2008-03-29
Celebrity Apprentice week 13, 3/27/08: Adkins sings; money talks
Also check out my Celebrity Apprentice Scorecard and charity information!
I'm not saying they overdid the padding on this two-hour episode... but there wasn't any new information to write down for this recap until nearly 13 minutes in.
The contestants continue calling around to sell tickets and get auctionables. Morgan calls Sharon Osbourne, who offers something, and Andrew Lloyd Webber offers tickets to his Phantom sequel. In the van, he continues placing calls, even to people he doesn't know (I'm not sure who was the "Howard" he called).
Baldwin just sits and watches Morgan dial for dollars. (He openly admires Morgan's money-gettin' magic powers, and the two men make up for their previous clashes.
Meanwhile, Adkins worries about the Backstreet Boys pulling a diva act and causing problems. One of them has a last-minute request for black nail polish. He still can't find the wheatgrass juice. (The live audience laughs at most of the Adkins segments.) Adkins is embarrassed that a cowboy and a prize fighter have to go to the drugstore to buy nail polish for a man. (It's not clear to me why they both have to go - the stuff isn't that heavy.)
Baldwin and Alt try selling more tickets later. We're not privy to any of Alt's efforts, but Baldwin's are shockingly feeble. It seems that "just sitting" was almost as effective an approach as making phone calls. He doesn't try to cajole his contacts at all, or use his contacts to get more contacts, or push the charity angle at all (at least not that we're allowed to see). Morgan worries they won't get rid of all their tickets.
At the same time, a bunch of country music stars are already on their way to the airport!
Now we're at the event site. Henner is setting up in her usual frenetic manner; Adkins is flustered by the mayhem. He is re-energized when his wife and kids show up.
When the caterer arrives, Alt wants them to set up right away, but Morgan advises pushing the alcohol and holding back on the food. He feels that drunken, wealthy celebrities are more likely to loosen their purse strings.
The Backstreet Boys show up. Someone needs a knee brace for a minor injury. Adkins is POed and begins referring to them as "BSB." He also still doesn't have any wheatgrass juice. He seems to have no idea where a knee brace can be found.
There are more guffaws from the live audience watching this footage - I'm wondering if they haven't all been drinking too. It's not that funny! And I'll point out that Adkins doesn't dance in his show, so of course he wouldn't need a knee brace!
Adkins asks them if some wheatgrass juice he's located would be adequate. Instead of saying "yes, thank you," the reply is, "do they make it themselves?" Arrrgh! I do feel Adkin's pain! He tells us that he has personally done shows with a broken leg, another time with kidney stones, and once had 18 inches of colon removed after doing a show, so he is not impressed by the BSBs' sissy requests. (Sissy my word, not his, but it's clear from his tone that he thinks they're sissy requests.)
Adkins and Morgan engage in some friendly trash talk outside. Then the event begins. Morgan schmoozes with his guests. They probably donate big money, but we don't get to see. The country music stars arrive. Ronnie Milsap donates 5K from Grand Old Opry. Dean Sams gives 10K. Someone gives 5K in greenbacks.
Morgan's soldiers show up. Morgan hopes their presence will encourage people to bid more money.
The first auction item was selected by Adkins in last week's episode - a set of souvenirs from the first 40 Superbowls. It goes for 18K.
Next is tea with Sarah, the Duchess of York, provided by Morgan. It goes from 15K to 100K in one bid. The winner is Howard Lutnick from Cantor Fitzgerald, an investment company that lost four floors' worth of employees - two-thirds of its workforce - in the September 11 attacks in 2001.
The third item is dinner with Trace Adkins. People are slow to bid. I really have to wonder what is wrong with these people. Ivanka bids 6K, and that's it! She wins! He tells his wife he may not come home!
Item four (provided by Morgan) is an evening with Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne. The bidding starts at 20K, but if you bid more than 50K, Ozzy and his band will fly to your place and play for you. Someone bids 50K right away, but Lutnik doubles the bid and wins.
So far, we've got $24,000 in auction items for Adkins and $200,000 for Morgan. Hmmmm.
Lots more items are sold; we don't get to hear the amounts. The final item was chosen by Morgan in last week's episode - a shopping spree with Ivanka Trump. She'll buy you 10K worth of stuff. A man bids 20K and looks very happy. Then Professional Annoying Person Simon Cowell phones in a bid for 50K. The smiling man ups his bid to 60K. Simon goes to 75K. The smiling man counterbids 85K. Simon bids 100K and wins.
I guess the smiling man wasn't given enough bourbon.
Adkins and Lewis are aghast. Adkins is sour with Morgan for stealing the spotlight during the auction with that phone call.
He never did track down that wheatgrass juice, but the BSBs seem happy with their nail polish, knee brace, and other items.
In the boardroom
Trump asks Lewis who he prefers to work for - Adkins or Morgan. Lewis says Adkins, because he's a better motivator. Morgan says he and Lewis are friends for life.
There's some discussion as to why Morgan chose Baldwin. I seem to recall that Morgan never much liked working with the women, and Adkins chose Lewis first, so I don't think Morgan had much choice.
Trump asks if the Backstreet Boys were difficult. Adkins talks about the stuff on their rider. He's still particularly traumatized by the Black Nail Polish Incident. He says he was afraid they'd refuse to perform. Henner says they were in a better mood closer to showtime. Ivanka asks if it offended Adkins professionally to be treated that way; she thought they should be embarrassed to be like that around a fellow musician. Morgan thinks Adkins should have been tough on them. Trump thinks they would have balked at Morgan's attitude, or maybe not. Adkins said he could have pulled rank on them or personally beaten them all up, but wanted them to keep them happy. Morgan is sure he would have handled it better.
Trump asks Alt who she felt did better, and she feels that it was Morgan because he raised more money.
Auction: Morgan 376K vs. Adkins 64K
Tickets: Morgan 12K vs. Adkins 38K
Junior tries to pretend that this means that they're even because each outperformed the other on one task. Is anyone feeling any suspense at all?
Morgan makes a big deal about how he gave half his tickets away to soldiers and otherwise pulverized Adkins on money. Offended, Adkins says a richer person's gigantic donation maybe isn't as big a deal to them as a smaller donation is to someone of more modest means. (I agree with him, but it's beside the point.) Morgan takes umbrage at this for some reason and demands an apology. Adkins doesn't apologize. Trump defends both points of view.
Trump complains of lack of food at the event. Morgan says he meant to do that. Trump says that's why he doesn't drink - because he doesn't like being manipulated under the influence. Former drunk Baldwin also disapproves of taking advantage of drunks. Morgan puts Baldwin down for his drinking problem five years ago. Trump defends Baldwin and admires that he overcame his problems. Morgan complains that Baldwin is two-faced and not so noble outside the boardroom. Catholics are Christians too.
Trump notes Morgan is sweating. Morgan says it's because he's British. Ivanka agrees that Morgan should not have made those remarks about Baldwin. He demands to know the criteria for winning - isn't it about money, or is it about some other thing.
Adkins says he thought his job was to represent his charity in an honorable way, and raise money for them too, but not in a way that would dishonor them. In his opinion, Morgan has occasionally behaved poorly. But he also says that they worked together to make it a great event.
After the commercial, the rest is live.
Adkins points out that both Jim Cramer and Erin Burnett thought that Morgan should be fired, even though the whole thing is supposedly about raising money. Morgan says nicer things about Adkins, but with tongue in cheek.
And now the testimonials. The fired people come back, in roughly the same order in which they were fired - but Simmons is shooting movie in Japan, and Omarosa doesn't come in right away. First there is a montage of precious moments between Omarosa and Morgan. Then Omarosa joins them on the stage. She's wearing a weird sparkly dress that looks like it's hot pink with some kind of yellow pattern. She says she doesn't like Morgan because he doesn't floss. The joke falls flat.
Trump questions some of the others about Adkins and Morgan. (Note that some of the women never worked with either man because their team was defeated week after week.)
Lewis: Morgan is high-strung, lacks tact. (Doesn't say anything about Morgan.)
Alt: Not insulted that Morgan didn't choose her for his team - business is business. Instead of saying something about Trace, with whom she never worked, she expresses that she's still sore that Trump fired her prematurely. He busts her chops for a while, then says she's done a great job.
Baldwin: Trump asks if he did a lousy job for Morgan on purpose. Baldwin sidesteps the question and says Adkins is ten times better than Morgan.
Pastore: Trump asks if he wishes he didn't resign. Pastore says yes, and jokes about some evening on the town with Lewis.
Lewis jumps in and says that at one time, Morgan was better.
Henner: Great experience, fun, no sleep, "suited my energy," all her friends should do the next one. (No, please tell me there won't be another.)
Trump asks Finch if she'll win another gold medal. She says yes.
