Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. swung to a fourth-quarter profit, helped by a continued rebound in advertising revenue at its flagship Martha Stewart Living magazine.

Shares of the company rose 71 cents, or 4.3 percent, to $17.20 in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

The Donald wasn't backing down yesterday in his feud with Martha Stewart - calling her a "moron" and taking pride in his poison-pen letter to her.

Donald Trump is still fuming over Stewart having the nerve to blame him for sabotaging her own prime-time "Apprentice" show. Her rationale: Trump wouldn't step aside, retire his successful show and give her the entire "Apprentice" audience.

"What moron would think you're going to fire the guy with the No. 1 show on television?" Trump told Newsweek yesterday.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is one of those companies that everyone loves to talk about ... even though the stock has deflated like a soufflé in recent months.

Remember how much buzz Martha Stewart's stock was getting at this time last year? Shares were trading around $35 and the hope was that Martha's imminent release from prison would serve as a huge boost to the company's fortunes. Ad sales and circulation are on the upswing for several Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia publications, most notably at the flagship magazine. Ad sales and circulation are on the upswing for several Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia publications, most notably at the flagship magazine. Not a good thing: Shares of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia have plunged during the past year. Not a good thing: Shares of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia have plunged during the past year.

But ironically, now that Martha is a free woman again, shares of her namesake company have been handcuffed. The stock has been cut in half over the past year and, at about $17, trades just a touch above its 52-week low.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (MSO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday said it plans to test launch a new women's lifestyles magazine that targets a younger audience than its flagship publication.

The magazine, called, Blueprint: Design Your Life, is described as a guide to "decorate, dress, entertain and organize their lives," for the "modern, multi-tasking woman" between the ages of 25 to 45.

Martha Stewart ended her jailhouse blues this year -- and got back to her honey yellows and citrus greens. She busted out of her ankle bracelet and burst upon prime time in her own reality show: "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart."

Things were only looking up for the ex-con homemaking guru. For other big-name executives, however, the prison doors were beckoning. L. Dennis Kozlowski, the former chief executive of Tyco International Ltd., was convicted of looting the company of millions of dollars -- and where he's going the famed $6,000 shower curtain wouldn't give him much privacy. Former WorldCom chairman Bernard J. Ebbers got 25 years.

The Apprentice: Martha Stewart which aired on US broadcaster NBC a few nights ago, the show's host Martha Stewart selected candidate Dawna Stone as her apprentice.

The reality show contest named Dawna Stone to the new position of director of development of Body + Soul. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia acquired the healthy-living magazine last year.

MSLO adds that Stone will focus on new business development for the magazine, tasked with growing national advertising programmes and creating ancillary revenue streams, She is the founder and publisher of Her Sports, a magazine for women who are very active, sports-oriented, healthy and fit. Stone will work closely with Martha Stewart as well as with Body & Soul publisher Janesse Bruce and her Boston-based team.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. said Friday that James Follo, its chief financial and administrative officer, plans to resign in March.

Neither the company nor Follo specified a reason for his resignation, but Follo said in a statement: "I believe this is the right time for me to explore the next stage of my professional career."

Martha Stewart Living (Research) named Howard Hochhauser, vice president of finance and investor relations, to the post of acting chief financial officer.

With the renewal of her daytime show, "Martha," for a second season, Martha Stewart is batting .500 in her post-prison television comeback.

NBC Universal Domestic Television said Monday her home-oriented talk show, produced by famed reality honcho Mark Burnett, will be back next fall. The company said the show had improved the time-slot ratings in 17 of the top 20 markets in the country.

NBC had already said that Stewart's prime-time turn as the boardroom boss in "The Apprentice," a spin-off from the hit Donald Trump series, would be short-lived. Stewart's edition will end when the current game is over.

"The Apprentice" and "Martha" were Stewart's first television projects after spending five months in prison and another five months wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet, the result of a conviction of lying to the government about a stock sale.

Business as usual doesn’t cut it today in marketing’s fiercely competitive arena. Campaigns that create an aura of unique excitement and intelligent suspense are required to garner interest and cut through the clutter. General Motors’ Buick Division will do just that when the all new 2006 Lucerne becomes the featured product on the “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” reality show.

First airing on NBC from 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. EST on November 30, two apprentice teams will design an in-dealership launch showroom display to entice and excite potential Buick Lucerne buyers. The influence of the winning team’s creation, selected by Martha Stewart and Buick executives, will be experienced by prospective customers on December 13, when participating dealerships host a Lucerne V.I.P. Premiere Night. Viewers of the November 30 episode can RSVP for an invitation to a Lucerne V.I.P. Premiere Night party in their area via an online registration process and will be directed to Buick.com during the show.

Martha Stewart dispatches TV crew to Lebanon Christmas parade

Decorating diva Martha Stewart is sending a crew from her nationally syndicated television show to Lebanon on Saturday in search of tips about how to celebrate the holidays.

Stewart's staff will videotape parts of Lebanon's annual Christmas festival and parade, which includes horse-drawn carriages along Broadway, the main downtown street in the Warren County seat.