An hour with Martha

Dan and I spent yesterday morning with Martha Stewart - and 200 of her "closest friends." We went to the taping of her addictive morning show, Martha, and it was oohs and aahs from the start. We had to get up before 8am to make it to 26th & Seventh where her studio is. But, it was worth it.

A few things struck me during the whole process:

• People are suckers for free stuff. Their warm-up guy handed out free items - doggie toys, spatulas, books, Barry Manilow CDs, fire extinguishers - to the audience all through the taping. I thought someone was going to get hurt. As soon as he said, "I'm giving away prizes," the people in the audience went berserk; I think they could have been bought and sold for a ladel.
• Some Martha fans are like me - they admire her and like the lifestyle she portrays. Others are crazy. There was one woman who proudly announced that she had two yorkshire terriers - one called "Martha" and the other called "Stewart." Insert vommiting sounds here.
• I don't know if Martha is uncomfortable in front of the cameras or if she just doesn't give a shit. She stumbles and throws in so many "umms" and "uhhs," it feels a little awkward. But, she kids and jokes with the best of them.
• I'm not sure if I want to hang around Martha or if I want to be Martha. She is so meticulous in everything she does, and she portrays a lifestyle - living in the country but jetting around to dinners with Paul Allen and vacationing on gorgeous tropical islands.

I got to ask her a question after the taping: "Is Dave ever coming on the show?"

She chuckled. "Oh, no." She has had a running bit that she is trying to convince her friend David Letterman to come on her show. He just doesn't do talk shows. Ever. "He says he just has nothing to talk about," she told us.

Comments

[thebizofknowledge]

I stumbled across your blog while I was doing some online research. I think before she went to prison, to many people Martha Stewart represented perfection; after that experience, she seemed to be more human--and that made everyone like her all the more.

[Naked Boy]

Wow. I wanna go. Sounds like fun. Last show I went to was Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with Regis. He was nice and friendly, too.