Topic: "The Apprentice"

[marigold]

'Apprentice' Start Date Shifted — Again

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117978068.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

(FROM VARIETY) – A day after pushing back the debut of Celebrity Apprentice, NBC has reversed its decision and will premiere the show on its original start date, Jan. 3. The Peacock initially moved Apprentice to the following Thursday, Jan. 10, to avoid ABC's season finale of Grey's Anatomy. However, ABC has decided to instead air the Grey's finale on Jan. 10 (in part to avoid Iowa caucus preemptions on Jan. 3), prompting NBC to switch back to its original plan and bow Apprentice on Jan. 3. Variety reports that the cat-and-mouse game may continue, as it's possible that ABC will move the final Grey's episode back to Jan. 3.

[marigold]

A Preview Of The Apprentice Celebrity Edition

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That video was very strange. The African American woman dumping her drink onto Piers Morgan had to be Omarosa, as I think the ethnicity of all the other women on Celebrity Apprentice is Caucasian. Vincent Pastore threatening to whack Stephen Baldwin is right in character for him. The winner of this round was Mayor Bloomberg representing the city of New York, almost always a class guy. I haven't got a clue who the loser was.

I can hardly wait for Thursday to have this mess starting to get sorted out, one firing per week.

[Nuala]

I can't stand Omarosa. 

I am looking forward to checking out the Baldwin boy....their parents had some good genes!!!  LOL.

After how Donald doted on the hockey girl, I am not shocked to see more olympic chics on the show.  I loved Nadia.

[RudyRules]

Me neither...can't stand Omarosa.    She's not a celebrity like the others...not really...she's just an Apprentice has-been.  But, I'm sure she'll raise UNholy havoc on this season to give the viewers love-to-hate drama. 

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Here is some news on which companies are sponsoring(read paying $1 million to $2 million for the privilege of having their products pushed on)  episodes of Celebrity Apprentice:

Kodak, Crocs, Dial Yogurt Body Wash, Quiznos, QVC, Nederlander, Pedigree and Serta by Vera Wang

[Mandoli]

Who's bright idea was it to have Omarosa back in the boardroom? *smacks herself upside the head* She's had her shot at this already. Someone else could have been in her place.

[marigold]

Celebrity Apprentice Video Preview

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The Apprentice Celebrity Contestants

TRACE ADKINS is a country music star with seven studio albums. He has had twenty-three singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, with two of those singles -- "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing" and "Ladies Love Country Boys" – hitting No. 1.

CAROL ALT is a successful model/actress with over 700 covers and 65 films. She currently has her own natural cosmetics line and is an advocate for the health benefits of eating raw.

STEPHEN BALDWIN is an actor best known for his role in the 1995 film "The Usual Suspects". A born-again Christian, he travels the country as a speaker and is a best-selling religious author.

NADIA COMANECI burst into the limelight as the star of the 1976 Montreal Olympics, is the most celebrated gymnast of our time. The diminutive Romanian eventually produced a lifetime Olympic medal haul of five golds, three silvers and one bronze and she has left behind a competitive record which will be virtually impossible to match. In 2005, FOX.com considered her one of the "Greatest Athletes in 150 years of Sports History". Comaneci will be the new face of L'Oreal cosmetics

TIFFANY FALLON was named Playboy's Playmate of the Year for 2005. She is married to Joe Don Rooney from the chart-topping country band, Rascal Flatts. Fallon was also Miss Georgia USA 2001 and holds a sports marketing degree from Florida State University as well as being the host of IFL Battleground.

JENNIE FINCH won a gold medal as a member of the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Softball team. She was the first woman to host "This Week In Baseball" for FOX Sports. Finch markets the Jennie Finch Windmill, an invention of her father's to improve softball pitching technique.

NELY GALÁN Latina media dynamo dubbed the "Tropical Tycoon" by The New York Times Magazine, is the former President of the powerhouse Telemundo network. Her company Galán Entertainment has produced over 600 episodes in Spanish and English including the hit reality series THE SWAN. Galán is developing "The New You," a daytime series set to launch on NBC in 2008 that touts health, wellness and beauty for women, and is already attracting legions of fans through its website www.thenewyoutv.com, and its branded segments on "The Today Show."

