Friday, January 4, 2008

The Celebrity Apprentice-Premiere

After the insipid last season of Donald Trump's Apprentice, I wasn't holding my breath for this season's Celebrity Apprentice with a bunch of semi celebrity D-Listers. Who are these people? Jennie Finch, Tiffany Fallon, Nely Galan? Of course, I did recognize Marilu Henner and my favorite semi movie star Stephen Baldwin now turned reality star. Did I tell you I saw his brother Alec Baldwin and daughter eating lunch at the Topanga Westfield mall? But I decided to watch because the apprentice everyone loves to hate, Omarosa was going to be on the show (psst-I think she's had some plastic enhancements!).
Once again, it's the women against the men-or in this case who has the most celebrity clout. I had to laugh when the men were picking their name, Soprano tough guy Vincent Pastore said, lets call ourselves the "Ba Da Bing, Ba Da Bang Boys" and of course, Omarosa had to take the lead and spotlight and name her sassy self project manager. The first challenge was a simple enough, sell hot dogs from a vendor cart on the streets of NY. I think I distinctly remember Omarosa said not to use their celebrity status to sell the dogs-wrong! Celebrity sells-this is America. The guys on the other hand jumped right in with the celebrity thing as Gene Simmons pulled out his black book of numbers and started dialing for dollars. Towards the end, a frustrated Marilu called her contact who brought in $10 Gs. Who was the still wet behind the ears kid? Cute and he had money!
Back in the boardroom, the guys won, ya think! Gene Simmons contacts came through for him in a big way-something like $64,000 to $17,000, wow. I loved it when Nigel down Omarosa (or as Pastore said Ponderosa) by saying, I know you're famous, I don't for what. In the end, Tiffany could not swim against the sharks, Omarosa and Carol Alt and Tiffany was sent packing.
I think this season will be entertaining to watch because the contestants are more mature, more funnier, definitely more seasoned, have more life experience and are celebrities after all. I'm just wondering if their friends with money list is limitless for the coming challenges and I hope Vincent Pastore stays around for awhile, he's the joker of the bunch and will definitely give us good belly laughs dissing Omarosa. -Single D
Since the last Apprentice was so disappointing, I figured the Celebrity Apprentice had to be 100% better and it was. Most people will watch this just for Omarosa and she did not disappoint. She jumped from the starting gate saying she wanted to "go on record" to be the first project manager. All this before they even split up into their groups. Way to step up Omarosa!
After splitting into their respective groups and deciding who was going to be PM, introductions were made in the boardroom. When asked if she knew Stephen Baldwin, Omarosa said, "yes, unfortunately". What poise, what class!
It is going to be the classic girls against the guys with a very diverse group for both sides. The girls started off with Omarosa being all egotistic and confident and Producer Nely Galan bringing props in the form of hats to which she said would bring them closer as a team. Omarosa, rolling her eyes at the hats, became fast friends with Nely. Omarosa starts out winning friends and influencing her team by saying they won't be using their celebrity to sell hot dogs. When the other's voiced their opinions to the contrary, Omarosa rose to the occasion by saying, "I'm running this" and that they will use solid sales tactics to win. That's right Omarosa, you tell them, you're the boss and you won't take crap from anybody!
Meanwhile, the guys, having picked Stephen Baldwin as their PM, decided to use their celebrity to sell the hot dogs. Lennox Lewis, after saying he wasn't taking pictures with anyone, had his mind changed when Stephen told him he will if someone pays $25 for a hot dog. You go Steve! I laughed so hard when Gene Simmons make a reference to Hydra being the guardian to the gates of hell (it was Cerberus wasn't it?) and Vinnie Pastore said, "no, that was my exwife!". While getting the game plan together, Gene Simmons starts calling his buddies and asking, actually telling them, to come down and buy hot dogs for $5000. That's using your celebrity!
The guys got off to a slow start, Piers didn't help them by turning down sales because he didn't think they were paying enough, but the competition heated up with both teams getting contacts donating large sums of money. After telling her team not to use their celebrity, you would think Omarosa would thank Marilu for using her contacts. But no, she was too busy trying to get Tiffany to go out and flaunt herself to get people to buy hot dogs. Great delegating Omarosa!
The guys pulled it out by making $52,000 compared to the girls $17,000. They donated their winnings, as well as the girls winnings, to the Carol M. Baldwin (Stephen's mother) Breast Cancer Research Fund. They also got to watch the boardroom antics from a "war room" via closed circuit TV.
While watching the boardroom, Gene Simmons calls Omarosa a cockroach "you can't kill a cockroach". They keep trashing her as she tries to defend herself. The Donald rakes her over the coals after asking why she didn't use her team's celebrity like the guys did. She quickly recovers putting the attention on Tiffany who failed to use her one big celebrity contact which could have put them over the top. That's right Omarosa, Tiffany should be flogged for not calling Hef in your hour of need! After all, that really wouldn't count as using your celebrity, would it, that would just be calling a friend. Staying true to her friend, Omarosa praised Nely's work as well as Marilu's.
Tiffany failed to defend herself and came off as being quite naive and inexperienced. She heard the words so many aspiring apprentices before her have heard, "you're fired!" At least Omarosa will be around next week to defend her honor and, hopefully, help her team to victory! Double D

