Martha Stewart News...
Martha Stewart Released From Jail
· Martha Stewart settles with SEC. Martha Stewart agreed to limit her role at her lifestyle media empire Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. for five years under a settlement resolving civil insider trading charges, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said. She will also pay $195,000 and be banned for five years from serving as a director of a public company. 
· Appeals Court Upholds Stewart's Conviction. A federal appeals court Friday upheld the conviction of celebrity homemaker Martha Stewart for lying about selling stock that plunged in price soon after her trade. Stewart completed her sentence in the case last summer but had pursued the appeal anyway.
· Jury Consultant Sues Martha Stewart. A jury consultant hired to advise Martha Stewart's lawyer ahead of her trial for lying about a stock sale is suing the domestic diva, claiming Stewart still owes her more than $74,000.
· NBC to Martha Stewart: 'You're Fired.' It's a fade out for "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" after next month's finale. Sources said that NBC has passed on ordering another round of episodes of the Stewart-hosted edition of "The Apprentice," which has struggled in the ratings since its September 21 premiere.
· Stewart Planned to Bump Trump From Show. Before her version of "The Apprentice" began, Martha Stewart thought she was saying "you're fired" to Donald Trump. While "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" hasn't done well in the ratings, Stewart initially had much higher hopes - even that her NBC show would eclipse Trump's original. "I thought I was replacing The Donald," Stewart says in the Nov. 14 issue of Fortune magazine. "It was even discussed that I would be firing The Donald on the first show."
· Martha Stewart not allowed in Canada. The town of Windsor spokeswoman VanEssa Roberts said Tuesday night the domestic guru and television personality can’t make it to a local pumpkin festival on Sunday because she’s not allowed to enter Canada.
· Martha Stewart Living gets into music business. The domestic diva's company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and Sony Corp.'s BMG business agreed to form a joint venture, Martha Stewart Living Music, which will release a series of compilation albums for holidays and special occasions, MSO said.
· Martha Stewart Working on a Third TV Show. Martha Stewart, already with two TV shows, is working on a third. Stewart's company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, purchased a house in Norwalk last month that will be featured in a new home-improvement television show next year.
· Martha Stewart Gives Up Fur. Martha Stewart, who says she's given up fur, has made a video for PETA. "I used to wear fur, but like many others, I had a change of heart when I learned what actually happens to the animals," Stewart says in the video.
· Martha Stewart's NBC show draws ho-hum ratings. Martha Stewart launched her version of NBC reality hit "The Apprentice" to disappointing ratings and criticism that the domestic diva and ex-con needs to be a nastier TV boss.
· Stewart Gets Through Her 'Yale' Experience. Martha Stewart's euphemism for prison was to call it "Yale." She explained her coping mechanism in an appearance Monday on David Letterman's "Late Show" to promote her two new TV shows.
· Martha Stewart Developing New Magazine. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., Stewart's New York-based media company, is "actively researching" the prospects for launching a lifestyle magazine for women over 30, spokeswoman Elizabeth Estroff said.
· Martha Stewart unshackled. She's shaking off that not-so-chic ankle bracelet and getting ready to step back onto the airwaves - but will investors and consumers take notice? That's the question facing Martha Stewart – or M. Diddy, if you prefer her prison moniker – as she tastes freedom for the first time in months.
· Martha’s catchphrase: ‘You just don’t fit in.’ The Donald has “you're fired” but apparently for Martha Stewart, it's all about the fit. The New York Post reported Tuesday that Martha Stewart has settled on “You just don't fit in” as her parting words for freshly eliminated contestants on her new reality TV show.
· Martha is new diva of pink slips. Martha Stewart promises to make you forget Donald Trump's signature line when she stars in a new spinoff series, "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart," this fall. Showing off a sunnier persona, America's most famous ex-con says she has come up with her own way of handing out televised pink slips - but you'll have to watch to find out. "What I really wanted to say is, 'Your ass is grass!'" Stewart told Newsweek for its upcoming issue before letting out a very un-Martha-like laugh.
· 'Martha' to Show Stewart's Sense of Humor. Martha Stewart's new syndicated daytime television series, "Martha," which premieres Sept. 12, promises to show the home-and-hearth marketing queen's sense of humor. "As soon as I spent time with Martha I knew that her witty and engaging humor would surprise and entertain viewers," executive producer Mark Burnett said in a statement released Tuesday by NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution.
· Stewart's home confinement extended. Martha Stewart's release from home confinement and her electronic anklet has been delayed three weeks to the end of the month, her lawyer said Wednesday.
· Martha Wants to Fill Studio With Marthas. Calling all Martha Stewarts. The famous homemaker is scouring the country for those who don't necessarily share her homemaking abilities, but her name. Producers of the hour-long syndicated daytime show "Martha," which premieres Sept. 12, are hoping to fill the studio audience with 150 Martha Stewarts for a special show.
· Stewart won't reveal her 'Apprentice' catchphrase. There won't be any "You're fired" death knells sounded when Martha Stewart takes the reins of "The Apprentice" this fall. The domestic doyenne will find her own way in her own reality series - but she won't say what it is yet.
