Saturday, July 17, 2004

Martha: "Look at Nelson Mandela ..."
 
Last night, according to CVTv -- I was out drinking -- "Martha, Martha Martha" Stewart compared herself, rather quixotically, to Nelson Mandela:
 
"Being interviewed by Barbara Walters on ABC Friday night, domestic diva Martha Stewart, who's been sentenced to five months in prison, compared herself to South African hero Nelson Mandela who spent 27 years in prison for his anti-apartheid beliefs.
'There are many, many good people who have gone to prison,' Stewart said. 'Look at Nelson Mandela.'"
 
But the best lines are reserved for the ABC web site, which says, almost tongue in cheek, the soft chuckles escaping:
 
"When asked how she would handle prison food, fellow inmates and strip searches, she said, 'I could do it � I'm a really good camper. I can sleep on the ground ... If it is looming ahead of me, I'm going to have to face it, and take it and do it and get it over with. And there's many other people that have gone to prison. Look at Nelson Mandela.'"
 
Glad to know that Martha can sleep on the ground and endure the meat surprise, but, of course, now we know that she won't have to: her bed will do just fine. The Mandela reference, however, escapes us entirely. Entirely!
 
How does 27 years of boinb locked down on Robben's island, in the punishing "C-Section,"  in the struggle for racial equality relate, even remotely --remotely -- compare to five months of home confinement and a $30,000 fine for her role in a stock deal gone awry?
 
ABC continues:
 
"During the trial, for example, the press scrutinized her wardrobe and suggested that she appeared arrogant and haughty to the jury. Even her choice of handbags was noted, particularly a Hermes Birkin handbag, said to cost at least $6,000.

"Stewart said the focus on her handbag was unfair. 'Do you know that that is my only handbag. Do you know that? Do you know how many handbags I own? And that I bought that handbag I think it was 12 or 14 years ago. I bought that for myself when I felt successful enough to buy a beautiful handbag. And it did not cost $6,000 12 or 14 years ago.'"  
 
Why is it that right about now I feel as if I was just scolded by one of those Fifth Avenue Ladies Who Lunch because I almost stepped on her pet lapdog, as she was in between "shopping adventures"?




2 comments:

The Corsair said...

Yeah, she's not a lady who lunches, i know. I was defnitely going after her on this because of my own dealings with her frostiness: In 1999 I was research editor of the Silicon Alley Reporter year end issue, and it was my job, among other things, to get the SAR 100 members -- as many as I could -- to come to new york for the photo shoot. I got Sam Donaldson of ABC News, I got former Attorney General nominee under Clinton Zoe Baird, I got Tim and Nina Zagatt, I got Geri Laybourne of Oxygen, Lou Dobbs. Even Jim Cramer sent his regrets. The Billionaires showed up en masse. Martha never even aknowledged the months of emails, calls, everything I did to get her to show up for one lousy photo -- in her own office building!

Grrr.

That having been said, what she did -- and I believe she did it -- is small fry, andI do believe she -- a woman billionaire -- was a target -- unconsciously, not counsciously, because, frankly, she got uppity and she may give other women ideas. She got big and she started flaunting it at parties and painted a big bullseye on her back that dared the hyper-testosterone prosectors to go after her.

But speaking the way she does and the frosty was she treated people was what got the guilty verdict. Believe me, in the chattering classes, Martha has a hundreds of enemies of people who have worked for or with her or dated or were friends with someone who had something to do with Martha Stewart Omnimedia. I believe that is why she mentioned the fired workers and emoted, and, last night, distinguished that "we are all little people."

Shrewd.

You could tell from the stories written about her that the media bears a grudge. it's not a good idea to be hated by the media, and, I think, she is remedying the situation; although the Mandela quote is going to cause her some short term pain when talk radio gets ahold of it.

The Corsair said...

yeah, I was going through Martha's staff, so it's possible she never got the invite. Bob Johnson of BET also never responded, so if he ever gets in legal trouble, The Corsair will be all over him.

I, too, hope she wins her appeal. Jean harris on Tina Brown's Topic A really made me rethink just what putting a useful woman like Martha behind bars would serve. Harris said that Martha should just take the 5 mos. of house arrest though, as it was as good a deal as she prolly will get.

Can you imagine a Details-Maxim Danbury women's prison w/ Martha story? lol

Ron