» 3-6: "The Writing on the Wall" 2005.02.24 Options

[Oz37]

Even though "Net Worth" lost because of Tara's idea, I liked the fact that she was thinking of Harlem as a community, and not just as a place for Sony to market their ideas. I realize they were working for Sony and in the end, were being judged on their ads, but Tara wanted to be respectful of the people who lived there.

Too bad the focus group didn't feel the same way.

I'll also say that it was smart of "Magna" to put the 'E' in the corner of the ad so that people knew the game was "Rated E for everyone." The woman that was in the focus group that said she'd buy the game for her son because she knew what type of game it was due to the 'E' seemed to give "Magna" a boost above "Net Worth's" ad.

Edit: With all the spelling and grammatical errors in my post, you'd think I was on team Magna.

This post has been edited by Oz37: Feb 24, 2005 @ 10:23 pm.

[IAmGladys]

I knew it was gonna be a bloodbath, and I was right. After this ep I am tempted to turn in my college diploma and resign from the Caucasian race.

Please, someone, tell me that Magna did NOT walk up to African-Americans on the street and ask their advice on creating graffiti. And that explanation of the concept—with the “mad props” and the “bling-bling” coming out of Jonny Whitebread’s yapping maw...I actually whacked myself in the forehead to make it stop. That was weaker than the weakest thing ever, and then some.

The fact that it won does NOT make it any better!

I was wavering in my Audrey-like for a minute, when she was bitching at Craig (because I am prepared to like him for his FUTRness alone). And then again in the boardroom when she perpetrated yet another Apprentice-mangling of a perfectly innocent and helpless member of the English language (in this case,“demeaningness” or whatever the hell it was she said.) But then Tara failed to shut up and failed to get the point, and failed to not-give that surprised/bitchface when Craig pointed out the blindingly obvious: that TARA was the one with the concept, and was taking no dispute—or even INPUT—from anyone else on her team. Which, to me, says the one who didn’t get it was Tara, and nothing done by Audrey or Craig was the problem.

Pity—I was prepared to like her too, if only to reverse the curse of Assaroma, Stacie, and what’s-her-name who quit.

ETA: holy crap, let's see what's behind all that Audrey stuff in the previews before I talk anymore about liking her.

This post has been edited by IAmGladys: Feb 24, 2005 @ 9:59 pm.

[Aatrek]

This episode was demeaningful to everyone involved.

Except for Bren. You go, Bowtie.

[ninakix]

I liked the look of NetWorths Board much more. But trying to look at it objectively I guess it would be hard to see that they are selling something. It wasn't clear enough that it was a game. Tara did take alot of the credit but no one on either team really screwed up on this task.

Magna's poster was sort of ugly. IMO it used too many feminine colors for a game targeting males. Bren was skeezy but they all worked hard.

[Seneca]

Best moment of the show: The SAMSUNG tv in the background of the SONY Playstation offices. You gotta love how untouchable that division is. Its good to be a cash cow.

[happycamper]

Tara is a fucking idiot! She saw that many people on Net Worth strongly wanted to fire Audrey in favor of keeping of Tara, and Tara changes horses in midstream to bring in one of the few people who wanted Tara to get the boot? I have no words how moronic that decision was. It's sad that somewhat so competent could turn into a figurative Kristen (me me me credit is MINE!) as leader.

I liked Net Worth's mural better, but then again I'm nowhere near GT4's target demographic. I guess Magna's mural was better in theory. What do I know?

Dismeaningful? Audrey, you're obnoxiousful, gratingful, not to mention unarticulateful and immatureful. Audrey, get ye to an English Dictionary, now!

I heart Erin. I truly do. Magna is incompetent, but they have heart. Just like Versacorp from first season.

[dreamy]

I actually found this an interesting task…I mean, it wasn’t the 25th version of the lemonade stand. However, the execution didn’t grab me. I guess after you’ve seen cucumbers washed by a ménage, it’s hard to get excited over graffiti in Harlem.

When Tara was standing by the stoop talking in the beginning, did she look, for a second, just a second, like Omarosa to anyone? Just me? OK.

Best line? “I played video games. I went to college.” This country is doomed.

Alex is a total asshole, IMO.

Was I the only one who, when DT said that the winning team’s gift was going to be advertising-related, thought “Donny Deutsch, AGAIN?!”

Sweetie, demeaningful is NOT a word.

I missed Carolyn. Maybe I give her too much credit, but somehow I think she would’ve made this more compelling. George delivered, though!

Closing Tara speech? Shut. Up.

(embarrassed to say: Man, I would’ve loved one of those portraits.)

[ChocolateCherry]

I ended up arguing with my (step)Dad through most of the episode. He sent me to college for advertising and as a Black woman I could understand what Tara was going for because Advertising has power. But my Dad is White and felt that she should have focused on the money and the message, he was rejecting my idea about dualing sensibilities.
At least Tara was fired before she morphed into Crazy Angry Black woman version 4.0.

Is there a glossary for this season/ I need one with words like "collegic" and "demeaningful" and famous people like "Uma Thurma".