MARILU HENNER is a 5 time Golden Globe nominated actress who memorably starred in "Taxi" and "Evening Shade" as well as countless films and Broadway shows. Marilu's passion for health led to a second career as a public speaker and New York Times best-selling author of 7 books on diet, health and lifestyle. Her new book, Wear Your Life Well (HarperCollins), will be released in April 2008. As an online pioneer Marilu launched www.marilu.com 10 years ago, creating a huge cyber-community that offers classes, blogs, expert advice, and support for her members.

LENNOX LEWIS is a former heavyweight-boxing champion – a three-time champion, a distinction shared with Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield.

OMAROSA was the breakout star of the premiere season of "The Apprentice." She previously served as Deputy Associate Director of Presidential Personnel at the White House for then President Bill Clinton.

PIERS MORGAN is currently a judge on NBC's talent show hit "America 's Got Talent." He created First News, a newspaper for kids, and is a former British tabloid editor. He has written bestselling books such as "The Insider" and "Don't You Know Who I Am?"

TITO ORTIZ is an Ultimate Fighting Champion – holds the record for light heavyweight fighting from 2000-2003. He has his own clothing line, and is developing a new XBOX game.

VINCENT PASTORE was an actor in the Emmy winning series, "The Sopranos". He was the voice of Luca in "Shark Tale" and hosts "The Wise Guy Show" on Sirius Satellite Radio's Raw Dog Comedy channel. Pastore has been passionately involved in the music industry, starting his career running nightclubs and music venues. He is soon to star on Broadway in " Chicago".

GENE SIMMONS is best known for his persona in the band KISS, as well as his many other flourishing businesses such as his fashion label and KISS merchandise. He was an elementary school teacher, considered being a rabbi, and produced Van Halen's demo that got them signed to Warner Brothers Records in 1977. He is currently taping his reality show "Gene Simmons Family Jewels."

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Who's bright idea was it to have Omarosa back in the boardroom? *smacks herself upside the head* She's had her shot at this already. Someone else could have been in her place.

There can be only one answer to that question. The only person in the United States who thinks that Omarosa has such a base of fans who love to hate her is the Trumpster himself. She is in for ratings impact all the way, not because she is a legitimate competitor. Remember that overweight lawyer from Toronto(was it Brett?)? He survived longer than appropriate due to the incongruity between his villain role and self-concept. Count on Omarosa to be around a while before getting her pink slip.

[RudyRules]

Baldwin & Henner are the only two who appeal to me of the ones I've heard of. 

 

[puddin]

 

Teams Compete to Sell Hot Dogs on Tonight's Season Premiere of Celebrity Apprentice 1/3/08

"CELEBRITY APPRENTICE"

 THURSDAY JANUARY 3 "701"  (09:00PM - 10:01PM)

TASK: SELLING HOT DOGS

The celebrities try their hand at one of the most quintessential New York jobs: hot dog vendor. The team that makes the most money wins. However, being famous has its privileges, as candidates try to use their contacts to sell wieners at $5,000 and $10,000 a pop. The stars not only bring out their famous friends (including New York Met David Wright ) to help, but they catch the eye of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. For the first time the 14 celebrities are stripped of their managers, personal assistants, agents, and publicists and are thrown out of their comfort zones. They quickly begin to size up each others egos as they come face to face trying to create a team name and captain.

Trump's eyes and ears on the task are his daughter Ivanka and eldest son Donald Jr. As previously announced, the fourteen celebrity "candidates" competing for charity are: Trace Adkins, Carol Alt, Stephen Baldwin, Nadia Comaneci, Tiffany Fallon, Jennie Finch, Nely Galan, Marilu Henner, Lennox Lewis, Piers Morgan, Omarosa, Tito Ortiz, Vincent Pastore, and Gene Simmons.

 

Source: NBC Press Release
 
 

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Baldwin & Henner are the only two who appeal to me of the ones I've heard of. 