· Martha's Defunct "Living" Scores Emmy. The domestic diva's defunct eponymous syndicated series, Martha Stewart Living, which was forced off the air after Stewart's conviction for lying to federal prosecutors about a shady stock deal, cooked up a big Daytime Emmy win.
· Stewart gives new meaning to ‘house arrest.’ Is the billionaire getting special treatment? She's at business meetings, press conferences and star-studded galas. But somewhere in there, Martha Stewart is supposed to be under house arrest.
· Martha Stewart to show funny, soft side in series. Martha Stewart, trying to soften her post-prison image, pitched herself to prospective advertisers on Monday as a kinder and gentler TV host who can tell a joke as well bake the perfect pie crust.
· Did Martha break house arrest? The U.S. Probation Department is investigating whether Martha Stewart violated the terms of her house arrest when she attended a Time magazine dinner last week, The New York Post reported Sunday. "We're going to do some investigating to see if this event was directly related to her employment," Chris Stanton, chief federal probation officer for the Southern District of New York.
· Martha Stewart Gets Own Channel on Sirius. Six weeks after being released from federal prison, Martha Stewart has reached a deal with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. to create a 24-hour channel featuring cooking, gardening and entertaining programming for women.
· Bad image or not, Martha Stewart grounded. Martha Stewart must keep wearing her electronic bracelet and abide by home confinement rules despite complaints the terms were hurting her efforts to revive her namesake company and work on new television projects, a federal judge ruled today.
· Martha Begs to be free of ankle device. Martha Stewart has a new to-do list - and her first order of business is getting rid of that pesky electronic ankle bracelet. The domestic diva, you see, likes to wear skirts, and that bulky monitoring device cramps her style.
· Judge can resentence Martha Stewart. An appeals court has ruled that the judge who sentenced Martha Stewart can modify the punishment of the celebrity homemaker, who has about 4-1/2 months of home confinement left on her original sentence.
· Martha Stewart to Get $3.7M for Legal Bill. Released from prison just two weeks ago, billionaire domestic diva Stewart will get $3.7 million from her company to pay for massive legal fees.
· Martha courting new verdict. Martha Stewart's lawyers - with her or without her in court - will begin the legal battle to clear her name today as they argue to overturn her conviction for lying about a stock deal. A team of her attorneys will take their case to 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, though most experts believe Stewart has little chance of success.
· Martha Stewart Unhappy About Bracelet. Martha Stewart is not too happy with her latest style accessory — her ankle bracelet clashes with her clothing and makes it hard for her to exercise.
· Martha's bane: Bracelet. Martha Stewart offered up a fine whine last night about that nasty plastic bracelet she's being forced to wear on her once-dainty ankle. "I hope none of you ever have to wear one," she wrote to fans who joined a live "Welcome Back, Martha" Internet chat sponsored by her company.
· Reality check as Martha's stock falls. As Martha Stewart might say, staying in prison was a good thing for her company's stock, which had more than doubled since she began her sentence. Her return to public life, however, is decidedly not a good thing. Her company's stock continued to fall yesterday, five days after Stewart stepped out of federal prison to return to New York and her job at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.The morning after she flew out of Alderson, W.Va., her stock opened around $33. Yesterday it closed at $25.95, down 16% since she left prison.
· Martha's jet noise - Not a good thing. Martha Stewart is already showing disregard for rules the little people manage to follow. When she flew home in a private jet after her release from the hoosegow early Friday morning, she violated the airport curfew at the Westchester County Airport, airport manager Joel Russell told us. Stewart arrived at 2:08 a.m. Since 1986 - after years of private-jet noise that plagued the affluent area - the county asked that no planes use the airport between midnight and 6:30 a.m.
· Back to Work for Martha. After a weekend spent at her 153-acre suburban estate, Stewart was expected Monday to report back to her company's corporate headquarters in Manhattan and get back to work.
» Martha's fleeting taste of freedom. Martha Stewart basked in freedom, praise and snowballs yesterday - her last chance to leave home freely without an ankle bracelet before her house arrest starts this morning.
· Prison May Have Helped Stewart's Image. On Friday, her first day outside the lockup, she waved graciously, chatted amiably and served hot cocoa to the press. The transformation of Martha Stewart's image dates to five months ago, when she called a news conference to announce she was reporting to prison early, despite a pending legal appeal.
· Martha's bread line. Martha knows where her bread is buttered. Getting back to the domestic life she loves meant graciously serving up slices of buttered bread yesterday to the press camped outside her Katonah estate in Westchester.
· Martha Stewart Enjoys Comforts of Home. Ambling the grounds of her 153-acre estate after five months in prison, Martha Stewart said it felt good to be home. On her first day home Friday, a cheerful Stewart walked her dog, Paw Paw, into a snowy paddock and handed treats over a fence to her five horses, caressing them. Later, she ducked inside her new greenhouse and emerged with handfuls of lemons.