Comaneci: Hi
Trump asks for a show of hands. More people raise their hands for Adkins, and they raise them higher.
Ortiz, Fallon, and Galan don't get to talk at all.
There's a montage of Simmons being conceited. It's like his super power. Now, live from Japan, Simmons says he loves Kodak but thinks they were foolish not to use his idea instead of the other team's, which doubled their sales. he feels that this was short-sighted of Kodak. Kodak's Chief Business Development Officer Jeff Hayzlett says they've been saying "Kodak World" for years - so Gene's appoach was not fresh. Simmons is asked, Morgan vs. Adkins, Simmons says Morgan made more cash, but Adkins is like the US flag (he says a lot more than that, but it doesn't particularly make any sense). Conclusion: Simmons says Adkins is better.
There's a video for each charity. In his video, Adkins and his wife talk about wondering every moment if their daughter is safe at school - she could die in seven minutes if touched by a kid with peanut butter on her hands, or milk. They have to educate her classmates.
Adkins does a live song performance.
In Morgan's video, Morgan meets with severely wounded servicemen at the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, TX. Among other things, the charity makes prosthetics. Soldiers talk about their injuries and rehab. Morgan meets with a 21-year-old soldier who was blinded and had both legs amputated. I wish we could have seen this less dickish side of Morgan more often. I found his abusive behavior extremely tedious. I prefer a consistently decent person to a Jeckyll & Hyde act.
He meets onstage with a group of Marine and Army friends who personally commend Morgan for raising the money. Trump thanks the soldiers, and Adkins shakes all their hands.
Trump says they raised over $1 million for charity this season, and he's going to throw in another $250,000 for the winner's charity. (It's not clear to me whether he is referring to the original $250,000 he was already going to give away, or if he means he's doubling it.)
Trump congratulates all of the celebrities. Not wanting to be upstaged in the patriotism round, Adkins says good things about the soldiers and is glad Morgan raised money for them. Adkins says he received a merit award from the USO last year. On the other hand, not enough people know about food allergies. Three million fathers live in fear of what will happen to their kids at school each day. (I suppose the mothers just sit at home eating bonbons without a care in the world.) He speaks passionately about saving children's lives.
Morgan says Adkins could win a nice guy award, but this is about raising money for charity, and Morgan's better at that. He summarizes his victories throughout the series. It's impressive. Trump: "You were not loved."
Ivanka says she respects both of them, but if Morgan had a better "bedside manner," they would have decided this already. Morgan makes a crack about his "bedside manner." Ivanka says that comment only proved her point. Morgan says he's worked harder to support his charity.
Junior says it will be tough to decide. And finally, at 10:57 pm in the last episode of the season, he raises a question worth that's worth discussing, about the use of Morgan's contact list; but Trump cuts him off, because there's no time to discuss it! Aaarrrrgh!!!
Trump tells Morgan he's "a vicious guy," but he "beat the hell out of everyone."
He tells Adkins he's a special human being and a beautiful guy, but Morgan wins.
Confetti.
And just like that, it's done.
I'm not saying they overdid the padding on this two-hour episode... but there wasn't any new information to write down for this recap until nearly 13 minutes in.
The contestants continue calling around to sell tickets and get auctionables. Morgan calls Sharon Osbourne, who offers something, and Andrew Lloyd Webber offers tickets to his Phantom sequel. In the van, he continues placing calls, even to people he doesn't know (I'm not sure who was the "Howard" he called).
Baldwin just sits and watches Morgan dial for dollars. (He openly admires Morgan's money-gettin' magic powers, and the two men make up for their previous clashes.
Meanwhile, Adkins worries about the Backstreet Boys pulling a diva act and causing problems. One of them has a last-minute request for black nail polish. He still can't find the wheatgrass juice. (The live audience laughs at most of the Adkins segments.) Adkins is embarrassed that a cowboy and a prize fighter have to go to the drugstore to buy nail polish for a man. (It's not clear to me why they both have to go - the stuff isn't that heavy.)
Baldwin and Alt try selling more tickets later. We're not privy to any of Alt's efforts, but Baldwin's are shockingly feeble. It seems that "just sitting" was almost as effective an approach as making phone calls. He doesn't try to cajole his contacts at all, or use his contacts to get more contacts, or push the charity angle at all (at least not that we're allowed to see). Morgan worries they won't get rid of all their tickets.
At the same time, a bunch of country music stars are already on their way to the airport!
Now we're at the event site. Henner is setting up in her usual frenetic manner; Adkins is flustered by the mayhem. He is re-energized when his wife and kids show up.
When the caterer arrives, Alt wants them to set up right away, but Morgan advises pushing the alcohol and holding back on the food. He feels that drunken, wealthy celebrities are more likely to loosen their purse strings.
The Backstreet Boys show up. Someone needs a knee brace for a minor injury. Adkins is POed and begins referring to them as "BSB." He also still doesn't have any wheatgrass juice. He seems to have no idea where a knee brace can be found.
There are more guffaws from the live audience watching this footage - I'm wondering if they haven't all been drinking too. It's not that funny! And I'll point out that Adkins doesn't dance in his show, so of course he wouldn't need a knee brace!
Adkins asks them if some wheatgrass juice he's located would be adequate. Instead of saying "yes, thank you," the reply is, "do they make it themselves?" Arrrgh! I do feel Adkin's pain! He tells us that he has personally done shows with a broken leg, another time with kidney stones, and once had 18 inches of colon removed after doing a show, so he is not impressed by the BSBs' sissy requests. (Sissy my word, not his, but it's clear from his tone that he thinks they're sissy requests.)
Adkins and Morgan engage in some friendly trash talk outside. Then the event begins. Morgan schmoozes with his guests. They probably donate big money, but we don't get to see. The country music stars arrive. Ronnie Milsap donates 5K from Grand Old Opry. Dean Sams gives 10K. Someone gives 5K in greenbacks.
Morgan's soldiers show up. Morgan hopes their presence will encourage people to bid more money.
The first auction item was selected by Adkins in last week's episode - a set of souvenirs from the first 40 Superbowls. It goes for 18K.
Next is tea with Sarah, the Duchess of York, provided by Morgan. It goes from 15K to 100K in one bid. The winner is Howard Lutnick from Cantor Fitzgerald, an investment company that lost four floors' worth of employees - two-thirds of its workforce - in the September 11 attacks in 2001.
The third item is dinner with Trace Adkins. People are slow to bid. I really have to wonder what is wrong with these people. Ivanka bids 6K, and that's it! She wins! He tells his wife he may not come home!
Item four (provided by Morgan) is an evening with Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne. The bidding starts at 20K, but if you bid more than 50K, Ozzy and his band will fly to your place and play for you. Someone bids 50K right away, but Lutnik doubles the bid and wins.
So far, we've got $24,000 in auction items for Adkins and $200,000 for Morgan. Hmmmm.
Lots more items are sold; we don't get to hear the amounts. The final item was chosen by Morgan in last week's episode - a shopping spree with Ivanka Trump. She'll buy you 10K worth of stuff. A man bids 20K and looks very happy. Then Professional Annoying Person Simon Cowell phones in a bid for 50K. The smiling man ups his bid to 60K. Simon goes to 75K. The smiling man counterbids 85K. Simon bids 100K and wins.
I guess the smiling man wasn't given enough bourbon.
Adkins and Lewis are aghast. Adkins is sour with Morgan for stealing the spotlight during the auction with that phone call.
He never did track down that wheatgrass juice, but the BSBs seem happy with their nail polish, knee brace, and other items.
In the boardroom
Trump asks Lewis who he prefers to work for - Adkins or Morgan. Lewis says Adkins, because he's a better motivator. Morgan says he and Lewis are friends for life.
There's some discussion as to why Morgan chose Baldwin. I seem to recall that Morgan never much liked working with the women, and Adkins chose Lewis first, so I don't think Morgan had much choice.
Trump asks if the Backstreet Boys were difficult. Adkins talks about the stuff on their rider. He's still particularly traumatized by the Black Nail Polish Incident. He says he was afraid they'd refuse to perform. Henner says they were in a better mood closer to showtime. Ivanka asks if it offended Adkins professionally to be treated that way; she thought they should be embarrassed to be like that around a fellow musician. Morgan thinks Adkins should have been tough on them. Trump thinks they would have balked at Morgan's attitude, or maybe not. Adkins said he could have pulled rank on them or personally beaten them all up, but wanted them to keep them happy. Morgan is sure he would have handled it better.
Trump asks Alt who she felt did better, and she feels that it was Morgan because he raised more money.
Auction: Morgan 376K vs. Adkins 64K
Tickets: Morgan 12K vs. Adkins 38K
Junior tries to pretend that this means that they're even because each outperformed the other on one task. Is anyone feeling any suspense at all?