 

Rudy Rules, you must be so young. If you were 5 years old or more in 1976, then you would surely know of Nadia Comaneci, who got her perfect 10s in Olympic gymnastics and then went on to marry a top U.S. gymnast. I can understand how Omarosa, who you must surely know if you are a fan of The Apprentice from its first season, might not appeal to you(she doesn't to me either but somebody's got to be the villain). Gene Simmons of KISS, he is a superstar and apparently a decent human being; I am not a fan of his music but he appeals to me as a personality. Jennie Finch the U.S. Olympic softball star is someone I know nothing about other than her softball talent, but she is someone I want to know more about. The rest don't do anything for me going in(although I particularly want to see Piers Morgan on the receiving end rather than the dishing end), but they might as this series develops.

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The wait is over. The women name themselves Empresario and elect Omarosa, who campaigned as it her life depended on it, first Project Manager. The men name themselves Hydra and elect Sephen Baldwin Project Manager. The individuals who suggested the names, Gene Simmons and Nel Galan, look to me to be the power players for their teams(although Simmons appears to be in hot water with a remark aimed at Ivanka next week).

The task is selling hot dogs, but the men want to also capitalize on their celebrity. Omarosa overrules several on her team that want to use their celebrity. The women, based on a recommendation from Carol Alt, pick 8th Avenue and 34th St. as their sales site. The men pick Rockefeller Center. Before their planning meeting is over, Gene Simmons phones 3 people he knows and asks them to come tomorrow and pay big dollars for a hot dog. One actually shows up and delivers an unrevealed but large amount of money. The men do a good job and get dollars out of their celebrity. The women get off to a slow start until Marilu Henner calls her contacts, who come to pay $5000 each for a bottle of water. Omarosa criticizes Tiffani Fallon for not selling well. NYC Mayor Bloomberg shows up to sample one hot dog from each team and doesn't pick a taste winner. Jennie Finch gets David Wright to come and he buys out thet remaining hot dogs, offering them free to anyone there.

The boardroom opens with the usual baloney of Trump asking each Proejct Manager is they won. I only once have ever heard that they didn't so, so the truth quotient just isn't there. The women raise $17k and the men $52k. Baldwin gets the $52K for his charity and Trump says it will continue to happen that way. The men are excused and watch on closed-circuit TV form their quarters. Trump states that the location for the women was suspect and they did not use their celebrity effectively compared to the men, who location was very good. Omarosa, attacked initially by Piers Morgan when the men were around, is attacked again by her team but Nely states that she was an excellent leader except for the celebrity and location decisions and location was picked by Carol Alt. Omarosa goes after Tiffani as weak and ineffective at sales. Trump asked Tiffani is she called Hugh Hefner; she said she did not because she was saving him. Piers had made a prediction once the women-only part of the boardroom started that Tiffani would be eliminated and not Omarosa.

Omarosa selects Tiffani and Carol to come back with her. There is no time gap shown until the final boardroom, as those contestants wait outside and the Trumps don't even discuss it among themselves. It is clear that Donald Trump has already made up his mind. Carol Alt defends herself well. Omarosa defends herself even better, skilled infighter that she is. Tiffani is the lost soul wandering in the desert. Trump states that her unwillingness to call Hugh Hefner has cost her her slot. She is fired. I note that the $10K she might have gotten from Hefner would only have brought the women up to 52% of the men's total, so it should have been Omarosa going. However, Trump frequently rewards ability to defend effectively by keeping people around longer than they deserve. Also, it should be clear that there would be no alternate villain in the cast if Omarosa had been fired. She is good for another 8 episodes before her team(and it will be scrambled by then) knifes her in the back successfully.

[michael]

ahh i hate this show

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Separate from the above recap, I want to review my thoughts on the contestants:

Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth - lucky to have a young and naive player to focus on and get eliminated; she won herself no fans among the other women, who will be sure to vent their displeasure in some appropriate way later in the competition

Carol Alt - very classy in not getting blown away by a torrent of verbiage from Omarosa

Marilu Henner - able to delvier the goods in a way that no other woman did

Nely Galan - clearly an opinion leader who will be listened to and do very well in Celebrity Apprentice even though she has the least celebrity of anyone; has the most business savvy of the women

Jennie Finch - able to get David Wright to step up and make a large contribution(although it couldn't have been more than $5000)

Nadia Comaneci - totally invisible on this challenge; this is OK since Trump will protect her through a certain number of rounds

Stephen Baldwin - he had a well-organized event

Gene Simmons - the star of Team Hydra; he is highly intelligent and business savvy

Tito Ortiz - didn't do much except pose for pictures, but I wouldn't want to meet him on a dark alley late at night; did bring his porn star wife to the tean Hydra location

Lennox Lewis - didn't do much except pose for pictures

Piers Morgan and Vincent Pastore - able to really tweak Omarosa; otherwise they didn't do much

Trace Adkins - Mr. Invisible this week for the men, but I understand he will be playing a big role as we move on

The funniest review of last night's show that I have read basically states that Celeebrity Apprentice casting was deficient except that they did not allow Rob and Amber to be contestants(a very good thing).