· Martha Stewart Released From Prison. Martha Stewart, released after five months in a West Virginia prison, arrived at her multimillion-dollar 153-acre New York estate early Friday to begin serving the home detention portion of her sentence for lying about a stock sale. "The experience of the last five months ... has been life altering and life affirming," Stewart said in a statement issued on her Web site. "Someday, I hope to have the chance to talk more about all that has happened, the extraordinary people I have met here and all that I have learned."
» Stewart: "There is no place like home." A beaming Martha Stewart began her dramatic public comeback this morning as she was released from prison after five months behind bars. As a handful of supporters gathered at Greenbrier Valley Airport yelled, "We love you Martha!" the domestic diva smiled and waved, and gave her driver a peck on the cheek as the billionaire boarded her Falcon 50 private jet shortly after 1am.
· Martha's face, model's body on Newsweek. In a move that has raised questions of professional integrity, Newsweek magazine has combined an image of Martha Stewart's head and a model's body on its latest cover, according to a report Thursday.
· Stewart Made the Best of Time in Prison. From scrubbing floors to raking leaves, Martha Stewart spent the past five months performing the sort of tasks ordinarily done by the hired help. She also foraged for dandelions and other wild greens, concocted recipes in a microwave, even ate from the vending machines, heaven forbid.
» Martha's exit will be televised. Martha Stewart's company is planning to provide a flat-bed truck for the media to use to get a good shot of Stewart as she enters the chartered plane in West Virginia that will take her home.
· Martha's new diet plan - jail food. Martha Stewart has lost so much weight in jail, she needs a whole new wardrobe. The domestic diva has dropped close to 20 pounds due to workouts, yoga and her inability to eat prison food — so she sent daughter Alexis to get her some clothes to fit her new, svelte figure.
· Martha Stewart due to leave prison Friday. She gets out of prison Friday, and to hear her coworkers and friends tell it, Martha Stewart is hungry.
· Stewart prepares for house arrest. Fashion designer Ralph Lauren lives next door. Billionaire financier George Soros is down the street. And on a nearby hill stands the house that patriot John Jay retired to after serving as the first U.S. chief justice. When Martha Stewart gets out of a West Virginia prison in the next week or so, she won't be moving into a typical halfway house.
· Martha Stewart may return as CEO. Currently imprisoned on an obstruction-of-justice conviction, Stewart still faces a civil case that could prevent her from running the company she founded. However, the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has hit Stewart with civil insider-trading charges, recently told her lawyers that it would consider a settlement deal that wouldn’t require her to be barred for life from running her company.
· Martha Stewart watches her fortunes soar from a jail cell. The 63-year-old homemaking queen will emerge from prison on March 6 more than $500 million richer on paper, after shares in her retail and publishing company soared on the back of a new reality television deal and higher licensing fees.
· Stewart to Star in New 'Apprentice.' Martha Stewart, you're hired. The masterminds behind "The Apprentice" - Donald Trump and Mark Burnett- and NBC announced Wednesday that Stewart will host "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart."
· Martha's early spring? The Supreme Court tossed out federal sentencing guidelines yesterday, giving hundreds of inmates - including Martha Stewart - a shot at new sentences. The stunning ruling is expected to unleash a flood of requests by defendants around the nation to be resentenced.
· Martha unwraps wish for jail reform. Martha Stewart has undergone a Scrooge-like transformation behind bars, sending out a Christmas call for prison reform that would make Charles Dickens proud. "So many of the women here at Alderson will never have the joy and well-being that you and I experience. Many of them have been here for years, devoid of care, devoid of love, devoid of family," wrote Stewart, who's serving a five-month stint at the federal prison camp in Alderson, W.Va.
· Martha: prison food is lousy. Martha Stewart, who is nearly halfway done with a five-month prison sentence, delivered a holiday greeting Wednesday from her minimum-security camp in West Virginia.
· Martha Stewart sells $8 million of Omnimedia stock. Martha Stewart, jailed founder of media company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSO), sold about $8 million worth of MSO shares this week, according to a regulatory filing. Stewart sold nearly 300,000 shares of Class A common stock Tuesday, leaving her with 5,100 shares remaining, according to a form filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
· Martha Stewart Gets Homemaking Show for Fall 2005. Martha Stewart will host an hour-long, daily syndicated show with a live audience when she gets out of prison, her multimedia and home fashions company said Wednesday.
· Martha Stewart Eyeing Reality TV Comeback. The Hollywood reporter is reporting that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is close to sealing a deal with NBC for a primetime reality series to feature the domestic diva. It will be produced by "Survivor" Svengali Mark Burnett. Specifics of the series are still murky, but sources said that it would have an elimination-style competition element along the lines of Burnett's "Survivor" and "The Apprentice."
· Inmate: Stewart a Hit at Prison Mess Hall. The food at the Federal Corrections Camp in W.Va. apparently is nothing to write home about - unless one is eating it with Martha Stewart.
