• by David Kaplan , May 3, 2005

Showing off her "lucky shoes"--golden clogs that help make wearing a police monitoring ankle bracelet more fashionable as well as functional--Martha Stewart bounded to a stage to preview her new Mark Burnett-produced daytime series, aptly titled "Martha."

The syndicated daytime series--which will premiere in the fall, and is being distributed by NBC Universal Television--is designed to showcase a warmer side of the domestic doyenne. While the show will feature familiar elements of Stewart's "act"--such as preparing foods and providing household tips--it will take place in front of a live audience, with whom she will interact.

One aspect of the hour-long show includes filmed segments of Stewart surprising homemakers at their front door, and offering to stage a cooking demonstration in each person's house. One unexpected arrival has the near-apoplectic mother of two exclaiming: "You! Martha Stewart! I'm known as the Jewish Martha!"

The show will be rounded out by celebrity guests such as actor Tom Hanks (who will be sharing a family recipe) and Robin Williams (who will accompany Stewart on a bike ride through Central Park). Still, in seeking to avoid one of the conventions of the talk show format, there will be no couch for the guests to use, because "I don't have any couches in my house," Stewart said--noting that she wanted to have a loose quality to the celebrity interviews.

But the main thing Stewart and Burnett--the producer behind CBS' "Survivor" and NBC's "The Apprentice," as well as its forthcoming sequel, which has Stewart starring in the "Trump" role, although that show was not discussed at this briefing--focused on is that the show will have her interacting with the audience.

"Having a live audience practically on top of me is an exciting proposition," Stewart said, speaking on a specially prepared stage inside the main branch of the New York Public Library. "And I think that as a result, my sense of humor will come out a little more."

"Martha" co-Executive Producer Rob Dauber, whose credits include "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," told the audience of media buyers and marketers that the new series has the solid foundation of classic talk shows.

"One of the things that successful shows like Oprah's and Dr. Phil's have in common is that they're built around and incorporate the personalities of the host, as opposed to having a concept and trying get 'the right person,'" Dauber said. "In this case, Martha is the right person from the outset."

In addition, Heidi Diamond, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's president of television, and Lauren Stanich, MSLO's president of publishing, spoke about how the company's magazines are perfect companions for the television series. "What we are able to do is integrate the content we create across all our media platforms, which truly distinguishes us from other media companies," Diamond said.

The show is currently sold in 92 percent of the country, including all the top 20 markets, said Susan Lyne, the former ABC programming executive behind "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost." Lyne was hired by Stewart last November to serve as CEO of MSLO, the parent of Stewart's various business ventures covering publishing, television, merchandising, and Internet/direct commerce.

"Some people might wonder, why do an upfront for one show," Lyne said--then answered by saying, "This is a unique show and a unique opportunity for advertisers. For a show's distribution to be 92 percent sold out across the country six months before it's going to air is very unusual."

Stewart is currently under home confinement after completing a five-month prison sentence at a minimum-security lockup in West Virginia. She was convicted last year of lying to government investigators during an insider-trading probe.

While she humorously alluded to her current predicament several times, she did note--after pointing out the benefits of golden clogs when wearing a security anklet--that her appearance at the upfront was approved by prosecutors.

In any event, the appearance was approved of by several media buyers as well.

"Delightful, delightful! Isn't Martha delightful?" exulted Peggy Green, president of broadcast for Zenith USA, after the presentation. "I think this show's going to be great."