I guess Gene Simmons has never watched this show before, because not meeting with a client usually winds up to be a bad move. Simmons made another blunder when he offended Ivanka by refusing to answer her question and then warning her not to reveal Hydra's strategy to her "sisters" on the other team. That's bound to come back to haunt him in later episodes. He seems to think that all women are part of some kind of sisterhood of the traveling pants.
In fact, Simmons' overall leadership style leaves a lot to be desired. Sure, it's important for a project leader to take charge and make decisions, but he could have spent a little more time explaining the reasoning behind those decisions. For example, rather than simply ordering Stephen Baldwin back inside the studio after the failed attempt at filming on the sidewalk, he could have quickly explained that it would be easier to control the situation indoors.
Both Baldwin and Simmons could have handled the whole editing room situation more smoothly. Of course, Hydra never would have met the midnight deadline if the whole team had crammed into the tiny room to add their two cents. But once again, a little explanation would have gone a long way to assuage the other guys. Tito, in particular, seemed weirdly upset about not being allowed in. I guess that's the problem when you have a bunch of people who run their own little fiefdoms on one team: Everyone wants to be in charge. So why not acknowledge that fact and explain why not everyone could participate in the editing process? Or agree to let them see the commercial once it's done?
Galan, for her part, suffers from blind self-confidence. She was so sure that her idea was fabulous that she didn't think about the bigger picture or even the details, like the quality of the actors in the commercial. The actress playing the "former beauty queen" seemed slightly repulsed by her "adopted" dog and sounded wooden during her rehearsals with Marilu Henner. Where did they find that lady? I have no idea why they didn't just shoot Marilu and Carol Alt cuddling with dogs. Will Empresario ever learn that celebrity sells?
I can't decide whose presentation to the Donald and the Purina executive was more absurd. Simmons' little rant about the Art of War was laughable. And I can't believe Piers Morgan actually corrected Simmons' pronunciation of Sun Tzu's name in front of everyone at the meeting! Sure, Simmons had it coming, but Morgan should know better than to embarrass a teammate in front of a client. He's anything but loyal. Galan, for her part, made it obvious that she had spread herself too thin by developing a radio spot and an online strategy for the ad when all Purina asked for was a 30 second TV commercial. I can forgive Simmons' bizarre behavior to some extent (he is a faded rock star after all), but I expected more from a seasoned executive like Galan.
Despite Simmons' obnoxious antics, Hydra did wind up producing a much better product. Lennox Lewis really sold the commercial. He was just as adorable as his puppy co-star. And the Trace Adkins voice over sounded great. In stark contrast, the talking dog voice over at the beginning of Empresario's ad was lame and unprofessional and the actors were unremarkable. As the Donald pointed out in the boardroom, it was also a big mistake not to use Marilu Henner's face at the end of the spot. I'm not surprised Hydra one once again.
As for the boardroom, it was one of the most painful I've seen. Poor Nadia Comaneci! She clearly deserved to go, but she seemed like a scared little girl sitting there at the boardroom table. The worst part was when she mentioned that she was waiting to lead an athletic event and the Donald basically told her that she should get over the whole athletic thing because she's too old. Brutal! For a second, I thought that the guest judge from Macy's was going to cry. I have no idea why Galan brought Carol Alt into the boardroom instead of Marilu Henner, who clearly did a poor job with the actors. It might have something to do with the fact that, besides Alt, she's probably the best-known celebrity on the ladies' team, which will probably work to her advantage.
The most shocking part of the whole episode was the sassy French cheerleader uniform that Omarosa wore to the initial meeting with the Purina executive. It's obvious that she hired some sort of stylist to put together statement outfits for each episode, like last week's giant deconstructed gray suit. Her cheerleader skirt was so short that her underwear was practically exposed. You could tell she didn't feel comfortable because she kept tugging it down in the back. Not too professional.
Based on the previews for next week's episode, it seems like Simmons is going to take over Empresario. That should be interesting. I'm also excited about the guest appearance by Alec Baldwin. It's hard to say who will get the boot next week, but if Jennie Finch doesn't step up soon she may be the next lady to be sent downstairs. At least the fired celebs get to drive away in fancy "executive" cars instead of yellow cabs. And they don't even have to carry their own bags!
1 comment:
I was really rooting for the women, mostly because Gene Simmons was being obnoxious, but their commercial was so bad.
I'm interested to see what happens when he takes over the women's team.
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