February 27, 2006 |
Trump Talks Martha, Randall and Apprentice No. 5!
The Donald has spoken. "When you win the World Series, like we did with The Apprentice, you don't make too many changes," Donald Trump says on the eve of the NBC series' fifth edition. "The big change is always the cast." True, but there are some other surprises this time around. Premiering tonight at 9 pm/ET — in its new Monday time slot opposite 24 — Trump has called in some reinforcements, as he reveals in this TV Guide Q&A.
TV Guide: I'm sure you're happy with the performance of last season's finale, because the ratings had been down a bit.Donald Trump: There was a lot of confusion with Martha [Stewart's edition of The Apprentice]. A lot of confusion. People didn't know what was going on. Even through that, [the original] did well, and then it really went well towards the end. The ratings were very strong. [Reciting ratings from Variety, Dec. 21, page 6] "CSI, The Apprentice..." [Proudly] We killed The Amazing Race. Fifteen copies or relative copies [of The Apprentice] have failed. I'm starting to think I must be very good at this. We just finished shooting No. 5, and No. 6 is being shot in Los Angeles. NBC and [series creator] Mark [Burnett] and myself thought it would be really good to have a change of venue, and I have property in Los Angeles. I'm going to go out there pretty soon to pick the people.
TV Guide: Let's talk about The Apprentice, Season 5. Every year you shake things up a little. What can we expect this season?Trump: I felt strongly about [not changing too much]. We started to get a little bit cute in No. 3, with the project managers' exempt and all that, and all it did was make things more complicated. On No. 4, we went back to the original concept and I really like it much better. There are certain things that have worked well — like [pitting the] men versus the women — but again, when you have a success like The Apprentice, you don't want to change it so much.
TV Guide: You once had "the street smart versus the book smart" college grads.Trump: Right, but the concept of men versus women has been there a very long time and it's probably a natural thing. We have made certain changes [for Season 5] but I can't really tell you that it's still men versus women, because that's what the show is for. TV Guide: OK, let's talk about the contestants. As usual, most are good-looking and have impressive resumes.Trump: Incredible resumes. Rather than going over all of them, because I don't have all day, let's look down the list. Allie: She went to Harvard, got an MBA, graduated very high in her class. Brilliant, very energetic. A great television character. Charmaine: She made presentations to companies that were just unbelievable. Better than people who have been doing it for 20 years. She's a natural salesperson, but beyond that an unbelievable presenter. Lenny: Russian, as tough as they come. Made himself a millionaire by the strap of his boots. Total killer, but with a heart. Again, a great character.
TV Guide: Michael looks like a possible show hunk.Trump: [Assessing hunks] has never been my thing, but he's a very handsome guy. Very successful. He's a management consultant, he's done great. Tarek is very interesting. He's a member of Mensa, a very tiny group of people get into that. That's when you have a genius IQ. He's very different, as you'll see.
TV Guide: There's always one woman who scares everyone, who's kind of a barracuda.Trump: Roxanne is very, very smart. University of Michigan Law School. Top student. Brilliant. She is really something. Andrea — amazing. She's made millions of dollars, probably the most successful cast member from a dollar standpoint. She skipped college, [yet is] possibly the most successful of all of them. She's a very, very tough and smart person.
TV Guide: Are there any Sam or Omarosa types?Trump: You never know. Sam wasn't Sam until we went on the air. When we shot Apprentice [Season] 1, we never knew that Omarosa was Omarosa. We didn't know other people would be such stars and that was even after we shot and edited. I don't know who's going to become a star until the audience sees them. There are three or four of them in this group who I think could have "it," but it's bad for me to mention their names, because I'm usually wrong. There are some very beautiful [candidates], but that's been proven to not be [a critical factor].
TV Guide: What are some of the companies the candidates work with this season?Trump: We'll be working with Microsoft, General Motors, Yahoo, Procter & Gamble.... Every company that's been on The Apprentice has had among their most successful launches. The Pontiac Solstice was a huge success, for example.
TV Guide: Can we expect any subs for Carolyn [Kepcher] or George [Ross]?Trump: My daughter Ivanka, who went to the Wharton School of Finance — the No. 1 business school, where she got all A's — and who joined me less than a year ago, will substitute for Carolyn on occasion. And my son Donald Jr., who has been in my business for five years, will substitute for George on occasion.
TV Guide: Did you think of that or did Mark?Trump: It was the most natural thing. Mark was in my office when Ivanka walked in and he said, "You know, she's 6 feet tall, she's a great beauty and she's had all A's in school.... We've got to have her on the show. "
TV Guide: Will she and Donald Jr. be tough in the boardroom?Trump: They're tough and smart.