· Stewart's prison secrets. Martha Stewart's prison secrets — right down to the spices she allegedly sneaks into her bra — have been revealed by her cellmates. Fellow "Camp Cupcake" inmates are monitoring Martha's every move in jail, and are disclosing the lengths she goes to to whip up gourmet treats behind bars, including stashing condiments and such in her unmentionables.
· Martha called a survivor. Who knew that jailed domestic diva Martha Stewart and reality television guru Mark Burnett were such close friends? Burnett, who has signed a deal with Stewart and NBC for an "Apprentice"-type reality show and a daily lifestyle show, trekked to West Virginia on Friday to visit her in prison.
· Stewart Adjusting to Prison, Daughter Says. Martha Stewart has been exercising, reading and making friends in prison, but the food at the minimum-security prison camp in West Virginia is "terrible," the domestic diva's daughter said Friday. "I'm sure she could give them quite a few pointers, but I think that the budget is so limited that ... I'm not sure how much change they'd be willing to make," Alexis Stewart said on CNN's Larry King Live.
· Martha Stewart's lawyers file appeal. Attorneys for Martha Stewart have filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second District claiming that the process leading to her conviction was tainted.
· Martha Stewart stirs up tasty prison treats. An inmate at Camp Cupcake reportedly said the guru of good living spent some time last week picking crab apples from trees on the camp grounds and used them to cook up sweet jelly. "The normal person would get punished for that, but the prison guards managed not to see her," the inmate was quoted as saying.
· Martha: No more money, please! Martha has been sent hundreds of letters in the past week, including gifts and money. Instead, she asked gift-givers to make donations to their favorite charities or organizations. "Please know that while these gestures of friendship and support are deeply appreciated, any such items must be returned to the sender by prison officials," she wrote.
· Martha's Prison Diaries. Forget about an issue of Martha Stewart Living on how to get through prison: She may just write a whole book on the subject. According to sources within the publishing industry, lawyers working on behalf of Martha Stewart have been quietly approaching book publishing executives to do some sort of memoir that would be written by the domestic diva while she serves her five month prison sentence.
· Martha's meet and greet day. Martha Stewart is getting into the swing of things. The lifestyle guru spent her third day in prison playing Scrabble, taking a whirl on a garden swing - and charming her fellow inmates. "She's been fantastic," said one man who met the famous felon.
· Martha walkin' the walk. Martha Stewart took prison life in stride yesterday, taking a solo walk around the grounds of her new home and receiving two visitors. With the leafy trees and classic red brick buildings of the federal prison camp in Alderson, W.Va., in the background, it almost looked like she could have been out for a leisurely walk at her sprawling upstate Bedford estate.
· Time for Martha to go off to camp. Martha Stewart, whose trial and conviction put her on front pages around the world, was set to sneak into prison under cover of darkness this morning to avoid further publicity.
· Martha's Lawyers: Feds Withheld Evidence. Appeals lawyers for Martha Stewart accused the government Thursday of improperly withholding evidence that "could have led to an acquittal" in the celebrity homemaker's trial.
· No business behind bars for Martha. Prison officials will be monitoring carefully to make sure future inmate Martha Stewart isn't trying to conduct business when she has visitors.
· Bad apples await Martha. Martha Stewart, meet your new neighbors. There's the housewife willing to pay $30,000 to have her fisherman husband sleep with the fishes. And the corrupt Arkansas politician doing a four-year stretch.
· Guards: Martha's not safe. Prison guards say the federal lockup where Martha Stewart is headed is far too overcrowded - and warned they won't be able to watch her all the time.
· Stewart to Serve Time in West Virginia. Martha Stewart has been ordered to serve her sentence for lying about a stock sale at the federal prison in Alderson, W.Va., a source close to the case told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
· Martha Stewart Gets Federal Inmate Number. Martha Stewart still does not know where she will do her time, but she has already been designated federal inmate No. 55170-054.
· Martha Stewart to keep $900,000-a-year job. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. renewed an employment contract for five years with its soon-to-be jailed founder, but she will not be paid a penny while she is incarcerated, according to a filing Thursday.
· Stewart to Surrender for Prison by Oct. 8. A federal judge ordered Martha Stewart on Tuesday to surrender for prison by Oct. 8, granting the celebrity homemaker's request to begin serving her sentence for lying about a stock sale.
· Martha may get first-choice prison. There is no current moratorium on accepting inmates into the minimum security prison at Danbury, Conn., according to a source at the Bureau of Prisons. That means Martha Stewart may be able to gain entrance to the prison, which was her top choice among minimum security facilities. Judge Miriam Cedarbaum has said she would recommend the Bureau of Prisons designate Stewart to Danbury.
· Martha: Bring On The Bars! Martha Stewart today told a federal judge that she wants to immediately begin serving her five-month prison term, claiming that the "uncertain duration of the appellate process" was having a detrimental effect on her company. [Legal filing with court].
· Martha's off to big house. Martha Stewart is ready to throw in the tea towel and begin her new life as a federal prison inmate to get her derailed media empire back on track, the Daily News has learned. She’ll ask Manhattan Federal Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum later today to allow her to begin serving her 10-month sentence as soon as possible, sources say.
