Author talks courts, 'Da Vinci Code,' and movie in home state

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- What with the crush outside the Music Hall, it might have been the pope, the president, maybe even Paris Hilton. But, no, it was reclusive author Dan Brown in the first public appearance since courts in London and the United States rejected charges of copyright infringement against his giant bestseller, ''The Da Vinci Code." Looking relaxed in a trademark combination of sportcoat over black shirt and pants, Brown, 40, joked that ''my agent tells people the only way to get me to appear in public is to sue me for plagiarism. There are forms in the lobby." [More]