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Project Runway-Sweet Design

Anything that has to do with chocolate, sign me up! Finally a challenge with some creativity, candy namely, Hersheys Chocolate! When the designers arrived in Time Square and Tim Gunn announced that their next challenge would be at the Hersheys store-he kept saying Hersheeeys candieees, Hersheeeys Chocolate, Hersheeeys brands, must be the British in him (is he British?).
I had to laugh when Kit picked out the Kit Kat bars and wore a wrapper like a badge. For me 5 minutes to grab all the candy I could-one word-Heaven! I'd probably be sampling along the way, sort of like Lucy in the candy factory.
When they returned to Parsons, I had to cry when Christian (he reminds me of a male Paris Hilton) unwrapped all the peanut butter cups and threw, yes you heard me right, threw OUT the peanut butter cups because he just wanted to use the paper holders they were in. Sweet creation, did you have to throw away the candy? Christian so thought he was going to win this challenge, he kept prancing around like a silky terrier. You don't win when you throw the candy away-Sacrilege!
I think most of the designers lived up to the challenge and really came up with some delicious designs, especially Jillian. I really think she should have won, not only creating a design from the stuff found at the store, but to use actual candy, that twizzler skirt was brilliant-sassy and edible all at once.
Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, Elisa tells the watching public, that she was hit by a car, I think she said it as a pedestrian accident and cracked her head open which left her in a coma. Well, that explains it. Now we know. In the end, Elisa design, that concoction of brown velvet and silver (as Michael Kors said) shower cap sleeves was disastrous. Auf Wiedersehen Elisa-somewhere there's a place for you, just not on Project Runway.
Oh, one more thing, Victorya, stick to designing and let your model doing the runway walking, you made her look like a frozen mannequin with her awkward, stiff walk, I think she knows how to do the cat walk, she is a model after all. -Single D
Hiedi told everyone they would have to be up and ready at 6am the following morning. Ok, so why did Tim have to wake them up? Why the girls were so freaked out over Tim seeing them in their 'jammies is beyond me, doesn't he bat for the other team? Christian's hair looked the same when they left as when he first got up (I know, I have a hair thing!). The biker chick in SweetPea showed up when as they were leaving, she let out a very unlady like belch, nice going!
At the Hershey's store, yummo!, the representative sounded like she was reading from cue cards, very stiff and fake inflection, she probably thought she sounded sincere. I just wonder if she thought they were going to trash the store like they did, clean up isle 3! I was cracking up at Jillian trying to carry all of her goodies and ended up putting her suspenders around a pillow, great thinking under pressure.
Did anyone else see Chris hugging the giant bottle of Hershey's Syrup? Just stick a straw in it Chris!
So now we know why Elisa is the way she is, cracked skull and a coma, no wonder she seems like she's from another planet. She obviously lost a few brain cells from that accident. Glad you recovered from that one and I hope you got a BIG settlement from whoever hit you! I too, was jaw-slacked, wide-eyed and aghast when Christian threw away the Reese's Cups. NNNOOO!!!! I would have dived face first into THAT pile! Where was Chris during this senseless slaughter, I would have thought he, at least, would have saved a few Reese's Cups! Christian was the first one finished with his dress and started offering advise to the others. He may have meant well but would you listen to a competitor? Plus the fact that he has been on the bottom three a couple of times. I love how Kevin said he was going to "off" Christian. I'm sure more than a few people would like to see that, or help.
When Tim comes in and offers his advise, you should really listen! He told Victorya basically to lose the ruffles and did she listen? NO! Where did it get her? The bottom three! Check that ego at the door missy, Tim is there to help! What was up with that model's walk? She would have fit right in with a marching band, knees up and top stiff. And poor Sweet Pea, she had to start over and Tim said her dress looked like a coffee filter or a maxi pad. Which is it Tim, there is a world of difference between those two! I won't ever look at a coffee filter the same.
At least Jillian made her outfit out of actual candy. What an imagination! It was cute (see photo and single D's comments above) and, in my opinion, should have won. And, judging by the look on her face, she thought she should have won also. Ricky's dress looked like a giant Hershey's Kiss and, finally, Chris made an elegant, wearable dress. Too bad, since the judges were actually expecting something from him resembling a parade float!
In the end, it was Rami who won the challenge. His dress was pretty inventive using the wrappers to make a pleated skirt and a fun top. We say goodbye to Elisa, not sorry to see her go myself. I'm giving Christian a thimbles down for throwing away the Reese's Cups but the episode was a fun one so it gets a well deserved thimbles up!
Double D

