Kitty Kelley Wins a War of Words
The plagiarism lawsuit against author Kitty Kelley was dropped yesterday just hours before a motion to dismiss it was to be argued in an Alabama court.
Alabama freelance writer Glynn Wilson had claimed that Kelley lifted quotes from his blog, Southerner Daily News, to use in her latest book, "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty," but the suit was dismissed "with prejudice."
Kitty Kelley declared "victory" in the dismissal of a plagiarism suit against her.
(Helayne Seidman For The Washington Post)
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Back in November 2004, Wilson had told The Post's Richard Leiby: "It's a cut-and-paste job, man. When you lift whole passages, you have to put it in quotes. If they had just rewritten it and given me credit, that's a different story. . . . I taught journalism for nine years -- I know what plagiarism is."
Yesterday, Wilson's attorney, Stephen Heninger, told us: "Well, we reached an agreement . . . [and it was] decided that if they would drop their claim for any attorneys' fees with us, we would drop our claim."
Kelley released a statement of glee: "When I first learned about this lawsuit from media reports, I and my publisher, Doubleday, affirmed that we would defend with all appropriate means against the unfair and damaging charges it contained. We are pleased that our defense has been successful. The dismissal of the lawsuit is a victory for me, Doubleday, and for the rights of all writers."
And we can't forget Doubleday: "The voluntary dismissal of Glynn Wilson's lawsuit brings complete vindication for Kitty Kelley and her extraordinary work in writing and researching 'The Family,' " said Stephen Rubin, president and publisher. "We were confident from the beginning that Mr. Wilson's case was entirely without merit and we are pleased that he has recognized this."
Woody's Women Troubles
Woody Allen -- whose latest venture, "Melinda and Melinda," opens in Washington theaters Wednesday -- says that it's only in his movies that he truly understands the opposite sex.
"I always think I know them, but it's fallacious," Allen told reporters. "I don't. As long as I'm controlling the characters I give myself the illusion that I know what I'm doing."
And it wasn't until Diane Keaton entered his life that he could even write roles for women. "There was a time in my life I could never write for women," he said. "It was only with my relationship with Diane Keaton, that I was so in awe of her, that I started to write for her."
Allen readily admits he's a romantic and says that's why he can aptly write romantic movies. "I always thought that I was the height of romantic when I was younger -- a lot of good it's done me," he said with a laugh. "I always thought that I could convey romance in a movie."
But insofar as writing worthwhile, memorable characters, Allen says: "Most of the time is spent thinking it. That's the hard part. That's where you go crazy. Of the eight weeks, six of them are spent in a room alone, staring at my shoe tops trying to figure out what to do."
Endnote
Spotted: Sammy Sosa, fresh from his appearance on the Hill, spent his Thursday eve at Cafe Milano with his band of merry men. We hear one of them said to Cafe Milano's general manager, Laurent Menoud: "We came to Cafe Milano to celebrate. Are you the person who can get us into the Reliable Source? We want to make the Reliable Source." (For the record, Menoud smiled and said: "Yes.") Later on, the gang hung out at the trendy G-town bar Blue Gin, a few doors away. So here you go, boys. It's not the Reliable Source, but -- hey, it's still C3.
-- Compiled by Anne Schroeder
from staff and wire reports
