Rudner turns the page with settlement
Hear the one about the Vegas comic who took a joke-book writer to court for copping her material?
It’s no joke: A little more than a year ago Rita Rudner entered into a copyright infringement lawsuit with Jay Leno against Judy Brown, who is a writer and comedy teacher who has edited 19 joke books. She has authored – or rather, her name has appeared as the author – of such titles as The Comedy Thesaurus, Joke Stew, Squeaky Clean Comedy and Mom – This Joke’s For You. The books are really funny, and there’s a solid explanation as to why. The material was written by some of the top comics in the business, including Leno and Rudner. But the plaintiffs have claimed that Brown is profiteering by using their jokes without permission.
In January 2007, Rudner added her name to the suit – which included Leno, comedy writer Jimmy Brogan, Diane Nichols, Sue Pascoe (widow of comedian Ronnie Shakes), Kathleen Madigan, Bob Ettinger and NBC Studios – when she realized 200 of her jokes were reprinted in Brown’s books. The suit has finally been settled, and Brown and her publishers have been ordered to halt the distribution of her joke books. According to a news release issued this morning, “Under the settlement, Brown’s publisher pledged to immediately cease the distribution, manufacture and sale of Brown’s joke books, and to pay compensation to the plaintiff comedians. Brown also agreed to a monetary settlement, apologized for her actions, and pledged to never again copy any of the plaintiffs’ jokes without express permission to do so." Rudner and Leno are donating their proceeds to charity.
There is a joke in here, somewhere. But I ain’t telling it …
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Boyd Gaming announced the launch of its one-of-a-kind, wholly unique, trend-setting, trail-blazing, players club program. Four of the company’s resorts in Las Vegas – Sam’s Town, Suncoast, the Orleans and Gold Coast – are now linked with the “One Card.” You might be asking, as I did, why this is such a noteworthy event. Because it is the first step in uniting all of Boyd Gaming’s players club cards across the country. The plans are to link the company’s downtown Las Vegas properties with the four previously mentioned, then bring in the Midwest and South regions. By the end of this rapid, manifest-destinylike expansion across the U.S., local players (or, if you will, “gamblers”) can use their cards at Boyd Gaming resorts in Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana and Mississippi. Road trip!
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Something I learned at the caucus on Saturday: If your precinct runs out of English-language voter registration forms, you can register on the Spanish-language form and be a fully registered voter. Providing you know enough Spanish (and a year of high school instruction should suffice) to understand a few simple questions on the form.
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PL8 in my head: A reader phoned with this self-aggrandizing plate on a big Chevrolet rig (likely a Blazer), WSH2BME.
Fabulous Las Vegas appears at this Web site. John Katsilometes, who also hosts Our Metropolis, a weekly issues and affairs show, each Tuesday at 6 p.m. on KUNV 91.5-FM, can be reached at 990-7720, 812-9812 or at [email protected].