MARTHA GETS MAKEOVER FOR HER NEW TALK SHOW.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic ``I am unfettered; I am free,'' Martha Stewart <noinclude></noinclude> Martha Stewart (born Martha Helen Kostyra on August 3, 1941) is an American business magnate, author, editor and homemaking advocate. She is also a former stockbroker and fashion model. exulted Monday at the beginning of the debut of her new syndicated TV talk show, ``Martha.'' She said she was thrilled to have her infamous ankle bracelet homing device Noun 1. homing device - the mechanism in a guided missile that guides it toward its objective guided missile - a rocket-propelled missile whose path can be controlled during flight either by radio signals or by internal homing devices unshackled at the end of six months' home confinement, part of her probation after serving five months in prison for lying to federal authorities about a stock sale. Ever with an eye for utility, Stewart joked that she found the ankle bracelet a useful item and that everyone on her staff now had one affixed af·fix tr.v. af·fixed, af·fix·ing, af·fix·es 1. To secure to something; attach: affix a label to a package. 2. to their legs. The camera panned across the set to show similar bracelets attached to behind-camera staffers and on-camera chefs, as well as one attached to the collar of the dog she was holding at the start of the show. For her debut, Stewart seemed game to poke fun at to make a butt of; to ridicule. See also: Poke both her recent prison stint and her prickly nature, although the opening-title sequence showing her smiling somewhat uneasily indicated the difficulty of trying to make her into the same kind of warm personality as other daytime talk show hostesses such as Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey. ``Survivor'' creator Mark Burnett, ``Martha's'' executive producer, put himself on camera for the show's opening as he and Stewart stiffly bantered about the first guest, Marcia Cross of ``Desperate Housewives.'' Burnett joked that Stewart was the inspiration for Cross' homemaker character, then showed a clip of Cross in skimpy skimp·y adj. skimp·i·er, skimp·i·est 1. Inadequate, as in size or fullness, especially through economizing or stinting: a skimpy meal. 2. Unduly thrifty; niggardly. red lingerie. ``That's totally me,'' Martha said, beaming. The show's most awkward moment came in an odd little speech in which Stewart tucked the specter of 9-11 into comments about Hurricane Katrina, grimly intoning, ``All of us can help, and think, and really just pray for the future of this great, great country.'' After the dutiful du·ti·ful adj. 1. Careful to fulfill obligations. 2. Expressing or filled with a sense of obligation. du applause from her studio audience, Stewart perked up: ``And now, coming up next from 'Desperate Housewives,' the beautiful Marcia Cross.'' Cross' segment was the debut episode's highlight, largely because she was so endearingly inept as a homemaker, a far cry from her current TV persona. When Stewart told Cross that she was going to teach her how to fold a T-shirt, the actress responded warily, then giggled at her ineptitude Ineptitude See also Awkwardness. Brown, Charlie meek hero unable to kick a football, fly a kite, or win a baseball game. [Comics: “Peanuts” in Horn, 543] Capt. Queeg incompetent commander of the minesweeper Caine. . Even when Stewart demonstrated something as simple as making scrambled eggs, Cross was equally hopeless, tossing butter in a bowl of eggs rather than the frying pan. While the notion of klutzy celebrities trashing Martha's kitchen on a daily basis has something of a goofy appeal to it, Stewart's bookers might want to make sure that the guest and the show's theme have something in common. But today's offering - ``Poncho Day with David Spade'' - scarcely sounds any more promising. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com MARTHA Where: NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. and TLC TLC total lung capacity; thin-layer chromatography. TLC abbr. 1. thin-layer chromatography 2. When: 3 p.m. weekdays on NBC and 6 p.m. on TLC. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) no caption (Martha Stewart) |
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