Side show

By SHARON FINK

© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 9, 2001

MAKING THE BOSS LOOK BAD: Look for huge fourth-quarter layoffs at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. The boss lady is not happy that many of her 600-plus employees have not responded promptly to her Christmas party invitation.

Once you hear what the "invitation" entails, you'll understand the hesitation:

Last Tuesday, Stewart proposed holding a series of dinner parties at employees' homes instead of a traditional company party at a hotel or restaurant, Reuters reports. She believes this is more in tune with the times.

Stewart asked 65 staff members to each volunteer his or her home in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut on Dec. 10 to host 10 employees, chosen at random, so they could get to know each other.

(Stewart did say she would host a dinner at her new Manhattan apartment and the company would give volunteers $300 each for their parties.)

After being told fewer than a quarter of the staff had responded, Stewart whipped out a memo Monday chastising everyone, two employees told Reuters.

Company publicist Allyn Magrino couldn't tell the news service how many employees had accepted invitations but said nearly two-thirds of the 65 hosts needed had signed up and there was "tremendous support" for the idea.

ANTHRAX, AFGHANISTAN AND . . .: It's official: Elizabeth Hurley is pregnant.

The British tabloids have been hot on the story for weeks, with at least one running a picture of Hurley wearing clothes that were a bit baggy and saying that, coupled with reports of her suddenly quitting smoking and drinking, were evidence she was expecting. Hurley's reps denied it.

Another paper countered with a picture of Hurley leaving her house this week wearing a close-fitting white top and skirt, saying she's not pregnant because a pregnant woman wouldn't wear clothes like that.

Thursday, Hurley spokeswoman Karin Smith said her client, 36, is expecting a child with boyfriend Stephen Bing, 35, an American movie producer. She's due in April and is "absolutely thrilled," Smith said.

STATISTICS ON PEPPERMINT PATTIES NOT AVAILABLE: In an in-depth story about the U.S. addiction to breath mints and mouthwashes, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Americans swallowed 23,700 tons of Certs, Clorets, Breath Savers, Altoids, Tic-Tacs, Powermints, etc., in the past year.

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