Martha Stewart, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
The Apprentice: Martha StewartIt took the final three a long while to realize that neither Marcela nor Ryan would be returning to the suite and that they were indeed the final three. Martha confirmed the demise of Matchstick, then hurried Bethenny, Dawna and Jim off to their corporate interviews. Bethenny was at best "scrappy" and at worst "manic." Dawna was sitting pretty as "almost the whole package." But Jim failed to impress, and at his dismissal it struck me that he honestly thought he was going to win. I applaud Jim's self-confidence; it's his self-awareness that I question.
With the chaff gone, we have an all-female final pair, which is fitting for this incarnation of The Apprentice. Two big charity events will w
read more
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart didn't get the job done for NBC (oy — 16 phrases, none of them catchy), but the domestic goddess/ex-con's daytime talk show has a new topic of conversation: its renewal. Martha will be back for a second season to teach us how beautiful our lives could be if only we'd been sprung from prison with time on our hands and millions in our coffers. Thanks, Martha. Thanks a lot.
read more
The Apprentice: Martha StewartThe more I watch this show, the more I like it and the more I like Martha. I'll say it again: I cannot believe this will be its one and only season. Six candidates remain and the teams were equally matched. Leslie was PM for Matchstick and Dawna ran the Primarius crew. Both teams were to design an installation for the new Buick Lucerne sedan. Leslie felt her team hit it out of the park, but it really was more of a foul ball, and it landed them squarely in Martha's conference room. Primarius, however, got to dine at the Four Seasons with the CEO and chairman of the board of MSLO. Not bad company for a job interview. Back in the conference room, Charles was on fire with many a comment to be tossed around and he almost took c
read more
The Apprentice: Martha StewartI really enjoyed tonight's show. Martha has a good bunch of people left from which to choose her apprentice. This week, teams were to sell an item of their choice on a live QVC broadcast. Last week's double ouster left the teams uneven, so Dawna moved over to Primarius, led this week by Bethenny. Both she and Ryan, PM for Matchstick, took the leadership role to heart and acted accordingly. They tackled problems and personalities head-on, made executive decisions, adjusted course when needed and on the whole, kicked butt. I've been waiting to see project management like this for a long time.
Bethenny surprised me. She effectively handled the disparate personalities on her team, which included Dawna, a woman who
read more
"Last year, you and I had a parallel life because I was on trial for a crime I never committed, and I was sent to prison, and when I got out, people loved me even more!" — Days of our Lives star Deidre Hall on NBC's Martha, comparing Marlena's soap-opera woes to Martha Stewart's real-life troubles.
read more
With all these multiple firings going on at the Apprentice franchise — four last week by Trump and two this week by Martha — you have to wonder who chose these people as the top contenders in the first place? But I'll leave that alone. This week teams were to design a live-action mobile billboard for Tide to Go, a pen that instantly removes stains. Dawna, PM of Matchstick, pulled out a win with a cohesive promotion, while Primarius, under Sarah's leadership (if that's what you want to call it), created a colossal failure. They had no concept, relying instead on an odd performance-art-like, chaotic, loud mish-mash-of-a-mess promotion that won no love from Martha or her henchmen. Watching Jim "dance" and chant along with the team that "It's time for Tide to Go, it's time for Tide to Go!" was like watching them boycott the product rather than sell it. This is probably the reason why "silent brainstorming" didn't catch on. Who bra
read more
Fair warning! It's celebrity auction time on The Apprentice. Didn't you love the auctioneer? The teams designed and auctioned off a personal experience with a celeb and his/her dog to raise money for Broadway Barks. While the Fran Drescher experience pulled in a whopping $28,000 for Matchstick, the two other top bids went to Primarius' Sorvino and Oldham packages, resulting in a win for project manager Jim. Good for him, considering Martha handpicked him to lead the team. Was she setting him up? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, have you noticed how Martha has subtly and almost completely taken control of the show? Her surprise visit to/inspection of the loft, her choice of Jim as PM and again, her choosing the two to remain in the conference room — David and project manager Marcela — are signs to me that she likes to direct traffic. Anyway, it was nice to see that the candidates were not sta
read more
The show has hit its stride. The weakest players are gone, the teams have been reshuffled and I'm happy to say Alexis finally seems comfortable on screen. The reorganization separated former teammates Marcela and Bethenny, and as luck would have it, the task had them going head to head designing limited-edition salad dressings for Wishbone. Bethenny, confident in her abilities, was sure she'd bring home a win for Primarius, so it was nice to see Marcela, who admitted to Bethenny's superior skill, create a recipe that outsold the other team's. Both the Rosemary Lime Vinaigrette and the Asian Vinaigrette look delicious, and I can't wait to try them. Thanks to Charles and Alexis' commercial, I know I can find them in a store near me. In the end it wasn't just taste buds but sales and marketing that determined the win. Jim's sales tactics earned Primarius a customer complaint that nearly shut down their operation, yet project manager Jen
read more
Nip/Tuck
Could that Birkin bag be more mismatched for vintage-cords-and-old-baby-T's Rory? More importantly, why did overdyed crocodile skin score such high relationship points? Emily is convinced the bag means security. I'm not quite sure what Rory thinks, though who could believe she had no idea how expensive and coveted that bag really is? (Surely her mother once made some witty reference to proud owners Gwyneth, Madonna or Martha.) What an opportune time to tell Logan she loves him! (At least she didn't do it as she was hugging that pink monstrosity.) I'm sorry, but I'm just not seeing it. Expensive gifts, whirlwind trips, wild parties… whatever. The guy always has that something-smells-bad look on his face, and all he does is complain. Couldn't he have come up with a better response to Rory's three little words? "I've told a lot of girls I love them and didn't mean it." Charming.
read more
