**Certainly, our culture teaches us, overtly as well as sublimely, that as southerners (USA) we have much to be ashamed of. One of the first things we learn to shed the instant we step out of the south is our accent***

I would like to say that it is not just the south you have to watch "your" accent with.. I live in Northern New York.. Now I don't think I have an accent I sware my tone is nutual but have been told it's there..

One thing I have noticed when I have been out of state, I can be talking to people for a while and then comes the where are you from question,, The minute I say NY I have actualy seen people looks change.. They find out I'm from *that* state... Now I know NY is not prefect, But niether am I a bad person for living here.. I live in the country where helping your nieghbor is still the thing to do... Or stop and help the person who looks lost ... But in some places being a NYer is frowned on...

To tell you the honest truth I LOVE accents all acceents..

So hold onto your accent and don't let others make you feel bad about it. It's a part of you and no one has the right to take that away..

So true Cynthia Ann, it would seem that any accent in the USA is associated with ignorance by those who think they lack one as well as by those who are trying to shed one. I actually had a relative from California insist that there is no California accent. My question was, um, can you hear yourself?

So you are from Northern NY? Beautiful part of the world. Come to think of it, what I saw, it looks a lot like East TN! When I lived in Ohio, I had three housemates from NY, one from Brooklyn, one from Rochester and the other from Canton. the one from Brooklyn had a stereo-typical NY accent, the one from Rochester had what most southerners would think of as a generic "Yankee" accent, and the one from Canton sounded like she was from Canada (every sentence ended with eh?). the thing I found most odd about them, being the true blue southerner that I am, was that funny game they talked about playing in high school. So what is Lacrosse anyway?

Of course, relating this back to LM, , I can see why an actor would not want to have a strong accent, at least while acting. You may get away with sounding like a mountain man from KY when playing an 1870's cowboy from the California mother load country but if your character was supposed to be born and raised in Ojai, CA, chances are you shouldn't sound like an Appalacian.

Plus, there is nothing worse than affected accents that miss their mark. Robert Deniro (sp?) is an outstanding actor. But when he played a psycho path from North Carolina in Cape Fear, OMG, his accent was atrocious!

The gist of all this rambling is, i just don't think LM shed the accent out of shame (although, it can be embarrassing when you are treated like a side show freak). Besides probably wanting roles other than hillbilly types, once he left the south, the accent would naturally fade. I only lived in Ohio for one year. I made no concious effort to sound non-southern. Everyone I knew in Ohio thought I had a thick southern accent. However, when I returned home, everyone I knew thought I lost my accent and new people I met thought I was from Ohio.

Thank You.
I think it is very nice up here..lots of mountains to see and A nice Valley to live in.. There's enough space for just about anything you want to do.. From skiing to fishing

If anyone is interested in the game here's a site to check out http://store.yahoo.com/lacrossemonkey/

I have to agree from what I have read abour LM he dosen't seam the type of guy who would be ashamed of where he came from.

I hope the New Year finds him in good health and more tv time ( >< crossed fingers)