Reminding us of that time a grumpy Sean Connery asked for a commenter invite so he could take issue with our estimation of Harrison Ford, Kirk Douglas took to the LA Times letters section this weekend to protest the paper's recent treatment of "fallen" stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. And as far as we're concerned, his exquisitely articulated and defended point is the last word proving that the stars deserve better:

I cringed when I read the denigrating remarks made about two wonderful actors, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

One of the most important industries in our country is the film industry. Our movies reach out to every corner of the world. Our stars are appreciated everywhere.

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are two of our very important stars. They have made movies that will never be forgotten. I think you owe them an apology.

Kirk Douglas
Los Angeles

Indeed, one might presume that seasoned film biz columnist Patrick Goldstein would know this about our "most important industries," not to mention the global repercussions for his having dinged the decrepit duo. Having now upset both the industry's delicate economic balance and Kirk Douglas, we expect Goldstein's apology should be forthcoming any minute now. Meanwhile, we hear an angry Bruce Willis is drafting a retort to the letter directly preceding Douglas's, which namechecks Ashton Kutcher and Hayden Christensen as low-rent contemporary analogues that cement the Pacino/De Niro legend. This industrial indignity cannot stand.

• Putting in a good word for Pacino, De Niro [LAT via MCN]