Morgan makes a big deal about how he gave half his tickets away to soldiers and otherwise pulverized Adkins on money. Offended, Adkins says a richer person's gigantic donation maybe isn't as big a deal to them as a smaller donation is to someone of more modest means. (I agree with him, but it's beside the point.) Morgan takes umbrage at this for some reason and demands an apology. Adkins doesn't apologize. Trump defends both points of view.
Trump complains of lack of food at the event. Morgan says he meant to do that. Trump says that's why he doesn't drink - because he doesn't like being manipulated under the influence. Former drunk Baldwin also disapproves of taking advantage of drunks. Morgan puts Baldwin down for his drinking problem five years ago. Trump defends Baldwin and admires that he overcame his problems. Morgan complains that Baldwin is two-faced and not so noble outside the boardroom. Catholics are Christians too.
Trump notes Morgan is sweating. Morgan says it's because he's British. Ivanka agrees that Morgan should not have made those remarks about Baldwin. He demands to know the criteria for winning - isn't it about money, or is it about some other thing.
Adkins says he thought his job was to represent his charity in an honorable way, and raise money for them too, but not in a way that would dishonor them. In his opinion, Morgan has occasionally behaved poorly. But he also says that they worked together to make it a great event.
After the commercial, the rest is live.
Adkins points out that both Jim Cramer and Erin Burnett thought that Morgan should be fired, even though the whole thing is supposedly about raising money. Morgan says nicer things about Adkins, but with tongue in cheek.
And now the testimonials. The fired people come back, in roughly the same order in which they were fired - but Simmons is shooting movie in Japan, and Omarosa doesn't come in right away. First there is a montage of precious moments between Omarosa and Morgan. Then Omarosa joins them on the stage. She's wearing a weird sparkly dress that looks like it's hot pink with some kind of yellow pattern. She says she doesn't like Morgan because he doesn't floss. The joke falls flat.
Trump questions some of the others about Adkins and Morgan. (Note that some of the women never worked with either man because their team was defeated week after week.)
Lewis: Morgan is high-strung, lacks tact. (Doesn't say anything about Morgan.)
Alt: Not insulted that Morgan didn't choose her for his team - business is business. Instead of saying something about Trace, with whom she never worked, she expresses that she's still sore that Trump fired her prematurely. He busts her chops for a while, then says she's done a great job.
Baldwin: Trump asks if he did a lousy job for Morgan on purpose. Baldwin sidesteps the question and says Adkins is ten times better than Morgan.
Pastore: Trump asks if he wishes he didn't resign. Pastore says yes, and jokes about some evening on the town with Lewis.
Lewis jumps in and says that at one time, Morgan was better.
Henner: Great experience, fun, no sleep, "suited my energy," all her friends should do the next one. (No, please tell me there won't be another.)
Trump asks Finch if she'll win another gold medal. She says yes.
Comaneci: Hi
Trump asks for a show of hands. More people raise their hands for Adkins, and they raise them higher.
Ortiz, Fallon, and Galan don't get to talk at all.
There's a montage of Simmons being conceited. It's like his super power. Now, live from Japan, Simmons says he loves Kodak but thinks they were foolish not to use his idea instead of the other team's, which doubled their sales. he feels that this was short-sighted of Kodak. Kodak's Chief Business Development Officer Jeff Hayzlett says they've been saying "Kodak World" for years - so Gene's appoach was not fresh. Simmons is asked, Morgan vs. Adkins, Simmons says Morgan made more cash, but Adkins is like the US flag (he says a lot more than that, but it doesn't particularly make any sense). Conclusion: Simmons says Adkins is better.
There's a video for each charity. In his video, Adkins and his wife talk about wondering every moment if their daughter is safe at school - she could die in seven minutes if touched by a kid with peanut butter on her hands, or milk. They have to educate her classmates.
Adkins does a live song performance.
In Morgan's video, Morgan meets with severely wounded servicemen at the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, TX. Among other things, the charity makes prosthetics. Soldiers talk about their injuries and rehab. Morgan meets with a 21-year-old soldier who was blinded and had both legs amputated. I wish we could have seen this less dickish side of Morgan more often. I found his abusive behavior extremely tedious. I prefer a consistently decent person to a Jeckyll & Hyde act.
He meets onstage with a group of Marine and Army friends who personally commend Morgan for raising the money. Trump thanks the soldiers, and Adkins shakes all their hands.
Trump says they raised over $1 million for charity this season, and he's going to throw in another $250,000 for the winner's charity. (It's not clear to me whether he is referring to the original $250,000 he was already going to give away, or if he means he's doubling it.)
Trump congratulates all of the celebrities. Not wanting to be upstaged in the patriotism round, Adkins says good things about the soldiers and is glad Morgan raised money for them. Adkins says he received a merit award from the USO last year. On the other hand, not enough people know about food allergies. Three million fathers live in fear of what will happen to their kids at school each day. (I suppose the mothers just sit at home eating bonbons without a care in the world.) He speaks passionately about saving children's lives.
Morgan says Adkins could win a nice guy award, but this is about raising money for charity, and Morgan's better at that. He summarizes his victories throughout the series. It's impressive. Trump: "You were not loved."
Ivanka says she respects both of them, but if Morgan had a better "bedside manner," they would have decided this already. Morgan makes a crack about his "bedside manner." Ivanka says that comment only proved her point. Morgan says he's worked harder to support his charity.
Junior says it will be tough to decide. And finally, at 10:57 pm in the last episode of the season, he raises a question worth that's worth discussing, about the use of Morgan's contact list; but Trump cuts him off, because there's no time to discuss it! Aaarrrrgh!!!
Trump tells Morgan he's "a vicious guy," but he "beat the hell out of everyone."
He tells Adkins he's a special human being and a beautiful guy, but Morgan wins.
Confetti.
And just like that, it's done.
Celebrity Apprentice Charities
Trace Adkins
$0
Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
Carol Alt
$40,000
Tony Alt Memorial Foundation Inc.
Benefits various children’s causes
Stephen Baldwin
$89,000
Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund
Nadia Comaneci
$0
Special Olympics
Benefits athletes with intellectual disabilities
Tiffany Fallon
$0
Walter Reed Society
Benefits the Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Jennie Finch
$0
Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Nely Galan
$0
Count Me In
Benefits women entrepreneurs
Marilu Henner
$0
The Cancer Project
Promotes cancer prevention and survival through healthy living habits
Lennox Lewis
$40,000
Muhammad Ali Center
Honors the champion boxer’s life and achievements
Piers Morgan
$366,000
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund
Benefits injured soldiers and their families
Omarosa
$0
Positive Vibrations
Motivates and inspires at-risk youth
Tito Ortiz
$20,000 + personal donation of $50,000 from Donald Trump
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Researches and treats childhood diseases
Vincent Pastore
$50,000
Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research
Gene Simmons
$20,000
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Funds pediatric HIV prevention and research
A note on the charities
Breast cancer is a serious, terrifying, deadly disease. Funding for research and treatment is very important; two of the celebrities chose to play for breast cancer research organizations. However, breast cancer is not the greatest killer of women. It’s not even the greatest cancer killer of women.
The number one killer of men and of women in the US is heart disease. Except for Asian Americans, who are slightly more likely to be killed by some form of cancer, heart disease is a greater killer of men and women than all cancers combined.
The number two killer of men and of women is all forms of cancer combined... but lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of both men and women. It kills more women in the US than breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer together.
Additionally, one in five women who develop lung cancer have never smoked (while almost all men who develop lung cancer have been smokers), so a healthy lifestyle may not be enough to prevent it.
The celebrities chose excellent nonprofit organizations, but none of them selected a heart disease or lung cancer organization. If you’re in a giving, disease-fighting mood today, consider throwing your loose change in the direction of the American Heart Association or the American Lung Association to fight the USA’s top two killers.
$0
Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
Carol Alt
$40,000
Tony Alt Memorial Foundation Inc.
Benefits various children’s causes
Stephen Baldwin
$89,000
Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund
Nadia Comaneci
$0
Special Olympics
Benefits athletes with intellectual disabilities
Tiffany Fallon
$0
Walter Reed Society
Benefits the Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Jennie Finch
$0
Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Nely Galan
$0
Count Me In
Benefits women entrepreneurs
Marilu Henner
$0
The Cancer Project
Promotes cancer prevention and survival through healthy living habits
Lennox Lewis
$40,000
Muhammad Ali Center
Honors the champion boxer’s life and achievements
Piers Morgan
$366,000
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund
Benefits injured soldiers and their families
Omarosa
$0
Positive Vibrations
Motivates and inspires at-risk youth
Tito Ortiz
$20,000 + personal donation of $50,000 from Donald Trump
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Researches and treats childhood diseases
Vincent Pastore
$50,000
Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research
Gene Simmons
$20,000
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Funds pediatric HIV prevention and research
A note on the charities
Breast cancer is a serious, terrifying, deadly disease. Funding for research and treatment is very important; two of the celebrities chose to play for breast cancer research organizations. However, breast cancer is not the greatest killer of women. It’s not even the greatest cancer killer of women.
