The scene at 55th & Fifth was bustling as always thanks to one iconic newsman (we always sit up a little straighter when Tom Brokaw is in the room), a mix of movie moguls and the usual roundup of public relations pitchmen and women. Peggy Siegal did her usual flitting from table to table (We have to ask: what was up with that rugby striped mini dress, muffler and corduroy jacket? Homage to the Love Story era Ali McGraw, perhaps?). Paramount CEO Brad Grey did his share of glad-handing. It was introductions all around at the SRO bar, too. Michael‘s wife Kim McCarty made the acquaintance of lunchtime chronicler Diane Clehane and chatted about the couple’s upcoming trip to Paris to visit their daughter, Clancy. Bon Voyage!

Here’s a rundown of today’s menu:

1. A table of distinguished looking gentlemen including ad man Jerry Della Femina and Good Morning America‘s Joel Siegel.

2. Peter Brown and guest.

3. Ben Silverman and Matt Blank.

4. Steve Rubenstein and guests.

5. Herb Siegal

6. Leslie Stevens of LaForce & Stevens and two unidentified fashionistas.

7. Marc Victor (Happy Birthday!), producer Amy Rosenblum and Giada De Laurentiis. The Food Network hottie has been sitting on Today‘s couch as a substitute chatter during the show’s third hour. “She’s doing great!” says the always affable Marc.

Read more

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia CEO and president Susan Lyne told the crowd at the MPA Digital conference that people are now letting their magazine “brands” live online, when they were once wary of associating their crown jewels with a new and “raw” technology. “We’re doing our first totally blended experiment” with new mag Blueprint, she said.

“The model of launching new magazines is broken,” she continued, with very costly bulk mailings that get maybe three percent of recipients responding. By contrast, two-thirds of people who’ve signed up for Blueprint — a bimonthly that’s been published twice so far with what we’re told is a higher ad rate than flagship Martha Stewart Living — have come in through its Web site.

Lyne, on a panel with Dennis Publishing CEO Stephen Colvin and moderated by Larry Kramer, said the digital staff at MSO has grown from 25 to some 70 people since the start of the year, and Internet is a “big investment” that, like any of their investments, has to pay off relatively quickly.

According to a filing today with the SEC, Martha Stewart Omnimedia CEO Susan Lyne, CFO Howard Hochhauser and “other designated senior officers” can take up to $100,000 of the bonus they’d be entitled to in stock valued at 15 percent more than the cash would have been.

They do have to be continuously employed and wait three years to get it all, according to the filing. The stock conversion is valued at $19 per share, the Feb. 21 price, which means they’d lose a bit, according to today’s quoted close of $18.05.

The idea, of course, is that if they have stock instead of cash, they’ll want to make sure the company performs well for shareholders.

The full, boring filing details:

Read more