ROOKE GLADSTONE: And now we'll dip into the letters. We had a mountain this week in respond to Garfield's tongue in cheek piece last week about the lamentable state of British celebrity-dom. John K. Crossman of New York City wrote in with this admonishment: A purportedly intelligent operation such as yours should be among the first to recognize that entertainment value is a poor criterion for choosing friends and an even worse one for trying to ostracize them.

BOB GARFIELD:And this one from Margaret McDonald -- she didn't tell us where she was from but I could guess -- she writes: I would think you should ask the Britons if they care that they have no celebrities. Frankly we have always prided ourselves on leaving famous people to get on with their own lives. I, for one, am pleased to see Britain specialize in what it does best -- history, gardening and walking -- and if the rest of the world is influenced by any of that then they will be much better off than hearing how celebrities fare in Britain. Your show this morning was absolute rubbish.

BROOKE GLADSTONE:But Scott Grey writes: Well done on your article about the downfall of Britain and her celebrities. We Australians have been watching their decline for quite a while now. For some reason known only to themselves, the Brits still look down their noses at their colonial cousins, including you guys by the way. For the last ten years we have humiliated them in the games they taught us: cricket and rugby, and every year we watch an ever-increasing procession of Aussies in fancy frocks marching into the Academy Awards ceremonies and other such illustrious endeavors of human achievement. But where are the Brits?

BOB GARFIELD:Actually there are plenty of Brits, along with the Aussies, pushing us Yanks off the Oscar red carpet, but we appreciate the sentiment and all the rest. Send your thoughts to onthemedia@wnyc.org and don't forget to tell us where you live and how to pronounce your name.