TV Guide: Who's going to scare the candidates more?Trump: That's another thing I can't tell. I may think one, but the audience will think another. But they're really good. They're the ultimate Apprentices when you get right down to it.
TV Guide: This year, you're on Mondays, up against a very popular 24.Trump: We always get great ratings. Don't forget, in Season 1, for many episodes we would beat CSI. We were the only ones ever to do that. [Competing against] 24 is a lot easier than CSI. The only thing that I would say is a risk is that we did really well on Thursday nights and people knew us in that slot and now we're in a different one — a very good slot, but a different one. The only thing I would be concerned about is whether the audience will find us.
TV Guide: You got tons of publicity when you invited Season 4's champ, Randall, to bring the runner-up, Rebecca, with him. Would you ever do that again?Trump: That was unbelievable. I've gotten thousands of letters on that. That was a spur-of-the-moment decision made on live television. I can't tell you I would or I wouldn't [do it again], although I thought it was a good thing to do at the time. Randall certainly came out looking strong when he said no.
TV Guide: Was that the right choice for an entrepreneur to make?Trump: He's a very decisive guy and honestly, when he made the decision, I thought he was making a mistake. Now that time has gone by, I think he did the right thing.
TV Guide: Is he doing a good job for you?Trump: He's doing great.
TV Guide: You'll just have to think of something equally surprising for the Season 5 finale.Trump: I promise.
Are you addicted to shows like The Apprentice? Find out the real reason reality TV is a hit. |
We Debrief 24's Chloe and Edgar
Chloe and Edgar are the yin and yang of Fox's 24 (Mondays at 9 pm/ET). She's a hottie who kicks butt out in the field. He's an aerobically challenged techie who never leaves his computer. But CTU's loyal systems analysts keep saving the world, which is why Mary Lynn Rajskub and Louis Lombardi think they have the coolest characters on the show. When she's not shooting 24, Rajskub hangs with Fiona Apple and makes movies (most recently, the Harrison Ford thriller Firewall). Lombardi, an alum of The Sopranos, prefers homier pursuits. "I have the new Xbox," he says. "Come to my house and I'll play you for money." Here's what TV's unlikeliest dynamic duo say about punching the clock.
TV Guide: When are Chloe and Edgar finally going to hook up?Louis Lombardi: Don't tell anybody, but we already are. It's hot.Mary Lynn Rajskub: It's been written about in some underground publication.
TV Guide: Is it hard, Mary Lynn, playing someone so... bitchy?Lombardi: Finally, someone agrees!Rajskub: You know what? Chloe's misunderstood by a lot of people.Lombardi: Sexually frustrated is more like it.Rajskub: I just have more attitude than other characters, that's all. Though I did tell Edgar to shut up a few times.
TV Guide: Did you know Chloe and Edgar were becoming more popular while you were shooting last season?Lombardi: Well, if they just keep writing more and more for you, you know you're doing all right.
TV Guide: What do you say when people ask, "What's going to happen next on 24?"Lombardi: Oh, you know — "It'll get good."Rajskub: I just make up stuff. Or I tell them Kiefer [Sutherland] got a new pair of shoes. [Ed. note: She kids not. Rajskub had us going in her previous preseason premiere Q&A with TVGuide.com.]
TV Guide: So what's going to happen next on 24?Rajskub: Actually, we usually get two scripts at a time so we don't really know which one's gonna be the real one.Lombardi: I learned my lesson. When I did The Sopranos, I went out one night. Pussy just got killed and about 10 people in the bar stopped dead when I announced it. Two friends were so mad, they thought I ruined the whole season. You don't realize it's so powerful. With this show, I don't say nothing.
TV Guide: How are you different from your characters?Lombardi: I'm the opposite of Edgar. I'm not quiet, not shy, and I don't like being yelled at. I wouldn't take being yelled at or getting called an idiot by everybody in the office.Rajskub: I'm the opposite of Chloe, too. I would never be like, "Shut up!" But I do kinda enjoy it. I can relate to being really awkward or being misunderstood.
TV Guide: Why does Jack talk to Chloe more than other people?Rajskub: Because I'm awesome. I'm a know-it-all. But here's the reason: I'm secretly in love with Jack and he knows it.
TV Guide: What kind of guy is Edgar?Lombardi: He's a little sad. Smart. Not too funny. Kids used to use him to do homework.
