December 12, 2008
While we grapple with ideas of when The Celebrity Apprentice will air again—some sources say it'll come out on March, but NBC hasn't given any official word yet—I'll grapple with the ideas of another celebrity-laden season of the reality show. I actually thought one season was enough to get viewers tuning in again to Donald Trump firing people at the end of an hour. Turns out we're getting a second one.
There's nothing wrong with a celebrity season, really. Seeing people you thought are (relatively) impenetrable do things that you thought celebrities won't do remains to be a draw in television. And, celebrities are no strangers to business too—the thinking is, if you don't diversify, you'll end up falling back to where you were before you became famous. What worked here, however, are the personality clashes: Donald Trump is, to some respects, a big ego—at least someone who knows what he's doing—and when that collides with many others who have their own notorieties, well, you've got good television. Supposedly.
December 10, 2008
Donald Trump wants to be in your home for a significant block of time every week. Trump wants it, Mark Burnett wants it, and so does NBC. It was revealed recently that when the second season of The Celebrity Apprentice premieres (supposedly in March, though nothing is yet official), it will air in two-hour installments. Not double episodes, if that's what you were thinking. Each individual episode will be expanded into two hours, which means more airtime for the tasks and a lot more airtime for the boardrooms. This decision comes during a ratings nadir for NBC, a time when filling out the prime-time schedule with low-cost productions is a necessity. The Apprentice will almost certainly air on Sunday nights when it does return, likely from 8-10pm.
December 3, 2008
BuddyTV interviews Tony Danza, actor, talk show host and the new host of The Contender.
Tony Danza, before he was Tony Danza, was an amateur underground boxer fighting out of Brooklyn. By his real name of Antonio Salvatore Iadanza, the future television star had a 9-3 boxing record by the time he was discovered by a producer in a New York gym. From there, Danza got his start on television in the highly-acclaimed comedy Taxi, and the rest is history. Now, with a full career to look back on, it's all come full circle for Danza, who hosts the fourth edition of The Contender, which premieres tonight on the Versus channel. The Contender, which pits undiscovered boxers in a season-long tournament. We recently had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Tony about The Contender.
Below you will find the full mp3 audio of the interview.
November 6, 2008
Donald Trump won't be the only one who has a show that features business-savvy contestants as they compete for a shot at fame. 50 Cent, also known as Curtis James Jackson III, has a new reality series on MTV that takes on a similar format to NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice, a show that initially featured hopefuls competing for a job with the real-estate mogul and then eventually featured celebrity contestants working towards a greater goal as they raise over a million dollars for their various charities throughout the season.
However, the rapper's new series, 50 Cent: The Money and the Power, will have a slightly different premise since the winner of the competition will receive a $100,000 investment from 50 Cent himself.
October 29, 2008
Since the second edition of The Celebrity Apprentice is currently filming in New York City, a lot of rumors have made its way over to various media outlets. The past few weeks saw a surge in information regarding the cast list of the new season even though NBC hasn't really declared an official list yet. This week, another story came out as more behind-the-scene sightings surfaced.
Warning: This article contains spoilers!!!
October 28, 2008
Oftentimes, one will hear the concept behind a proposed television program and think “Wow, that's a terrible idea.” But, when that show actually comes into existence, your initial reaction will have been proven wrong and the show will either be surprisingly good or surprisingly popular. The premise for Dancing with the Stars, for instance, struck me as inane and ridiculous. I could not fathom anyone enjoying such a series. Obviously, my instinct was wrong. However, there are other times where you hear the premise for a television show and absolutely know that it's a bad idea. There is no doubt. This is one of those times. Donald Trump is apparently teaming up with Queen Reality Bitch Omarosa (The Apprentice) for a dating show that will likely be hosted by Lady O herself. If this show gets made and becomes popular, I will take it as a clear indication that the End Times are upon us and will retreat to an underground bunker somewhere in Northern Canada and spend the rest of my days eating Top Ramen and watching old episodes of Seinfeld on DVD.
October 23, 2008
When we published the list of celebrities who would be competing on the upcoming second edition of The Apprentice: Celebrity Edition, a great many of you questioned the level of celebrities in the cast. They are not A-list, not B-list, hardly C-list. You aren't going to find any of them headlining a Hollywood film or starring in a TV show or on the cover of Us Magazine. Though you may find it troubling considering that that the title of the series is The Celebrity Apprentice and the cast lacks famous people, I'm here to reassure you. As we saw last season, the lower you are on the celebrity totem pole, the more willing you will be to make a fool of yourself on national television. The more people who make fools of themselves, the more enjoyable a viewing experience The Celebrity Apprentice will be. George Clooney and Julia Roberts have a brand to uphold. Tom Green and Andrew Dice Clay, at this point, do not.