CELEBRITY APPRENTICE 2- Nely Galan's Finale Blog

The finale of the Celebrity Apprentice did not disappoint - it was a clash of the titans.

Another impossible task -

1) To create a Celebrity Auction - and get celebrities to donate all the auction prizes.

2) Create a theme around your charity and Kodak. Take an ordinary location and make it extraordinary.

3) Create a brand appropriate campaign for Kodak - sell their digital frames and their message. We know how tough Kodak tasks can be and Jeff Hayzlett made this one particularly tough.

4) Sell your charity through integration at the event.

5) Make lots of money by selling tickets to Cirque du Soleil show, also by getting celebrities to show up and buy other celebs' auction items for the most money.

In conclusion - be creative, call in all your contacts, pull every rabbit out of a hat and by the way do it... in 24 hours and within a tight budget.

These powerhouses did it... even after losing their event planners.

In the end, as suspected it seemed to be a draw.

Annie - hands down, won for money (450,000 collected) and charity integration. Joan won for creative, brand, celebs, best auction gifts - everything else. Even Jeffrey Hayzlett from Kodak agreed.

Who would Donald pick?

I was confused until the end - it seemed as though he was confused, too.

I kept thinking, Trump is into money and Annie is a money-making beast!!! She is tough and seemed unlikable (at least the way she was edited) but Trump doesn't care about likability - think Piers!

But Joan is an American icon, formidable and 75 years old – those factors alone should get her The Celebrity Apprentice Lifetime Achievement Award.

I was there at the LIVE finale.
The tension between these 2 women and between other members of the cast was palpable. It wasn't just Joan and Annie - it was also Dennis and Jesse (over Dennis' drinking problems); and Clint and Donald (over how Clint was edited). There were a lot of issues going on. Definitely heavier vibes in the room than when we were at the finale last year. What happened to Khloe Kardasian, Natalie Gulbis, and T-Boz? They didn’t show. I wanted to meet them. Issues or scheduling conflicts?

The show, however, was fabulous! The heated discussion in the live boardroom session between all of the participants, and the wild showdown at the end between the two ladies, was uncomfortable to watch and great television.

The minute I guessed Annie was going to be fired and that Joan was going to win, was when Piers and Trace came out. I assumed Trace would vote for Joan and thought for sure Piers would vote for Annie. When Piers voted for Joan - I thought that's it, that's the ammunition Trump needs to make his decision.

Joan it was!!! The crowd went crazy!!!!!! I was sitting next to all the people from her charity. They were so nice and grateful. They truly spoke highly of Joan. I felt for them and was happy their charity got the recognition and the money.

It was a great night. Two extraordinary women, fighting as equals - not pussyfooting around and pretending to like each other, but going at it.
Trump got his great TV rating moment and I am one satisfied viewer.
I felt particularly satisfied because they really both won. Annie took home 450,000 for her charity, she's now a household name, and her charity got a ton of publicity. Joan got the title, 400,000 (150,000 that she raised in the final task plus 250,000 for the win), her charity is now on the map, and she gets recognized for 75 years of accomplishment. Win-win for all.

Okay, I have to give you a little bit of gossip about the show before I go.

I have to say our party last year was cozier. This year a million people were there and the celebs came and went - they were too bombarded to mingle. Last year, we took pictures with each other and had a glorious time.

I have decided this season's cast looks way better in person. People always tell me I look better in person and that I look thinner. The camera just doesn't love everybody.

Melissa is a thousand times better looking in person and she has quite a cute boyfriend, too. Jesse James is unrecognizable in person from TV. In person, you get it - he's very cute and sexy - you go, Sandra Bullock. Herschel Walker is a doll on TV and in person - but again, way more handsome in person. Claudia is pretty on TV - but in person, beautiful!!! Brande is beautiful on TV and in person and nice - the camera loves her. Here's the shocker - Annie! Television really doesn't do her justice. She looks way younger in person, and she's really quite pretty with beautiful porcelain skin.

It was great to see Stephen Baldwin, Trace Adkins and Piers Morgan again. I feel that after this season, our season is the loving first family of The Celebrity Apprentice.

Can't wait for next season. Who will superstar casting director, Chuck Labella (who deserves a medal for having an uncanny gut instinct about what mix of people to invite to a dinner party that would create excitement, smart conversation, controversy and fireworks) invite to partake in the next Celebrity Apprentice dinner?

My suggestion Chuck - next year we need an illicit behind the scenes romance.

Any thoughts?

Hasta next year!

Nely

CELEBRITY APPRENTICE 2- Nely Galan's Episode 8 Blog

Last week, my friend, Jim, e-mailed me after reading my blog. He corrected me for picking Natalie Gulbis as the next one I wanted to be fired. He felt I didn't give her credit for her true cunning.

He said she had tried one of the greatest strategies in Apprentice history - calling the enemy of her opponent, Annie Duke, to try to raise money against her.

Jim, you were right! It was potentially a great strategy. Only, however, if it had worked. Not only did it not work, but she wasted all of her time putting all of her eggs in that basket versus going after her own money. As predicted Natalie went bye bye... Big lesson - great ideas are important but execution is where it counts. I have had a million great ideas and strategies in my life that I haven't always been able to execute. That is the difference sometimes between good and great!

Natalie is out and we now know that Annie Duke is extraordinary - no matter who likes her or not. The lady can execute. She's the Piers Morgan of this season. Did you see her auction and raise money? I was impressed - made me want to go take poker lessons from her and I don't even gamble. Did you see all those men just throwing money at her? She's obviously made them all a lot of money. Wow! Impressive!

