Topic: "The Apprentice"

[marigold]

Tonight's episode was very sad for me. The eyes and ears were Ivanka and Vince Mcmahon, wrestling promoter. The task was to sell tickets to a negotiated 4 of 8 Broadway shows. The women seemed to get the better picks with Spring Awakening, Hairspray and Avenue Q in their mix. The men had Spamalot and 3 others not mentioned. Whoever sold the most $ from a ticket booth at 42nd St. and 7th Avenue would win. Both teams went to the phones to call in I Owe Yous from anyone they thought might deliver. Nely came up with several, but one was left and did not count. Piers had one for a $10,000 check from Richard Branson, but the deliverers just made it with less than 2 minutes left. The men clearly outshone the women in orgnization and energy and how-to-promote. The women were lackluster.

The final tally was Women $31+K, Men $33+K with the men winning a close victory. The Boadroom discussion was lackluster except for a sneaky question by Ivanka to Jennie on whether Carol was flying "Under the Radar"(sneaky because Jennie has been doing just that). Marilu Henner as project manager had to choose 2 for the Final Boardroom and she chose Carol and Jennie because she wanted to protect Nely and Omarosa. The discussion then was about Jennie perceived lack of energy compared to her athletic achievements. Trump counseled her to not change and focus on her ahtletic prowess, particularly winning the 2008 Olympics, then he fired her.

I think this is sad because Marilu had stated the only 3 working well together on the Women were Omarosa, Nely and herself. Jennie stated that she cometimes felt overwhelmed by the rapid-fire talking of Omarosa and couldn't always keep up with it. So the Women are going to have what they deserve - 3 "politicians", one of whom is pathological, plus one average person (Carol).

Thanks for the update apskip I missed this episode 

[apskip]

They replay it multiple times on MSNBC, so look for it in your Online TV guide.

[marigold]

They replay it multiple times on MSNBC, so look for it in your Online TV guide.

  Thank you, I'll do that tonight.

[marigold]

NBC SAYS " YOU'RE HIRED" FOR SECOND SEASON PICK UP OF 'THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE' AND ANNOUNCES LIVE TWO-HOUR FINALE OF SEASON ONE ON MARCH 27TH AT 9:00 PM-11:00 PM ET

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080129nbc03

NEW YORK Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2008 NBC will present the exciting conclusion of the premiere season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" with a live season finale originating from New York City on Thursday, March 27th at 9-10 PM ET. As the outrageous season reaches its climactic and surprise conclusion, where one celebrity will be named the first celebrity apprentice, NBC and Donald Trump will bring the show back to 'The Big Apple' for a second season with another all-star celebrity lineup of candidates. The announcement was made today by Craig Plestis, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, Development and Specials, NBC Entertainment.

The second season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" will premiere in January of 2009.

In making the announcement, Plestis said, "This revved up installment of "The Apprentice" has been a game changer for the series. As the rest of this season unfolds, you just keep watching, these episodes have been more thrilling than any season before. There were times when I was screaming at the TV set, literally, and the live finale will leave you on the edge of your seat. He added. "We are blown away by the casts drive, energy, and passion to not only play the game but also to raise a lot of money and awareness for important causes. There's no other show like it to prove your business brain and we are already getting calls from high-profile celebrities who want to challenge themselves in Season 2."

"Everywhere I go, people come up to me and ask about 'Celebrity Apprentice.' Viewers are clearly connecting, but beyond the terrific ratings, it's really the charities who are winning the most. Our celebrities have raised over a million dollars to date. We are so glad NBC has decided to continue this franchise." Said Mark Burnett, executive producer of 'The Celebrity Apprentice.'

"We are so grateful for the ongoing support of NBC and Mark Burnett Productions, and we truly appreciate Gene Simmons' choice to compete on our behalf," said Pamela W. Barnes, president and chief executive officer of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. "Through its emphasis on charitable work and giving back, Celebrity Apprentice has done a great service -- and in doing so, helped children and families around the world. We sincerely thank you."

"Millions of viewers have spoken and made 'Celebrity Apprentice' the #1 show on Thursday nights so far this year. Ben Silverman and his team have done a tremendous job and Mark Burnett and I are thrilled to begin an eighth season of this amazingly successful franchise." Said Donald J. Trump, executive producer of ' The Celebrity Apprentice.'

