[ MAUKA MAKAI ]

MGM
Reese Witherspoon is the ultimate blonde in
"Legally Blonde," opening Friday.

Being a blonde
works for author of
‘Legally Blonde’

---

By Scott Vogel
svogel@starbulletin.com

Her first novel, "Legally Blonde," hadn't even been published yet, but that didn't stop United Artists from paying Amanda Brown a six-figure sum (according to Variety) for the rights to her tale of goldilocked Elle Woods, a sorority sister who enrolls in law school to win back a former boyfriend.

An e-book of "Legally Blonde" went on sale for $3.95 on June 29 (at www.1stbooks.com), a paperback version was released a few days ago, and the film adaptation of Brown's novel opens Friday. Needless to say, Brown seemed lan appropriate source to consult on the subject of contemporary blondeness.

COVER STORY

First question: What made a woman named Brown think she was qualified to write about blondes?

"I'm a blonde at heart and always have been," responded the 31-year-old author, who attended Stanford Law School for two years and knows the tress-laden territory of which she speaks (though she admitted to being an "ash undertone with highlights"). "It works in everyone's favor to be a blonde."

A little of this Pollyanna-ness goes a long way, but a certain amount is understandable. Pollyanna was a blonde, after all; furthermore, Brown has had the kind of good fortune that would leave anyone gushing.

How was it working with the epitome of smart/dumb blondes, Reese Witherspoon? You guessed it:

"She's the perfect Elle. She's very determined, which is one of the important things about Elle's character. And she's able to laugh at herself. She has great self-awareness. She's terrific."

And what's it like living every writer's dream?

"This has been an absolutely amazing experience."

And the movie?

"I'm very happy with the movie."

Perhaps Los Angeles, where Brown is living for the summer, is going to her, well, head.

"I think people are getting even blonder," she said, speaking of La-La Land and its storied citizenry. "There are a lot of platinum blondes all over the place. I thought, 'Great, maybe it's in honor of the movie.'"

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