154 replies to this topic

[TWoP Pembleton]

THE TWO FINALISTS MUST CREATE, HOST AND SELL TICKETS TO A CELEBRITY CHARITY EVENT, FEATURING A CHARITY AWARENESS AD AND A VARIETY SHOW, STARRING CELEBRITIES AND THEIR HELPERS The two finalists must embark on the biggest task yet. They must create, host, and sell tickets to a celebrity charity event, featuring a charity awareness ad and a variety show, starring none other than themselves. With eight celebrities returning to help them, the two finalists must rely on everything they've learned all season to win the ultimate prize: $250,000 for their charity, and the title of The Celebrity Apprentice. With time running out, one finalist finds they don't have the footage needed to edit their charity awareness ad, while the other finalist goes head to head with a returning celebrity.

[bandita]

The Magic Johnson Footage..one of the funniest things I have seen all season. I imagine that both Adam and Arsenio's stomach dropped when they saw it. I wonder if it is a fake out since at one point you see Magic looking at the camera. Surely Magic knew enough to know that side view didn't make sense.

I will laugh my butt off if Clay wins based on Lisa's donation.

And the cynical side of me thinks that someone was messing with Arsenio with that footage. As in a producer whispered into Magic's ear....we need a little drama. Let's freak him out.

Edited by bandita, May 13, 2012 @ 10:08 PM.

[Lambchop]

Re: Clay's dilemma about where to tape the kids playing. What about Central Park? Is that pretty much always open? Seems like that would have been the go-to spot if you want to show kids playing in NYC.

[noluvnoluck]

I agree that was probably not the only angle of Magic that they shot. I bet the editor will be like "Wait, wait, hold on there's more footage coming" or some nonsense.

I'm disappointed that Arsenio is part of the final two. Clay deserved it but he damned sure didn't.

[wej5541]

It looked like everything was going Arsenio's way until we suddenly saw the Magic Johnson footage.

[thalia ann]

I almost felt sorry for Aubrey every time Arsenio would say something like "I choose the pretty and talented ... Paul!" Almost.

[Lambchop]

Aubrey: Since I got picked last, I'm going to have to step it up and over-compensate...

That was when I yelled at my TV, "Look out, Clay!!"

[langslowblack]

Re: Clay's dilemma about where to tape the kids playing. What about Central Park? Is that pretty much always open? Seems like that would have been the go-to spot if you want to show kids playing in NYC

They weren't allowed to film there for some reason.

[Lambchop]

They weren't allowed to film there for some reason.

Oh, I see. Must have missed that part. Maybe they needed permits to do that?

Anyway, I thought both teams had good concepts. I like Penn's idea for taking the pity out of the message by showing a disabled kid playing right along with other kids.

Also loved the theme for Arsenio's team...we got rid of the other junk from the 80's, but we still have HIV. It was a great idea. Loved seeing them in their 80's outfits!

Hope Adam's audio team didn't screw the pooch for Arsenio's vid. Hopefully Magic will agree to a do-over.

[StinkPill]

Donald Trump and his lips though..

Trump is the quintessential douche bag, text book.

His brazen arrogance and superiority is extremely impressive though.

ETA: Darn spellin' funktions.

Edited by StinkPill, May 13, 2012 @ 11:11 PM.

[RentEmSpoons]

The right guys are in the finals. I like seeing Clay and Arsenio having a respectful showdown. Even though everything looks to be going Arsenio's way, I just can't see Clay being a national #2 for the second time. Then again, Arsenio's team looks really sharp. I think this is where youth is going to tank Clay. He's not that young (early 30s), but compared to Arsenio (who is 56), he may as well be 12. You have to be a real wunderkind to be able to beat wisdom and experience, and I don't see that happening here.

I think Clay is sticking to the wrong thing with this "I want to see a sketch" business (which may be a sign of his youth). Talk about not seeing the woods for the trees here. I understand where he's coming from, but...come on, now. This woman is a professional artist. I think it'll be okay.

Watching the editing monkeys take the piss off Aubrey is the greatest thing since Christmas. Seeing Teresa being picked over Aubrey...high-LARIOUS.

Edited by RentEmSpoons, May 13, 2012 @ 11:18 PM.

