I believe that the sneak away could have been managed, but Nick & Amy?? I would think that if they were panting for each other enough to orchestrate that kind of rendevous, SOME of their sizzle would come across the clips of them we do see, but it just... doesn't.

From The Morning News:

The neighbors downstairs were duped

Thanks for the link, sdpfeiffy. I don't think that any of us actually believe that we're watching "reality" on reality shows, but that was a good example of how it all works. Mark Burnett et al really need to remember that a reality show set in NYC is most certainly not in a vacuum. I wouldn't be surprised if we heard more about the penthouse episode, too, though the event planners are probably much more tight-lipped.

Here is the TV Guide interview with George Ross. I heart George BTW.

You're welcome! What bothered me the most (apart from the already disclosed info that the renter was already a renter) is the fact that she got $2k in new furniture, the landlord obviously got a check, and the people who were actually inconvenienced got 2 lousy gift certificates. And I agree--this account leads further credence to my hunch that the penthouse rental was a set up too.

Thanks for posting that article, sdpfeiffy. I really enjoyed it. It gave more of an inside look at what happens to all around when a reality show moves in for a few days. And I loved this quote:


Heh. "Defenestrate" is one of my favorite words, and one too rarely used. Of course, I suppose the situation doesn't come up that often, but still. It's a good word and bears repeating.

Long but fantastic article. Thanks for the link sdpfeiffy.

Really? Where did they say that? I can't believe that for a second. If Heidi and Katrina new about it, it had to have occurred prior to Amy's "I thik Nick has a crush on me" comment. I don't think two people who have had sex say that one is crushing on the other or that they "engage in meaningful conversation." Or is that what the kids are calling it these days?

Did Kristi really appear in a softcore porn? What is the source for that? If that's the case, I really am going to start questioning the casting for this show.

Here's a link to an article about the ladies posing for FHM. It includes a picture of Kristi, Katrina, Amy, and Erika in nice, classy business wear.

They are all nice-looking but they would not make FHM but for the Apprentice.

While some words naturally had to be bleeped, those things were all eventually shown. Or at least the worst ones were -- you couldn't fit all the vile stuff that came out of those mouths into three hours a week.

Robert's "bitches, whores, sluts" rants about the women in the house were shown multiple times. Erica's line about Jee being "right off the boat" (I don't remember the exact words, but that's the only racist line I recall) wasn't shown immediately, and people on the boards complained about that, but then it was shown at least once during the final show, and there was a very uncomfortable scene were Julie Chen interrogated them both about it.

As for the 24x7 thing, I assume that they don't really mean they were filmed every second, including bathroom breaks. We also haven't seen any night-vision shots in the bedrooms, so they might not be filming them while they sleep. I think that's a euphemism for, "every time we turned around, there were cameras in our faces." However, they were definitely filming when the women approached the plane and when Ereka and Omarosa were fighting. I'd also bet that it didn't take the producers long to recognize Omarosa's "potential" and make sure a camera was on her at all times, which is how they got so many of her confrontations from start to finish, going all the way back to her attempt to play with Tammy's head in the first episode.

I'd also be more likely to accept a cover-up if, say, Amy had said it. Let's say Amy wins the whole thing, and then Omarosa starts making her claim. The editors go back through hours and hours of tape, and sure enough, they spot Amy saying the word in the background of a shot about something else, which is why they didn't notice it before. In that case, it might make sense to cover it up to protect the winner. But Ereka? She was portrayed in a bad light much of the time anyway; there was simply no reason for the show to protect her.

So if Ereka said it -- and didn't whisper it to her under the covers one night -- it'd be on tape, and we would have seen it, even if bleeped. I just don't buy it, even before adding to the mix all of Omarosa's other lies and delusions.

They all suck. Seriously. Women like those four make it 1000 times more difficult for the rest of us to be taken seriously in the business world. HATE!

Seems Omarosa's Publicist has resigned from representing her...
NY Daily News Article

Also mentioned in the article...Ereka was "very disapointed" in Oprah because Ereka felt Oprah didn't give her the chance to appropriately defend herself.


NY Daily News Article

What Ereka doesn't seem to get is that she's hurting her won defense by the way she communicates. She does not handle these confrontations well, comes off waaayyy to emotional and erratc and just stoops to Omarosa's level by slinging her own insults at Omarosa. Who is representing this girl?

Well, it was no secret that the furniture and other decorating touches were being thrown in with the apartment, so that is not a revelation. I had assumed that the buildings were actually owned by Trump (after all, his father made his fortune building/renovating reasonable housing in Brooklyn and Queens). Since he didn't own it, it makes sense for the landlord to get some money -- after all, in a non-rigged situation, he would have been taking a chance that they would rent it for less than he could have gotten on his own. The big problem for me is the fact that it was pre-rented, and that the 'negotiated' price was not actually what the woman was paying. I mean, it's just a total sham. Very disturbing.