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

MTV-Tila Tequlia-The Reunion

I have never seen such a collection of egos and divas in one setting-guys and girls alike. The reunion show had shades of Jerry Springer-bouncers get ready! I think the most annoying thing on that entire show, was not the fighting, not the name calling, not the yelling, but it was Marcus's annoyingly weird laugh, that high pitch squeaking, squealing, axle braking laugh, jutting out his pointy tongue like some devilish imp. Apparently Ashley (the country bumpkin) and Marcus don't see eye to eye and almost ended up taking up all the air time throwing punches-bouncers get ready!
Amanda, one of the final three described everyone as a "po-dunk", what exactly is that? Every guy in that room describe her as the Amazon woman or that she really is a man, or was a man, I must say she did tower over little Tila by 10ft, together they looked like some kind of circus act.
Speaking of girls looking like guys, another girl that had the consensus from the guys that she is a man was Rebecca, although confirmation that she is a girl was confirmed by Steven-during some late night antics in that big red round bed!
Mama's boy Michael brought his mother to the reunion show amid the shouts of that he's gay-
come on Mike come out of the closet-his mother seemed to be enjoying herself and said she really liked the show-go mom! Now if he could only move out of her house!
I think the biggest surprise of the evening was the announcement that our Italian Stallion, Domenico, is getting his own MTV bachelor show titled "That's Amore". He chose right there on the spot, our favorite country bumpkin, Ashley to be the voice of the American male counterpart for his show-when Ashley heard this, he said-huh? How Domenico came to the conclusion that Ashley represents the typical American male is beyond me-but the show promises to be funny and definitely crazy, with more glimpses of Domenico in his Italian color flag thong I'm sure! Girls get in line!
The reunion brought back the lovebirds Tila and Bobby after a 2 month sabbatical. Tila cut her hair and my husband said it best, it looks like a basketball-very round and very orangy! They still look like they're infatuated with each other-time will tell, time will tell.-Single D

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Amazing Race-Good Goth! Kynt and Vyxsin Eliminated!

