REPLACING MARTHA MANY WAIT IN THE WINGS FOR A SHOT AT STEWART'S DOMESTICITY THRONE.Byline: Sandra Barrera and Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writers 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. was the ultimate homemaker, the wonder woman who could muck out a barn and scatter the manure in her freshly tilled vegetable bed, prune a few herbs, lay a spectacular table with clever place cards and whip up dinner for 12 with an ever-serene smile. And that's just what she did in front of the cameras on her syndicated ``Martha Stewart Living'' and other television appearances. Behind the scenes she was a publisher of books and monthly magazines; overseer of her own furniture, paint, flooring and home-goods lines; a newspaper columnist Noun 1. newspaper columnist - a columnist who writes for newspapers agony aunt - a newspaper columnist who answers questions and offers advice on personal problems to people who write in columnist, editorialist - a journalist who writes editorials and even on online florist. From the publication of her first book, ``Entertaining,'' in 1982, Martha entered popular culture on the heels of the women's liberation movement Women’s Liberation Movement appellation of modern day women’s rights advocacy. [Am. Hist.: Flexner, 396] See : Feminism and made nesting appealing again. Before long, America was on a first-name basis with her. With her conviction last week for conspiracy and other charges stemming from stock sales, the share value of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (MSLO, NYSE: MSO) is publishing and content provider founded by Martha Stewart. The Company's business activities center around the domestic arts. In 2005 MSLO reported revenues of US$209.5 million compared to US$187. has plummeted, Viacom-owned stations (including KCAL kcal kilocalorie. kcal abbr. kilocalorie kcal kilocalorie. Channel 9 in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. ) have dropped her program, and advertisers are fleeing the pages of her magazines. She has yet to be sentenced to prison, but her empire is in chaos. There are dozens of home-oriented television personalities, authors and magazine columnists (and more waiting to be discovered) who owe the public's insatiable appetite for their insights to one woman. The question now is, who will be the next Martha Stewart? Or will there ever be another? ``Martha was the first person to give real take-away take·a·way n. 1. A concession, as in a lower level of health benefits, made by a labor union to a company in negotiating a new contract. 2. practical information to make people's lives better in that area of cooking and entertaining and crafts,'' said Charles Segars, senior vice president of programming at Fine Living Network, who worked with Stewart as CBS' vice president of prime-time specials in the early '90s. ``And anybody who wants to capture Martha's empire is going to have to do that ... but also has to have their own point of view. ``But the real secret and formula behind Martha ... is how she delivers that information and how it really works.'' Not everyone in the field is trying to be ``the next Martha Stewart,'' nor even appreciates the comparison. ``I'm just me,'' said Mary Jane Butters, an Idaho-based organic farmer. ``But the news media keeps putting this on all of us. Time magazine had me in there a couple weeks ago, calling me the Pioneer Martha. It's degrading to all of us.'' Sheila Bridges' strength lies in interior design, although her Fine Living Network series, ``Designer Living,'' brings in chefs and other specialists outside her field. ``I certainly wouldn't ever try to market myself in any way as the next Martha Stewart,'' Bridges said. ``I think that would be a tough bill to fill.'' Martha's millions of fans have a certain bond with her - a sort of one-way friendship - that is not likely to be shattered by a projected 10- to 18-month prison term. It's quite possible that she will be welcomed back in the public eye after serving her time. ``Don't count Martha out - I never will,'' Segars said. ``She's connected with a lot of viewers. ... That's a hard bond to break.'' But there is an undeniable opportunity in the short term for another guru of good taste to emerge. Here are a handful on the inside track to succeed her: SHEILA BRIDGES Brand: America's best interior designer, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Time magazine and CNN CNN or Cable News Network Subsidiary company of Turner Broadcasting Systems. It was created by Ted Turner in 1980 to present 24-hour live news broadcasts, using satellites to transmit reports from news bureaus around the world. . Credentials: A graduate of Parsons School of Design, she has been showcased in magazines ranging from House & Garden and Town & Country to Vanity Fair and - yes - Martha Stewart Living Martha Stewart Living is a magazine and a television show featuring entertaining and home decorating guru Martha Stewart. Both the magazine and the television program focus on the domestic arts. . She's a fixture on Fine Living Network and NBC's ``Today,'' and her portfolio includes Bill Clinton's New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of offices. The gimmick: She advocates investing in a few good pieces of furniture rather than going for the flavor of the month and redecorating every few years. Book: ``Furnishing Forward: A Practical Guide to Furnishing for a Lifetime.'' Web site: www.sheilabridges.com. MARY JANE BUTTERS Brand: The Pioneer Martha, according to Time. Credentials: Worked as a carpenter and a wilderness ranger with the Forest Service before helping fellow organic farmers better market their crops by creating a line of dry-food mixes. Publishes the magazine Mary Jane's Farm and recently signed a $1.3 million two-book deal with Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House, Stewart's former publisher. The gimmick: ``I am a farmer, I am accessible, I am at the end of a dirt road dirt road n (US) → camino sin firme dirt road n → chemin non macadamisé or