Apparently, billionaire Martha Stewart missed the point of OutKast’s hit song “Roses” – they really do smell like boo-boo.

If anyone awaiting prison time would be more concerned about the smell of roses than about being convicted of a crime, it would be Stewart.

Wednesday, Stewart spoke at a choreographed news conference saying she will continue to appeal her March conviction of lying about why she sold shares of ImClone Systems Inc. stock but will head for prison to end what she called a personal nightmare.

Stewart spoke about how much she will miss holiday traditions, her beloved, fun-loving dogs, her seven lively cats, her canaries, her horses and her chickens.

It’s one thing to want to put the nightmare of public scandal behind you, but to play a sympathy card and make a mockery of the judicial system is an insult to those who abide by the law.

While Stewart clearly doesn’t agree her conviction was warranted, she should take her punishment seriously and not use it as an opportunity to gain more publicity. Her tearful public appearance Wednesday served only to promote herself and her company – is it any coincidence that stock shares in Martha Stewart Living rose 3 percent that day?

Although Stewart isn’t the first celebrity to do prison time, her sentence shouldn’t be molded to her every request. After all, it’s supposed to be punishment – not a five-month stay in a less-than-luxurious hotel. A prison term that accommodates “spring planting” or 400-thread-count sheets does little to teach a lesson.

To put a new twist on the OutKast lyrics: Being convicted of breaking the law really does stank, but making a public spectacle of your misfortunes doesn’t smell like roses either.