"We are so grateful to Mr. Trump for his ongoing commitment in the fight against breast cancer." Said Carol Baldwin, for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund of CNY, Inc.

"The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research is thrilled to be one of the beneficiaries of NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice." Not only is the show a unique twist to the great concept of the original "The Apprentice" but it is a real tribute to the show that so many charities have benefited significantly with hundreds of thousands of dollars already donated to worthy causes. We thank Vincent Pastore for playing on our behalf, the $50,000 we received will support life saving research for pancreatic cancer."Said Kerri Kaplan, Executive Director, The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.

"We are grateful to Tito Ortiz for designating St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as his charity of choice as part of `The Celebrity Apprentice,'" said John P. Moses, chief executive officer of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude. "We depend upon the generosity of people across this nation who, like Tito, embrace the dream of our founder Danny Thomas -- that no child should die in the dawn of life."

The live finale - which will be filmed in front of live studio audience where the final axe will fall - will offer highlights from the series penultimate show where the final two contestants held a celebrity charity auction and managed all aspects of a live concert for a Multi-Platinum, Grammy nominated American Pop Group with each celebrity responsible for different aspects of the event. The finalists, assisted by some former Celebrity Apprentice alumni, race to organize the event, and one calls in a huge favor from a powerful friend, while the other finds nothing but dead ends. In addition to Donald Trump's announcement of the total monies raised for charity, the live event will lead to his first-ever "hiring" of a 'Celebrity Apprentice.'

"The Celebrity Apprentice" is television's #1 Thursday series in adults 18-49 for the first quarter to date, averaging a 3.9 rating, 10 share in adults 18-49 and 9.3 million viewers overall. "The Celebrity Apprentice" is up substantially versus the prior series in the "Apprentice" franchise, "The Apprentice 6," with gains of 15 percent in adults 18-49 (with a 3.9 ratings vs. a 3.4) and 13 percent in total viewers (9.3 million vs. 8.2 million).

The next installment of the show will once again bring business-savvy celebrity contestants together working towards a greater goal -- all celebrities will be competing in business driven tasks around New York City, using their fame along with their proven business acumen, and perhaps, their wealthy and high profile connections for an assist in winning challenges, while ultimately raising money and awareness for their respective causes. Just as in the regular "Apprentice," the celebrities will be subjected to long hours, grueling mental challenges, personality clashes, and intense scrutiny -- all without the help of their regular "safety net" of agents, managers, and personal assistants.

Certain tasks encourage the contestants to reach out to their network of celebrity contacts for assistance or donations -- making for entertaining surprise visits by some of the world's biggest stars along the way.

This current season has seen CNBC's Jim Cramer, Vince McMahon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Alec Baldwin, and David Hyde Pierce dropping by to lend a hand or wield an axe with many more to come as the competition grows more fierce each week.

[apskip]

I love this line from thefutoncritic: "all without the help of their regular "safety net" of agents, managers, and personal assistants." These celebrities sure do have their cell phones with them and they use them to call lots of rich people they know. Do you think they might also sneak a call or two or ten to their agents, managers, or personal assistants for help when they need them?

[Texan]

if they can call in favors, you know they are calling manager or assistances.  IF they were smart they woudl call the assistant to call their friends during the challenges.

[RudyRules]

I don't think think Gene simply wanted out, but I do think he purposefully took the blame in order to protect Nely from being fired.  The fault for the task was more of Nely's fault than Gene's.

Cinera, sorry it took me so long to answer.  After rewatching the tape, my memory was jogged about her talking too dang much.  You are right, Nely was more at fault.  Well, I guess we can say Gene was a gentleman in the matter, huh?  Too bad he took the fall for Nely.   He is much more entertaining that she is!! 

[apskip]

In one of the late-breaking articles on that episode I read that Gene finally realized his mistake in the Final Boardroom and tried to change who the contestants with him were. Trump told him tough luck. This would indicate that my theory that Gene wanted to lose may not have been correct. The person he certainly would have wanted in would have been Nely and her chances of being fired were quite high at that point.

