New York judge sets June ‘Mockingbird’ trial date, if Alabama judge allows it
A New York judge says she’ll preside over a June trial over the disputed Broadway production of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” if an Alabama judge allows it. Judge Analisa Torres set a June 4 trial date Monday. She says the trial will occur if an Alabama judge concludes New York is the right venue to resolve the dispute between the production’s producer and the late author’s estate. Lee’s estate sued in Alabama federal court in March, arguing screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s script wrongly alters Atticus Finch, a noble attorney, and other book characters. Scott Rudin’s production company, Rudinplay, countersued in New York in April, demanding $10 million in damages. A 2015 contract says the play, due to open in December, won’t deviate from the spirit of Lee’s novel. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Harper Lee lawyer seeks to block suit over ‘Mockingbird’ production
A lawyer for the estate of Harper Lee is trying to halt a lawsuit filed by a producer who plans to stage a Broadway production of the writer’s classic “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Court records show Lee attorney Tonja Carter on Tuesday asked a federal court in Alabama to block a federal lawsuit filed last week in New York by producer Scott Rudin’s company, Rudinplay. Carter filed a lawsuit last month that contends writer Aaron Sorkin’s script for a stage adaptation of “Mockingbird” set to open in December alters characters in Lee’s book, counter to a contract with the estate. Rudinplay is seeking $10 million from Lee’s estate and threatening to cancel the play. Carter contends the company’s lawsuit concerns the same issues covered by her suit and should be blocked. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Broadway production company countersues Harper Lee’s estate
In a courtroom drama as fascinating as the novel itself — things are once again heating up surrounding the production of the upcoming Broadway adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The production company for the show is fighting back against a lawsuit brought forth last month by the estate of the late Alabama author Harper Lee, who wrote the beloved 1960 novel, by introducing a countersuit. Hollywood producer Scott Rudin’s production company Rudinplay filed a $10 million countersuit on Monday against the estate for damages, threatening to cancel the play scheduled to open in December. “Investors are not willing to invest millions of dollars when a cloud exits,” claims the lawsuit. The original suit alleged screenwriter Aaron Sorkin wrongly altered Atticus Finch and other characters from the book in the script, despite a clause in the contract stipulating that “the play shall not derogate or depart in any manner from the spirit of the novel nor alter its characters.” However, the firm that represents Rudin’s company said Sorkin’s script “is a faithful adaptation of a singular novel which has been crafted well within the constraints of the agreement executed by both Harper Lee and the play’s producers before Ms. Lee’s death. Monday’s lawsuit further argues, “The Agreement did not give Ms. Lee approval rights over the script of the Play, much less did it give her right to purport to edit individual lines of dialogue.”
Harper Lee’s estate sues over Broadway version of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’
The upcoming Broadway adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird” has been hit with a lawsuit by the estate of the late Alabama author Harper Lee, who wrote the beloved 1960 novel. The federal lawsuit was filed in Alabama this week by the late author’s lawyer Tonja Carter against the theater company of New York producer Scott Rudin. It alleges screenwriter Aaron Sorkin wrongly altered Atticus Finch and other characters from the book in the script, despite a clause in the contract stipulating that “the play shall not derogate or depart in any manner from the spirit of the novel nor alter its characters.” The lawsuit states Atticus is “based on Ms Lee’s own father, a small-town Alabama lawyer who represented black defendants in a criminal trial”, and “is portrayed in the novel as a model of wisdom, integrity, and professionalism,” noting any shift from that, departs from the spirit of the novel, thus the suit asks a judge to enforce that portion of the contract. A firm that represents Rudin’s company said Sorkin’s script “is a faithful adaptation of a singular novel which has been crafted well within the constraints of the agreement executed by both Harper Lee and the play’s producers before Ms. Lee’s death. This action undertaken by the estate of Harper Lee is an unfortunate step in a situation where there is simply artistic disagreement over the creation of a play that Ms. Lee herself wanted to see produced, and is the kind of disagreement which one expects would be worked out easily between two parties who have a mutual interest in seeing a work produced.” The statement continued calling out the estate lawyer’s history litigious behavior. “The estate has an unfortunate history of litigious behavior and of both filing and being the recipient of numerous lawsuits, and has been the subject of considerable controversy surrounding its handling of the work of Harper Lee both during her illness and after her death. This is, unfortunately, simply another such lawsuit, the latest of many, and we believe that it is without merit. While we hope this gets resolved, if it does not, the suit will be vigorously defended,” the statement added. The play is set to open December 13.
