By SAMANTHA ETTUS
14-SEP-05

There are rare moments in history during which we witness a larger than life superstar returning to a stage they once dominated, but not since Michael Jordan's return to basketball have we seen a revival this dramatic. Martha Stewart has been mounting a comeback for quite a while now and this week marks her official coming out party, with the premiere of her new syndicated talk show. Let's take a closer look at the choices Martha has made as she aims to reclaim her stake as America's most powerful personal brand.

In developing Martha, a showcase for her reinvigorated brand, Stewart intended to establish a new tone that builds on rather than rejects the successes of the past. The theme song for the Mark Burnett (Creator of Survivor and The Apprentice) produced show, which shouts, "Am I the same girl you used to know…Yes I am! Yes I am!" is the signature implementation of this effort. But from the very first moments of the premiere, it was impossible to ignore and hard to resist the newly confident, self-deprecating, fun-loving Martha that has clearly emerged.

In most every respect, the new show is an enormous departure from the daily half-hour CBS show of Martha's past. With a fresh new set – conjuring images of a modern New York loft with all workspace, no couches, a live audience and a lot more energy – Martha aimed to make a splash and succeeded. By removing the "wall" between her and her audience, Martha entered the Oprah zone, where viewers connect with the host on a personal level that transcends their actual relationship. She laughed at the ankle bracelet that had become her constant companion, showing the audience that she was finally free of hers but was placing such devices on her producers and staff to keep tabs on them. And she even walked onstage with her black pug, confidently exposing her softer side. In doing so, Martha not only broke out of her shell but invited us into it.

Though like her previous show Martha's new program adopts a how-to format, now we are learning from a caring friend rather than a self-righteous teacher. In one segment Martha showed up in the kitchen of two Italian sisters preparing a family dinner. She made herself at home in their house and invited them back to join her on the set to demonstrate their talents, proving that she can dish out advice and take it too. Martha naturally related to the women, with no sign of the forced friendly tone we have become accustomed to seeing from her. Instead, we found a genuinely passionate, approachable Martha.

And her decision to invite Marcia Cross to appear as her first guest was brilliant. Cross plays the role of Bree Van De Camp in Desperate Housewives, a starkly conservative perfectionist rumored to be modeled after Martha. With her selection of Cross, Martha quickly dispelled two small screen myths. We saw that despite her often regimented and focused manner, Martha Stewart is nothing like the dispassionate Bree…and we also found out that Cross is nothing like the character she plays, as she was visibly flustered as Martha breezed from one task to another, from folding shirts to scrambling eggs.

What does this transformation mean for the Martha Stewart brand? Now that Martha has been metaphorically and literally released from behind bars, the brand's growth will continue at a rapid clip. Next week marks the premiere of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, and if the series is a success Martha will have connected to both morning and prime-time television audiences. And we can expect much more Martha in the future…more products, more magazines, and new branches of the Martha empire that haven't been dreamed up yet. While the rest of the world sleeps, Martha is constantly cooking up new dishes in an endless quest to anticipate and quench our appetites. The power of the new Martha is already palpable: she's got the same old drive mixed with a newly humbled persona, and with a limitless future ahead, this is certainly only the beginning of her brand's ascent.

(Samantha Ettus is the author of "The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do" (Random House). Contact her at Samantha@celebrityassets.com.)