But can we talk about the craziness of this episode? I have been worried every week about Joan Rivers' well being. My worry was that she would start cracking with the lack of food and sleep.

By now you all know I utterly respect Joan and expect her to win - but the comments about Annie being like Hitler were completely out of line and unbelievable. The whole exchange was offensive.

As a Latina - I know the power of words and am always careful of how I use them.

How would Joan have reacted if Annie had compared her to Hitler? It would have been in every newspaper and Annie's career would be marred. It is not fair that in a "politically correct" environment, there is a double standard. No one should be compared to Hitler - and certainly not in the context of a TV game.

I can really understand why Annie never wants to speak to Joan again.

Joan, please calm down. This is yours to win - but go get some sleep and let Melissa be her own person - she can do it!

Melissa and Joan have a symbiotic relationship that probably works in the context of their family but isn't pleasant to watch and must be a nightmare to work with...

Wasn't that exchange in the board room, with Melissa defending Joan and the "inside" comments about how they had gone to mutual friends of Joan and Donald for money but had been rejected, weird? This episode had a lot of uncomfortable, weird moments.

Piers Morgan's appearance was great I wish he was on with Trump all the time. I appreciate him even more this season. When I was there, I liked him at first but then I thought he was too cutthroat.

I was wrong - he is clear, direct, focused and while it is not my style, I almost wish it could be. Everything he says in this episode about Joan, Melissa, Clint and the Trumps was right on the money and exactly what I was feeling and thinking.

He's The Apprentice's Simon Cowell.

When he cornered Jesse James about why, if he was married to Sandra Bullock, could he not raise more money? It was a very uncomfortable moment but it was what I had been thinking all season. Great TV moment!

Piers - right on!!!! Can you tell he was a tabloid publisher in England? He goes for the jugular.

The second hour of the show where they had to create a recipe was predictable and in the end fair. Herschel Walker should have gone, under the circumstances (although it is hard to watch Clint Black stay over that sweet Herschel just because he took responsibility and became the project manager - again). Herschel is, as Joan would say, "a mensch."

Okay here's my prediction - next to go... either Clint Black or Brande Roderick. Brande appears weaker and is acting more like a "fair weather friend" as the season continues. Did you notice how in the second half of the show, she was now trashing Annie? However, I would actually rather Clint go next - it's long overdue.

One last thing I have been wanting to mention for weeks but especially in this episode; Ivanka Trump is exceptional. I really think she is the star of the family. She is poised, intelligent, beautiful and talented, but as demonstrated in this episode she has strong boundaries and knows how to speak her mind - respectfully. I was very impressed with her when I was on the show, and my respect has only grown with time. She is a good seed.

GREAT episode! The show only gets better.

Hasta next week,

Nely

CELEBRITY APPRENTICE 2- Nely Galan's Episode 7 Blog

It’s hard to write about this episode - I felt cheated! Once we got to the boardroom it was evident that Brian McKnight was sick of it all, and just wanted to leave the show. (He admitted he had gone home for two days and didn't want to return.) Trump then did what he had to do. It made me mad - why did I have to go through the whole episode only to have Brian throw in the towel?

Frankly, KOTU was the superior team from the beginning of this episode, although I predict Natalie is the next to go. Their task was well executed – period! It also incorporated the Trump CELEBRITY APPRENTICE Lesson 101 - "USE YOUR TEAM'S CELEBRITY STATUS".

Athena was off in the clouds with Brian McKnight calling it in, and ultimately suffering the consequences. Their execution of the task was just plain bad.

Here's what I got out of this episode - a foreshadowing of things to come. Joan is becoming so cranky due to the lack of food and sleep creeping in, Melissa feels betrayed by Annie and Brande (who previously never liked each other) and is coming unglued, and Annie (as predicted) is playing good poker.

In the second hour of this episode, Trump announced a second task that required fundraising. This is very difficult in the current economy, even for celebrities. Annie appears to be the frontrunner, but the women’s claws are out! Joan hates Annie, Melissa hates Annie and Brande, and Annie acting as though she likes them all... NOT! Annie is playing poker again – unlikable, but a winning strategy.

The episode ended with a cliffhanger. The task has not been executed yet, and Piers Morgan (last year's winner) comes back to help Trump. I guarantee you he will make hamburger meat out of the contestants. Piers doesn't have the need to be liked, so he will be refreshingly honest.
I can’t wait to see his “inside" report to Trump.

Too bad we had to endure Brian McKnight wasting our time to get to next week. But, it will be worth it.

Hasta next week,

Nely

CELEBRITY APPRENTICE – THE AFTERMATH

Our country is in turmoil politically and economically.

The "win by any means necessary" mentality has hurt us. In the past, it has brought us the likes of Enron, and today the current mortgage crisis rages on with no end in sight. We are reaping what we have sown.

I think we are all tired of seeing bad behavior rewarded every day. While I have the utmost respect for Piers Morgan's intellect and consider him a friend, I feel it is my duty to get up every morning and teach my 8-year-old-son Lukas to do the right thing, even though it may not always be rewarded.

The high profile of “Celebrity Apprentice” placed us all in a position to be role models, and the role model that I most respected (and whom I thought best represented how things should be in business, and in life) was Trace Adkins.

What’s so appealing and admirable about Trace is that he has a wonderful quiet confidence about him. He’s successful, compassionate, straight forward, but most importantly - self aware. He understands the importance of being a great husband, a great father, and a great human being. His life has been difficult, and goodness knows that he has had to work hard on himself, but through it all he has managed to keep his integrity intact.

I long for integrity, honesty, and ethical behavior to be the true measure of success - something to be valued again in this country, even if means sometimes taking the longer, harder road.

-Nely