· Martha Stewart Waits Out Cell Crunch. Martha Stewart will surrender to start serving her five-month sentence for obstructing justice as soon as there is a vacant cell at the Danbury federal prison. According to the New York Post, an "insider" was quoted as saying, "There is no available bed at Danbury, and hasn't been for a couple of weeks. She's just waiting."
· Martha: 'Send me to the Big house.' Martha Stewart says she's willing to go to jail now on one condition - and it's a doozie. The domestic diva has offered to begin serving ALL of her 10-month sentence at her sprawling mansion in Westchester County, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Stewart is supposed to serve five months in prison and then five months at home.
· No jail time for star Martha witness. The former Merrill Lynch employee and prosecution witness who gave Martha Stewart the stock tip that led to her conviction earlier this year on obstruction of justice charges will not go to jail for his role in the affair.
· Martha Stewart to write book about trial. Martha Stewart said Monday she plans to write a book about her trial experience to help others facing that process. "I think I'll write a book because I think it could be helpful to other people, just about what lawyer to choose, how to behave, how to attend an interview," the domestic entrepreneur told CNN's Larry King in her first live interview since being sentenced Friday.
· Stewart considers serving jail time now. Martha Stewart has not ruled out the possibility of serving her sentence soon rather than waiting for an appeals court to decide whether she deserves a second chance to clear her name.
· PETA makes peace with Martha Stewart. The fur flew over Martha Stewart's choice of scarf, but the item in question turned out to be made of fake fur.
· How Martha sees herself - saintly. Welcome to the world according to Martha. In the final days leading up to her sentencing, Martha Stewart emerged unbound, finally revealing her self-image as a saint victimized by fire-breathing prosecutors and the scandal mongering media.
· Desperate diva compares herself to Nelson Mandela. After being hit with a fairly lenient 10-month sentence - half of it in home confinement - Martha Stewart had the chutzpah yesterday to compare herself to Nelson Mandela.
· Martha's letter to the judge. Here is the letter Martha Stewart wrote to the federal judge who sentenced her today to five months in jail and five months under house arrest.
· "I didn't cheat the little people." In her first interview since a federal judge sentenced her to five months in prison, Martha Stewart tells Barbara Walters that she cheated no one and hopes she will be vindicated on appeal. "I didn't cheat the little people... I didn't cheat anybody out of anything," Stewart told Walters in the exclusive interview airing tonight at 10 p.m. on 20/20.
· Martha Stewart Stock Soars on Lighter-Than-Expected Sentence. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. soared 40 percent Friday after the company's namesake founder received a lighter-than-expected sentence for lying to federal prosecutors.
· Martha: 'I'll be back.' Domestic icon Martha Stewart moved one step closer to a drastically different lifestyle behind bars when the millionaire entrepreneur was sentenced Friday to five months in prison for a stock-trading scandal. “I’ll be back,” she promised afterward, speaking in a strong voice on the courthouse steps. “I’m not afraid. Not afraid whatsoever. I’m very sorry it had to come to this.”
· Facts About Danbury Women's Prison. A federal judge on Friday sentenced celebrity homemaker Martha Stewart to five months in prison, although her surrender to authorities was delayed to allow her attorneys to appeal.
· Martha Stewart Gets 5 Months in Jail. Homemaking mogul Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months in federal prison, five months of house arrest, two years probation and a $30,000 fine Friday for lying about a stock sale.
» Martha team's cool to her plea. Martha Stewart was eager to address the judge at her sentencing today, but late yesterday her lawyers weren't sure that would be a good thing. Stewart, according to a source familiar with the matter, wants to personally deliver a pitch for leniency by telling Manhattan Federal Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum that she deserves a break because of her "extraordinary" donations to charity.
· Martha sells posh $7 million condo. Martha Stewart is unloading some expensive property a day before the lifestyle diva faces her sentencing.
· Inside scoop on Martha. The do-it-yourself diva will have to take more orders than a short-order cook if she is sentenced to prison tomorrow by Manhattan Federal Judge Miriam Cedarbaum. Prison rules govern everything from what Stewart can wear to how much time she'll get on the phone - 300 minutes per month.
» Replacing Martha. When Martha Stewart is sentenced in Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum's court tomorrow on conspiracy and obstruction-of-justice charges, a huge void will open in our domestic-arts leadership. Who will fill Martha's formidable, stylish shoes?
· Note to judge dices Martha. Is someone trying to sabotage Martha Stewart on the eve of her judgment day? Days before her sentencing, reports surfaced of a nasty letter sent by the wife of Stewart's ex-husband, Andy Stewart, begging the judge to give the diva hard time.
· No mercy? Martha unlikely to dodge prison. When Martha Stewart begs for mercy in Manhattan Federal Court Friday, one woman will decide her fate - Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum. History shows she is a judge unafraid to say no.
· Martha: Sentence rules a bad thing. Martha Stewart has one more weapon in her bid to stay out of prison: a new Supreme Court decision that questions the legality of sentencing guidelines.