TV Guide: Would you, Louis, be friends with Chloe?Lombardi: I don't think I'd be friends with Chloe. She'd probably hate me. She doesn't have much of a sense of humor.
TV Guide: Do you guys generally get along off set?Rajskub: We totally get along.Lombardi: It's not like Desperate Housewives. |
Booted Becky Happy with Idol Exposure
And then there were 20. Fox's robust new season of American Idol (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 pm/ET) really and truly got underway last week when four of the two dozen semifinalists got shown the door, all because they were shown a paucity of auto-dialing and text-messaging love. TVGuide.com talked with Becky O'Donahue — who, with Stevie Scott, Patrick Hall and Bobby Bennett, was sent packing — about singing her swan song so soon.
TVGuide.com: What most pleasantly surprised you about your Idol experience? And what was the biggest disappointment?Becky O'Donahue: What surprised me the most would have to be looking back to see how much I've grown. Going into this, you want to win, you want to do your best, but you never actually think that you're going to change or that you're going to become a better performer and artist for it. As far as being booted off this early, of course that's disappointing, but that was yesterday — I'm moving forward and I can't wait to see the opportunities that will now present themselves to me. American Idol put me on a stage in front of millions and millions of people. I'm very anxious and, again, very excited to see what doors have been opened.
TVGuide.com: Much of the preseason hype was about how this would be the cattiest, most backstabbing-est Idol group yet. Did you sense any of that?O'Donahue: No, I didn't. People want publicity and they want controversy.... You have 24 different people from 24 different walks of life and with 24 different personalities, and I think that under the circumstances we were put in, we got along fabulously and very professionally.
TVGuide.com: In retrospect, what would you have done differently last Tuesday night?O'Donahue: [There was] that stupid last note at the end of my song — I nailed it every single time except on TV. But no, I wouldn't have changed anything. I was very happy with my song selection [Patti Smith's "Because the Night"]. I went out there, I had a great time.... Maybe I was a little nervous, but I was really proud of my performance and the way I handled myself.
TVGuide.com: Who's your personal pick to make it to the final four, if not win the whole enchilada?O'Donahue: Oh, I don't know. I would never pick a favorite because they're all working so hard and trying to perform the best that they can.
In her conference call with reporters, O'Donahue also addressed the topics of...
Might she follow up her Fear Factor and Idol appearances with another reality show?O'Donahue: You know, I haven't even thought about it. These situations just arise. I haven't given any thought to doing another reality show.
Did her Idol roommate, Brenna, live up to her diva reputation behind closed doors?O'Donahue: Brenna is a wonderful girl and we got along fabulously. The way she is on camera is the way she is. We never, ever had a disagreement, ever. We always respected each other.
What is her take on the press' early favorite, Paris Bennett?O'Donahue: She's a very nice girl, she's a great performer. Just like myself and the rest of the contestants, she puts her all into every performance and tries to be the best that she can be.
And — you had to see this coming — does she have any regrets about the Maxim pictorial she did with her twin sister, Jessie? And would she do Playboy?O'Donahue: I don't regret anything. I was a model for hire and it was a normal shoot. As far as Playboy, no, I don't see that in my future right now. It's not something I would want to do with my career. I'd be flattered, but I'm not interested right now. |
Pompeo Ponders Grey's Matters
Ellen Pompeo of ABC's red-hot Grey's Anatomy (Sundays at 10 pm/ET) opens up to TV Guide about her gypsy soul, her red-carpet style and how she really feels about Meredith and McDreamy.
TV Guide: You've been in movies with Jake Gyllenhaal, Leonardo DiCaprio and Luke Wilson. Why did you switch to TV? Ellen Pompeo: When there's a very strong female character, it's hard to walk away. In all the great, interesting films, the parts for me were really small, and the only lead parts I could get were in big, giant bad movies — except Old School, which turned out to be really funny. This role lets me balance the art and the commerce.
TV Guide: Are there any perks to your job? Pompeo: Several members of my family have been admitted to the hospital since the show started, and when they feel like the treatment isn't good enough, they say, "Do you know who my niece is?" And suddenly they're in the VIP area, having pedicures in bed.
TV Guide: How much like Meredith Grey are you? Pompeo: She wasn't much of a student, and that certainly was me. The fact that I'm convincing is a huge triumph for me because I'm not that [kind of] book person. I adore books but on my time and not in a classroom. I was very restless. I'm a gypsy at heart. As soon as I turned 18, I started traveling.