Thanks for the links Tashanir, Dougintx, and sdpfeiffy.

The article from The Morning News was fascinating to me, and equally as important, well written. Sorry to admit that I did view the photo, and was saddened, quite frankly. Haven't seen Oprah yet, as Dr. Rice's testimony before the 9/11 commission pre-empted the 9AM broadcast. I've got the TiVo set for the evening repeat, but not sure I even want to watch it. Perhaps I'll just put the "Trump House of Wings" bit on a continuous tape loop and laugh all this off . . . 'cause I'm starting to take stuff a bit too seriously.

That article was great sdpfeiffy, I agree. And as for that FHM article....I think it is safe to say that any business credibility is completely shot at this point for those four. And who on earth thinks that Ereka looks like J Lo (besides the BFF of course)?!? Blech. And as for E's comments about Oprah, can't say that I am a huge fan of Oprah, but I think she might have a leetle more perspective on the situation of race relations than a spoiled white girl from Westchester.

Valid point, bzbee. My potential problem with this Oprah ep in particular (and I say potential, because I won't see it until this evening, if I can even bear to watch), is that it appears that she may not have provided a level playing field for the "faceoff." If Oprah wants to agree with/support Omarosa, that is her perogative. If her goal is to discredit Ereka, fine. I just wish that the segment would leave less room for the bias argument. (Om on stage with Op, E in the audience, etc.) Maybe it is too much to hope for in this day and age, but if this topic is going to continue to take up space in the media, can't we get one interview where someone points out the strengths and weaknesses of both sides? (Om's resumé hijinks, E's lack of professionalism, etc.)

Great point! Whether Ereka likes it or not, Oamrosa DOES know how to control her temper. That could be why they were positioned the way they were in this episode. And I just don't see Oprah having any time for the now infamous "eye roll defense" that Ereka gives. If Ereka starts in with insults, name calling, bad mouthing, etc. Oprah is just going to shut her down. Period. That's probably why Ereka is disapointed. Ereka wanted to be able to pull the drama queen act and Oprah wouldn't let her get away with it.

Yes, Omarosa is a nutball...but she's a polished nutball. Ereka, on the other hand, is volatile. Ereka dealt herself a bad hand by being so hystrinoic and childish.

No shit. This reality show is also a game show, is it not, with a quarter of a million dollar grand prize? Versacorp lost and that week Tammy lost her chance for the grand prize based on fabricated numbers. Sounds like quite a potential scandal to me. Especially since the outcomes of other tasks are also quite suspicious. I suppose Trump and MB could defend themselves by saying that ultimately, Trump is the only one who is going to decide who gets the job and there are no tiered runner up prizes, thus a player leaving on week 2 or week 10 makes no difference at all. So, whether the competition is entirely fair versus entirely scripted doesn't mean a thing because if Trump decides he doesn't want to hire you, you ain't winning the game. As long as this was made clear to the contestants beforehand (and I would presume it was), they really can't complain about tasks being rigged.

Of course, I note the small print in the closing credits that states something to the effect that Trump discusses his firing decisions with the producers beforehand, yet I missed the fine print that says,"the outcomes of the competitive tasks are decided beforehand by Trump and the producers."

What I want to know from the author is did he see Omarosa playing basketball?

This doesn't bother me. If the producers set up buyers and the buyers had previously agree to take the units that's not an issue. The teams won (and lost) because of what they negotiated. And since the renter we know about had already agreed to a lower rent the fact that Bill *still* couldn't get a better price for the apartment just makes him look like more of a doof. Money wasn't an object for her, since whatever she agreed on wasn't going to be the price anyway. Had Bill asked for more, he probably would have gotten more. IMHO he started too low, the same mistake that was made when renting out the penthouse. Obviously he learned nothing from the rental experience.

crystalcakes from another thread, re: the Morning News article


crystalcakes, I don't think the guy died . . . just was badly injured. There is mention of "M" moving in with his mom after his release from the hospital. My take was that "M's" story wasn't necessarily the writer's story to tell, and that he told it, in part, to point out that there is a "dark side" to Reality TV, beyond what one might expect in terms of dishonesty. I like how he readily admits that by even writing the article, he is contributing to the thing he is complaining about. I feel that way every time I post in Omarosa's thread.

Yeah. I don't get what M's suicide attempt had to do with anything. The dark side of reality TV? That the apartment in the show had been the scene of a sad event? That later on a car chase and accident happened? So what? Years ago we found out that a woman had completed a suicide in the apartment we rented. Sad for her (and her husband and child) but really had nothing to do with us.

