The Daily News Online publishes letters from its readers and this letter, about greed in the world, seems to have been inspired by the art exhibit/fake ad that Natalie was involved in. The full letter is worth a read but for the lazy, below is the part specific to Natalie’s Greed.

As I awake one morning and turn on the radio to Inside Europe, a reporter in Rome is telling of a new perfume, Greed. Its introduction has created a stir with its debut, amidst a dive in retail sales and increasing numbers of unemployed, as effects of the “global financial meltdown” are being felt.

But, says the reporter, Greed is not a real perfume. It is a provocative art gallery installation by Francesco Vezzoli, Italian artist. Featured is a fake TV commercial less than a minute long. Set in a fake luxury hotel in downtown Rome, it stars Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams. The director is Roman Polanski.

The creator is not a moralist. He says, “An artist is in the same mud” as everyone else. Asked about the cost of producing the show, well over $1 million, in light of the world economic situation, he says, “It’s not a waste. I’m entertained by it.”

People leaving the Greed exhibit say, “It’s about a perfume that doesn’t exist,” and “If it did exist, I’d like to smell it.” The reporter wonders if people get it and the artist responds, “It’s art.” (He must have shrugged — and smiled.)