TV Guide: Where did you go? Pompeo: I went to Europe, and then I spent three years cocktail-waitressing in Miami in the early '90s when it was fabulous. When I first got there, it looked like a scene out of Scarface: old people sitting on the porches, and all these dilapidated hotels. And then I moved to New York City in the mid-'90s.
TV Guide: And instantly found fame and fortune? Pompeo: Actually, I bartended. My first professional job was a L'Oreal commercial. They dyed my hair fire-engine red. It was supposed to go away after six washes but, you know, bright copper hair doesn't wash out that quickly!
TV Guide: What was your first break on TV? Pompeo: I did Law & Order twice — played a psychotic killer [both times]. The first time, I hired my boyfriend to kill my parents. And in the second one, my boyfriend and I drugged girls to have sex with them and kill them. They rerun them on TNT all the time.
TV Guide: You're becoming an awards-show vet. What have you learned about red-carpet fashion? Pompeo: This is my first time around and I've been having a blast dressing up, but I think the Valentino outfit I wore at the Golden Globes was too fashion-forward for some people. With the 1920s-style wave in my hair, it was a little more New York than L.A.
TV Guide: If you had a very special Valentine's episode, what surprises would it have? Pompeo: A lesbian scene! [Laughs] Speaking of surprises: Did you know that one of the interns is leaving the intern program?
TV Guide: Can you say who? Pompeo: No, but whoever it is knows already. I just know that it's not me.
TV Guide: I'm in shock. Is all this loves-me, loves-me-not with Derek driving you crazy? Pompeo: Personally, I don't approve of Meredith wanting to be more than friends with Derek. I don't condone her kissing a married man, because I don't think that's cool.
TV Guide: What does Meredith need? Pompeo: What she needs is to figure out why everything happened to her. I always thought she met Dr. Shepherd in the bar and got drunk and slept with him on the first night because she used to be a partier. And this was going to be her last hurrah before she really had to get serious. So why did she put her whole career on the line so soon into her internship, and it really wasn't worth it? Now she's starting to figure out it was worth it because he is fantastic.
TV Guide: As is T.R. Knight. Isn't it about time that Meredith notices how badly George is crushing on her? [In the Feb. 19 episode, he appeared to have finally made his move.]Pompeo: I think Meredith is completely oblivious. She's consumed with her mother and Dr. McDreamy. [Laughs] There are certain things that are just going to go unnoticed. |
In Justice Star to Keep Entourage?
Constance Zimmer has played the hippest nun we've ever seen (on Joan of Arcadia) and has held her own when trading caustic barbs with Jeremy Piven on Entourage. So who better to fight the good fight in getting wrongfully incarcerated folk out of the clink on ABC's In Justice (Fridays at 10 pm/ET)? The Queen of Acerbic (our words) postponed her lunch date with a bowl of Peanut Butter Puffins long enough to speak with TVGuide.com about her wide and wild array of roles. TVGuide.com: As I said to your cast mate Jason O'Mara a few weeks ago, I love In Justice and — if I can milk this joke one more time — am glad the Dancing with the Stars results show hasn't been expanded to two hours.Constance Zimmer: [Laughs] Hey, they put that show on [as a strong lead-in] just for us, so I think we're very proud of that.
TVGuide.com: First, the obvious question. Are you related to either soap diva Kim Zimmer, baseball manager Don Zimmer or Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer?Zimmer: No, I am not. I'm going to forge ahead and become the fourth name on that list, when you ask somebody, "Are you related to Constance Zimmer?"
TVGuide.com: Of course, I remember you from Joan of Arcadia....Zimmer: Oh, really? I thought you were going to say Entourage.
TVGuide.com: Well, that's coming up next. So why do you think Joan flew under the radar whereas The Book of Daniel drew so much controversy? Joan had a pierced goth God and all....Zimmer: I think that Joan of Arcadia played a lot more to a simplistic version of religion. Every week there was a different person who represented God — it could have been anybody from an 8-year-old child to a 70-year-old grandmother. I never saw The Book of Daniel so it's hard for me to judge, but that was specifically about a priest, right, who was talking to Jesus?
TVGuide.com: Yep, Jesus with a beard and robe and everything.Zimmer: Yeah, I think that's a little too much for a lot of people to take. Joan of Arcadia was about a girl in high school struggling with everyday life and she just happens to have this notion that there are people we come across every day who could represent God. That's much easier to take and much more like a television show. I always felt that you left the show taking what you wanted to take from it.
