---

The public weighs in on actress Sienna Miller's remarks:

Everyone wants to be liked. That is natural. Pittsburgh people are great. I have an affinity for them. I married one, and grew up just an hour south.

But, what makes this story so interesting to me is that it is exactly what I hear from my friends and family. So worried about others' perception of an area. With so much seemingly imploding socially, politically and economically, there may be good reason for the feelings. I see an exodus of young talented people and vastly changing population demographics. I see decaying infrastructure when I am Downtown with the bridges and all.

But most of all, I don't see positive long-term answers. That is unfortunate and really bad for the city of Pittsburgh.

Craig Jasper,
Charlotte, N.C.

Despite the slur, I found myself giggling about this story, if only because she apparently needs so much help to have a good time. I say that instead of giving her the cold shoulder, we turn the other cheek in a way that only Pittsburghers can -- let's get her out partyin'! Send her a map of the Cultural District, the South Side, The Strip, Bloomfield, etc. Start every broadcast entertainment ad with, "Listen up, Sienna Miller!" Put banners outside all the local venues saying, "Sienna, come in here." Or maybe you should just get the P-G corporate credit card and drag the poor thing out for some fun!

Sharon B. Yeager,
Sewickley

This person sounds like an egotistical Hollywood snob and brat! Everyone all over the world has heard of Pittsburgh. Ms. Miller does not have that distinction and honor. We will be happy when she leaves our City of Champions, and we will not be going to see her movie.

Mr. and Mrs. Albert J. Pollen,
East McKeesport

Why even dignify the young twit, semi-brainless girly, girl's remarks? Her opinions begin with SH-- and end with SH--. Like most of her glitterati Hollywood friends, they're long on attitude and opinion and bankrupt on character and the simple things.

Scott Smith,
Sewickley

The comments Sienna Miller made about Pittsburgh were disappointing but interesting. I would agree that someone who is lacking in imagination and creativity, who can only be entertained in cities like London and New York, would find Pittsburgh to be a boring city. The majority of people who come to Pittsburgh, however, are a little more resourceful and are often amazed at the wealth of opportunity here. They love the bike trails along the river, the shopping in the East End and on the South Side, the world-class museums and art galleries, the Strip District. I could go on and on. It's all here. You only have to leave your hotel room to find it.

Peggi Habets,
Bethel Park

Quite frankly, I am more incensed by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's comments than I am by Sienna Miller's. When asked to comment on Ms. Miller's disparaging remarks toward our city, Mayor Ravenstahl said, "I think obviously we have a great town, and I disagree with her comments. She was probably in the more elite facilities in and around the city. I think if she would have interacted with regular Pittsburghers, she would have found differently. She needs to get out with us regular folks."

What kind of a ridiculously stupid response is that? Sienna Miller is a paparazzi-hounded actress who shows up regularly in magazines because of her sartorial sense, her colorful personal life, and her ability to gain entrance into any chic nightspot in the world. I seriously doubt she is going to go to Cupka's by herself to crack open an IC Light with the "regular folks."

Mayor Ravenstahl is the mayor of the City of Pittsburgh and our most visible ambassador to the world outside the city limits. [His] comments on "Late Night with David Letterman" were embarrassing to me and his recent comments about the "Sienna Miller incident" continue to embarrass me. Mayor Ravenstahl needs to begin an immediate search for a public relations agency that can help him to craft more intelligent and relevant responses to questions and mean-spirited remarks about the city.

Kristine Ritter Wilhelm,
Bethel Park

Although I think her comments were in bad taste, at least she's honest in her opinion, and unfortunately she's right! Pittsburgh is [that word that rhymes with Pittsburgh]. Even though Pittsburgh is trying to rebound and some good things are on the horizon, it's still one of the most racist cities in America, there's still no decent paying jobs, it's too cold, the cops are the worst, the people drive like they've never taken a driver's exam, they're trying to ban smoking and the list goes on.

I won't go see the movie, but's that's because it looks stupid. This actress told the truth, and I for one am not mad at her in any way.

DJ Assassin (Dave Charles),
Penn Hills

After reading Sienna Miller's dig at Pittsburgh, I felt compelled to come to your city's defense. I'm a writer from Memphis, Tenn., and I visited your city for the first time on my book tour this past summer. Like many Americans, I believed the "conventional wisdom" that Pittsburgh was some kind industrial wasteland. In my mind I pictured something out of "Blade Runner," but as you are well aware reality is quite different.