The number one killer of men and of women in the US is heart disease. Except for Asian Americans, who are slightly more likely to be killed by some form of cancer, heart disease is a greater killer of men and women than all cancers combined.
The number two killer of men and of women is all forms of cancer combined... but lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of both men and women. It kills more women in the US than breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer together.
Additionally, one in five women who develop lung cancer have never smoked (while almost all men who develop lung cancer have been smokers), so a healthy lifestyle may not be enough to prevent it.
The celebrities chose excellent nonprofit organizations, but none of them selected a heart disease or lung cancer organization. If you’re in a giving, disease-fighting mood today, consider throwing your loose change in the direction of the American Heart Association or the American Lung Association to fight the USA’s top two killers.
2008-03-26
Amanda the cover model
Whew! It's been soooo easy to forget that this is supposed to be an Ugly Betty blog, not an Apprentice blog!Just to refresh our memories, here's an upcoming TV Guide cover, which celebrates the return of some shows we've been doing without!
Becki Newton (Amanda) is in that picture somewhere... see if you can find her. ;-)
(Photo is courtesy of TV Guide)
2008-03-20
Celebrity Apprentice week 12, 3/20/08: Snoozematch in the boardroom
Trump tells the final four that he's going to narrow it down to two that night. He sends them out to be interviewed by two CNBC personalities - business reporter Erin Burnett and financial guru Jim Cramer.
The CNBC personalities grill the contestants about their charities. Adkins, Alt, and Morgan speak passionately about their respective causes. Lewis stammers somewhat incoherently.
In response to another question, Morgan tells Burnett that his competitors are "slow." He tells Cramer that he hasn't made any mistakes; this answer offends Cramer.
There are lots more questions, but unfortunately we don't get to hear most of the answers. I suppose that would be telling.
The CNBC personalities meet with Trump, Ivanka, and Junior afterwards. Burnett is impressed with Morgan because he's raised so much money for his charity; on the other hand, he has an "edge."
Cramer agrees that Morgan has impressive qualities, but if teamwork matters, "Morgan must be stopped." He prefers Alt. Burnett admires her too, and likes Adkins best. Both are unimpressed with Lewis. Cramer says the prize fighter is "too laid back."
Cramer says that his top two choices are Adkins and Alt. We go to commercial just as Burnett is about to reveal her picks. Ugh, again with the manipulative editing!
The celebrities are called back into the boardroom. Adkins admits that Cramer was very different than what he's used to.
Unsurprisingly, Morgan thinks he did great. Trump tells him the CNBC people thought he was harsh. Morgan seems surprised by this. Ivanka tells him that "something" in his personality causes people to criticize him. Morgan admits he lacks tact, but says he doesn't need it.
Alt says that she offers versatility and gumption. Trump asks her who she'd fire; she says she'd keep herself and Morgan. She likes Morgan because, like her, he looks ahead.
Morgan says that Lewis couldn't win without Morgan. Lewis's quick agreement displeases Trump. Lewis says Morgan's an asset to the team; but Lewis thinks he's an asset himself, too. Morgan tries to put words in Lewis's mouth. Lewis says Morgan's successful in part because he's had Lewis at his disposal. But the point, in Trump's mind, is that Lewis is letting Morgan have credit that Lewis should be taking for himself. Trump fires Lewis.
Trump says Morgan is the least nice person but also won the most money as project manager. Morgan tries to argue with him about the "least nice" assemesment, but Trump tells him to stop talking while he's trying to exonerate him. Trump asks who Morgan would fire. Morgan says Alt would be harder to beat.
Trump asks Adkins why he should be chosen. Adkins says he will fight with integrity for his daughter. Trump asks Adkins if he likes Morgan. Adkins says they're cordial, but they're not friends. He doesn't admire Morgan's ruthless, merciless style. He wouldn't stab you in the back, but he'd stab you in the forehead instead.
Morgan likes this and agrees.
Trump asks Alt what he should do, considering that he wants to see the two men fight. He tells her that the two CNBC personalities preferred her and Adkins. Trump is more excited about the friction between Adkins and Morgan, however, and therefore Alt is fired. She exclaims with a disgusted voice but puts on a gigantic fake smile. I yell, "Carol, call the EEOC!" but it's too late.
She leaves the boardroom with straight hair, but has curly hair when she gets into the cab. It's no secret that the cab scenes are always shot later, but the seemingly abrupt hairstyle change is jarring.
The two men trash-talk as they go back to the suite. Next day, Morgan gloats that it's evil him against the wonderful Adkins.
Trump brings back Alt, Baldwin, Lewis, and Henner to assist them on their final tasks. Adkins wins the coinflip and chooses Lewis, depriving Morgan of his security blanket.
Baldwin prays for mercy, but Morgan picks him anyway. Adkins chooses Henner, leaving Alt for Morgan. (It is probably the first time in Alt's life to be the last one picked for anything!)
Ivanka explains that both teams will participate in charity event. One team will manage the catering and auction. The other will handle the decor and entertainment by the Backstreet Boys. The winner will be chosen based on the amount of money each team raises during the auction, the number of tickets sold by each team, and how well the tasks are managed.
The guys have to pick who will do which task. They agree that Adkins should handle the entertainment, since he has more experience in that area.
They then must split up some auctionables provided by Trump. They simply take turns picking things. Morgan tells us that he's going for the items that will appeal to a greater variety of people. They're each also allowed to provide their own auctionables.
Adkins tells us Morgan is a chihuahua. He barks loud and is a pain in the ass, but not a real threat.
Baldwin sagely predicts that it's about the celebrities they can round up. Wow, he's a genius. I can't believe Morgan picked him over Alt.
Adkins thinks Morgan will win with the money. Adkins plans to leverage his own peeps by chartering two jets and flying them in. Lewis is skeptical that all these country music people will want to come up to NY.
Lewis calls his contacts and also asks them to hook him up with other celebrities, but with only a day's notice, the whole thing seems questionable. Adkins also calls around for more auctionables.
Lewis and Henner go shopping for props. Lewis keeps reminding Henner to stay on task; she tends to get distracted. He keeps yelling "Done!" after each decision is made to encourage her to move on. Ironically, this is the most leadership I've ever seen from Lewis! It's too bad he didn't have that before.
Baldwin and Alt check out the caterer. It's extra-tiny hors d'oeuvres. Meanwhile, Morgan meets with Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, who does charity stuff as if it's a bodily function. She agrees to let him auction a tea with her.
Adkins seems skeptical about the Backstreet Boys and wonders if they've all got gray hair by now. He, Lewis, and Henner look at the band's list of requested items. Being a showbiz insider, he thinks maybe they don't need to get all of those things for the green room. He calls Fitzjoy, their manager. On the phone, Fitzjoy seems snotty and has clearly never heard of Adkins.
Adkins meets with the Backstreet Boys personally. He explains they have only one small room and asks if they'll really need everything on their list. One of them wants wheatgrass juice. Adkins is flabbergasted and disgusted by their attitude.
Morgan meets with his charity person and offers 20 free tickets to wounded soldiers instead of selling them. He hopes this will impress Trump.
Morgan pressures Baldwin to get some "faces," i.e., celebrities. Baldwin calls lots of people, but goofs off and isn't persuasive. Morgan feels that Baldwin's virtually useless in this capacity, which begs the question, why did he pick Baldwin?? To us, Baldwin suggests that he'd be okay with seeing Morgan lose.
But it's doubtful as to whether Baldwin's contribution would be significant anyway, since Morgan is personal friends with every known British celebrity.
Next week:
The CNBC personalities grill the contestants about their charities. Adkins, Alt, and Morgan speak passionately about their respective causes. Lewis stammers somewhat incoherently.
In response to another question, Morgan tells Burnett that his competitors are "slow." He tells Cramer that he hasn't made any mistakes; this answer offends Cramer.
There are lots more questions, but unfortunately we don't get to hear most of the answers. I suppose that would be telling.
The CNBC personalities meet with Trump, Ivanka, and Junior afterwards. Burnett is impressed with Morgan because he's raised so much money for his charity; on the other hand, he has an "edge."
Cramer agrees that Morgan has impressive qualities, but if teamwork matters, "Morgan must be stopped." He prefers Alt. Burnett admires her too, and likes Adkins best. Both are unimpressed with Lewis. Cramer says the prize fighter is "too laid back."
