Martha Stewart was all the buzz in Irvington, Va., last weekend. She’s spent a lot of time in the quaint Northern Neck town with her friend, former Richmond ad exec and branding guru Bill Westbrook. I caught up with Westbrook at the Trick Dog Cafe, the whimsical local hot spot he owns. Although he hasn’t spoken to Stewart since her release from prison Friday, he assured me, “her business will do well, but give her two weeks.” Westbrook feared her ordeal, “will take its toll.” He said, “It’ll hit her that she’s a convicted felon and that she can’t ever vote again.” Perhaps Martha should go back and pet the trick dog one more time!
Rejuvenation
Down the road at the luxurious Tides Inn (now a sister property of the award-winning Mii Amo Spa in Sedona, Ariz.), Stewart became a target of marketing execs for Jurlique, an organic Australian skin care line recently introduced at the posh spa on the Virginia property. As Martha will be wearing an ankle bracelet while under house arrest in her better home and garden, the concerned Jurlique advocates were plotting how best to deliver their Calendula Creme to her estate in Bedford, N.Y. Inevitably, Stewart will chafe under her state-issued anklet and the Aussie creme de la creme is a hit with Washingtonians, who are already taking the three-hour ride to The Tides Inn to sample the popular anti-aging product line.
And they’re in good company. Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett, who played actress Kate Hepburn in “The Aviator,” is a fan of Jurlique products, as are Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Pfeiffer – who uses the recovery gel and the $60 lip balm (well, it lasts three years). And the cast of “Queer Eye” insisted on using Jurlique for Jay Leno’s makeover, prompting a jubilant rep for the “in” product line to enthuse, “he has a big face.”
Well-placed stones
Patricio Foronda, the Brazilian veterinarian-turned massage therapist, whom many Washingtonians know from Sugar House Day Spa in Old Town Alexandria, is now working his magic at The Tides Inn. No one can place 54 hot stones to relax end-of-winter muscles like Patricio can.
Dharma Chum
A couple hundred well-traveled foreign correspondents, reporters and editors gathered from near and far at the National Press Club Friday evening to pay tribute to a very private Washingtonian, Lucien “Lu” Carr, the top “general desk” editor of the almost-forgotten United Press International. In his youth, Carr palled around with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. He gave Kerouac the famous roll of Teletype on which the poet unfurled the Beat generation with “On the Road.” Lu passed away in late January.
Researchers wait patiently
A technology mishap has hit the Library of Congress. The conveyer belt that transports books between buildings broke down last week, requiring employees to push carts stacked with books through the underground tunnels linking the Madison, Jefferson and Adams Buildings. We hear it could be another week before the problem is fixed because the manufacturer went out of business 15 years ago and parts from other companies aren’t from the same catalogue.
Made for TV
Roll Call Executive Editor and Beltway Boy Mort Kondracke’s touching book “Saving Milly,” will air Sunday as a CBS movie. The drama stars Madeleine Stowe and Bruce Greenwood, and is based on the inspiring, real-life journey of Kondracke and his wife, Milly, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease.
The latest politically incorrect java
Osama’s Mama coffee beans is the most recent offering packed in a bag of political satire from Political Grounds Coffee Company, the company that previously introduced Flubba-Dubya’s Campfire Coffee. But beware: The new beans could keep you vigilantly awake while the former might lull you to sleep.