Woody Allen, American
Apparel battle gets dirty
By Sebastian Smith Sebastian
Smith
NEW YORK (AFP) – Woody Allen and American Apparel, a clothing
company known for ads featuring scantily clad models, are fighting
dirty ahead of a court showdown next month.
Photo: AFP/File/Pierre
Verdy
Allen is suing American Apparel for
putting his image from the 1977 movie "Annie Hall," where he
appeared as a Hasidic Jew, on billboards without his consent.
The film maker calls American Apparel, whose eccentric founder
strips to his underwear in the office and has reportedly
masturbated in front of a journalist, "sleazy."
Allen seeks 10 million dollars compensation -- the amount he says
he'd charge if he had agreed to an endorsement -- in the trial
scheduled to start May 18.
The California company, whose tight-fitting lingerie and casual
wear enjoy a cult following, says Allen's colorful personal life
leaves him without much of an image to defend.
American Apparel lawyers contend that the "sex scandal" of Allen's
marriage to adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, after a bitter divorce
from actress Mia Farrow, will be fair game.
Lawyers say in court documents they intend to show "the highly
publicized sex scandal and custody battle" impacted on Allen's
career and the value of his image.
The dispute began two years ago when American Apparel used the
Allen picture, in which he wears a thick Hasidic-style beard, on
billboards in New York and Los Angeles.
Although Allen is believed to have appeared in advertisements early
in his career, he has long avoided making endorsements.
In a deposition last December, Allen said he would not touch
American Apparel, or its notorious ads, with a barge pole.
"The ones that I saw were -- were, you know, sexually gross in a
witless and infantile way," he said, adding that American Apparel
had a "sleazy image."
Allen, whose films are known for neurotic comedy and quick-fire
dialogue, said that if he ever did do a commercial, it would have
to be for "a large amount of money."
He said he'd consent to doing advertising only if it was "a very
clever, kind of witty or intellectual-style commercial."
Allen's nemesis is Don Charney, the Canadian founder and CEO of
American Apparel, which unlike many manufacturers hires
all-American staff, rather than cheap foreign labor.
Charney's own image has been tarnished by sexual harassment law
suits and reports of bizarre behavior, including exposing himself
in work-related settings.
Charney appears to revel in the notoriety, admitting in 2006: "I
frequently drop my pants to show people my new product."
A reporter for Jane magazine spent time with Charney in 2004 to
research a profile and said that the CEO masturbated in front of
her.
One of the women filing sexual harassment suits against him
complained her boss turned up to a business meeting at his home
wearing a special sock on his penis -- apparently a potential new
product.
American Apparel's lawyer, Stuart Slotnick, told the New York Post
tabloid that Allen was the one who would have to prove his worth in
court.
"We believe that Mr Allen's popularity has decreased significantly,
especially in light of the scandals he's been associated with. We
believe that he greatly overvalues the worth of his endorsement --
if he can get one," Slotnick said earlier this month.
Last week, Allen's lawyers shot back, accusing American Apparel of
mounting a "campaign to tarnish Mr Allen's reputation a second
time."