[nospin]

Oh boy... I was so wrong thinking Arsenio would be let go and Aubrey and Clay would be in the finale.
Clay is trying to manage his event correctly, but I would never want to have a boss like that. He is micromanaging, and he is disrespectful, and he is condescending. And he would have never looked like that had he simply thanked his teammates at least once or twice. The problem is he acts like he feels etitled and does not feel grateful at all. Perhaps he does not understand that his teammates owe him nothing. They could actually turn around and do to him what Lisa did to Arsenio and they could definitely stop worrying about things and let Clay do it all on his own. Clay really does not seem to understand it or appreciate their help.

Edited by nospin, May 13, 2012 @ 11:42 PM.

[kkowalski]

The thing about artists is that everyone has their own style. What if the professional mural artist was into a style that is totally inappropriate for what they're looking for? I understand Clay wanting to see a sketch. I've seen flyers going to my boss advertising gallery showings where the art looks like crap to me, yet is selling for $20k.

Love that Lisa's making a donation. You don't think she's going to donate that $50k she already collected? Nah, she already told Ivanka about it... I think.

[missy jo]

I thought Clay had every right to ask for a basic sketch in order to OK it, and I don't understand what Debbie didn't understand about it.

Enjoyed seeing Adam and Penn again - they were my favorites, but cringing at Adam's Magic Johnson footage. What they could do is take the couple sentences where he catches the ball and is looking at the camera, then go just to his voice-over as they show mobile testing units, other stock footage, etc.

[Maddingcrowd]

This is the final task, and unless both project managers are approving or at least seeing everything being done, they could lose. I have to give Clay some slack because when I am on an important project I get very tense as well. Debbie is being silly and I would imagine even a mom who hires a muralist to paint her baby's room wants some idea of what it looks like. Just because this woman paints murals in peoples houses doesn't mean she is a great artist. Debbie is being obstinate on purpose and yes the celebs do have to be there-they agreed to come back and I'm sure they are being paid for it-they are not doing it to be nice.

Arsenio seems like he is more laid-back and on the better team, but by relying so much on his team he is not able to control the final product and it may backfire on him. Having Theresa as the event planner may be one mistake. She is a sweet woman and works hard but this event is different than her dinner parties at home. Paul seems to be doing nothing and Adam is spending all his time on the video aspect.

Either team could win at this point but I want to Clay to win. Clay has worked hard at every challenge and is passionate about his cause (not saying Arsenio isn't). And sorry Penn, not everyone can be all logic all the time. For some people, emotions come into play in what they do and that is what gives their product passion. He came up with a good idea for the PSA, but otherwise seems to sit back in judgement.

[GBB]

And if the mural turned out to be "off" somehow (didn't fit the theme, wasn't appropriate in some other way) nothing could have been done to hide an entire wall. Trump's first question would have been, "Clay, as project manager, why didn't you insist on at least seeing a sketch before the mural was painted and it was too late to make a change?" Clay was clear from the beginning that he wanted to see a sketch first. It wasn't an unreasonable request and Debbie was the one making it a huge deal. He didn't come in at the 11th hour and say "show me a sketch or cancel the mural." She'd known that from the beginning, the day before. She was just pissed off that he stood his ground.

And yes, her cousin may have rearranged her entire schedule to do the mural, but Debbie was acting like she was doing Clay a personal favor instead of getting to promote her artwork in front of a national audience for free.

I think type A personalities like Clay are at a disadvantage when shown against more laid-back personalities like Arsenio. It's hard for them not to look like a hard-ass in comparison. But I don't think it's micro-managing to want to approve the concept for a mural that will be seen by everyone at an event representing your charity.

Speaking of him being Type A, it was so much fun to see his stress just melt away when he started playing with the children :)

And speaking of the children, I LOVED Penn's "you can't tell which of these children is disabled" idea for the PSA. And he tied the concept into the foundation's "Let's All Play" theme beautifully.

eta- can't believe I forgot to mention my all-time favorite moment (maybe of the entire season)

Arsenio: I'm gonna be all up in your ass.
Clay: You might want to rephrase that.

I love seeing it come down to two people who are good friends and respect one another.

Edited by GBB, May 13, 2012 @ 11:56 PM.

