Toasting second chances

New York – “Desperate Housewives” star Teri Hatcher will serve up life lessons in “Burnt Toast,” a book of advice and inspiration Hyperion plans to publish in the spring of 2006.

“I have had many women approach me, sharing their own stories, and ask me how it feels to have a second chance at 40,” Hatcher said in a statement released Tuesday by Hyperion. “With this book, I truly hope to reach everyone that I don’t bump into on the street and share my story.”

Hatcher won a Golden Globe in January. She recently received an Emmy nomination for her role as single mom Susan Mayer in “Desperate Housewives,” a dark satire about suburbia that became a hit in its debut season.

When she accepted her Golden Globe for best actress in a TV comedy, Hatcher thanked ABC for giving “me a second chance at a career when I couldn’t have been a bigger has-been.”

Hatcher starred in the ’90s TV series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.” Her film credits include “Soapdish,” “Tomorrow Never Dies” and “Spy Kids.”

Basket case

New York – David Letterman found just the right bike accessory for Lance Armstrong.

On Monday, the “Late Show” host gave the seven-time Tour de France winner a white basket decorated with gaudy plastic flowers and a sign saying, “7 Time Winner.”

“It goes right on the handlebars,” Letterman said.

Armstrong appeared on the CBS late-night show to talk about winning his seventh and final Tour and life after racing.

After receiving the basket, Armstrong recalled his first visit to the show and another gift Letterman had given him – a beaded seat cover that was popular among New York City taxi drivers.

Of course, his was shaped to fit a bicycle seat.

“Dave cut one out the shape of a saddle, with just the beads and said, ‘Here, I thought you might like this.”‘ Armstrong said. “But the two together, like the seat and this (basket), I might come back for No. 8.”

Roomful of Marthas

New York – Calling all Martha Stewarts.

The famous homemaker is scouring the country for those who don’t necessarily share her homemaking abilities, but her name.

Producers of the hour-long syndicated daytime show “Martha,” which premieres Sept. 12, are hoping to fill the studio audience with 150 Martha Stewarts for a special show.

People named Martha Stewart or Martha Stuart interested in getting a seat should visit www.marthastewart.com/martha or write to: My Name Is Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Productions Inc., Box 1942, New York, N.Y. 10116. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 1.

An air date for the show featuring all the Marthas hasn’t been set.

The lifestyle guru, who turns 64 today, also will star in a version of the reality show “The Apprentice” on NBC this fall. Her old daytime series, “Martha Stewart Living,” lasted 12 years and ended when her case went to court.

Stewart has been serving a five-month term at her home in Bedford, N.Y., after completing five months in a West Virginia prison for lying about a stock sale.

Far from Neverland

New York – If you want to keep track of Michael Jackson in the future, you may have to find Bahrain on a map. According to the New York Post, the reclusive pop star has bought 14 acres of land in the Middle Eastern nation just east of Saudi Arabia.

Ever since his acquittal on child molestation charges, there’s been talk that Jackson has been looking for a new place to call home. Although two of Jackson’s lawyers say they know of no plans for the pop star to move to the sunny Persian Gulf, the Post reports his new real estate is near the palace home of a sheik who’s a good pal.

Meet the offspring

Los Angeles – It’s a boy for Ben Stiller and his wife, Christine Taylor.

Quinlin Dempsey Stiller was born July 10 in Los Angeles. The baby weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, People magazine reported Monday. Stiller, 39, and Taylor, 34, have a 3-year-old daughter, Ella.

The couple, who starred in “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” and “Zoolander,” wed in May 2000.