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ coming to Broadway
Famed Alabama author Harper Lee‘s influential American novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” is being brought to life on Broadway this season. The late author’s prized novel will be brought to life by Aaron Sorkin who is adapting the novel into a play. He will be joined by Bartlett Sher (“Oslo”) who will be directing the show, which co-produced by Scott Rudin and the Lincoln Center Theater. Sorkin’s version is being advertised as a “new play, based on” Lee’s novel. National television and movie star — who was also the star of Sorkin’s HBO Series, “The Newsroom” — Jeff Daniels will be portraying lawyer Atticus Finch. “We never talked about anybody but Jeff, from the very first conversation Aaron and I ever had about doing this together,” Rudin told The Washington Post. The novel, takes place in a depression-era southern town, the narrator, a girl nicknamed Scout, tells the story of a black man who has been wrongly accused of raping a white woman. Scouts father, the lawyer Finch, defends him despite threats and the scorn of many. The play comes at an optimal time in America. Although Lee’s novel celebrates the 58th anniversary of publication this July, it’s account of racial tension and frank discussion of rape and sexuality is still relevant in the lives of those in the American South today. The producers on Thursday identified other members of a the cast, including: Celia Keenan-Bolger (who’ll portray Scout); Stephen McKinley Henderson, Gideon Glick, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Frederick Weller, Will Pullen, Stark Sands, Dakin Matthews, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Phyllis Somerville and Liv Rooth. Adam Guettel will compose original music for the play; Ann Roth will design the costumes, and Miriam Buether will design the set. “We just finished two full labs of Aaron’s play, both directed by Bart, and both with this entire cast, It’s an extraordinarily rare occurrence that you can build a play on the people who will ultimately be in it…It’s a huge tribute to both Sorkin and Sher that everybody we asked to be in the production also cleared their schedules to jump into a very beefy lab process with us, especially so far in advance of the play’s production,” said Rudin. This is the first time Lee’s novel will be adapted and performed on Broadway, which The Washington Post called “an extreme rarity these days for the nation’s most prominent theatrical platform.” Performances will begin Nov. 1 at a theater to be announced.
Deal set to stage ‘Mockingbird’ play in Harper Lee’s Ala. hometown
Call it a Christmas miracle if you will — a deal has been reached to continue the annual stage play based on Harper Lee‘s classic novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” in the author’s hometown of Monroeville, Ala. Just weeks ago, it seemed that for the first time in 27 years a production of the treasured play was not going to happen in 2017 as organizers quarreled over how to proceed with the show in the wake of Lee’s passing in February. But now, Monroeville officials have confirmed to AL.com an agreement has been made to stage the place at the county’s historical courthouse, as it has been done in previous years. The annual production is an important tourist attraction to the southwest Alabama town, which is not only where Lee was raised but is also the setting of the landmark novel.
Alabama House approves resolution celebrating Harper Lee
On Tuesday, the Alabama House of Representatives unanimously approved SJR62 from Sen. Hank Sanders (D-Selma), and co-sponsored by all other Senators, “mourning the death and celebrating the life and legacy of Nelle Harper Lee.” Lee was born in Monroeville and attended Huntingdon College and the University of Alabama before moving to New York City where she worked as an airline reservation agent while writing on the side. Lee composed her classic novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” only three years before the movie adaptation hit the silver screen in 1960, winning multiple Academy Awards. Despite the success of the book and film, Lee preferred to “surround herself in quiet solitude rather than notoriety.” The resolution further notes Lee’s 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, her 1999 award for Best Novel of the Century and her 2007 Presidential Medal of Freedom, among others. Not mentioned in the resolution is Lee’s invaluable contribution to the American masterpiece “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote. Lee and Capote were childhood friends and, together, took thousands of notes and interviewed countless sources in researching the book. Lee published her second novel “Go Set A Watchman” in 2015. Though proclaimed a sequel to her first novel, the second was based off of her first draft from “To Kill A Mockingbird.” The resolution goes on to call Lee “a native Alabamian loved by many throughout the world” and her memory “deeply cherished in the hearts and minds of all those who were fortunate enough to know her, as well as her many fans.”