From the clips I've seen from Oprah, she looked like a referee trying to hold back two snarling pitt bulls ready to gnarl each other's eyes out. No easy feat. Props to Oprah for trying to keep things civil. Honestly, it's good that they were kept physically apart because I could honestly see violence erupt.

Ereka strikes me as her own worst enemy. When I first heard the n-word allegations, she had my sympathy, but after watching her volatility and explosive temper over the past few weeks, she has now cast doubt as to her own integrity. I honestly don't know if she said it or not. You can see how angry and emotional she gets, it's possible she could have uttered something offensive in the heat of the moment.

It's also possible that she could have said something else and Assy could have misheard her. Both these women are highly volatile drama queens. It's a toss-up.

Yeahwhatever, I see what you're saying. (Need more caffiene . . . ) Maybe "dark side" wasn't the right choice of words. I found the article interesting (and directly related to reality TV) in terms of the affect the renovations had on the family downstairs, and the perks afforded to the upstairs tenant. My bias? I'm a landlord, and have been (and will soon be once again) a tenant. In terms of M's story and the car chase bit, perhaps it didn't have anything to do with reality TV. I found it compelling in a "human interest" sort of way, and did enjoy his writing style. So obviously, YMMV.



choco, interesting insight. Good reminder of why I should not get so worked up until I see the show. This might be the key to why we haven't been able to get "just one interview."

Bostonians: In today's Metro was the news that Ereka & Katrina are going to be hosting a viewing party at King's (DeVille Lounge), 10 Scotia Street (by the Pru). The first 100 lucky attendees will get signed copies of the FHM spread.

The very first male attendee to show up will get a 15-minute two-way. (OK, so I made that part up.)

They look so fake in the picture - like a group of Barbie Dolls (not to insult Barbie dolls). And honestly, like I've said about Assomora and her tv guide picture in regards to her "political future", these pictures are going to come back some day to bite them in the ass. If by some chance, they want to work in the business world ever, things like this are so stupid.

As always, Rachel RSL is correct. During the first few weeks of the show, that is what really drove me crazy about the women on the show.

The Morning News article was a little "all over the place." I thik the guy was just pissed at the whole experience and just wanted to vent. The fact that the previous tennant was "a pain in the ass" and fell out of the window seems a little beside the point. The article was a little unfocused and seemed like more of a rant. Also, the guy seems to like to complain about everything, like signing for a neighbors packages, etc., the amount of money of the inconvenience he suffered, etc. He makes some justifiable points, but he's a little whiney for my tastes.

I completely agree, Assorama has learned to use publicity to her advantage....for the most part. She may come off as being psycho, manipulative and self-deluded, but E comes across as being a petty, whiny little girl. Which is worse (or more realistic)? I don't know, but Assorama is sure to be remembered when E is just "remember that ho in FHM". Of course I'd rather not that either of them are remembered, but regardless. No doubt that Asso is more mature, and more intelligent (eek!) than E. But I don't think Oprah was being entirely balanced by putting E in the audience and holding Asso up as the "strong black woman" (in a symbolic sense) on the stage, altho I haven't seen the show so can't really judge. It does seem that Ass is getting quite a bit of support from the folks at Ebony, Oprah, etc.

Don't forget, today is the Oprah ep of Apprentice. Frm the preiew clips I have seen, Oprah directly questions about the dreaded so-called use of the "N-word" and Erika calls Assorama a liar on National TV. There is a good look inside at this particular Oprah broadcast from DT and Mark Burnett at the Chicago Sun Times, in the entertainment section. I know that someone already made mention of this article, but there are also some good points about the Oprah show there, too.

Plus, I think (pure speculation) that Oprah is going to try and fuel Assorama a bit, and either get her to dispell the notion that she is a fruitcake, or make her bake it up. Oprah knows what moves her points, and she is not about to let some little twit like Assorama turn her show into a major mockery. Here's hoping that Oprah adds some ju ju fruits and raisins to the fruitcake that is assorama, but you know, I would almost like that as much as I would love to see Amy.Gone.Please.


bzbee, that is Oprah style, and quite frankly the reason I have stopped watching most of her shows. If she is not self-congratulating, or walking her big mouth all over the guests comments, she is doing a little too much propping, IMO. She is also a mohugeous name dropper, which drives me insane.

ETA- I confused E with K, wich is normal to do since they are permanently joined at the hip, but still just wrong.

Wrigley, sorry. The shot was at the article, not you. It was an interesting article, but I didn't get the connection between filming the reality show and the other incidents, particularly why he feels M was so hard done by in all this. I guess I understand his own feeling put out over it, but really. I've been inconvenienced by lots of stuff, construction, neighbors who think revving their Harley at 9am every Sunday (and never actually going anywhere with it weirdly enough) etc. to have too much sympathy for his plight. And unless he signed a waiver they couldn't show him anyway, so I don't know why he wondered about being shown. To me, he just comes off like an ass. It's nice to read the other perspective, he just seems so far above it all that I don't know why he bothered.