[marigold]

On Tonight's  (2 Hour)  Episode of The Apprentice

PIERS MORGAN AND VINNY PASTORE SHAKE THINGS UP AS DISLOYALITY, DOUBLE CROSSING, AND SPYING ALL COME INTO PLAY DURING THIS WEEK'S EXPLOSIVE TWO-HOUR 'THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE'

In An Episode Deemed 'The Croc and The Rat' - Remaining Celebrities Work Overnight to Create An Awareness Campaign for Crocs On Thursday, January 31, 9:00 PM- 11:00PM ET/PT

NEW YORK January 28, 2008 In this week's explosive two-hour episode, women's Team Empresario and men's Team Hyrdra work with very limited time to create an awareness campaign for Crocs' "Soles United" shoe donation program. Overnight, the two teams must create donation bins to be presented to the Crocs executives. In the process, Hydra team members Piers Morgan and Vinny Pastore shake things up with an explosive fight, and Vinny pretends to defect to Team Empresario but is really a spy for the men. Vinny then turns double agent, but the secret gets out when he is left alone with Marilu Henner.

After the presentation, the Crocs executives choose a winner, and in the boardroom, the truth of the previous 24 hours comes to light. Accusations fly, and in a twist elimination, another celebrity goes home on Thursday, January 31 (9:00 PM 11:00 PM ET/PT).

[marigold]

In one of the late-breaking articles on that episode I read that Gene finally realized his mistake in the Final Boardroom and tried to change who the contestants with him were. Trump told him tough luck. This would indicate that my theory that Gene wanted to lose may not have been correct. The person he certainly would have wanted in would have been Nely and her chances of being fired were quite high at that point.

  That's okay, so your right 99.9 % of the time 

[apskip]

Was last night's episode ever strange! First of all, they expanded it to 2 hours because the producers wanted to catch all the angst and drama. The task was simple enough. Crocs shoe company is doing a recycling campaign and wanted to create a slogan and a recycling bin design to use across the country. The women had Carol Alt chosen for them as Project Manager by Donald Trump. The men chose Piers Morgan. The men started into their task and Trace Adkins came up with an excellent slogan. The men then designed a fairly standard bin and nominated Lennox Lewis (who else?) to be their model for photography. They accomplished all that quickly and then they obviously had lots of time on their hands. Piers found one of the women has outside their doors(they were in adjacent rooms) listening in so he decided to retaliate by using a spy. He asked Vincent Pastore to pretend to join the women's team but send back critical information about what the women were doing.

Vincent got invited to join the women's team and actually did a super (though unackowledged later) job for them, giving them several good ideas that they used. Then he and Marilu Henner left to go to the bin production place and he sent the men a note with the details of the women's slogan and bin design. Having that information actually did Piers Morgan no good, but he could not restrain himself so he went and rubbed it in the faces of the women with a taunting campaign which exposed Vincent and the result was that the women no longer trusted vincent and fired him. This was ironic since he really wanted them to win and for Piers Morgan to lose and get fired.

There was now a long period of angst and drama which I missed because my VCR ran out of tape while I was watching the end of the Celtics-Mavericks basketball game. When I came back, both teams were in the boardoom and no winner had been announced. Trump stated that the women won because Crocs like their bin design; both teams had excellent slogans. Vincent Pastore elected to resign, but Trump asked him to hold up and dismissed the women. Then there was clairification that Vincent would stay only if Piers was fired, as 2/3 of the other members of the men's team present (Tito Ortiz was off fighting) wanted him over Piers. The final decision by Trump was that he accepted his resignation since Vincent as a double agent should have known the risks of what he was doing.

[apskip]

My current assessment of the contestants:

MEN
Piers Morgan and Stephen Baldwin - these guys are sharp and they hate each other; they are going to find a way to knock each other off in consecutive weeks, one from the "grave"

Tito Ortiz - was a winning Project Manager, but what did he do?; he will be toast sometime soon

Trace Adkins and Lennox Lewis - these are the guys who will be standing for the Final Four of Celebrity Apprentice

WOMEN
Carol Alt - her stock as risen high as a result of last night's win; she is a savvy New Yorker; I like her chances for the Final Four

Omarosa - her villainess value has worn thin; look for her elimination soon

Marilu Henner - I see her a another savvy player who will make the Final Four

Nely Galan - hanging on by a thread and incredibly lucky to still be there; she is too voluble and won't last

So, it's Adkins, Lewis, Alt, and Henner as my picks for the Final Four. We'll see how close I come on March 13 when the 5th remaining contestant is fired.

