TV junkies Anna Chan and Ree Hines dish on the latest boob-tube news, from what happened on your favorite shows, to casting rumors, sneak peeks and more. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more TV and entertainment news. Contact us
Lou Ferrigno let Lisa Lampanelli know just what he thought of her on Sunday night's "Celebrity Apprentice."
By Ree Hines
Forget big business! The focus in the "Celebrity Apprentice" boardroom this season is big drama.
Following last week's episode of bad blood between contestants Arsenio Hall and Aubrey O'Day, former "Hulk" star Lou Ferrigno, along with his on-team adversary Lisa Lampanelli, made waves this week.
Ferrigno wasn't satisfied with his role in the latest project, feeling largely ignored by leader Dayana Mendoza and Lampanelli, and when they all gathered together in the boardroom he explained that he had an extra issue with the comedienne.
"Can I say something? Lisa is lucky not to be a man tonight, because I would have thrown her right through that wall," the angry actor griped before turning to Lampanelli and adding, "because after the last boardroom, you called me a (expletive) loser.... And I think you're very negative. You're mean and vicious. I just wanted to say that to your face. Nobody calls Lou Ferrigno a loser."
And nobody threatens to smash Lampanelli, evidently.
"If you physically threaten me again, there's going to be a problem," she insisted.
Sunday's double episode of "The Celebrity Apprentice" ran three hours and led to twice the firings -- meaning both Dee Snyder and Debbie Gibson were available to meet up with TODAY hosts Monday morning to chat about their experiences.
The show, said Snyder, "is way more 'Survivor' than 'Jersey Shore.'"
While calling in to "Fox & Friends" on Monday, the "Celebrity Apprentice" star certainly didn't hold anything back when the topic of O'Donnell's recently defunct show on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network made its way into the conversation.
"Frankly, that was just going to happen. I knew it immediately when they announced it," said Trump. "Rosie fails at everything."
Of course, "everything" might a bit of a stretch considering the woman did win multiple Emmys for her earlier daytime talk show that aired from 1996 to 2002.
But Trump insisted this definitely won't be the last time we see O'Donnell on the air.
Former "Star Trek" star George Takei received the boardroom boot from "Celebrity Apprentice" boss Donald Trump on Sunday night's show. Takei visited TODAY Monday morning to talk about his losing experience.
"I did not live long and prosper there," he said, picking up on former co-star Leonard Nimoy's famed 'Trek" line.
During a visit to "The Wendy Williams Show," former supermodel Cheryl Tiegs slammed "The Celebrity Apprentice."
By Ree Hines
On Sunday night's "Celebrity Apprentice" season premiere, supermodel-turned-businesswoman Cheryl Tiegs admitted to boardroom boss Donald Trump that she was shy and quiet and wasn't sure if she was cut out for the job. It was an opinion shared by the stars on her losing team, and it led Trump to fire her. But now that she's out of the competition, the shy celebrity doesn't have a problem speaking up.
"It was very mean-spirited," Tiegs told talk-show host Wendy Williams of the competition. "I didn't like bullying in high school, let alone as an adult."
Of course, the cutthroat atmosphere is exactly what viewers have come to expect on "The Celebrity Apprentice." Still, Tiegs thought she'd bring a different style to the show.
"I've built 12 companies in my life," the 64-year-old said. "I've been on the cover of Time magazine three times, not for my beauty but because what I was doing was newsworthy around the world. I've worked with teams all my life, but I've been nice and I've been kind. I wanted to bring something to 'Celebrity Apprentice' to let America know that you don't have to be backstabbing and mean-spirited in order to do a challenge."
Unfortunately for her, it was a point she was unable to prove.
It's almost time for another round of feuds, fundraisers and firings -- in other words, a new season "The Celebrity Apprentice" -- and it's going to be huge, according to boardroom boss Donald Trump. That's partly because, with 18 celebs competing, this is biggest cast ever the show has ever seen. And given just how big some of those 18 personalities are, that's really something.