[RealityFreakWill]

I taped the show and watched it this morning. It's okay. It's just not the same. They are playing for charity and it seems like they are having fun! I prefer the non-celebrity people because the drama is much more intense....lots of fights, stress, better boardroom drama and they are trying to get a job with Trump!

I'll give it another week or two to see how it plays out, and if I'm not impressed, I may just stop tuning in as I have plenty of other shows that are about to start and they will be time-consuming.

[Nuala]

I just got done watching the show.  Omarosa made me want to  .  She should have gotten the  .  She did not want the woman using their celebritiness (don't even know if that's a word) to sell the hot dogs.  So no wonder the ladies were calling contacts.  I give credit to Mary Lou for calling her contacts and making the most money for their team.  Tiff got fired simply because she did not call Mr. Hefner.  Plain and simple.

I was impressed with Gene Simons.  I thought the guy would be over the top and loud.  He was pretty quiet and humble. 

Jenna Jameson....I thought she was out of the adult industry?

I really did not see much attention paid to the other ladies other than Omarosa, Mary Lou, Tiff and Carol. Maybe in the coming shows we will see more of the other ladies.  They did come up with a creative name.

The men....Pierc is a not bs kinda guy and will fight for the men to stick together even when they don't agree.  He is right keep it out of the board room and not in front of the women.  The Saprano guy..he is hilarious!!!!  Trace Atkins....gotta love that deep voice!!!!  I thought the men stood out more than the woman on this show and not just because they raised more money.  They were just themselves and not petty like the ladies.

Claws will be coming out more in the boardroom with the the ladies...so Ihope Donald has bandaids.

I am actually looking forward to next week to see what Simons said to The Donald's precious pampered princess.

[marigold]

DONALD TRUMP AND NBC’S ‘THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE’ BEATS THE ORANGE BOWL 11 MILLION VIEWERS WATCH ‘CELEBRITY APPRENTICE’ PREMIERE

Article from: Reality Wanted

The premiere of ‘The Celebrity Apprentice’ saw teams divided among gender lines and America watched as former Playboy Playmate Tiffany Fallon was chewed up by Omarosa in the boardroom and ultimately fired by Donald Trump. The show was the #1 program for the night - in the key 18-49 demo - beating out The Orange Bowl on FOX and all other primetime programs. ‘The Celebrity Apprentice’ is up 36% in total viewers and improved the time period by 67% versus the same night last year (11.005 million vs… 6.572 million).

Donald Trump said, “I am extremely pleased with the ratings and congratulate the current executives at NBC for not only picking the right time slot, Thursday nights at 9 p.m., but for also allowing the show to have a proper interval before putting it back on. I believe that the ratings for the show will get even higher from here on and that is absolutely terrific. ”

January 10 (9:00 PM ET/PT). In next week’s episode, the celebrities are given a TV production crew and a cast of actors and dogs to create an advertisement promoting Pedigree’s Pet Adoption program. One team struggles with their actors and crew, while the other team alienates the Pedigree executive by not meeting with him in person. Ivanka is insulted by Gene Simmons, and in the boardroom she attacks his lack of respect for women. In the end, the Pedigree executive chooses the best advertisement and a celebrity from the losing team is fired.

Trump’s eyes and ears on the task are his daughter Ivanka and Terry Lundgren (CEO, Federated Dept. Stores).

[puddin]

ahh i hate this show

I wouldn't hate it so much if Donald weren't on it. He's coming up next on Letterman so now I have to change the channel

[Mandoli]

I'm thankful I didn't watch either Celebrity Apprentice or the Orange Bowl.

I think I was preoccupied with some hockey... But that's just what I was watching.