Preview of today's Oprah in the NY Post.



Gah! And what is up with Trump's denial?

[/QUOTE]Women like those four make it 1000 times more difficult for the rest of us to be taken seriously in the business world.[/QUOTE]

I so totally agree! And I would love to know how they think this will help them in the business world???? Can you just see the interactions they will have from clients and co-workers? Smirks and such, conversations that abruptly end when they get near? Of course, on the bright side, imagining that makes me think of the Sienfeld episode when Elaine started off the dancing at the J. Peterman Christmas party.

I really have not liked Amy for the last 3 or 4 episodes, but I firmly believed that she would be one of the final 2. I can not see that now. How could anyone pose in seductive lingere that does not leave much to the imagination expect to be named President of a company immediately afterward? If she does win after this, I will be amazed.

Thanks archer . . . a much needed laugh!

No worries, yeahwhatever. I knew you were referring to the article. Likewise, your comment just made me think more about my own. Gotta love rational discourse. Omarosa, Ereka, Katrina, please take note.

Isn't the tenant of the renovated apartment in the Morning News article that sdpfeiffy linked to the same one who wrote an article in the NY Post about the apartment back in February? She wrote about how she was lied to and how she actually got the apartment for a much lower rent than was televised because she made an arrangement with the landlord. She also claimed that she hates reality television and didn't want to be involved in the whole thing and that she had "almost forgotten" the whole incident. Or was that the tenant of the other apartment? (I'm getting older; the memory's not what it used to be.)

Bubbacat, the author of the Morning News article was the downstairs neighbor. He was writing from his point of view, and included her in his story.

I wonder about the penthouse neighbor's credibility in that article. It does seem he still has that "I want them to be as miserable as I was" chip on his shoulder, so he could be manipulating the facts.

Or I might just think he's an asshole. I mean, really:



As someone with a number of friends who have written for that show, who worked their asses off for it, let me say on their collective behalf: Bite me, dickwad.

You can see pictures and quotes from today's Oprah in the gallery at:

http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200404/200...040408_01.jhtml

You're right, Wrigley, and that's actually what I meant. I just phrased it very badly. I think I need a nap. That age thing again.

LizDC posted the link back on page 105 ..

It is an article that appears in the Washington Post. Worth reading the whole thing.

Appears Oma has been a real problem child, contentious and just plain ass to work with for a LONG time. And it sounds like her "lay the blame game" on others is also not a new modus operandus for her neither.

WRIGLEY- yes, i agree. But someone else posted that it seemed like he wanted a death honored and i was just referring to them. As I said, I don't know what he was driving at.

It doesn't look from the pictures that Ereka is in the audience.

I really don't see any discrepency between the "Cameras were always on us" and "Whomever and whomever did blah blah away from the cameras." Because, even with constant filming, you could likely engineer a moment of privacy if you wanted. I doubt they did any toilet-cam or shower-cam shots, you know?

So, Ereka's statement still holds, unless O expects us to believe they both intentionally slipped away together just so Ereka could sling some vulgarities her way.

Sorry, that was me, crystalcakes.

From the other thread, since the discussion moved here:



Sorry. The guy didn't die, but his inclusion still made no sense in context of the article. Why didn't he just say, "And then the Indians were only given some beads for Manhattan, but that was completely glossed over during that reality show!"

He probably had to sign for the beads when they were delivered...

And finally, here it comes. Lawsuit!

...

OK, I missed the Oprah show because of the congressional hearings being televised. And yes, national security is oh, so much more important than what any of the fired apprentices have to say, but what about me, the viewer? (thank you, Miss Alli!)

For those of you with the Oxygen network, Oprah has an after-the-show half-hour segment that is just an extension of the show. In Chicago, it appears to be on at 6, 6:30 & 9:30.

Technically he did not call her a liar. Just said that you couldn't believe anything she said. And Carolyn didn't call her a liar either. She said that O wasn't credible. Gah.

And if Assorama IS falsely accusing her, good for Ereca. I would sue the shit out of anyone that tried to paint me as a racist using lies. Personally, I think Assorama has gotten to where she is today (and where that is, who knows?) because she has a very intimidating, bullying way about her. Don't back down from the bully!

...

Word BassetHound. Make Assy put her money where her mouth is before an impartial third-party, who isn't named Oprah. If Ereka does sue and win money, I'd love to see her donate it to the United Negro College Fund to drive the point home, but I guess I won't hold my breath waiting for that.