On Thursday morning, Trump visited TODAY to give fans an idea of what to expect from those famous faces and just what the stars need to do to make it on the show.
The qualities required to go all the way include "toughness, intelligence," and above all else, Trump wants to see "cunning." Those were the all-important traits for past winners like Joan Rivers and Piers Morgan, and he already sees it in certain stars this time.
"I have to tell you, they're all really good," Trump assured TODAY host Matt Lauer before revealing his top picks. "Arsenio Hall is terrific.... Clay Aiken is totally different than I thought. I figured he wasn't going to be that strong of a player. He's a really strong player. Great singer, but he's a tough guy, and he's nasty. You wouldn't think it."
Also tough and nasty are Victori Gotti and "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice -- at least they seem so because Trump admitted, "I'm afraid to fire either one of them.... They may go all the way."
However the season plays out, there's one thing the boss is certain of: It'll be a success. That's because there's on key factor that his show has that none of its imitators can offer.
"Well, we've had ... 14 copies of the 'Apprentice' and every one of them failed almost immediately, and this works. I assume it's because of Trump," he laughed.
The new season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" premieres Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
Will you tune in to see just how "nasty" things get for Aiken and the rest of the boardroom competition? Tell us on our Facebook page.
Boardroom boss Donald Trump had some blunt advice for Paul Sr. on "American Choppers: Senior vs. Junior."
By Ree Hines
There's still plenty of trouble between the Teutuls. That's what viewers learned when the season premiere of "American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior" aired Monday night, and it's what Donald Trump learned when he paid a visit to the show.
“Paulie worked for me for 20 years," Paul Sr. told Trump while trying to explain the family rift. "The day I made him a millionaire, he told me to go (bleep) myself."
Trump listened intently while his own son and namesake stood by, and then offered the chopper legend some blunt advice.
“Don’t leave him anything,” Trump said. “Don’t leave him 10 cents. You understand? Don’t even leave him 10 cents.”
Trump later added, "There's nothing better than family when it works in business and there's nothing worse when it doesn't."
Want to see more from Paul Sr. and the boardroom boss? They'll soon be together again on the upcoming season of "The Celebrity Apprentice," which premieres Feb 19 at 9 p.m. on NBC. For the future installments of "Senior vs. Junior," tune in Discovery Monday nights at 9 p.m.
The familiar faces set to appear on the upcoming season of “Celebrity Apprentice” come from all professions and walks of life, but a handful may have a particular advantage: Namely, they’ve been on reality shows before. Teresa Guidice is on “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” Victoria Gotti on “Growing Up Gotti” and Paul Teutul Sr. has “American Chopper.”
But there is only one “American Idol” finalist – Clay Aiken, who was runner-up on that show’s second season. And now, having faced off with two of the toughest characters in reality TV, he can offer his take on what it’s like to stand in judgment before both Donald Trump and Simon Cowell.
Let’s just say that Cowell has been Trumped.
“Being in front of Trump is more intimidating than (being in front of Cowell),” Aiken told TODAY.com in an interview. “That’s because you realize his success is real outside of TV. Whereas with Cowell, I don’t deny him his value – but singing is not his expertise.”
Respect played a big factor in preferring Trump over Cowell, said Aiken. “I had a Spanish teacher in high school. I rarely got in trouble in her room because I felt I was disappointing her if I got a bad grade. That had more power over me than teachers who told me I talked too much. That level of respect I had for her made me not want to fail for her. I never had that feeling with Cowell -- but I had it with Trump.”
Yes, said Aiken, “I expected meanness from Simon, because I felt Simon’s job was to be rough and brutal, and therefore it didn’t matter as much what he said to me.”
But with Trump, he didn’t feel as though the businessman was “trying to torch each contestant to find all the things they did wrong. I really wanted to be the one person he liked, the one person who he thought, ‘Well, he’s not stupid.’”
