Suits: Oops, There Goes That Ferrari Enzo

It appears that Daniel Sadek, a real estate investor turned movie producer, got a rude surprise in the wake of filming Redline, about a daredevil driver caught up in a mob-run racing organization.

Martha Stewart

This week: Wal-Marts investigators, the sub-prime crisis, and the exodus of auto workers.

As chief executive of American Standard, maker of bathroom fixtures, Frederic M. Poses is eligible for free products. Exactly what products he has received remains a company secret.

In the $26 million movie from Chicago Pictures, one of Mr. Sadeks own luxury cars, a $200,000 Porsche Carrera GT, was totaled. He agreed to that cars being destroyed in the name of art. But then one of the films stars, Eddie Griffin, smashed another of Mr. Sadeks cars — a rare Ferrari Enzo, said to be worth $1.5 million — while practicing last week at a track for a charity race to promote the movie.

Mr. Sadek did not reply to calls seeking comment on the crash. But tmz.com, a celebrity Web site, suggested that the crash might be a brilliant marketing ploy because a video of it showed no reaction by an onlooker.

In any case, Mr. Sadek, of West Hollywood, Calif., can still console himself with his two other Ferraris, his Lamborghini Murciélago, his two Mercedes and his Rolls Royce Phantom. ELIZABETH OLSON

TROUBLE IN STEWARTVILLE Martha Stewarts effort to trademark the name of her new hometown — Katonah — for her new furniture line has drawn the ire of some of her neighbors who fear that she wants the name all to herself.

The Katonah Village Improvement Society has set aside $200 that could be used to fight her plan. It has until April 11 to file an objection with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The society declined to comment on whether it would take action.

Katonah, with a population of about 7,300, is 40 miles north of Manhattan. Ms. Stewart moved to a 153-acre estate there in March 2005 and filed the trademark application later that year.

Ms. Stewarts neighbors fear that trademarking the name will prohibit others from using it in their businesses. But Diana Pearson, a spokeswoman for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, said that Ms. Stewart had registered trademarks for other furniture collections inspired by her homes, including Turkey Hill, in Westport, Conn.

In a Feb. 6 letter to the village, John R. Cuti, a lawyer for Ms. Stewart, said a trademark would not stop the public from being able to use ordinary words, including place names, even as business names. He said Pepperidge Farms trademark of Sausalito for cookies has not stopped residents of that town from living and working as they always have. ELIZABETH OLSON

THE COMPANY STORE It is not uncommon for executives to receive discounts on their companies products — or even freebies. But at American Standard there is a bit of mystery surrounding exactly what two executives received.

In its proxy statement, the company disclosed that its chief executive, Frederic M. Poses, received a $7,800 tax gross-up to compensate him for the taxes he would have owed on free products. No description was provided of the products.

James Dwyer, senior vice president, received $33,000 worth of company products and a $19,000 tax gross-up before he stepped down in September, according to the proxy. Again, the nature of these products was not specified. American Standard is one of the worlds largest manufacturers of toilets. It also makes other products for the home, like sinks and bathtubs.

Skip Colcord, a company spokesman, would say only that the two men received residential air-conditioning and/or bath and kitchen products. MICHELLE LEDER

FAKE NEWS NETWORK The narrator of the news segment on immigration intones, in the purest Lou Dobbsian tones, that the report will look at the human cost of Mexicans.

The subject of the profile is one Raymond Boyle, a former senior vice president of Lucent Technologies who lost his $840,000-a-year job to a Mexican migrant worker, Alberto Fuentes, who was willing to work for a mere $600,000. Mr. Boyle, who has had to retrench, says, Unless youve been through it, you have no idea what it is like to live year-round in your second home.

The video, a put-on of CNNs breathless reports on immigration, was The Onions first effort at producing fake TV news to complement the fake print and online stories that made it famous.

In the video, Mr. Fuentes has turned around the company. But in reality, Lucent is no more. Since last year, it has been part of Alcatel-Lucent, based in Paris.

Alcatel-Lucent, for its part, said it was not annoyed by the video. Its clearly a spoof, said Mary Ward, a company spokeswoman. We take it for what it is. DAMON DARLIN

BUFFETTBALL The two bonded over a cheeseburger lunch last fall in Omaha: the éminence grise of investing, Warren E. Buffett, and the Cleveland Cavaliers all-star forward LeBron James. And last Sunday there was Mr. Buffett in Cleveland, wearing a sparkly T-shirt and attending his first N.B.A. game in years.

A few years and some billions separate the two men — Mr. Buffett is 76 and worth an estimated $52 billion, and Mr. James, 22, who signed a three-year, $60 million contract extension in July, has endorsement deals worth about $150 million.

Last weeks score: Denver Nuggets, 105, Cleveland Cavaliers, 93. ELIZABETH OLSON

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