This post has been edited by ChocolateCherry: Feb 24, 2005 @ 10:11 pm.

[yadayada]

Oy ve Tara what were you thinking. You should have stuck to your original decision and brought John in. You only spent all day formulating a defence against him and furthermore, you would have had an ally in getting rid of Audrey. Although the team lost cause of your concept, you truly deserved to get fired for that blunder alone. Guess all that speculation about Trump hiring you cause you're black and woman have been for nothing.

All in all a boring episode. There was no funny, the task was boring and as always the reward sucked ass.

Did notice one strange thing at the end though - cab Tara got into: 3L09; cab that drove away: 3L09 and cab that Tara did her interview in: 3L09. Sign that TPTB are reading the forums and realized they can't put on us?

Edited to Ask: Can someone recap next week's preview for me. Canadian channels don't broadcast for some reason.

This post has been edited by yadayada: Feb 24, 2005 @ 10:11 pm.

[triggerhappyjack]

Please, someone, tell me that Magna did NOT walk up to African-Americans on the street and ask their advice on creating graffiti.

I don't understand the problem with this. They were having trouble with a concept, they asked their target demographic for input and feedback.

It too bad Tara screwed up so badly, because I liked her right up until her taxicab confessional when she proved how much she didn't learn.

Speaking of learning, who the hell let Stephanie on this show? Takes criticism professionally and works to improve her flaws? Holy shit, Steph, don't you know anything? That is so not how reality TV is supposed to work.

[coastcat]

I've got to give Alex a lot of credit. Tara may have asked the PS execs for their target demo, but Alex actually talked to the target demo. Mad props to him, may he bling forever. Or something.

Wow, was that the shortest Boardroom ever?

So obviously the reason Net Worth lost was because Audrey had selfishly not invented the concept of time travel, and thus wasn't able to explain the details of a video game that had yet to be released. Okay, makes sense to me.

Frankly the best part of this episode was the preview for next week. I so want to hire Audrey The Pissed Off Clown for my next party.

[spazmo]

Wow, that was a big ol' waste of time. The murals were both pretty underwhelming, despite the time constraints, but I think I preferred NetWorth's ad, frankly.
At least John was able to save himself from the final boardroom. Very fancy footwork, there, Johnny boy!

That was the dumbest of all rewards. Not that Magna deserved to be showered in pearls or puppies or anything, but seriously -- glamour shots? Please. Surely these folks already have drawers full of head shots just from the Apprentice audition process.

When that Trump rap song started playing, I wanted to hide under my bed. How completely horrible. And why couldn't he be bothered to get out of his limo for MagnaCorp? Whether he was running late, or just had enough of Harlem, that was just plain rude. I'm glad Alex won. He ruled this episode.

[CaptainSnarky]

Well, Trump, thanks a fucking lot. I'm done with The Apprentice.

Please, someone, tell me that Magna did NOT walk up to African-Americans on the street and ask their advice on creating graffiti. And that explanation of the concept—with the “mad props” and the “bling-bling” coming out of Jonny Whitebread’s yapping maw...I actually whacked myself in the forehead to make it stop. That was weaker than the weakest thing ever, and then some.

Ugh. I wanted to destroy my tv then and there. I too liked the fact that Tara wanted to be sensitive to the perceptions of Harlem--as was made painfully evident by Alex's stupid ass comments about how one minute they were in Harlem (I suppose it's supposed to be the armpit of the world?) and the next they were....oh, hell, I don't care where the fuck they were.

I didn't like Trump before; I had hoped that Tara would not become another sacrificial African American woman on the pile of Crazy Black Women this show seemingly loves to parade, but NO. Fuck Trump and fuck this show. My show is broken!

edited to add...

In all fairness, Tara failed to listen to the PS execs. I think there had to be a better way to balance her concerns/vision with the vision of the PS execs. Frankly, both ads were a tad boring. But at least Alex bothered to figure out what the target demographic wanted. Mad props and bling, indeed.

This post has been edited by CaptainSnarky: Feb 24, 2005 @ 10:11 pm.

[My name is Kenn]

Please, someone, tell me that Magna did NOT walk up to African-Americans on the street and ask their advice on creating graffiti.

I see nothing wrong in asking the target audience for advice on how to create a marketing piece.

And that explanation of the concept—with the “mad props” and the “bling-bling” coming out of Jonny Whitebread’s yapping maw.

...But yeah, that made me want to slam my head into a wall. I am amazed that there is someone with so little blackness in them that they didn't know how to use the word "mad props" or "bling bling" in context, and that he didn't have the good sense to realize that he shouldn't be using them.

[DB Cooper]

Ughh......yet another crappy reward. Portraits of themselves ? I'd be more than a little ticked off.

And you know that Trump could smell the supermodels from 17 city blocks away, that's why he showed up.

By the way, Chris is starting to resemble Tom Brady, the Super Bowl winning quarterback from the NE Patriots, except he looks more like an angry version of him. In fact, he should just be called bizarro Tom Brady.