[MelissaSusan]

Even as someone is rooting for Arsenio, I am hands down okay with Clay insisting on the sketch. I am super happy he is sticking to that decision. At the end of the day, he's responsible and he knows very well what may or not become grist for the boardroom if it is a disaster.

[basiltherat]

Re: MuralGate -- If Debbie's cousin (in order to get free publicity!) cannot deliver a simple sketch, why in heaven's name should Clay believe she could deliver an entire mural in only one day?? Plus, if the mural is finished at the last minute, wouldn't the paint still be wet and stink like wet paint?

[misterbfd]

If the Magic Johnson footage really is only the side-view that we've seen (though I think Magic may just be fooling with Arsenio) then I know how to salvage it: use the opening shot of Magic catching the ball since he's facing the camera, then use the rest of his speech as a voiceover and cut in images related to the charity.

[RentEmSpoons]

Clay was clear from the beginning that he wanted to see a sketch first. It wasn't an unreasonable request and Debbie was the one making it a huge deal. He didn't come in at the 11th hour and say "show me a sketch or cancel the mural." She'd known that from the beginning, the day before. She was just pissed off that he stood his ground.

True dat. I'm getting a little tired of hearing about the goodness of Debbie's cousin myself. (Does she not have a website so Clay could at least see her work? Shit, she couldn't snap a picture and upload it to Photobucket!?) If I was Clay and didn't have that sketch by morning, I would've just said "Thanks, but no thanks" and moved on.

[PetuniaP]

Clay gave a very good demonstration of how NOT to get the best out of your team, while Arsenio demonstrated the opposite. They should save this footage for management classes. Delegate clearly and give people enough to do, treat your people with respect, trust their judgement and they will work their tails off for you. Micromanage, condescend, act obstinately, and you will stress people out and get bad product. Clay could have handled that Debbie situation far better than he did. While his argument had merit, it was hard to be on his side because his attitude was so nasty. People will forget what you say but they will remember how you make them feel so tread lightly. Penn has a point when he said that teams do not have to be managed on razor's edge, even in stressful situations, to be successful.

Arsenio...cut the footage after Magic catches the pass and then use his voiceover over some stock images. Problem solved.

Aubrey is as bitchy as ever. Nothing was better than seeing her fired. And she had no idea what Marlee and Rich meant by transparent! Also, can we please stop calling her young? 27 is not that young.

Edited by PetuniaP, May 14, 2012 @ 12:05 AM.

[Lambchop]

I am hands down okay with Clay insisting on the sketch. I am super happy he is sticking to that decision. At the end of the day, he's responsible and he knows very well what may or not become grist for the boardroom if it is a disaster.

Same here. The mural could make or break the way the room looks, so I don't blame him for wanting to see a sketch. Plus, he told Debbie that from the get-go. I don't know why she didn't communicate that to her cousin in the first place -- instead of getting all dramatic and crying about it.

I don't blame Clay for putting the brakes on Aubrey either. She comes up with some good ideas, but when she was telling Clay how she wanted to decorate the room, I think she talked for five minutes without even taking a breath.

[Jon N]

Clay gave a very good demonstration of how NOT to get the best out of your team, while Arsenio demonstrated the opposite. They should save this footage for management classes. Delegate clearly and give people enough to do, treat your people with respect, trust their judgement and they will work their tails off for you. Micromanage, condescend, act obstinately, and you will stress people out and get bad product. Clay could have handled that Debbie situation far better than he did. While his argument had merit, it was hard to be on his side because his attitude was so nasty. People will forget what you say but they will remember how you make them feel so tread lightly. Penn has a point when he said that teams do not have to be managed on razor's edge, even in stressful situations, to be successful.

Completely agree, I think Clay had a good point too, it's just that the way he talks to Debbie comes off rude and nasty. Especially he only has 4 people to work for him, and three of them clearly don't like him. When THAT many people don't like you, it's beginning to look like it's Clay that's the problem. Most of the things he said I do believe are completely valid, it's just the way he said them and the way he comes off that is jarring, and Debbie had a right to react to the rudeness.

[Travid]

I wonder if the complete polar opposite views on Clay standing his ground are the result of regional differences or a generational thing. It's fascinating that the exact same thing can be so polarising.