Cramer says that his top two choices are Adkins and Alt. We go to commercial just as Burnett is about to reveal her picks. Ugh, again with the manipulative editing!
The celebrities are called back into the boardroom. Adkins admits that Cramer was very different than what he's used to.
Unsurprisingly, Morgan thinks he did great. Trump tells him the CNBC people thought he was harsh. Morgan seems surprised by this. Ivanka tells him that "something" in his personality causes people to criticize him. Morgan admits he lacks tact, but says he doesn't need it.
Alt says that she offers versatility and gumption. Trump asks her who she'd fire; she says she'd keep herself and Morgan. She likes Morgan because, like her, he looks ahead.
Morgan says that Lewis couldn't win without Morgan. Lewis's quick agreement displeases Trump. Lewis says Morgan's an asset to the team; but Lewis thinks he's an asset himself, too. Morgan tries to put words in Lewis's mouth. Lewis says Morgan's successful in part because he's had Lewis at his disposal. But the point, in Trump's mind, is that Lewis is letting Morgan have credit that Lewis should be taking for himself. Trump fires Lewis.
Trump says Morgan is the least nice person but also won the most money as project manager. Morgan tries to argue with him about the "least nice" assemesment, but Trump tells him to stop talking while he's trying to exonerate him. Trump asks who Morgan would fire. Morgan says Alt would be harder to beat.
Trump asks Adkins why he should be chosen. Adkins says he will fight with integrity for his daughter. Trump asks Adkins if he likes Morgan. Adkins says they're cordial, but they're not friends. He doesn't admire Morgan's ruthless, merciless style. He wouldn't stab you in the back, but he'd stab you in the forehead instead.
Morgan likes this and agrees.
Trump asks Alt what he should do, considering that he wants to see the two men fight. He tells her that the two CNBC personalities preferred her and Adkins. Trump is more excited about the friction between Adkins and Morgan, however, and therefore Alt is fired. She exclaims with a disgusted voice but puts on a gigantic fake smile. I yell, "Carol, call the EEOC!" but it's too late.
She leaves the boardroom with straight hair, but has curly hair when she gets into the cab. It's no secret that the cab scenes are always shot later, but the seemingly abrupt hairstyle change is jarring.
The two men trash-talk as they go back to the suite. Next day, Morgan gloats that it's evil him against the wonderful Adkins.
Trump brings back Alt, Baldwin, Lewis, and Henner to assist them on their final tasks. Adkins wins the coinflip and chooses Lewis, depriving Morgan of his security blanket.
Baldwin prays for mercy, but Morgan picks him anyway. Adkins chooses Henner, leaving Alt for Morgan. (It is probably the first time in Alt's life to be the last one picked for anything!)
Ivanka explains that both teams will participate in charity event. One team will manage the catering and auction. The other will handle the decor and entertainment by the Backstreet Boys. The winner will be chosen based on the amount of money each team raises during the auction, the number of tickets sold by each team, and how well the tasks are managed.
The guys have to pick who will do which task. They agree that Adkins should handle the entertainment, since he has more experience in that area.
They then must split up some auctionables provided by Trump. They simply take turns picking things. Morgan tells us that he's going for the items that will appeal to a greater variety of people. They're each also allowed to provide their own auctionables.
Adkins tells us Morgan is a chihuahua. He barks loud and is a pain in the ass, but not a real threat.
Baldwin sagely predicts that it's about the celebrities they can round up. Wow, he's a genius. I can't believe Morgan picked him over Alt.
Adkins thinks Morgan will win with the money. Adkins plans to leverage his own peeps by chartering two jets and flying them in. Lewis is skeptical that all these country music people will want to come up to NY.
Lewis calls his contacts and also asks them to hook him up with other celebrities, but with only a day's notice, the whole thing seems questionable. Adkins also calls around for more auctionables.
Lewis and Henner go shopping for props. Lewis keeps reminding Henner to stay on task; she tends to get distracted. He keeps yelling "Done!" after each decision is made to encourage her to move on. Ironically, this is the most leadership I've ever seen from Lewis! It's too bad he didn't have that before.
Baldwin and Alt check out the caterer. It's extra-tiny hors d'oeuvres. Meanwhile, Morgan meets with Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, who does charity stuff as if it's a bodily function. She agrees to let him auction a tea with her.
Adkins seems skeptical about the Backstreet Boys and wonders if they've all got gray hair by now. He, Lewis, and Henner look at the band's list of requested items. Being a showbiz insider, he thinks maybe they don't need to get all of those things for the green room. He calls Fitzjoy, their manager. On the phone, Fitzjoy seems snotty and has clearly never heard of Adkins.
Adkins meets with the Backstreet Boys personally. He explains they have only one small room and asks if they'll really need everything on their list. One of them wants wheatgrass juice. Adkins is flabbergasted and disgusted by their attitude.
Morgan meets with his charity person and offers 20 free tickets to wounded soldiers instead of selling them. He hopes this will impress Trump.
Morgan pressures Baldwin to get some "faces," i.e., celebrities. Baldwin calls lots of people, but goofs off and isn't persuasive. Morgan feels that Baldwin's virtually useless in this capacity, which begs the question, why did he pick Baldwin?? To us, Baldwin suggests that he'd be okay with seeing Morgan lose.
But it's doubtful as to whether Baldwin's contribution would be significant anyway, since Morgan is personal friends with every known British celebrity.
Next week:
- High drama when a Backstreet Boy doesn't have his nail polish.
- Morgan encourages the attendees to get loaded. Let's hope they remain sober enough to sign their checks.
- Adkins gets weepy when his daughter shows up. (I'm struggling with the temptation to make a tacky joke about the "peanut gallery.")
2008-03-13
Celebrity Apprentice week 11, 3/13/08: Omarosa aftermath - Morgan crows, life goes on
Task: Develop and sell (for $2) a celebrity-themed sandwich for Quizno's; no contacts allowed!
Eyes and Ears: Ivanka; Broadway producer Daryl Roth
Empresario: Trace Adkins (PM), Stephen Baldwin
Hydra: Lennox Lewis (PM), Carol Alt, Piers Morgan
Morgan says that except for the birth of his three children, defeating Omarosa was the greatest joy of his life, perhaps greater than that of meeting the Queen. Lewis describes Morgan's kissing Adkins as "Brokeback Boardroom." Alt says in defense of Omarosa, "She's very bright." Morgan continues to crow like... like... like some sort of animal that crows a lot. Adkins confides to us that he's tired of it. Morgan is excited that the next task will be two against three; Baldwin asks, what if the next task is writing a country song?
Morgan tells Trump that Omarosa's firing "was a sad day for America."
Ahahahahaha. Let's get on with the task!
Adkins suggests "Cowboy Club," and that's the end of the sandwich conversation, as far as Baldwin is concerned! They laugh that Hydra's sandwich will no doubt be the Knockout Sandwich or somesuch.
Indeed, it's settled already for Hydra: they're going to call it The Champ Sandwich. Morgan is practically running the task; privately, Lewis says at least Morgan has good ideas. A Quizno's manager shows the team his store's most popular sandwich. Morgan (again, NOT the project manager) decides to simply change the cheese and call it a day. (It's turkey and cheddar, so it's not like it's a stupid change.) They take a picture with Lewis and create a flier.
Trace tells Quizno's the recipe for the Cowboy Club. It's bacon, prime rib, onion, some kind of cheese, some other stuff... honestly, sir, you had me at bacon! Daryl Roth comes over to admire the flier and asks Adkins about his charity, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. His six-year-old daughter Brianna is allergic to nuts, dairy, and eggs.
Lennox and Morgan harass passersby long before lunchtime, before they even have fliers. People don't seem interested. Alt has trouble getting the fliers delivered on time - it's 11:00, when they expected them, and it's not clear that they'll even have them by noon. Morgan plans to blame any possible defeat on her. She blames the problem on traffic. Morgan ridicules her behind her back.
Meanwhile, Adkins finds a local printer and gets more fliers made up for Empresario, even sooner than planned. He and Baldwin hand them around on the sidewalk. Lewis and Morgan, for some reason, have difficulty getting people to accept their fliers when they finally arrive, even though they're working on a much busier corner. (Morgan's mouth may have been a factor.) Adkins and Baldwin, on the other hand, are soon thronged by admirers.
Lewis also finds himself signing autographs and posing for pictures. The question is, is he selling any sandwiches?
Ivanka likes the Champ Sandwich, but Empresario has trouble keeping up with orders for the Cowboy Club. Baldwin rolls up his sleeves and helps assemble them. People are ordering them in bulk quantities - prime rib for $2 (never mind the bacon and cheese) is a pretty sweet deal! Baldwin happily anticipates a win.