Alabama judge seals Harper Lee will
An Alabama probate judge has sealed the will of author Harper Lee from public view. Court records available Monday showed Monroe County Probate Judge Greg Norris signed the order a week ago. Lawyers for Lee’s personal representative and attorney, Tonja Carter, asked Norris to seal the will the same day. The request from Carter cited the writer’s longtime desire for privacy. The motion says Lee wouldn’t want her private financial affairs to be a matter of public discussion. Carter’s attorney wrote that the “To Kill a Mockingbird” author left a literary legacy for the public, but it’s not anyone’s business to know what she left for her beneficiaries. The request says Lee’s relatives agreed with the request for privacy. Lee died last month at age 89. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Harper Lee “would be extremely upset” with Donald Trump rhetoric, “Scout” says
The actress who portrayed the iconic role of Scout onscreen in Harper Lee‘s classic tale “To Kill A Mockingbird” decried the “inflammatory and divisive” rhetoric of Donald Trump, saying the late Lee would not have approved, either. “I think she would be extremely upset with some of our politicians who are not being realistic, and who are pulling this country apart,” said Mary Badham, who was 10 when she appeared as “Scout” with Oscar winner Gregory Peck in the 1962 film. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Lee, who passed away this past Friday at 89, became close to Badham in the final years of her life, she told WJCT. Badham will make a couple of North Florida appearances on Saturday (details below). She speaks regularly across the country about the book and film’s timeless themes of tolerance and compassion in the face of bigotry. “We’re a country made up of a lot of different kinds of people, and that’s part of what makes us very strong. We have to learn to come together as a country, and not listen to racism and bigotry. It’s sad for me because we’ve come so far, and yet there are still some of us who are stuck in the Dark Ages. And I don’t want to go back there.” “This is not just a black-and-white, 1930’s race issue. This is global. This is bigotry and racism in all its forms. We have to fight against that continually. The crux of that is education. If we fail to educate our population, then ignorance takes over. “I’m just hoping the American public will do their homework in this next election, and really pay attention to the ugliness that’s happening in our political situation, and try to go for the high road. We’ve never been in a more dangerous situation than we are right now. “I’m thinking mostly of Donald Trump. He is so inflammatory and so divisive, he would not be good for this country.” Badham will appear 10 a.m. Saturday in Balis Park and the San Marco Bookstore, where there will be book signings for “To Kill A Mockingbird” and Lee’s 2015 release of “Go Set A Watchman.” The copies will be signed by both Badham and Harper Lee. Saturday evening, she’ll host a talk and screening of “Mockingbird” at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. Both events are free.
Alabama politicians react to Yellowhammer native, “To Kill A Mockingbird” author Harper Lee’s death
Legendary “To Kill A Mockingbird” author, and Alabama native Harper Lee died Friday, at 89. Lee, who published “To Kill A Mockingbird” in 1960 and won the Pulitzer Prize for it in 1961, was reported dead by multiple sources in Monroeville, Alabama — the town where she grew up and later spent the second half of her life. Soon after the news broke politicians across the state took time to pay their respects. Here’s what they had to say: U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby: Today I join Alabamians and all Americans in mourning the passing of Harper Lee. Ms. Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ will live on as one of the most beloved, classic books in American history. Harper Lee was a true literary legend, and her work has impacted the lives of many. She will be deeply missed. U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01): We have lost an American and Alabama literary giant. Harper Lee, a native of Monroeville, inspired generations, and she will be sorely missed. U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04): Sorry to hear of the passing of Harper Lee. She was an Alabama treasure, and her literary legacy will live on. Gov. Robert Bentley: Today, we mourn the loss of Alabama’s treasured author Nelle Harper Lee. Harper Lee’s literary impact reaches far beyond the borders of our state and nation. “To Kill A Mockingbird” has impacted people around the word. It is because of Harper Lee that the world knows about her special hometown of Monroeville, which celebrated the launch of Lee’s second novel “Go Set A Watchman” last year. Harper Lee’s legacy will live on as we introduce Scout, Jem, Atticus and Lee’s beloved Macomb to future generations. I join Alabamians in praying for Harper Lee’s family and the City of Monroeville in the difficult days ahead. Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange: Alabama has lost a great lady today with the passing of Monroeville’s Nelle Harper Lee at the age of 89. More than 50 years after the publication of her landmark novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” her words are still read across the country and around the world. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and many friends.
