As with any "celebrity" reality show, half the fun of watching the Celebrity Apprentice is catching up on the lives of the stars, many of which reached their pinnacles of success in the 80s and 90s. For example, Carol Alt has become a major proponent of eating raw food since departing the catwalk. She's slated to appear in a caveman-themed movie called Homo Erectus and a new Jack LaLane workout video, according to her website. She even has a contract with Playboy. Lennox Lewis, meanwhile, provides boxing commentary on HBO and sponsors student chess teams. Who knew? I guess the pool of candidates wasn't too large, because there's also a smattering of C-listers such as the aforementioned Morgan, Olympic softball player Jennie Finch and Nely Galan, creator of the Swan, the scary Fox series about Frankenstein-like plastic surgery makeovers. Then, of course, there's Omarosa, who's billed as a "reality television star." She does seem to be running some kind of consulting/fundraising company in D.C., but her celebrity cred is based almost entirely on her last appearance on the Apprentice and a bunch of talk show appearances. I guess she never landed that shampoo commercial she bragged about a few years ago.
One big problem with giving the Apprentice a celebrity twist is that, unlike past contestants, who consisted mostly of aspiring lawyer types and realtors, stars don't have to rely on smart business plans and marketing schemes. As Gene Simmons proved last night, all they have to do is pick up the phone and ask a "contact" with deep pockets to fork over $5,000 for a hot dog. Now that Omarosa's strategy to play down the celebrity angle was proven wrong in a big way, we can expect to see a lot more leveraging of star power throughout the rest of the season. That could get old fast, especially since it's a painful reminder that celebrities have it easier than the rest of us.
That said, the celebrities do put on a pretty good show. I loved the way Gene Simmons took control of the hot dog situation during Hydra's strategy meeting. Simmons, who exudes calm, is a great foil for Piers Morgan, a brash, offensive loudmouth with bad ideas. If Simmons hadn't stepped in, the guys would have been in the same boat as team Empresario, selling hot dogs for a buck and relying on the generosity of random passersby. Out on the sidewalk, Morgan once again proved himself to be a detriment to the team. The way he treated some potential buyers, including the Hasidic guy who offered to pay $5, was simply rude. He actually yelled, "Don't be so embarrassing," into his bullhorn and chased the poor man away. Morgan also seemed to want Simmons plan to fall through. I think he would have secretly enjoyed it if the $5,000 donors fell through. Even when Simmons landed a $10,000 sale, Morgan was still naysaying instead of actually doing anything to help out. In short, he's not a great team player.
Speaking of terrible teammates, Omarosa is worse than ever. I would say she's just playing it up for the camera, but I did talk to her at an Apprentice finale party a few years ago (back when I wrote about the show for Inc. magazine) and she's just as caustic and haughty in person. She insisted that the editing cast her as a villain, but she doesn't do herself any favors. It seems like she's well aware that she's got the least starry candidate, which may explain why she insisted on playing down the celebrity angle during the challenge, in favor of "solid business concepts" and "sales skills." It's a good thing that Marilu Henner, of Taxi fame, decided to take matters into her own hands and call some rich "contacts" of her own. Playmate Tiffany Fallon did turn out to be a terrible salesperson, but she had a good point when she said that condescending, abrasive managers like Omarosa tend to de-motivate workers.
Stephen Baldwin, on the other hand, was a great project manager. I loved the way he kept Vincent "Big Pussy" Pastore under control when he started getting all worked up about Radio City and Rockefeller Center being the same place. Unlike Omarosa, Baldwin was open to ideas and didn't seem threatened when Simmons took the lead with the fundraising. I liked the way he told the guys to "hold up" in the boardroom when they got all cocky before the final results were announced. He also seems to high-five a lot, which is always a good thing.
The boardroom showdown between Carol Alt and Omarosa was pretty awesome. Poor Tiffany didn't have a chance in a room with those two toughs. Though I think Omarosa is a divisive character, she does have more business talent than Fallon. Besides, as Simmons pointed out from the viewing room, Omarosa is hard to kill, "like a coch-a-roach." The Donald was right when he pointed out that Tiffany should have called Hugh Heffner to make a donation, rather than waiting to use him later. What's more, she didn't put up much of a fight in the boardroom and, as the Donald pointed out, she seemed "scared." Sure, Alt picked a poor location, but she still has potential--not to mention fascinating hair.
Other highlights: Jenna Jameson's appearance to support boyfriend Tito Ortiz, the passerby who happened to be wearing Kiss undies, and Mayor Mike Bloomberg's less-than-enthusiastic cameo. I guess he had to show a little appreciation to the Donald for moving the show back to New York from L.A.
It's a bit early for predictions, but so far Stephen Baldwin is my favorite candidate. Carol Alt and Marilu Henner are keepers as well. And I'm looking forward to seeing more of Lennox Lewis and his chess skills. On the other end of the spectrum, Pastore seems like a loose cannon and Morgan can't be long for this world. I guess we'll find out.
2 comments:
Nice outline. I may even start watching this. I like the polka dot background.
Amy
Carol Alt is my hero.
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