Boardroom
Daryl Roth, who observed Empresario, has high praise for both Baldwin and Adkins. Ivanka says that Hydra worked well together. Their totals:
Hydra: 313 Champ Sandwiches
Empresario: 253 Prime Rib Cowboy Clubs
Color me shocked! Again, clever editing delivers a surprise ending... though, admittedly, it was probably a lot easier to slap a Champ Sandwich together quickly, since it has fewer ingredients. Lewis gets $20,000 for the Muhammad Ali Center and goes up to the suite with his team.
Adkins says that he made all the decisions. Ivanka gives him a chance to blame Baldwin for not "stepping up," but Adkins declines. Trump wonders if they lost their competitive edge because they get along so well. Baldwin blames their loss on being one person short - and not just any person, but the heavyweight champion of the world. (Morgan crows in the suite.)
Adkins says Empresario is a disease. They all agree that they hate the name (which was chosen by Nely Galán, who Trump clearly hated). Ivanka suggests that the sandwich wasn't generic enough to appeal to everyone. Also, we're told (contrary to what we saw on the screen) that few people recognized Adkins. (In other words, the admirers we saw on the show were ALL of his admires for the entire task.) Adkins says he made all of the decisions, so it's all on him.
Ivanka asks Adkins which of the two he thinks is a stronger performer in terms of getting money for his charity. Adkins says himself. (Up in the suite, Hydra agrees, since Baldwin sold NOTHING last week.) Baldwin says that the project manager should ultimately be responsible for the result. Ivanka says usually she'd agree, except that Adkins consistently brings in more money than Baldwin.
The irony here is that Baldwin has won twice as project manager, winning I forget how many thousands of dollars for a breast cancer research fund. (I'm going to put up a chart on this site after the last task, so that you can see how much money each person raised.) But it's true - this guy can't seem to sell anything himself. His previous wins were based on his teammates' strengths.
Trump sends the remains of Empresario out of the boardroom to confer with his eyes and ears. Up in the suite, all of Hydra agrees that they'd rather work with Adkins again than with Baldwin. Out in the lobby, Baldwin tells Adkins that he suspects they like Adkins better than him. Adkins comments on Baldwin's nervousness.
Daryl Roth declines to recommend anyone for firing, saying that they were at a disadvantage. Ivanka and Trump feel that Adkins is more impressive. They summon Empresario back to the boardroom. Trump acknowledges that Hydra not only had more people, but a bigger celebrity for the NY crowd.
Trump asks Baldwin how many decisions he made. Baldwin says he "chimed in" when he had something to add.
Trump asks who wants the win more. Adkins says he's there for his daughter. (Baldwin "chimes in" that he has a food allergy.) It's more for her than for himself, and that's why he's shown "restraint."
Trump says that Adkins "doesn't talk much, but when he does, it's something special." (I said the same thing in a recap a few weeks ago; I feel so brilliant now!) Baldwin says he and Adkins made a pact last week not to backstab one another.
Trump says he respects Baldwin and asks Ivanka who she would fire. She says she'd fire Baldwin, because Adkins can generate more money for charity, and that's why they're there. Trump agrees that Baldwin didn't raise much money lately, and Adkins did. He fires Baldwin and congratulates both of them on a job well done.
Adkins gets a warm welcome from Hydra when he returns alone to the suite. But there's not much time for revelry - Trump calls them back to the boardroom. Before the night is over, two of them will be fired... but that's going to have to wait till next week!
Eyes and Ears: Ivanka; Broadway producer Daryl Roth
Empresario: Trace Adkins (PM), Stephen Baldwin
Hydra: Lennox Lewis (PM), Carol Alt, Piers Morgan
Morgan says that except for the birth of his three children, defeating Omarosa was the greatest joy of his life, perhaps greater than that of meeting the Queen. Lewis describes Morgan's kissing Adkins as "Brokeback Boardroom." Alt says in defense of Omarosa, "She's very bright." Morgan continues to crow like... like... like some sort of animal that crows a lot. Adkins confides to us that he's tired of it. Morgan is excited that the next task will be two against three; Baldwin asks, what if the next task is writing a country song?
Morgan tells Trump that Omarosa's firing "was a sad day for America."
Ahahahahaha. Let's get on with the task!
Adkins suggests "Cowboy Club," and that's the end of the sandwich conversation, as far as Baldwin is concerned! They laugh that Hydra's sandwich will no doubt be the Knockout Sandwich or somesuch.
Indeed, it's settled already for Hydra: they're going to call it The Champ Sandwich. Morgan is practically running the task; privately, Lewis says at least Morgan has good ideas. A Quizno's manager shows the team his store's most popular sandwich. Morgan (again, NOT the project manager) decides to simply change the cheese and call it a day. (It's turkey and cheddar, so it's not like it's a stupid change.) They take a picture with Lewis and create a flier.
Trace tells Quizno's the recipe for the Cowboy Club. It's bacon, prime rib, onion, some kind of cheese, some other stuff... honestly, sir, you had me at bacon! Daryl Roth comes over to admire the flier and asks Adkins about his charity, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. His six-year-old daughter Brianna is allergic to nuts, dairy, and eggs.
Lennox and Morgan harass passersby long before lunchtime, before they even have fliers. People don't seem interested. Alt has trouble getting the fliers delivered on time - it's 11:00, when they expected them, and it's not clear that they'll even have them by noon. Morgan plans to blame any possible defeat on her. She blames the problem on traffic. Morgan ridicules her behind her back.
Meanwhile, Adkins finds a local printer and gets more fliers made up for Empresario, even sooner than planned. He and Baldwin hand them around on the sidewalk. Lewis and Morgan, for some reason, have difficulty getting people to accept their fliers when they finally arrive, even though they're working on a much busier corner. (Morgan's mouth may have been a factor.) Adkins and Baldwin, on the other hand, are soon thronged by admirers.
Lewis also finds himself signing autographs and posing for pictures. The question is, is he selling any sandwiches?
Ivanka likes the Champ Sandwich, but Empresario has trouble keeping up with orders for the Cowboy Club. Baldwin rolls up his sleeves and helps assemble them. People are ordering them in bulk quantities - prime rib for $2 (never mind the bacon and cheese) is a pretty sweet deal! Baldwin happily anticipates a win.
Boardroom
Daryl Roth, who observed Empresario, has high praise for both Baldwin and Adkins. Ivanka says that Hydra worked well together. Their totals:
Hydra: 313 Champ Sandwiches
Empresario: 253 Prime Rib Cowboy Clubs
Color me shocked! Again, clever editing delivers a surprise ending... though, admittedly, it was probably a lot easier to slap a Champ Sandwich together quickly, since it has fewer ingredients. Lewis gets $20,000 for the Muhammad Ali Center and goes up to the suite with his team.
Adkins says that he made all the decisions. Ivanka gives him a chance to blame Baldwin for not "stepping up," but Adkins declines. Trump wonders if they lost their competitive edge because they get along so well. Baldwin blames their loss on being one person short - and not just any person, but the heavyweight champion of the world. (Morgan crows in the suite.)
Adkins says Empresario is a disease. They all agree that they hate the name (which was chosen by Nely Galán, who Trump clearly hated). Ivanka suggests that the sandwich wasn't generic enough to appeal to everyone. Also, we're told (contrary to what we saw on the screen) that few people recognized Adkins. (In other words, the admirers we saw on the show were ALL of his admires for the entire task.) Adkins says he made all of the decisions, so it's all on him.
Ivanka asks Adkins which of the two he thinks is a stronger performer in terms of getting money for his charity. Adkins says himself. (Up in the suite, Hydra agrees, since Baldwin sold NOTHING last week.) Baldwin says that the project manager should ultimately be responsible for the result. Ivanka says usually she'd agree, except that Adkins consistently brings in more money than Baldwin.
The irony here is that Baldwin has won twice as project manager, winning I forget how many thousands of dollars for a breast cancer research fund. (I'm going to put up a chart on this site after the last task, so that you can see how much money each person raised.) But it's true - this guy can't seem to sell anything himself. His previous wins were based on his teammates' strengths.
Trump sends the remains of Empresario out of the boardroom to confer with his eyes and ears. Up in the suite, all of Hydra agrees that they'd rather work with Adkins again than with Baldwin. Out in the lobby, Baldwin tells Adkins that he suspects they like Adkins better than him. Adkins comments on Baldwin's nervousness.
Daryl Roth declines to recommend anyone for firing, saying that they were at a disadvantage. Ivanka and Trump feel that Adkins is more impressive. They summon Empresario back to the boardroom. Trump acknowledges that Hydra not only had more people, but a bigger celebrity for the NY crowd.
Trump asks Baldwin how many decisions he made. Baldwin says he "chimed in" when he had something to add.
