Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart (born August 3, 1941) is a television and magazine personality known for her cooking, gardening, etiquette, and arts and crafts projects, and as a general lifestyle guide and homemaker. She is also a successful businesswoman and an American icon. Starting in 2002 her career was rocked by a scandal involving her sale of shares in a drug company days before its application for a new drug was denied. She was eventually convicted of lying to investigators and sentenced to prison in 2004. She was released on March 4, 2005. Her current projects include two new television series: Martha and '.

Rise to fame

In 1993, she began hosting a half-hour syndicated television show by the same name. She soon introduced her own line of home products under the name "The Martha Stewart Everyday Collection." Stewart rose to national prominence with regular appearances on NBC's The Today Show. She guest-starred as herself on the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun in 1996. By 1997, she had launched her first of nine exclusive product lines. She also hosted a cooking show on the Food Network called From Martha's Kitchen and a gardening show on Home and Garden TV called From Martha's Garden. She also founded a website, http://www.marthastewart.com, to promote her products.

Related Topics:
1993 - NBC - The Today Show - 3rd Rock from the Sun - 1996 - 1997 - Food Network - Home and Garden TV

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In 1999, she founded the company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia traded on the New York Stock Exchange to combine and control all her enterprises under one corporate entity. The company was successful and Martha became a billionaire overnight. She became its chief executive officer and chairman until 2003. Stewart owns approximately 61 percent of the equity of the company and 94 percent of the voting power.

Related Topics:
1999 - Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia - New York Stock Exchange - Billionaire - Chief executive officer - 2003

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As she rose in stature, comedians such as Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Kimmel mocked her persona of perfection and her intense attention to the esoteric details of such domestic topics as ambrosia salad or leaf decorating ideas for tablecloths. Stewart became a frequent target for mockery and parody on late-night talk shows and Saturday Night Live. Cybill Shepherd played Stewart in two TV movies, ' (2003) and ' (2005), both of which were critical of Stewart.

Related Topics:
Jay Leno - David Letterman - Conan O'Brien - Jimmy Kimmel - Ambrosia - Parody - Saturday Night Live - Cybill Shepherd - 2003 - 2005

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Today, Stewart owns upscale homes in Bedford, New York; Westport, Connecticut; Seal Harbor, Maine; and East Hampton, New York.

Related Topics:
Bedford - New York - Westport - Connecticut - Maine - East Hampton

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