Harper Lee, “To Kill a Mockingbird” author, has died at 89
Harper Lee, the elusive novelist whose child’s-eye view of racial injustice in a small Southern town, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” became standard reading for millions of young people and an Oscar-winning film, has died. She was 89. Lee died peacefully Thursday, publisher HarperCollins said in a statement Friday. It did not give any other details about how she died. “The world knows Harper Lee was a brilliant writer but what many don’t know is that she was an extraordinary woman of great joyfulness, humility and kindness. She lived her life the way she wanted to — in private — surrounded by books and the people who loved her,” Michael Morrison, head of HarperCollins U.S. general books group, said in the statement. For most of her life, Lee divided her time between New York City, where she wrote the novel in the 1950s, and her hometown of Monroeville, which inspired the book’s fictional Maycomb. “To Kill a Mockingbird,” published in 1960, is the story of a girl nicknamed Scout growing up in a Depression-era Southern town. A black man has been wrongly accused of raping a white woman, and Scout’s father, the resolute lawyer Atticus Finch, defends him despite threats and the scorn of many. The book quickly became a best-seller, won the Pulitzer Prize and was made into a memorable movie in 1962, with Gregory Peck winning an Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus. As the civil rights movement grew, the novel inspired a generation of young lawyers, was assigned in high schools all over the country and was a popular choice for citywide, or nationwide, reading programs. By 2015, its sales were reported by HarperCollins to be more than 40 million worldwide, making it one of the most widely read American novels of the 20th century. When the Library of Congress did a survey in 1991 on books that have affected people’s lives, “To Kill a Mockingbird” was second only to the Bible. Lee herself became more mysterious as her book became more famous. At first, she dutifully promoted her work. She spoke frequently to the press, wrote about herself and gave speeches, once to a class of cadets at West Point. But she began declining interviews in the late 1960s and, until late in her life, firmly avoided making any public comment at all about her novel or her career. Other than a few magazine pieces for Vogue and McCall’s in the 1960s and a review of a 19th-century Alabama history book in 1983, she published no other book until stunning the world in 2015 by permitting “Go Set a Watchman” to be released. “Watchman” was written before “Mockingbird” but was set 20 years later, using the same location and many of the same characters. Readers and reviewers were disheartened to find an Atticus who seemed nothing like the hero of the earlier book. The man who defied the status quo in “Mockingbird” was now part of the mob in “Watchman,” denouncing the Supreme Court’s ruling that school segregation was unconstitutional and denouncing blacks as unfit to enjoy full equality. But despite unenthusiastic reviews and questions whether Lee was well enough to approve the publication, “Watchman” jumped to the top of best-seller lists within a day of its announcement and remained there for months. Much of Lee’s story is the story of “Mockingbird,” and how she responded to it. She wasn’t a bragger, like Norman Mailer, or a drinker, like William Faulkner, or a recluse or eccentric. By the accounts of friends and Monroeville townsfolk, she was a warm, vibrant and witty woman who enjoyed life, played golf, read voraciously and got about to plays and concerts. She just didn’t want to talk about it before an audience. Claudia Durst Johnson, author of a book-length critical analysis of Lee’s novel, described her as preferring to guard her privacy “like others in an older generation, who didn’t go out and talk about themselves on Oprah or the Letterman show at the drop of a hat.” According to Johnson, Lee also complained that the news media invariably misquoted her. Lee emerged more often over the past few years, although not always in ways she preferred. She was involved in numerous legal disputes over the rights to her book and denied she had cooperated with the biography “The Mockingbird Next Door: Life With Harper Lee,” by Marja Mills. Other occasions were happier. She wrote a letter of thanks in 2001 when the Chicago Public Library chose “Mockingbird” for its first One Book, One Chicago program. In 2007, she agreed to attend a White House ceremony at which she received a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Around the same time, she wrote a rare published item — for O, The Oprah Magazine — about how she became a reader as a child in a rural, Depression-era Alabama town, and remained one. “Now, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cellphones, iPods, and minds like empty rooms, I still plod along with books,” she wrote. By 