Snubbing Hollywood

The tiny community of Tangier Island, Va., recently put itself on the map by refusing to become a movie location.

Apparently, Warner Brothers felt the picturesque fishing and crabbing town in the lower Chesapeake Bay would be ideal for some scenes from a coming Kevin Costner film called "Message in a Bottle."

More than a few of the island's 700 residents were excited by the prospect. The presence of stars like Costner and Paul Newman aside, this could mean extra money in local pockets. Everything from seafood dinners to scooter rentals.

But the six-member town council had different priorities. It read the script, noted a sex scene and profane language and said, "No thanks." It added that with a few changes in an otherwise unobjectionable show, Hollywood might still be welcomed in town.

The filmmakers probably won't jump at that. But they ought to know that Tangier Island's councilors made a point that ripples far beyond their little village.