TVGuide.com: OK, now we can talk about Entourage. You play Dana Gordon, the Warner Bros. exec in charge of Vince's "Aquaman" film. Will you pop up at all in the third season [starting in June]?Zimmer: Officially, I can say that we're in negotiations. But I can't say anything beyond that.
TVGuide.com: No buzz on whether "Aquaman" will have turned out to be a hit or a bomb?Zimmer: Again, we never know what the outcome's going to be.
TVGuide.com: The sticky wicket, as I see it, is that as Entourage blends fiction and reality, are they at liberty to suggest that a James Cameron film would be a flop? Or are they compelled, since Cameron guest-starred as himself and everything, to have "Aquaman" be a blockbuster hit?Zimmer: But a lot of what's on the show is very over-the-top, and they're not necessarily nice to a lot of people. It's very, very tongue in cheek about some stuff. It's really more about entertainment value.
TVGuide.com: Are you glad to see Jeremy Piven earn critical raves?Zimmer: Yeah... the first sitcom I ever did was Ellen, and that was when I met Jeremy. I have always wondered why he wasn't working more and getting more accolades, because I think he's one of the funniest actors out there. And the fact that all of my stuff [on Entourage] was with him had me so excited. I was like, "Yes! I get to be with Ari!"
TVGuide.com: Even though he's yelling at you half the time.Zimmer: But I get to yell back, which is the best!
TVGuide.com: What drew you to In Justice? Zimmer: The pilot script was really well written. I thought it was different from the other procedurals on the air — getting people out of jail as opposed to putting them in. It's a part of the judicial system that a lot of people aren't aware of, sad to say. I wasn't aware of how many people are in jail who shouldn't be, so that was shocking to me. As an actor, I like to do work that makes people aware in general, whether it's of something as specific as the judicial system or...
TVGuide.com: The fact that nuns don't all wear sensible shoes.Zimmer: Exactly! It's good to mix it up a little bit.
TVGuide.com: Next week's In Justice splits the team into two sides: those that want to exonerate a jailed rapist, and those that stand by the victim's testimony. Where does your character, Brianna, fall?Zimmer: Well, I would not want to give away too much, but it was a wonderful thing to play in that I actually am siding with the victim. I was a little nervous at first because I was like, "Wait a minute. Am I going to come across as being wimpy or as extremely arrogant and bitchy?" There are so many people who want everybody to believe they're innocent. I get that. I've heard that it comes across as a good episode because it questions what we're doing.
TVGuide.com: Of your many guest-starring TV appearances, which one has been your most memorable?Zimmer: Seinfeld is definitely up there because I was such a huge fan and it was the last season of the show — I really got in right under the wire. Mind you, I only had two lines! Elaine was trying to figure out if her boyfriend was black, and I was the waitress in the coffee shop who says, "Do you guys want coffee?" And then I look at the boyfriend and say, "Are you black?" Elaine looks at him just as I say "... or would you like cream?" TVGuide.com: Which role taught you the most about comic timing? You're one of the queens of acerbic.Zimmer: Oh my god, thank you! That's because I'm acerbic, period, and it's not really a stretch, I guess. [Laughs] No, I've just learned something from every job. When I realized that I could get paid to be sarcastic, I was like, "OK, this is fantastic."
TVGuide.com: I feel the same about my job.Zimmer: See, you just take it and run with it.
TVGuide.com: Tell me about Just Pray, the acclaimed short film you did last year.Zimmer: I did that with Cynthia Watros (Lost) and Janel Moloney (The West Wing), and it really was an amazing experience. It was Tiffani [Thiessen]'s debut as a director, and it's an incredible story that a friend of hers, Dean Johnson, wrote. Again, I'm all about stretching myself and this was such a perfect place to do that. The fact that we got into so many festivals — Tribeca, Seattle, Palm Springs — and won awards was just icing on the cake. Doing it could have been enough.
TVGuide.com: Did you first meet Tiffani on Beverly Hills 90210 or Good Morning, Miami?Zimmer: Good Morning, Miami. The second she walked in the door to do a table read, we become best friends forever.
TVGuide.com: Lastly, what TV are you liking these days?Zimmer: I'm definitely on the Grey's Anatomy bandwagon. The writing is really, really amazing, and [series creator] Shonda [Rhimes] really seems to have her finger on the pulse of young people's issues of today. By young, I mean 20 to 40. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: What did you think of the "Code Black" two-parter?Zimmer: Listen, it was definitely television at its finest as far as the exaggerated version of everything you think could never happen. But I went there and I believed it and the ending... well, I was blown away! [Laughs] |
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