference last week, I happened to pick up the Seattle Times, one of the city's two daily papers. Such drivel! I now have a newfound respect, though miniscule and undoubtedly fleeting, for The Stranger. The Times' writer Jim Brunner, in particular, stands out as shockingly inept. How a "journalist" with such an obviously rudimentary education can be published by Seattle's "leading daily newspaper" is beyond me. That said:) The Stranger's news section, though rather larger than usual this week, nonetheless fails to both (a) engage and (b) smartly inform. This, of course, is not surprising.... SHORT FEATURE Funny and smart.... FEATURE Skimmed.... FILM (Note to Sean Nelson: The myriad of threatening e-mails you have sent to me have been forwarded to the proper authorities. Expect a visit soon.).... ART A smart, meaty article by Emily Hall, a writer woefully underutilized by The Stranger. Perhaps if Dan Savage would rein in his own bloated weekly word count, better writers could make a more regular appearance within this publication's pages?... THEATER Didn't read.... CHOW Didn't read.... MUSIC Didn't read.... ETC. It's My Party: Didn't read.... Celeb I Saw U: Too gay.... I Love TV: Expanded, it seems, which begs the question: Was there not enough smut in The Stranger already?... Savage Love: Didn't read.... Obits: Didn't read.