The AP reports the strange story of a man who was arrested in Maine on July 29, 2004, for trespassing on Martha Stewart's property. That man is one Joe Moretti, a 38-year old designer who actually lives in Rhode Island (he liked Martha enough to trek up to Maine?!). Apparently every year Moretti mounts a wild Christmas celebrity spectacle on his front lawn, setting his middle class neighborhood aglow. This year the theme is Paris Hilton. I could have made you guess that but you never would have figured it out of the blue.
The display sports a miasma of pink Christmas lights, tips on being a Hilton, and lifesize and larger depictions of Paris and her tiny dog, Tinkerbell. Phew. Neighbors' reactions are mixed. Many seemed to take it in stride, but a few had other things to say:
Ron Raffonelli, 65, said he would be upset if his young grandchildren came to associate Christmas with naked woman. He'd prefer the kids to think of Santa Claus instead.After all, Raffonelli said, "He's been around longer."
A good idea, but his historical backing is a little off, unless we're speaking of the Santa-Who-Always-Was-Will-and-Shall-Be, some cosmic deity who precedes the evolution of the human race.
The article has this to say about Moretti's criminal history in Maine and his fascination with Martha Stewart:
Last year, he paid tribute to Martha Stewart even as he and another man faced charges for sneaking on to the domestic maven's property. The charges were later dismissed, and the men donated money to public libraries near the property. Moretti calls the incident a "big misunderstanding."
Stewart's 61-acre estate is located in Seal Harbor and is known as Skyland. Moretti claimed he was invited onto the grounds by Stewart employees who later changed their mind.
As a Stewart sidenote, she recently kicked off the Mount Desert Island marathon, but because she is technically an ex-con the traditional pistol shot was verboten, leaving Martha holding an airhorn instead. (source: The Working Waterfront)
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