I arrived downtown via I-279, and the view emerging from the Fort Pitt tunnel was breathtaking. The rolling hills, the riverfront, and the skyline are truly unique. I can't think of a single downtown as remarkable as yours. I spent several days in town, and the people I met were so friendly I had to remind myself I'd left the south.

By the way, my perception isn't based on a myopic comparison of Pittsburgh to Memphis. On my tour I went everywhere from Seattle to Phoenix to New York to Atlanta -- 20 cities in all. Believe me when I say no other 'big city' in America is as friendly, as hospitable, or as beautiful as Pittsburgh.

As for Sienna, well, what can I say? Clearly her taste in cities is as bad as her taste in movies and in men.

Jim Derych,
Germantown, Tenn.

With regard to the recent furor over Sienna Miller's statement: Get over it Pittsburgh. Don't dignify her childish outpourings as anything worth taking seriously.

I really didn't know who she was until I read the &%#@sburg story ... and it should have stayed that way. Out of curiosity, I googled her and found that:

1. She drops her clothes readily.

2. She gets swacked easily.

3. People in Hollywood have found her to be childish and loud. [now, there's an indictment.]

Pittsburgh is a town fashioned by hardworking, honest people. Don't let the mouthings of a prima donna sidetrack your attention from serious matters. Consider the source.

Bill Snyder,
Cincinnati

Sienna Miller's comments about the city of Pittsburgh to Rolling Stone were disappointing, to be sure, but I think talk of boycotting "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" when it arrives in theaters is taking that grudge a bit too far.

"Mysteries" is an adaptation of a critically acclaimed novel written by Michael Chabon, who is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. Reading the book is, at times, like reading a love letter to the city; one can infer that the movie will show Pittsburgh in a similar light. Whether the final product turns out to be even half the masterpiece of its source material remains to be seen, but it would be a shame for locals to willfully avoid this film simply because a B-list actress playing a secondary character is less than thrilled to be here.

Justine Hand,
Regent Square

Regarding Sienna Miller's dissing of Pittsburgh, it's completely predictable. Let's face it, Pittsburgh isn't exactly at the forefront of 21st century pop culture, like some of the more tony towns around the globe. But Pittsburgh has got one thing all these other places haven't got: A soul. It's quite sad for Ms. Miller that she is emotionally and intellectually unequipped to experience it.

Duane Galensky,
Beallsville, Pa.

After reading the article about Sienna Miller, I was struck by two things that may not be apparent to most.

1. Miss Millers comments are not going to negatively impact our great city. She is in fact a "B" actress, not a head of state or nobility. She is a twentysomething want-to-be star whose opinion should not hold any weight, at least not enough to cause a stir in our fair city.

2. We have an office in the city that needs to be "redd-up," or otherwise cleaned out from top to bottom, The Pittsburgh Film Office. The film office's sole job is to make our city as appealing and inviting as possible to the people in the film industry who either want to film or are filming in and around Western Pa. I doubt our interests are being well served by a office whose head doesn't even live here any more.

David Donley,
Oakland

So actress Sienna Miller does not find our city to be funky enough. She asks a Rolling Stone reporter, "Will you pity me when you're back in your funky New York apartment and I'm still in Pittsburgh?"

Well Ms. Miller has an understanding friend in Pennsylvania. After all, does not state Sen. Jim Ferlo want to "funkafy" the Penn Avenue corridor of Lawrenceville, Bloomfield and Garfield? Indeed as reported in the Post-Gazette, Sen. Ferlo, rather than making major rebuilding efforts on Penn Avenue, instead wants to "funkafy" the street with cafes, art venues and murals.

I live a block off Penn Ave. in Bloomfield and frankly I don't know how many more arts venues we can fit along the road, but then I am not a very funky guy. Perhaps while she is in town working on the "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh," Sienna Miller can find some time to sit down with our senator and over a "goblet of cheap pinot grigio", what ever that is, they can come up with a plan to "funkafy" our neighborhood some more. As for myself, I would be happy to see a pharmacy back in Garfield.

Stephen Donahue,
Bloomfield