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Is Martha Stewart just having too much fun for a house arres
Is Martha Stewart just having too much fun for a house arrestee?
The guru of good things, who has been hitting the media party circuit hard since serving time for lying for investigators about a shady stock sale, is currently under investigation from federal probation officials who say she may have violated the terms of her house arrest. The event in question was a chichi magazine gala held in Manhattan last week
"We are looking into whether Martha Stewart violated the conditions of her release," Chris Stanton, the chief probation officer of the Southern District of New York, confirmed to CNN regarding Stewart's attendance at Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People of 2004" issue party. Martha made the list.
Stewart, who is supposed to be under house arrest until August, says the party was strictly work-related, which would be allowed under the terms of her release. Per a federal judge, she must wear an electronic ankle bracelet at all times and can leave her upstate New York home for up to 48 hours a week for work or other preapproved reasons.
The New York Post is taking credit for tipping off authorities to Stewart's evening of purported schmoozing and was the first to report that Stanton's office is probing.
Meanwhile, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia says the party was a strategic company move designed to help "build momentum" for the company.
"Having Martha present at industry events where she is honored and recognized for her achievements...is valuable to us," the company said in a statement.
It remains to be seen if the domestic diva will be punished for her partying ways, but there is no argument she's been on a mission to "build momentum" for her company.
In recent weeks, she appeared at court-approved luncheons to accept awards for her eponymous magazines.
On Tuesday, her company announced a multiyear agreement with Warner Bros. Home Video to release a new line of how-to DVDs that will premiere at the end of 2005.
According to a joint release, the videos will touch on such Stewart specialties as cooking, holiday entertaining, baking, crafts, fun stuff to do with kids, weddings, celebrating and petkeeping and will be culled from the company's library of more than 1,500 hours of TV programming.
"We are very happy that consumers will now be able to watch our many useful and practical how-to segments in areas of special interest to them on DVD," says Stewart in a statement. "Our television content is timeless and the new line will draw from our extensive library and many lifestyle experts to provide reliable, thorough, detailed information for any project."
Also on tap for the multimedia homemaking maven is a 24-hour Sirius satellite radio channel, a spinoff of Donald Trump's NBC reality contest The Apprentice and a first-run, syndicated show that takes her back to her Martha Stewart Living roots.
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