· Martha sorry? Well, no, Martha Stewart's offering no apologies. The domestic diva failed in her last-ditch bid for a new trial yesterday - and today she will beg to do her time without spending a day in drab prison garb.
· Judge denies Martha Stewart new trial . A federal judge on Thursday denied Martha Stewart's latest request for a new trial based on allegations that a government ink expert lied on the witness stand at her first trial.
· Martha's house made many mansions. Martha Stewart has one child — and many heirs, or at least wannabe heirs. But even aside from the gaggle of would-be domestic divas actively campaigning for her throne, there are scores of designers, decorators, gardeners, cooks, crafters, retailers and fine-living experts who would not be a part of the national culture but for Stewart's all-encompassing influence.
· Martha's Sentencing Delayed to July 16. Martha Stewart's sentencing on conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges have been moved to July 16 from July 8, prosecutors said on Friday.
· Martha Stewart Meets with Shareholders. Lifestyle expert Martha Stewart said on Monday she had endured a year fraught with sorrow and missed her job, but that her conviction for lying about a stock sale should not affect her namesake company, according to shareholders at the company's annual meeting.
· 'Martha Stewart Living' Finds New Home. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. announced Wednesday that it has signed a multiyear agreement with The Style Network to air existing episodes of "Martha Stewart Living," which was floundering with its star and host facing a prison sentence.
· Martha Stewart sells some of her stock. Martha Stewart, the lifestyle expert convicted for conspiring to lie over a stock trade, sold $2.16 million worth of shares in her namesake company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in the last week, according to company filings on Tuesday.
· Martha says feds knew witness lied. Martha Stewart demanded a do-over again yesterday, producing new evidence alleging the government knew during her trial that one of its experts was lying under oath.
· Martha sentencing delayed. The federal judge overseeing Martha Stewart's legal case has delayed her sentencing hearing until July 8, her lawyers said Monday.
· Martha Stewart's Childhood Home for Sale. For sale: three-story Colonial situated in homey bedroom community just 12 miles from New York City. Amenities include mature fig trees planted by Martha Stewart and a holly bush she and her father pruned in the shape of a cone.
· An inkling of hope. Larry Stewart, an ink expert with the Secret Service, was charged with perjury for allegedly lying on teh witness stand at the trial of Martha Stewart.
One of the key prosecution witnesses in the Martha Stewart trial was charged yesterday with perjuring himself while on the witness stand - a stunning development that could undermine the diva's conviction for lying to the government.
· Secret Service Agent Charged With Perjury in Stewart Trial. Federal authorities Friday charged a national ink expert who works at the Secret Service from the Martha Stewart trial with perjury, accusing him of giving false testimony.
» Stewart's Lawyers Say Case Undermined. Defense lawyers for Martha Stewart said on Friday that perjury charges against a Secret Service laboratory director who testified against the celebrity homemaker along with questions about a juror undermined the prosecution of Stewart and her former broker.
· Perjury Charge For Stewart Trial Witness. In an embarrassing blow to federal investigators, a Secret Service official has been charged with perjury in connection with his testimony during the Martha Stewart trial. [Court Filing].
· Another blow to Martha, Inc. In another blow to the Martha Stewart brand name, Kmart has recalled 588 boxes of Martha Stewart Everyday Safety Matches due to a fire hazard, according to federal regulators.
· Martha Stewart TV Show on Hiatus for Next Season. Martha Stewart's home decorating and cooking show will be suspended for the coming season because she is awaiting sentencing after being convicted in a questionable stock sale, her company said Tuesday.
· Martha Stewart hopes for TV survival. Domestic style guru Martha Stewart, fighting for her business life as she waits to be sentenced next month after conviction for obstructing an investigation into her share trading, has turned to the company behind reality TV show Survivor for salvation.
Mark Burnett Productions may take over the syndication of Stewart's flagship TV programme, which has been ditched by most US television stations.
· N.Y. politician suggests Martha Stewart be sentenced to help low-income women. Democratic Representative Nydia Velazquez asked the judge who presided over Stewart's trial to sentence the domestic diva to community service at a training centre for low-income women in an impoverished section of Brooklyn.
· Martha Stewart to argue jail may hurt jobs. Lawyers for Martha Stewart plan to say that a prison sentence for the domestic trendsetter could harm her company and lead to lay-offs of some of its 500 employees, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday.
· 'Martha Stewart' Will Keep On Living, But Omnimedia Downplays Name. Its founder may be on her way to prison, but Martha Stewart Living won't drop the name when the magazine undergoes several changes later this year.
· No New Trial for Martha Stewart. A federal judge Wednesday turned down Martha Stewart's motion for a second trial based on allegations that a juror lied about his arrest record on a pre-trial questionnaire.
· Martha Stewart prosecutors argue against new trial: $14,000 handbag at issue. Federal prosecutors urged a judge Monday to deny Martha Stewart and her ex-stockbroker a new trial, disputing a claim that the first trial was tainted when the jury discussed Stewart's expensive handbag.