ok-So I don't have a DVR, I don't have a TIVO, so I totally missed last weeks episode-because I thought CBS would run the complete episodes online-NOT-they run every thing else. So I'm coming in when they are leaving my favorite city, Florence, Italy. I noticed when Nick and Gramps go into a hotel to make the flight arrangements they were in the Pitti Palace! We stayed there, right on the Ponte Vecchio. Anyway, back to the episode-imagine my amazement to find Nick and Gramps in first place-are they becoming savvy travelers, or do they just have good dumb luck?Good move on booking the flights and then going back to the hotel for much need rest, while the others fought it out at the airport. Going to India is always a challenge, with the millions of people and the strange locations. Of course after jocking for the best flight as always, when they end up at their destination, the place doesn't open until 6:00, so they all catch up! A big Yuck when they had to sleep in the street with cloths over their noses because of the stink. Can't you just imagine the smell, too bad TV doesn't have smell-a-vision. I had to laugh when Kynt said that they might have to rely on their performace art to get them through. At least they won't have to change their clothes, and is that the only outfits they brought?
To my pleasure, Nate and Jen are still fighting! At least now Nate is fighting back.
The speed bump was perfect for the Goths, posing and performance art all in one. But as dumb luck would have it they u turned the wrong team-come on guys-which is the team you love to hate-Nate and Jen of course. If only they would have u turned them, they would still have been in the race. What bad luck and timing.
Hum, flowers or posters-I knew Tk and Rachel would pick flowers-they are hippy children after all. I had to laugh tho, when Jen finished making the lei, she tried to give it to an elephant? Come on Jen, it said give it to the brides groom-not an elephant!
At the poster challenge, father Ron was rearing his ugly head again and poor Christina had to set him straight. She did a great job on straightening the Bollywood poster-go girl!
I was so hoping that Kynt would out run Jen in the cannister challenge, especially when she forgot the receipts taped on the doors-but Kynt messed that up as well. In the end-much to my disappointment they came in last. Kynt and Vyxsin did manage to pink their way into my heart, I wanted them to win, but it was truely a Bollywood moment when Vyxsin said on the elimination mat as she and Kynt gazed off in the distance, "as long as Kynt is in my life, the adventure will never end"-sigh! fade to black. Four backpacks!-Single D
Ok, I must apologize for my lame commentary on last week's episode. I'm blaming being out of town and the holiday rushing around. Hopefully I will make up for it! Anyway, back to the reason we are here.....So now we know just how smelly India is. I had to laugh watching everyone covering their faces with whatever they had, how convenient that father Ron had a medical mask with him. Yes our fave couple we love to hate and, obviously, they love to hate each other, Nate & Jen couldn't find the clue in the newspaper. The dog jumping (or trying to hump) on them didn't help much. I thought Jen would have a little Chihuahua handbag if it didn't go away. I just have to ask this, does Rachel ever comb her hair? I understand TK and the dread lock wanna be but what is Rachel's excuse? That's off my chest, thank you.
Everyone looked like they were having fun riding the rickshaws around town. Especially the goths when they commented how it was painted black on the inside and Vyxsin said, "it's cozy like being in a coffin". Why doesn't that surprise me?
Good for Christina for getting the poster pasted despite father Ron. I hope after this is done, she just kicks him to the curb! He keeps saying he's going to change, haven't seen it yet buddy! A little comic relief was going on at the flower stringing. On the one hand you have Rachel & TK almost Zen like in their stringing and right next to them, our fateful fighters Nick & Jen bickering away. They always hate each other until they do something good then they love each other again, how romantic. I was hoping the elephant would eat their flowers and they would have to start over.
What was father Ron thinking when he offered to do the canister thing? Did his hernia go away? Maybe he thought he could illicit sympathy from Christina if his hernia burst. I thought it was great when Kynt "forgot" to close the elevator door for Jen. I just love when that girl goes ballistic. Too bad she didn't get the speed bump yoga, she could use a little down time.
I was glad to see the goths finally doing something for themselves and doing the u-turn. Unfortunately, they u-turned the wrong people! An agonizing groan escaped my throat as I watched them paste Nick and gramps picture on the sign. :( But then my hopes returned when Nick & Jen got lost, again, after the canister challenge. Much to my dismay Nick & Jen somehow pulled it out and arrived before Kynt & Vyxsin. Kynt & Vyxsin did take the elimination with grace, more than can be said if it had been Nick & Jen. Now if there were some way we could get Christina and gramps on the same team! Since that can't happen I'm going with Nick and gramps, they seem to have picked up a lot of luck lately. Five farewell backpacks for Kynt & Vyxsin! I'll miss you guys!

Amazing Race - A second chance

This was quite the busy episode. Just when you think it can't get anymore hectic, it does. The teams start out by taking a ferry to Italy where they find instructions to drive to Empoli. Once there, one person had to go up in an ultralight aircraft to find the next clue. Sounds easy right? Nate and Jen got lucky when they found a guy who gave them good directions. Everyone else took the long way and TK & Rachel actually drove the furthest going through Rome at the suggestion of some people they met in a restaurant. They had to turn around and go back to the restaurant when they noticed they didn't have their clue. The normally laid back TK was starting to lose it a bit. All of the teams drove all night to get to the airfield so tempers where getting short. Kynt & Vyxsin started arguing when they kept getting lost. It's so strange to see so much pink yelling at each other! TK had such a hard time with the ultralight challenge. Come on TK, how can you not spot the word "Vinci" in 10 foot letters? Meanwhile, Nick and gramps decide to try the fast forward and find out they have to get FF tattooed on themselves. I didn't think gramps was going to do it. He kept saying about how it was permanent (most tattoos are!) and how he is too old for a tattoo. You would have thought he was getting the Mona Lisa tattooed on his chest or something! He was a trooper and went though with it. Kynt & Vyxsin pulled themselves together and finished the flag routine only to find out they came in last. I was SO bummed! Then Phil said those words every racer wants to hear, this is a non elimination round. Yeah! I have grown to like the goths, they are very entertaining so I'm really happy they got a second chance. Double D