[blsnbelles]

I'm going to have to give this one a few episodes... didn't like how they just called on friends (Gene and Marilu) to get money that's not reallly selling hot dogs... I can see they are keeping Omarosa just for the "WOW" factor or she would have been booted because she was PM.   I mean do you fire someone because they didn't call Hugh Hefner  It's just going to be different so I guess I'm going to have to watch it with that in mind... 

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Reality Freak Will says

They are playing for charity and it seems like they are having fun! I prefer the non-celebrity people because the drama is much more intense....lots of fights, stress, better boardroom drama and they are trying to get a job with Trump!

I too have noticed that the celebrities are not needy people who have a vital personal interest in the outcome. They can always write a check to their favorite charity if they get fired befoer brining it any money on the show. This relaxed attitude was particularly prevelant in Tiffani Fallon in her post-elimination limo ride.

However, from what I have read there is intense hatred that remains to this day bewteen many contestants on this show. I bet Omarosa is the focal point of much of that. I do disagree with many others on their view that Omarosa is a pseudo-celebrity. Since she is the contestant virtually all the celebrities love to hate, her personality has won her a place at the table and I consider her a valid celebrity.

[RudyRules]

Baldwin & Henner are the only two who appeal to me of the ones I've heard of. 

Hey "Skippy":  Baldwin & Henner appeal to me the most. 
OF COURSE I've heard of Omarosa & Nadia!! 
I"ve also heard of Trace Adkins, Carol Alt, Gene Simmons, Vincent Pastore.

Oh yeah, heard of The Donald, Ivanka & Donald Jr. 

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Tonight's second show was much like the first. It was the Gene Simmons/Stephen Baldwin(logical given Stephen's experience) show for the men, while it was the Nely Galan/Marilu Henner show for the women(logical given their experience). An executive from Pedigree Pet Adoption provided the challenge of the best 30 second commercial. Galan as Project Manager appeared quite unfocused and produced one featuring many different dogs with Henner doing the voiceover but not appearing on camera. Hired actors were used by the women, which in my view was absurd when you have all these high-value celebrities standing around.

Gene insisted on complete creative control in partnership with Stephen and they both froze the rest of their team out with a "trust us" admonition. With his known pet loving attitude, they logically used Lennox Lewis as their one actor, they featured only one dog, and they had Trace Adkins' voice(the voice of God per my wife) as the voiceover. The end result was fabulous and I knew they were going to blow the women away once again. The rest of the team attempted a raid on the editing room, but with 40 minutes left and the job not complete Gene bluntly told them to go away. Gene at the beginning had made a strategic decision to not talk to the Pedigree executive and find out what he wanted(the women did that) and he had a nasty exchange with Ivanka in which his lack of knowledge of her role was obvious and he actually insulted her.

The eyes and ears this week were Ivanka and a Macy's executive. The Pedigree exec stated that one of the commercials was so good he would be putting it on the air that afternoon. The Boardroom scene started with the usual BS and Gene Simmons sincerely apologizing with his sunglasses off to Ivanka. Then Donald played each commercial and stated that the clear winner as preferred by Ivanka, the Macy's exec and himself as well as the Pedigree exec was the Men's commercial. Gene Simmons won a paltry $20,000 for his charity. The men leave and the action shifts to who will be fired. The women talk and Nely Galan owns up to major part of the responsibility. Marilu Henner accepts repsonsibility for not putting herself on camera. Nely is critical of Nadia for not doing much. She also mentions Carol. When Donald asks for which 2 will join her in the final boardroom she chooses Nadia and Carol and deliberately avoids picking Marilu. Donald is immediately critical of that decision, but there is nothing he can do about it. He states that there is no reasons Carol should be there, which Macy's agrees with. So it is Nely vs. Nadia. Donald focuses in on the concept of whether Nadia could have functioned as the Project Manager on this one. She does not say unequivocally YES and he quickly decides to fire her. Nely escapes to fight another day even though her strategic decision-making, like Omarosa's a week ago, was abysmal. Donald said that he recognized that she had an off-day.

The preview of next week appeared to say that Gene Simmons accepts a Trump offer for one of the Men to switch to the Women's team. Also, those who missed either of the first 2 episodes can see them on NBC Saturday night.