· Martha Stewart, Kmart Extend Deal. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. and Kmart Holding Corp. on Monday said they amended and extended their deal to sell the style guru's products in Kmart stores, just weeks after Martha Stewart was convicted of lying about a stock sale.
· Martha Stewart bets on furniture. Martha Stewart's company said Thursday it plans to expand its furniture line, which has been one of the few bright spots for the company as business has suffered on the homemaking icon's legal travails.
· Martha Stewart name becomes a liability. Trademarks are a capital asset - property a company can own to enhance a brand, product or service. An exclusive name or image often increases a product's value. But the reverse can also be true, as the Martha Stewart case has recently shown.
· Stewart lawyers claim new juror lies found. Pressing again for a new trial, Martha Stewart's lawyers said Wednesday they have uncovered more lies and omissions by one of the jurors who convicted her last month.
· Martha Stewart lawyers call prosecutors hypocrites. Martha Stewart legal team took her case for a new trial to the court of public opinion on Thursday, bashing federal prosecutors as hypocrites who singled out the lifestyle-trendsetter because of her celebrity.
· Prosecutors Fight Martha's Retrial Bid. Prosecutors hope to quash Martha Stewart’s bid for a retrial by discrediting attempts by the domestic diva’s lawyers to dredge up damaging details about a juror’s past.
· Martha Stewart: Buying Jail Buddies in Advance? According to Roger Friedman, Martha has apparently sought out and found an inmate who is already incarcerated there and willing to work for her.
This woman, who is serving time for embezzlement, is supposed to be Martha's eyes and ears — sort of a glorified assistant — during what could be a 16-month run in the big house, his sources said.
· Martha Stewart mug shot, fingerprints taken quietly. Martha Stewart has paid a quiet visit to the FBI's Manhattan headquarters for a low-key mug shot and fingerprinting session, federal officials said Tuesday.
· Jail not likely to be Club Fed for Martha. If, as expected, she is sent to a minimum-security prison, it will be no Club Fed, say former white-collar inmates. The homemaking diva will have virtually no privacy, will be limited to 5 hours of monitored phone calls per month, and will have no computer or space to store research material.
· PETA says Stewart's fashion sense: 'Not a good thing.' The convicted domestic diva has been named one of the world’s worst dressers by PETA. “Martha may not get the electric chair, but the same can’t be said for the chinchillas who were genitally electrocuted just so she could wear a frumpy scarf on the day of her conviction,” fumes PETA.
· Martha Stewart Letter Asks for Support. Martha Stewart reportedly asked supporters to write letters to the federal judge who will sentence her for allegedly lying about a stock sale.
· Martha team finds key point to appeal. Martha Stewart's lead attorney Robert Morvillo intends to appeal her conviction by arguing the judge unfairly prevented him from explaining to the jury Stewart had not been charged with criminal insider trading, according to a person close to the defense team.
· Martha feels 'like her life was wasted,' daughter reveals. Martha Stewart is “disappointed over feeling like her life was wasted” after being convicted for lying about a stock sale, her only child says.
· Martha's new title may be meaningless. As a convicted felon, Martha Stewart had little choice but to relinquish her positions as director and chief creative officer at the company she founded.
She resigned from both those positions Monday and assumed the newly created role of "Founding Editorial Director." But if she is sentenced to serve prison time on June 17, she may be of little help to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, whatever title it gives her.
· A peek inside Martha's jail. Martha could serve 10-16 months inside this facility. [includes daily schedule].
· Stewart quits Omnimedia posts. Martha Stewart resigned Monday from the board and as chief creative officer of the media empire she built, a little more than a week after she was convicted of lying to federal investigators related to a 2001 stock sale.
» Martha's staement: "I am heartsick about my personal legal situation -- and deeply sorry for the pain and difficulties it has caused our employees," she said. "I look forward to continuing to collaborate on a wide range of creative ideas with the amazing, talented and hard-working people at this very special company."
· Will 'Everyday Living' replace Martha? Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia apparently was already working on a possible plan to rebrand products even while the company's founder Martha Stewart was still on trial, according to a published report Monday.
· Woman Offers to Pay $1M of Stewart's Bills. To the ranks of Martha Stewart wannabes add Rhona Silver, a Long Island caterer who has offered to contribute $1 million toward Stewart's legal bills in exchange for the opportunity to run her company for $1 a year.
· Liz Claiborne Guns for Martha Stewart. Sofas, love seats and armoires are joining sweaters, slacks and blouses under the Liz Claiborne brand, as the clothing designer guns for big-name rivals including Martha Stewart with a planned September launch of a full furniture line.
· Martha's next stop: `Squat and cough.' Stewart likely to serve her time in Connecticut pen She'll be welcomed at Danbury with a strip search - without the porcelain pudding bowls and Egyptian cotton bedding..
· Sen. Clinton declines Martha Stewart gift. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., has decided to give a $1,000 campaign contribution from Martha Stewart to charity, the New York Post reported.