[marigold]

I’m surprised that the men are already focusing on how to dupe their own team player,

instead of outshine the women for the task. Is it not a little early in the game.

Piers is hot though, I knew he would be good in this years celebrity edition.

What a sharp witted man he is to play the rest of the guys like that, accomplished!!

But perhaps all that focus cost him to lose that challenge, a box?

Not to impressive for me either.

[RudyRules]

Excellent summation of last nite's ep, apskip.    Thanks!

I loved all the double-agent/mafia drama with Vince!   Too bad he felt he should resign.    I was hoping he would end up a hero  and Piers would be fired.

(I wonder why they didn't show Vince getting into the taxi and giving his final words like the rest? )

[RudyRules]

Sometimes I root for the underdog, & this is one of those times.  So. Omarosa for the win!    I have no idea how, but she's purdy dang slick and I think she can pull it off.  If not the winner, she might at least be in the Final 4.  Yeah, I know I'm sticking my neck out.   So far, Omarosa has done quite well.  She has amazed me with her assertiveness and relaxed manner in which she has conducted herself in the midst of these celebs!!  She is one heckuva gal, one whom I did not like at all in Season 1.  But she is shining now.  Good for her!  For the win, Omarosa! 

[apskip]

RudyRules, as soon as the commercial came on instead of a confessional by Vincent Pastore, I was surprised too. I see your "I wonder why they didn't show Vince getting into the taxi and giving his final words like the rest?" in a wider context. The only single hypothesis I can come up with is that Vincent was not fired and confessionals are reserved only for those leaving the show at the request of Donald Trump. Vincent left as his own man and, really, he had already said everything that needed to be said in the huge amount of camera time they gave him in 2 hours. He didn't need 30 extra seconds.

[marigold]

Excellent summation of last nite's ep, apskip.    Thanks!

  I wont have to look for recaps any longer 

What a pleasure to read with my morning coffee.

Great job!!!

[marigold]

This week on The Celebrity Apprentice:

Thursday February 7, 2008

TITLE: "WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY" TASK: LIVING WINDOWS

Each team is given an empty storefront, models, a construction crew and mattresses to create a living window to promote Vera Wang mattresses by Serta.

One team struggles with the leadership of their project manager, while the other team works without the aid of a new team member.

In the end, Vera Wang and the Serta executive chooses the best window display, and a celeb from the losing team is fired.

Guest Star: Vera Wang Trump's Eyes and Ears: George Ross and Donald Trump Jr.

[RudyRules]

RudyRules, as soon as the commercial came on instead of a confessional by Vincent Pastore, I was surprised too. I see your "I wonder why they didn't show Vince getting into the taxi and giving his final words like the rest?" is a wider context. The only single hypothesis I can come up with is that Vincent was not fired and confessionals are reserved only for those leaving the show at the request of Donald Trump. Vincent left as his own man and, really, he had already said everything that needed to be said in the huge amoung of camera time they gave him in 2 hours. He didn't need 30 extra seconds.

Well, you most adequately answered my question, apskip.  
You are absolutely right!  Thanks! 

[apskip]

Tonight was quite interesting to watch Donald Trump approach a difficult decision. The task was to design a montage using the Vera Wang Serta mattress. Steven Baldwin insisted on being sent from the Men ot the Women's team. Omarosa didn't want him, but Trump told her she did not get a vote. Baldwin then was away until the last few hours of the task.

