Channeling Stocks

[sludgehound]

Martha the Musical lol

NYT Martha Won't Sing

After being sentenced to prison for lying to federal investigators about her sale of ImClone Systems stock, Martha Stewart faces another punishment: two hours of song and dance about her effect on women.

"Martha & Me: A Musical" is scheduled to run for six nights at the New York International Fringe Festival next month in Lower Manhattan. Robert Rokiki, who cooked up the show's lyrics and music, said it would explore Ms. Stewart's life without having her as a character. "We didn't want to slander her and have a show full of Martha-bashing," he explained, "so we created a foil: Betsey Parsait, an obsessed fan."

Ms. Stewart's trial looms over Betsey as she tries to prepare the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, which ends with her lamenting, "Martha, where are you now?" Adam Levi, the musical's director, said the song had been written before Ms. Stewart was sentenced and did not refer to prison. "But," he added, "it could be read into that at this point." Eric Dash

MARTHA EPILOGUE Almost unnoticed in the hubbub of Martha Stewart's sentencing was news that someone tangentially related to her case, Brian A. Markison, had gotten a new job: running King Pharmaceuticals, which is under investigation on suspicion of overcharging Medicaid. He was hired on July 16, the same day that Ms. Stewart was sentenced to prison.

Mr. Markison previously worked for Bristol-Myers Squibb, and in late 2001 told Harlan Waksal, then ImClone's medical director, that regulators were almost certain to refuse to approve an important drug, court records show. Mr. Waksal told his brother, Samuel D. Waksal, then ImClone's chief, who tried to sell his shares before the news got out.

Ms. Stewart was convicted of lying to officials investigating whether she had got a tip from a broker she and Samuel Waksal shared. Mark A. Stein

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/25/business/yourmoney/25suits.html?adxnnl=1&8ym=&adxnnlx=1090...