· Experts: Martha Faces Tough Appeal. Martha Stewart will have a tough time convincing an appeals court to throw out her convictions, raising the question: how much time might the woman who made millions giving advice on gracious living have to serve behind bars, lawyers said.
· The race is on to find the next domestic diva. Now that Ms. Stewart has been convicted on criminal charges, would-be heirs have begun measuring that throne very carefully.
· Martha begs for job. Martha Stewart made a desperate pitch to the directors of her company yesterday, begging to stay on as a key employee of the empire she founded and named for herself.
· Martha Stewart Stock Falls as Board Meets. Shares of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. dropped for a second consecutive day on Monday as investors awaited word from the company's board about the future of the homemaking icon's namesake business.
· Where's Martha? Martha Stewart might have saved her skin by taking the witness stand to give her side of the stock-sale deal that's rocked her life, jurors said yesterday.
· Martha Stewart Meets With Probation Officer. Martha Stewart arrived at a federal courthouse Monday to meet with a probation officer, the first step toward her June 17 sentencing for lying about a stock sale. The report could influence her sentence.
· Bacanovic, Stewart to Attend Court Meeting. Peter Bacanovic, the stockbroker convicted along with Martha Stewart for lying about a stock sale, arrived at a Manhattan courthouse Monday to meet with a probation officer.
· Martha cooking up battle plan. She is set to hold a teleconference with her attorneys and public relations advisers today to map a strategy to fight her felony convictions and rescue her reputation.
· Martha's Company: Tough Second Act. In the hours after the verdict was announced, the question reverberated from CNBC to the aisles of Kmart: can Martha Stewart Living survive without... Martha Stewart?
· Martha Stewart to report to probation officer. Martha Stewart was ordered to report to a probation officer on Monday after being convicted of all four counts she faced in her obstruction of justice trial.
» N.Y. Affiliate Pulls Martha Stewart Show. Martha Stewart's syndicated television show, "Martha Stewart Living," is being pulled from CBS's New York affiliate following the domestic maven's stock conviction.
» Stewart's Defense Team Gambled and Lost. Facing a stock scandal that threatened to shatter Martha Stewart's carefully tended reputation and enormous fortune, her defense team made three high-stakes gambles: They let the case go to trial, kept Stewart off the witness stand and put on a defense that took less time than one of her syndicated cooking shows.
· A message from Martha gets quick wording change after verdict. Within an hour of the verdict, her message on marthatalks.com changed from "I continue to take comfort in knowing that I have done nothing wrong and that I have the enduring support of my family and friends" - To - "I continue to take comfort in knowing that I have the confidence and enduring support of my family and friends."
· Two Networks Bungle Stewart Verdict. In the chaotic rush to report the Martha Stewart verdict live on television Friday, CNBC and MSNBC at first reported Stewart was not guilty on some of the four charges against her in the insider trading case. The jury convicted Stewart on all of the charges.
» Complete Details of Jury Verdict. Complete details of Martha Stewart's verdict, and interview with a juror.
» Rosie O’Donnell on the verdict. “This is unbelievable,” O'Donnell said in a statement released through her publicist. “I am outraged and beside myself. This is a travesty. Shame on the federal government.”
» Martha's Net Worth Drops $85 Million. Her fortunes aren't likely to improve upon the market's opening next week. Shares in her namesake firm Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia closed down 23% at $10.86 after Stewart was convicted on all four counts.
· Martha Stewart: Now a convicted felon. A verdict has been reached in the Martha Stewart trial - GUILTY ON ALL FOUR COUNTS. She is now a convicted felon who faces up to 20 years of a Federal prison. Martha's sentencing will begin on June 17th.
Stewart, 62, was charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and two counts of making false statements.
» USA TODAY: Stewart convicted of four felonies. Martha Stewart was convicted of all four felony charges against her, as a jury rejected her argument that she had no direct knowledge of insider trading and decided she had acted to cover up the trades.
» AP NEWS: Martha Stewart Convicted. Martha Stewart was convicted Friday of obstructing justice and lying to the government about a superbly timed stock sale, a devastating verdict that probably means prison for the woman who epitomizes meticulous homemaking and gracious living.
» Peter Bacanovic GUILTY on 4 of 5 charges. Bacanovic, 41, had been charged with making false statements, making and using false documents, conspiracy, perjury and obstruction of justice – with a maximum prison term of 25 years.
» Trading Halted on Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Trading in shares of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia was halted Friday - with the stock up nearly 20% - as jurors decided that the company's founder was guilty of all four charges in the stock-trading case against her.
» Martha Stewart's statement. "Dear Friends: I am obviously distressed by the jury’s verdict but I continue to take comfort in knowing that I have done nothing wrong and that I have the enduring support of my family and friends."
According to judicial experts, Martha Stewart's June 10 sentencing will result in a minimum 16 months prison time, and as much as 15-20 years in Federal prison based on receiving the four guilty counts.
There is no word yet whether Stewart's company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, will survive this ordeal - nor whether it will now change its name to Martha Stewart Prison Living. # # # #
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