For the record, I'm with Clay on this. It's his neck on the block and the helpers need to park their egos.

[RentEmSpoons]

I'm thinking it's generational, because Debbie seems to be treating Clay like a kid. I'm half expecting him to say "I'm a grown-ass man!"

[Vinny Vidi Vici]

It looks like Team Clay is getting the loser edit. Since I've only seen one other season of this show (last year) I seem to recall that John Rich looked like he might tank but didn't, so I'm putting my hope eggs in that basket. Because if I had to pick a winner based on what I saw, Arsenio has this in the bag.

I didn't really get the enormous wasting of time trying to find a grassy patch. What little of the video was shown seemed like it could have been filmed indoors just as well. And the money - Arsenio's team was all over collecting some from the beginning and Clay's wasn't. If what we see is what we get, I'm worried for him.

[StarForeman]

Did I miss the part where Clay was gracious and thanked Aubrey and Debby for all their work and pleasantly stated that he was thrilled Debby's cousin was doing this so last minute and hated to be a pain but needed to see a sketch to make sure the mural would work with the way his charity needed to represent itself? Or when he thanked Aubrey and Debby for pretty much doing 2/3 of the task, both the musical arrangements for the show and the theme and decorations of the room while he went and yelled at kids for wanting to play and not work?

I hope Debby quits, cause I would not stay and work with someone as rude and dismissive as clay either.

Typed on an iPad

[classicgranny]

I am sure Aubrey was completely shocked when she was fired. I mean she is the hardest working, wisest, most creative player that has ever been on Celebrity Apprentice (in her own delusional mind)...

I am happy that Clay and Arsenio seem to have such a friendship and mutual respect for each other. It is refreshing to see this with all the backstabbing and faux buddies this season. Both teams have solid ideas, but I fear that Debbie G. will continue to slow down progress for Clay. She is acting like a complete annoying ass. And Debbie, for the record, you are not as important in the musical industry as you once may have been. Sweetie, the 80's are long gone forever. Clay has a right and an obligation to see a sketch before he agrees 100%. Whatever happens, he will answer for it. All the contestants should be working hard to help the final two achieve their goal and take some of the stress away. Too many bruised egos may still be involved.

I am not sure how I feel about Lisa donating to the opposing team. Isn't that going against her own team and project manager? Seems like a nasty move to me. But then we're talking about Lisa, so...speaks for itself.

[CathinAZ]

What is Debbie's problem? Clay, the project leader, provided 2 clear instructions. One, to let him hear the musical medley he had delegated to her in it's entirety so he and others could critique it. He didn't ask for her to provide bits and pieces and then stop and discuss it like she conti used to do. Why not just run through the whole proposed medley as asked. He asked her several times, or at least the editing made it look like that. I'd be pissed if I asked for a complete run through and she, a musician, didn't do it. Then he asked for a sketch from the muralist, Debbie's relative, of what she proposed to put on the wall. Now I understand that the muralist was probably busy with other stuff and may have gotten this potential assignmentbatbthe last minute, but if your client asks for a sketch of what you propose to paint, take a few minutes and provide the sketch! I'm thinking that possibly Debbie didn't stress the importance of the sketch to the muralist. Debbie did not seem to grasp the request from the team leader and I don't see it as micromanaging. With limited time, he delegated and gave her freedom for proposing the entire music medley...when he asks to hear the entire piece so he can give some notes/critique about it, she wasn't able to. When he said if she and Aubrey wanted to go with a mural on the wall to provide a sketch..again, she didn't follow through. Then in her "camera talk segment",she complained of him micromanaging and not really understanding her part of the task. What? You were clearly tasked with proposing the music madly arrangement and providing a sketch of the proposed wall mural. Pretty clear and direct to me. Lots of responsibility and freedom to do what she wanted... All she had to do was then play the entire medley through so people could hear it and get your relative to provide a sketch.....

[angelita100]

Wouldn't a sketch take like 10 minutes? I'm not understanding the problem. A whole day has gone by and there's no sketch and Debbie is having a break down. Her cousin spent her time gathering people to paint a mural when it hasn't been approved? Seriously?

The music thing was weird too. Does she expect him to just see the final project at the time of the show?

I agree with those who say the Magic thing is no big deal and just use a voice over.