non revêtu dirt road dirt n , you can call me, you can visit.'' Un-Martha trait: She wants to help urban and suburban women reclaim the hearth and home, not decorate. Books: ``It's funny. I was filling out this form for Random House last night, and they were saying: List all the books you've written,'' she chuckles. ``None.'' Her first book is due spring 2005. Web site: www.maryjanesfarm.com. SUSIE COELHO Brand: ``Just do it'' approach. Credentials: She tops Martha with 20 years of television experience, the last five on cable's HGTV HGTV Home and Garden Television as host of ``Surprise Gardener'' and ``Outer Spaces.'' The gimmick: Her forte is ``styling,'' inside and outside the home - making do with what you have on hand or small purchases rather than gutting the place and starting over. Un-Martha trait: She would have to strengthen her kitchen expertise to be as well-rounded as Martha. Books: ``Susie Coelho's Everyday Styling,'' ``Susie Coelho's Styling for Entertaining: 8 Simple Steps, 12 Miracle Makeovers.'' Web site: www.susiecoelho.com. COLIN COWIE Colin Andrew Wilkie Cowie (born January 3, 1962) is a famous lifestyle guru and party planner to the stars. Born in Kitwe, Zambia, and educated in South Africa, he moved to the United States in 1985. Brand: Event and wedding planner to the stars. Credentials: Wedding clientele include Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (born April 9, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois), also referred to colloquially as Hef,[1] is the founder, editor-in-chief, and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises[2]. He is the majority owner of Playboy Enterprise Inc. , Kenny G, Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American multi-platinum selling Grammy Award-winning singer, dancer, television personality, jewelry designer, and Emmy Award-winning choreographer. and Charlie Sheen Charles Irwin Sheen (born September 3, 1965) is a Golden Globe Award-winning and Emmy-nominated American actor. Biography Early life Sheen was born Carlos Irwin Estevez . He had a design and endorsement deal with Lenox China. The gimmick: His Web site goes on about his latest Hollywood and New York events and recommends hosting a dinner party in one's wine cellar. Un-Martha trait: He makes it look simple, but it sounds expensive. His sheets would never be sold in Kmart. And he isn't really into instruction. Books: ``Dinner After Dark,'' ``Effortless Elegance With Colin Cowie,'' ``Colin Cowie Weddings,'' ``Colin Cowie for the Bride'' and ``Colin Cowie for the Groom.'' Web site: www.colincowie.com. SANDRA LEE Brand: Doing it all without doing much. Credentials: Started decorating dorm rooms at the University of Wisconsin, graduated to peddling crafts and housewares house·wares pl.n. Cooking utensils, dishes, and other small articles used in a household, especially in the kitchen. on QVC QVC Quality Value Convenience QVC Question Valid Command . The gimmick: Uses a combination of fresh and prepared products to make cooking more user-friendly. Un-Martha trait: Too many ingredients from boxes, cans and jars. Books: ``Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade'' recipe books; Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade magazine. Web site: www.semi-homemade.com. LUCY PEREDA Brand: Martha en espanol. Credentials: Her weekly Galavision home-decorating and cooking show, ``En Casa de Lucy,'' reaches 18 countries. Last fall she launched a self-titled clothing line at Sears. The gimmick: Aiming for the Spanish-speaking market. Un-Martha trait: Having to produce everything in two languages for broader appeal is not ``a good thing.'' Book: ``De Mi Cocina'' cookbook. Web site: www.searsenespanol.com. 'QUEER EYE' GUYS Brand: Repackaging straight men - with style, grooming, food savvy and culture - to make them more appealing to the women in their lives. Credentials: The ``fab 5,'' who star in Bravo's megahit meg·a·hit n. A product or event, such as a movie or concert, that is exceedingly successful. Noun 1. megahit - an unusually successful hit with widespread popularity and huge sales (especially a movie or play or recording ``Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,'' are an interior designer, a grooming guru, food specialist, a fashion consultant and a culture expert. The gimmick: Five gay guys who have a straight man wanting to kiss them - in teary-eyed gratitude - before the hour's over. Un-Martha trait: It takes at least three of these guys to do the job of one woman. Book: ``Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab 5's Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better and Living Better.'' Web site: www.bravotv.com. B. SMITH Brand: The African-American Martha Stewart. Credentials: Barbara Smith evolved from a modeling career (Oil of Olay) to a diverse enterprise that includes her B. Smith's restaurants in New York and Washington, D.C.; a syndicated home show, ``B. Smith With Style''; and a home-furnishings line carried by Bed Bath & Beyond. The gimmick: Not just anyone could pull off catfish and portobello por·to·bel·lo or por·ta·bel·la or por·to·bel·la n. pl. por·to·bel·los or por·ta·bel·las A mature, very large cremini mushroom. [Origin unknown.] mushrooms on the same menu. Un-Martha trait: Has a long way to go to household name status, and no New York Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. listing ... yet. Books: ``B. Smith's Entertaining and Cooking for Friends,'' ``B. Smith's Rituals & Celebrations.'' Web site: www.bsmith.com. Sandra Barrera, (818) 713-3728 sandra.barrera(at)dailynews.com Valerie Kuklenski, (818) 713-3750 valerie.kuklenski(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) WHO WILL BE THE NEXT ME? With Martha Stewart's empire crumbling, a place at the table clears Photo illustration by Shane Michael Kidder (2) no caption (Martha Stewart) Mary Altaffer/Associated Press (3) SUSIE COELHO John McCoy/Staff Photographer (4) SANDRA LEE David Sprague/Staff Photographer |
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