Trump asks who wants the win more. Adkins says he's there for his daughter. (Baldwin "chimes in" that he has a food allergy.) It's more for her than for himself, and that's why he's shown "restraint."
Trump says that Adkins "doesn't talk much, but when he does, it's something special." (I said the same thing in a recap a few weeks ago; I feel so brilliant now!) Baldwin says he and Adkins made a pact last week not to backstab one another.
Trump says he respects Baldwin and asks Ivanka who she would fire. She says she'd fire Baldwin, because Adkins can generate more money for charity, and that's why they're there. Trump agrees that Baldwin didn't raise much money lately, and Adkins did. He fires Baldwin and congratulates both of them on a job well done.
Adkins gets a warm welcome from Hydra when he returns alone to the suite. But there's not much time for revelry - Trump calls them back to the boardroom. Before the night is over, two of them will be fired... but that's going to have to wait till next week!
2008-03-09
Celebrity Apprentice week 10, 3/6/08: Omarosa's fired
...and to that, I say better late than never.
Task: Choose an artist, and price and sell his or her art.
Eyes and Ears: Ivanka and Junior.
Morgan is bitterly disappointed to discover that Ortiz, not Omarosa, was fired. He blames Adkins and calls him a backstabber. Omarosa mutters to her teammates that she needs to "kick that British schmuck's ass." I'm not even going to talk about the wide white belt and go-go boots she wears the next day.
The teams meet in Trump's apartment to receive their next assignment. Trump tells them, "Some people consider it to be the greatest apartment in the world; I would never ever say that myself." (Who says the guy's not funny?) He introduces his current wife Melania and latest offspring, Barron, who I reluctantly admit is very cute.
Empresario: Omarosa (PM), Trace Adkins, Stephen Baldwin
They say that those who don't learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them; I guess Omarosa's not a quick learner. She starts off by pointing out that this was the task that got her fired in the first season, but she still wants to manage it.
When the team meets with the gallery manager, Omarosa asks if there are any "secrets" that could help them. He simply tells them to follow their hearts in picking an artist. She gives him a blank look at first (heart... heart... where have I heard that word before...) and makes a pathetic comment about hoping it doesn't end her up in the boardroom.
Adkins is not enthusiastic about most of the art. Baldwin tries to metagame by predicting that Morgan would pick the most expensive artist and sell fewer pieces at very high prices. Omarosa is depressed to realize that Morgan has the wealthiest contacts. They unanimously choose artist David Kramer because they think that he has the most pieces and a lower price point; this gives them room to set a higher, more profitable price.
They set a price range of $2000 to $5000 and start calling friends. Baldwin's friends complain that it's too high. Omarosa tells him to stop making calls and do some online research about the art. (If this was ever mentioned during the boardroom meeting later on, it didn't make it on the air.) She tells him he can still make his calls, as long as he does his research at the same time; he disagrees that this is possible. She tells him she can do it, but I don't see a phone in her hand. Baldwin feels that she's setting him up. (Adkins shakes his head slightly and leaves the room in disgust.)
At the gallery, Adkins wanders into Hydra's room by mistake. Omarosa sees that it could be easy for visitors to get confused, and tells Baldwin they need to be careful about keeping their customers in the room.
Adkins asks about putting up the price stickers. Omarosa says they don't have time and that working from the price sheet will keep them in control. Not satisfied with the PM's answer, Adkins asks Baldwin, who disagrees and thinks they have to post the prices. The gallery manager says they should put up the stickers because that's the way things are done at the gallery.
At first, things look good for Empresario as Omarosa directs all visitors into their room. Someone even says she brought cash and is looking for art for her new apartment. Adkins forces a crooked grin and seems out of place; but as usual, he comes through for the team and quickly sells two pieces. Omarosa sells one piece.
The rest of the evening does not go so well; Omarosa works on one indecisive customer for a long time, practically begging him for the sale. He bites his lip and eventually says no; the price is too high.
Baldwin spends a lot of time socializing with a few of his visitors and neglects others; since no one else from Empresario is tending to them, Lewis lures one away. A few more of Baldwin's friends show up looking buzzed and wanting advice on where to go for dinner. Baldwin gives them some advice, but no sales pitch; Omarosa, who has sold only one piece herself, is unhappy with him and says that at least her friends showed up wanting to support her.
Hydra: Piers Morgan (PM), Carol Alt, Lennox Lewis
They choose artist Shirley Shor - the only artist who offers multiple pieces of each item. The team is excited by this, even though it would seem to defeat the purpose of paying big bucks for a unique piece of art. Because of the multiple pieces per composition, Shor actually has more pieces than the artist Empresario chose. Morgan gloats, correctly guessing that Empresario wouldn't have figured that out.
He starts calling his friends, including popular foulmouthed chef Gordon Ramsay, quoting them prices of around $10,000. He pushes the charity angle hard, and hopes that Omarosa will be defeated so decisively that she never works in TV again.
When they're shown their room in the gallery, they worry that they'll be at a disadvantage because it's in the back. They ask for a change of venue and are told that the room was based on their choice of artist. Despite their fear that no one will find the room, however, they're offended when Adkins wanders in by mistake.
Morgan continues making calls from the gallery and is annoyed to find Baldwin lurking around. Baldwin claims that he was just on his way to the bathroom, but Morgan accuses him of spying and tells him to take the long way around. He says that it's okay with him if Baldwin wants to cheat; he just doesn't like that Baldwin pretends to have higher moral standards. He promises "severe violence" and threatens to hit Baldwin.
They scramble to prepare the exhibit. In my opinion, the Shor pieces, though abstract, are far more appealing than Kramer's; Morgan tells Lewis to stay in the front to direct people into the room as they come in. He thinks they probably need to sell only four or five pieces.
When the gallery opens, Morgan sends Lewis to the front when they realize that Omarosa has been directing all traffic into Empresario's room. Morgan gets on the phone and looks nervous. However, once people find Hydra's room, the team starts making sales. They even manage to poach at least one of Baldwin's contacts, who Baldwin failed to greet in a timely manner; Alt makes a sale to this guy. She also nearly sells something to one of Omarosa's customers, although Omarosa intervenes in time. Morgan, whose own friends have brought cash and an appetite for art, is delighted with the extra sale.
In the boardroom
Omarosa knows they got crushed. Inexplicably, she claims to have sold two pieces instead of only one. Empresario makes $7,000, selling 3 of 16 pieces. Hydra makes $164,000, selling 14 of 20 pieces. Trump says that it's the worst slaughter in the history of The Apprentice. (I recall a task a few seasons ago, at a sporting goods store, when one team sold nothing and Trump fired several people. Maybe the opposing team didn't do much better and that's why he doesn't consider that a worse slaughter, but I think a total shutout is pretty bad.)
Morgan brags that he's a bigger celebrity than Omarosa. He asks Trump to "kill two of them" - Omarosa and Baldwin - and calls it a "catastrophe of biblical proportions." Trump lets the winners watch the entire proceedings from the suite (instead of blacking out just before the firing as usual). Morgan crows ceaselessly.
Baldwin complains that Alt poached one of his customers; this man was a friend of a friend and didn't understand that he was supposed to buy from Empresario. Adkins declines to agree that Trump should fire two people. Naturally, Omarosa doesn't think so either... she thinks Trump should fire only Baldwin. (I hate to admit this, but Baldwin really did fail the worst in this task, since he brought in the most people yet failed to sell to any of them, and even lost one to Hydra.)
Omarosa tells Trump about Morgan's threat to kick Baldwin's ass. She and Trump agree that Morgan won because he was "fired up," i.e. motivated by resentment against Omarosa. Ivanka points out that Omarosa armed him by engaging in personal insults. Omarosa claims that Morgan called her a tramp, bitch, and whore (he never called her a whore). She admits to calling him some names, and claims that she "knows things" about him.
When pressed, Omarosa says that Morgan's gay because he used to ask Lewis to take his shirt off. Trump disapproves of Omarosa's gay-bashing and invites Morgan back to the boardroom to answer to Omarosa's comments. Morgan practically teleports himself to the boardroom, kisses Adkins on the cheek, and calls him a beautiful cowboy. Then he returns to the suite. Adkins does not seem to appreciate or even understand the joke! Omarosa first claims that Morgan proved her point, then tries to laugh it off. Trump tries to reassure Adkins that Morgan was just kidding.
Baldwin says that, because of his faith, he's honest and doesn't backstab... UNLIKE HIS PROJECT MANAGER. Trump asks Adkins whether Baldwin should be fired over Omarosa. Top-seller Adkins explains that Baldwin's friends seemed to be there for the free wine, and some didn't even bring money.