2014, she had given in to the digital age and allowed her novel to come out as an e-book, calling it “‘Mockingbird’ for a new generation.” A new play adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird” will land on Broadway during the 2017-18 season under the direction of Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, written by Oscar-winner written by Aaron Sorkin. Born in Monroeville, Alabama, Nelle Harper Lee was known to family and friends as Nelle (pronounced Nell) — the name of a relative, Ellen, spelled backward. Like Atticus Finch, her father was a lawyer and state legislator. One of her childhood friends was Truman Capote, who lived with relatives next door to the Lees for several years. (A book about Lee in 2006 and two films about Capote brought fresh attention to their friendship, including her contributions to Capote’s “In Cold Blood,” the classic “nonfiction novel” about the murder of a Kansas farm family. Capote became the model for Scout’s creative, impish and loving
Gay marriage fight named top state news story of 2015
Alabama’s uneven response to court rulings allowing same-sex marriages is the top state news story of 2015. Gay marriage became a reality nationwide this year, but the issue took on special significance in Alabama as officials in a conservative Deep South state grappled with how to respond to court rulings allowing same-sex weddings. Some counties complied with court decisions immediately and issued same-sex marriage licenses, prompting joyous ceremonies on courthouse lawns. Others delayed or quit issuing marriage licenses altogether, forcing both gay and straight couples to go elsewhere to get married. More court battles are possible. Here is a look at Alabama’s Top 10 news stories of 2015 as selected by The Associated Press: GAY MARRIAGE A federal judge in Mobile overrules Alabama’s ban on gay marriage and the U.S. Supreme Court then legalizes same-sex marriage nationally, decisions that spark both celebrations and opposition across the state. The fallout from the rulings is Alabama’s No. 1 news story of 2015, and the reverberation could continue into 2016 as gay marriage supporters consider whether to sue counties that quit issuing marriage licenses altogether rather than grant any to same-sex couples. HARPER LEE NOVEL Author Harper Lee of Monroeville releases her second novel, “Go Set a Watchman,” in July, topping best-seller lists. Reviews are mixed for “Watchman,” which was written in 1957 and depicts fictional lawyer Atticus Finch as a racist rather than the noble lawyer of her classic “To Kill a Mockingbird.” A state elder abuse probe is closed after determining the 89-year-old Lee wanted to publish the book. BUDGET CRISIS Two Special Sessions are required before the Republican-controlled Legislature agrees to $1.7 billion state operating budget that includes both spending cuts and tax increases to plug a $200 million gap. POLICE CONFRONTATION Madison police Officer Eric Parker is arrested on state and federal charges after his videotaped takedown of Indian national Sureshbhai Patel, a grandfather, in a suburban neighborhood. Two federal trials end in hung juries, but prosecutors say they want a third trial. BENTLEY DIVORCE First lady Dianne Bentley unexpectedly files for divorce from Gov. Robert Bentley citing an “irretrievable breakdown” of their marriage of 50 years. The case, filed in Tuscaloosa the same day the couple made a joint appearance, is sealed and then settled within weeks. DEATH PENALTY With executions still on hold because of a shortage of drugs needed for lethal injections, three prisoners once sentenced to death — Anthony Ray Hinton, William Ziegler and Montez Spradley — are released from prison after claiming they were wrongly convicted. A fourth death row inmate claiming innocence dies of cancer while fighting his conviction. RUN TO DEATH In Etowah County, Joyce Hardin Garrard is convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole in the running death of her 9-year-old granddaughter, Savannah Hardin. Prosecutors claimed the child was forced to run for hours as punishment for a lie about candy. OBAMA VISIT President Barack Obama is joined on stage by former President George W. Bush in Selma during the 50th anniversary commemoration of the “Bloody Sunday” confrontation where voting rights demonstrators were beaten while attempting to march to Montgomery. POLARIS FACTORY Polaris Industries says it is planning an ATV manufacturing plant that will bring as many as 2,000 jobs to north Alabama. Production is scheduled to begin in 2016 at the 600,000-square-foot plant, located in Limestone County. WINTER WEATHER A record winter storm dumps a foot of snow on north Alabama in February, leaving roads coated with an icy slush that complicates travel. The storm comes only weeks after an arctic blast that sent temperatures plunging and broke records dating to the 1880s as far south as Mobile. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