The Women's team had Omarosa as Project Manager and lost at the beginning while interviewing Vera Wang and the Serta executive. They assumed that Wang and Serta were looking for a traditional bridal approach and designed based on that.  The men, thanks mostly to Piers Morgan, asked the deeper question of what they really wanted and found out that Wang is trying to diversify away from just bridal goods. The men used an idea from Trace Adkins to design a Great Lovers in History - Cleopatra and Marc Antony theme. Piers got into conflicts with his Project manager Lennox Lewis and all the Men had difficulty with the style of their Project Manager, but it didn't matter because they got their montage done creatively. The women have trouble due to Marilu Henner not listening and being a bit dictatorial. Their montage utilized Caol Alt in a wedding dress and Steven Baldwin in a tux. MaryLou Henner is an aside had a nasty but accurate comment on how Omarosa would not only stab you in the back but also stab you in the front; she considers Omarosa a vicious politcal infighter.

Omarosa believed based on the on-the-spot comments from Vera Wang that her team had won. However, in the boardroom she was shocked to find out that they had not. The Men won due to Creativity and Lennox got $20,000 for his Muhammed Ali charity. Piers taunted Omarosa on his way out of the room.

Omarosa had a tought decision to make. She was going to bring Steven Baldwin into the final Boardroom, but Trump cautioned her that such thinking got Gene Simmons fired. Omarosa changed her mind and made the better decision of Nely and Marilu. Nely was there because, as Steven pointed out before he left the Boardroom, she had the most experience in these type of productions and she failed to redirect or contribute. Trump stated that past episode performance does weigh into his decisions on who to fire. Omarosa herself go off the hook for her poor decision on the project design when Trump fired Nely, noting that she had been close it it 2 earlier times.

I think Trump made a bad decision once again. It should have been Omarosa. Who else was resposible for the design decision that sunk the team? It wasn't Nely; it was Omarosa.

[Texan]

Nelly is a producer, but it is the decision of the project manager on the vision and what they do.  I agree Omarosa should have been fired.  Plus her wanting to take Steven was just to get rid of a guy was arrogant.  She picked nelly because she knew Trump well enought that he had it out for her and would fire her.  I think if Nelly would not have been there, Omarosa would have been fired.

[marigold]

This week on The Celebrity Apprentice:

Thursday February 14, 2008

THE MANE EVENT TASK: HORSE AND CARRIAGE

Each team runs a horse and carriage business in Central Park.

All is smooth sailing for one team, as they offer champagne and flowers to customers, but the other team falls apart at the seams.

Things get very personal as two team members attack each other viciously throughout the task.

Billy Baldwin, Jenna Jameson, and John Rich all stop by to help raise money.

In the boardroom, the two warring teammates continue their fight in front of Donald Trump, and in the end, another celebrity is fired. 

[TexasLady]

This week on The Celebrity Apprentice:

Thursday February 14, 2008

THE MANE EVENT TASK: HORSE AND CARRIAGE

Each team runs a horse and carriage business in Central Park.

All is smooth sailing for one team, as they offer champagne and flowers to customers, but the other team falls apart at the seams.

Things get very personal as two team members attack each other viciously throughout the task.

Billy Baldwin, Jenna Jameson, and John Rich all stop by to help raise money.

In the boardroom, the two warring teammates continue their fight in front of Donald Trump, and in the end, another celebrity is fired. 

Sounds like another good episode.  Can't wait for tonight. 

On another note, it seems so strange to me how things have gone down. Steven Baldwin being the latest. At the end of the last show he looked like a lost puppy. Out of place in either team at the moment. He and Piers have had a strange relationship but they always seemed to laugh and fix up the differences.  The Vincent Pastore 2 hour show was schizophrenic for me. There were so many twists in that one I decided it had to be a setup by the producers.

[apskip]

The biggest problem with this show is that it is all for laughs and trivial charity money. Do these celebrities really have to work hard to win? Not really. They act like they are portraying characters just like many of them do for a living. The only ones who come across as real to me are:

Omarosa - she really is the bitch she is shown to be in these contexts, a political animal fighting nail and claw for survival; why didn't Surivor cast her?

Carol Alt - a genuine original who can be a street fighter when riled

Trace Adkins - he is just what he appears to be

Lennox Lewis - you get what you pay for with him

Tito Ortiz- he is a total cypher but at least real


Otherwise, Stephen Baldwin, Piers Morgan, and Marilu Henner all seem to be characters and caricatures.

[TexasLady]

Apskip, you are right on point. Lennox is a sleeper but has the best of the ideas.

LOL on Omerosa and Survivor. I'd pay to see that.