Martha Stewart

Why do so many people have a reflexive hatred of Martha Stewart? The answer: Because she's a tall poppy. There is a notorious saying in Australia: "You have to cut down the tall poppies. " Anyone who dares poke his head above the crowd must be cut down to the common level. I don't know whether this "Tall Poppy Syndrome," as it is called, is really typical of Australian culture, but it is a widespread trend in American culture - and Martha Stewart has long been one of its favorite targets.

Who is this warm and funny woman tossing off risque references to lacy lingerie one minute and soliciting prayers for hurricane victims the next? And what has she done with cool-as-a-cucumber control freak Martha Stewart? In case anyone was wondering whether Stewart would refer to her recent troubles with the law on her new syndicated lifestyle show, Martha, which debuted yesterday, the star stepped onstage to thunderous applause from her adoring fans and immediately announced: "I am unfettered.

One of the most expensive movies of all time, made by the biggest director in the world, and starring the most bankable star in the biz will open Wednesday. But the buzz this weekend isn't about whether War of the Worlds will be another monster for Steven Spielberg. The airwaves are ablaze with continuing fallout from Tom Cruise's remarkably hostile turn Friday on NBC's Today show, which has some wags wondering whether the star hasn't committed career suicide. The usually self-controlled Cruise was a furious dervish, clashing with Matt Lauer over Cruise's passionate - some would say intolerant - Scientology-based loathing for psychiatry, which he called "a pseudoscience.

OSCAR WINNER Halle Berry might be looking like she has a monsters eyeball - the leading lovely suffered an inflamed peep in an accident on the set of the latest James Bond film, producers said yesterday. The wind blew dust into Berry's eye while she was filming an action sequence for "Die Another Day" in Spain, according to producers. At first, reports indicated the injury occured when debris from a smoke grenade lodged in Berry's left eye, according to the British celebrity news site PeopleNews.

Eric Dezenhall makes problems go away. Sounds like a job for a hit man, but Dezenhall is a law-abiding, clean-cut, well-spoken, New Jersey-born, Dartmouth-educated, Washington-based consultant who advises business moguls and Hollywood stars. If his name is unfamiliar, perhaps it is because he is behind the scenes, putting out fires before anyone sees the smoke. He is, he insists, never a spin doctor. Call him a crisis manager, a controller of damage. In this time of Kobe Bryant, Martha Stewart and hide-and-seek for weapons of mass destruction, Dezenhall sounds like a man worth talking to. He was in town last week - not to talk about scandals, but to hype Jackie Disaster, his new novel about a low-rent, law- and jaw-breaking damage-controller based in Atlantic City.

Once there was a cutthroat businesswoman named Martha Stewart who believed in the forgiveness of her adoring public and got herself a new television show (which premiered last night) that was just like The Apprentice with Donald Trump except that it was The Apprentice with Martha Stewart. The old Martha Stewart became the first woman self-made billionaire by telling people how to make their houses pretty and bake beautiful mille-feuille desserts and create Easter baskets from handwoven Himalayan green tea leaves.

Can't compare Stewart to Vick Re: "Vick's second chance isn't up to Stewart standard," Thursday: George Curry's attempt to compare Martha Stewart to Michael Vick is misguided. Stewart's crime was essentially victimless, a momentary lapse in judgment that caused no physical harm to anyone else (and only minimal damage as it relates to the financial markets). Michael Vick is a murderer. He admitted to electrocuting, beating, drowning, hanging, and shooting dogs after they didn't perform to his standards in a bloody cage fight.

Martha Stewart has shown us how to entertain in grand style, how to toss a dandy wedding reception and how to cook quick. Now she's telling us what we should listen to while we eat. Stewart, 47, is a former stockbroker and model who parlayed a catering career into seven popular "lifestyle" food books, four cooking videos and a lucrative home furnishings contract with K mart. She lives on a picture- perfect farm in Connecticut, furnished in the kind of impeccable taste that turns visitors mint-green with envy.

Yesterday, Martha Stewart chose NBC's Today show for her first TV appearance since her release from prison and subsequent house arrest. But the domestic diva's initial late-night talk-show chat will not be with NBC Tonight Show star Jay Leno; it will be with his contentious CBS rival, David Letterman. Stewart is due to trade quips with Dave on Sept. 19 - two days before the debut of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, and a week after her daily syndicated lifestyle show, Martha, debuts.

Every fall, the broadcast networks throw a big handful of new shows against the wall, hoping most will stick, but knowing that many an overcooked noodle will slide to the floor. It's the third week of the new season, and the linguine's already dropping. Losers are being discarded, moved, or shelved. Winners - My Name Is Earl on NBC and Everybody Hates Chris on UPN - have been given full-season commitments. And network hopes are high for Fox's death-row drama Prison Break, ABC's alien series Invasion, and the WB's ghostly Supernatural.