Junior agrees that Baldwin should have been able to raise some money; on the other hand, Omarosa has lost three times. Ivanka wants Omarosa to explain her poor performance and defeated air, but she can't. Omarosa makes a weak jab at Ivanka's beauty, wealth, and intelligence, and says she's a hard worker. Trump cites Omarosa's defeated air as confirmation of his decision: she's fired, and Morgan adds a profit of $51,300 to the $65,000 he won in the buggy-ride task for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
In the cab, Omarosa laments her failure to raise money for her chosen charity, the Tomorrow's Aeronautic Museum's Positive Vibrations Program, which helps at-risk youths.
Task: Choose an artist, and price and sell his or her art.
Eyes and Ears: Ivanka and Junior.
Morgan is bitterly disappointed to discover that Ortiz, not Omarosa, was fired. He blames Adkins and calls him a backstabber. Omarosa mutters to her teammates that she needs to "kick that British schmuck's ass." I'm not even going to talk about the wide white belt and go-go boots she wears the next day.
The teams meet in Trump's apartment to receive their next assignment. Trump tells them, "Some people consider it to be the greatest apartment in the world; I would never ever say that myself." (Who says the guy's not funny?) He introduces his current wife Melania and latest offspring, Barron, who I reluctantly admit is very cute.
Empresario: Omarosa (PM), Trace Adkins, Stephen Baldwin
They say that those who don't learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them; I guess Omarosa's not a quick learner. She starts off by pointing out that this was the task that got her fired in the first season, but she still wants to manage it.
When the team meets with the gallery manager, Omarosa asks if there are any "secrets" that could help them. He simply tells them to follow their hearts in picking an artist. She gives him a blank look at first (heart... heart... where have I heard that word before...) and makes a pathetic comment about hoping it doesn't end her up in the boardroom.
Adkins is not enthusiastic about most of the art. Baldwin tries to metagame by predicting that Morgan would pick the most expensive artist and sell fewer pieces at very high prices. Omarosa is depressed to realize that Morgan has the wealthiest contacts. They unanimously choose artist David Kramer because they think that he has the most pieces and a lower price point; this gives them room to set a higher, more profitable price.
They set a price range of $2000 to $5000 and start calling friends. Baldwin's friends complain that it's too high. Omarosa tells him to stop making calls and do some online research about the art. (If this was ever mentioned during the boardroom meeting later on, it didn't make it on the air.) She tells him he can still make his calls, as long as he does his research at the same time; he disagrees that this is possible. She tells him she can do it, but I don't see a phone in her hand. Baldwin feels that she's setting him up. (Adkins shakes his head slightly and leaves the room in disgust.)
At the gallery, Adkins wanders into Hydra's room by mistake. Omarosa sees that it could be easy for visitors to get confused, and tells Baldwin they need to be careful about keeping their customers in the room.
Adkins asks about putting up the price stickers. Omarosa says they don't have time and that working from the price sheet will keep them in control. Not satisfied with the PM's answer, Adkins asks Baldwin, who disagrees and thinks they have to post the prices. The gallery manager says they should put up the stickers because that's the way things are done at the gallery.
At first, things look good for Empresario as Omarosa directs all visitors into their room. Someone even says she brought cash and is looking for art for her new apartment. Adkins forces a crooked grin and seems out of place; but as usual, he comes through for the team and quickly sells two pieces. Omarosa sells one piece.
The rest of the evening does not go so well; Omarosa works on one indecisive customer for a long time, practically begging him for the sale. He bites his lip and eventually says no; the price is too high.
Baldwin spends a lot of time socializing with a few of his visitors and neglects others; since no one else from Empresario is tending to them, Lewis lures one away. A few more of Baldwin's friends show up looking buzzed and wanting advice on where to go for dinner. Baldwin gives them some advice, but no sales pitch; Omarosa, who has sold only one piece herself, is unhappy with him and says that at least her friends showed up wanting to support her.
Hydra: Piers Morgan (PM), Carol Alt, Lennox Lewis
They choose artist Shirley Shor - the only artist who offers multiple pieces of each item. The team is excited by this, even though it would seem to defeat the purpose of paying big bucks for a unique piece of art. Because of the multiple pieces per composition, Shor actually has more pieces than the artist Empresario chose. Morgan gloats, correctly guessing that Empresario wouldn't have figured that out.
He starts calling his friends, including popular foulmouthed chef Gordon Ramsay, quoting them prices of around $10,000. He pushes the charity angle hard, and hopes that Omarosa will be defeated so decisively that she never works in TV again.
When they're shown their room in the gallery, they worry that they'll be at a disadvantage because it's in the back. They ask for a change of venue and are told that the room was based on their choice of artist. Despite their fear that no one will find the room, however, they're offended when Adkins wanders in by mistake.
Morgan continues making calls from the gallery and is annoyed to find Baldwin lurking around. Baldwin claims that he was just on his way to the bathroom, but Morgan accuses him of spying and tells him to take the long way around. He says that it's okay with him if Baldwin wants to cheat; he just doesn't like that Baldwin pretends to have higher moral standards. He promises "severe violence" and threatens to hit Baldwin.
They scramble to prepare the exhibit. In my opinion, the Shor pieces, though abstract, are far more appealing than Kramer's; Morgan tells Lewis to stay in the front to direct people into the room as they come in. He thinks they probably need to sell only four or five pieces.
When the gallery opens, Morgan sends Lewis to the front when they realize that Omarosa has been directing all traffic into Empresario's room. Morgan gets on the phone and looks nervous. However, once people find Hydra's room, the team starts making sales. They even manage to poach at least one of Baldwin's contacts, who Baldwin failed to greet in a timely manner; Alt makes a sale to this guy. She also nearly sells something to one of Omarosa's customers, although Omarosa intervenes in time. Morgan, whose own friends have brought cash and an appetite for art, is delighted with the extra sale.
In the boardroom
Omarosa knows they got crushed. Inexplicably, she claims to have sold two pieces instead of only one. Empresario makes $7,000, selling 3 of 16 pieces. Hydra makes $164,000, selling 14 of 20 pieces. Trump says that it's the worst slaughter in the history of The Apprentice. (I recall a task a few seasons ago, at a sporting goods store, when one team sold nothing and Trump fired several people. Maybe the opposing team didn't do much better and that's why he doesn't consider that a worse slaughter, but I think a total shutout is pretty bad.)
Morgan brags that he's a bigger celebrity than Omarosa. He asks Trump to "kill two of them" - Omarosa and Baldwin - and calls it a "catastrophe of biblical proportions." Trump lets the winners watch the entire proceedings from the suite (instead of blacking out just before the firing as usual). Morgan crows ceaselessly.
Baldwin complains that Alt poached one of his customers; this man was a friend of a friend and didn't understand that he was supposed to buy from Empresario. Adkins declines to agree that Trump should fire two people. Naturally, Omarosa doesn't think so either... she thinks Trump should fire only Baldwin. (I hate to admit this, but Baldwin really did fail the worst in this task, since he brought in the most people yet failed to sell to any of them, and even lost one to Hydra.)
Omarosa tells Trump about Morgan's threat to kick Baldwin's ass. She and Trump agree that Morgan won because he was "fired up," i.e. motivated by resentment against Omarosa. Ivanka points out that Omarosa armed him by engaging in personal insults. Omarosa claims that Morgan called her a tramp, bitch, and whore (he never called her a whore). She admits to calling him some names, and claims that she "knows things" about him.
When pressed, Omarosa says that Morgan's gay because he used to ask Lewis to take his shirt off. Trump disapproves of Omarosa's gay-bashing and invites Morgan back to the boardroom to answer to Omarosa's comments. Morgan practically teleports himself to the boardroom, kisses Adkins on the cheek, and calls him a beautiful cowboy. Then he returns to the suite. Adkins does not seem to appreciate or even understand the joke! Omarosa first claims that Morgan proved her point, then tries to laugh it off. Trump tries to reassure Adkins that Morgan was just kidding.
Baldwin says that, because of his faith, he's honest and doesn't backstab... UNLIKE HIS PROJECT MANAGER. Trump asks Adkins whether Baldwin should be fired over Omarosa. Top-seller Adkins explains that Baldwin's friends seemed to be there for the free wine, and some didn't even bring money.
Junior agrees that Baldwin should have been able to raise some money; on the other hand, Omarosa has lost three times. Ivanka wants Omarosa to explain her poor performance and defeated air, but she can't. Omarosa makes a weak jab at Ivanka's beauty, wealth, and intelligence, and says she's a hard worker. Trump cites Omarosa's defeated air as confirmation of his decision: she's fired, and Morgan adds a profit of $51,300 to the $65,000 he won in the buggy-ride task for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
In the cab, Omarosa laments her failure to raise money for her chosen charity, the Tomorrow's Aeronautic Museum's Positive Vibrations Program, which helps at-risk youths.
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