Still, it’s more complex than just preferring one man’s style over another. Aiken knows he can sing, but working for Donald Trump was definitely outside his wheelhouse. “Singing I can do, and if Simon didn’t like it then I wouldn’t be like, ‘I can’t sing!’ With Trump, it’s not my expertise, and it is his, and so therefore I have a little more respect for him because I realize I’ve got to work harder.”
And work hard he did … but harder than on “Idol”? Absolutely, he said.
“Being on this show in general was 10 times harder than ‘Idol.’ Hands down.”
"The Celebrity Apprentice" premieres Feb. 12 on NBC.
Are you surprised by Aiken's comments about Trump and Cowell? Will you tune in to see him on "Celebrity Apprentice"? Tell us on our Facebook page.
Donald Trump may not have wanted to get into a discussion about whether he'll jump back into the presidential race with TODAY's Matt Lauer, but he was thrilled to have a chance to introduce the cast of the fifth installment of "Celebrity Apprentice" Wednesday morning.
Donald Trump tells TODAY's Matt Lauer that he was impressed with some Republican candidates in the Iowa caucuses, but still wants to see someone "break away from the pack." He also introduces some of the cast of the upcoming season of "The Celebrity Apprentice."
The cast, which Trump called "the biggest we've ever had" is as follows:
Clay Aiken ("American Idol" runner up, pop star)
Michael Andretti (IndyCar race car driver)
Teresa Giudice ("The Real Housewives of New Jersey”)
Victoria Gotti ("Growing Up Gotti")
Lisa Lampanelli (comedienne)
Dayna Mendoza (former Miss Universe)
Dee Snyder (rock musician)
Paul Teutul, Sr. ("American Chopper")
Arsenio Hall (talk show host, comedian)
Adam Carolla (radio host)
Lou Ferrigno (bodybuilder, "Incredible Hulk" TV actor)
Penn Jillette (magician, comedian)
George Takei ("Star Trek" actor)
Cheryl Tiegs (supermodel)
Debbie Gibson (pop star)
Tia Carrere (actress, singer)
Aubrey O'Day (singer, "Making the Band")
Patricia Velásquez (model)
Several of the contestants were in the studio for the announcement, and Lauer spoke to them and Trump, who said he can't even consider jumping back into the political race until the show ends in May.
With three episodes already taped, Lauer wondered how quickly a take-no-prisoners attitude emerged from amongst the candidates.
"I think we were all surprised, because having been in corporate America most of my life -- since I'm 15 -- you think that this is two-thirds of that," said Gotti. "It's not. You see sides of people that you didn't see getting to know each other for three days. All of a sudden, the take no prisoners, you can't imagine."
"We have some very, very competitive people, and really smart people," said Trump.
But just how far would they go to win? Apparently, cozying up to their "boss" isn't out of the question. When asked how many contestants would be happy to see Trump as President, everyone raised their hands.
"Shameless!" cried Lauer.
"I think he'd be a great husband!" shot back Lampanelli.
"The Celebrity Apprentice" premieres Feb. 12 on NBC.
Madison dressed as Dolly Parton on TLC's "Toddlers & Tiaras."
By Ree Hines
It's been a year of celebrations, frustrations and shockers on the small screen, as familiar TV faces said their farewells, reality stars swapped "I dos" (with varying degrees of success) and more than one feud found its way to the spotlight. But as always, between the very-special-episodes of this and the shocking finales of that, it's easy to lose track of some of television's must-see moments.
So for those who might have missed some of the biggies, or for those who just want to relive the action before saying "so long" to 2011, here's a rundown of the most memorable moments of the year.
RIP, Charlie After Charlie Sheen went into a full-blown meltdown off-screen, the powers-that-be behind "Two and a Half Men" ensured the actor's on-screen alter ego, Charlie Harper, wouldn't suffer from any similar unpredictable behavior.
To that end, Sheen got the ax. And as fans learned when they tuned into the season premiere of "Men," Harper got the train — head on.
Cooper can't hold it in When noted French actor Gerard Depardieu stood accused of taking a tinkle in the aisle of an Air France jet, Anderson Cooper decided to deliver the news to his "AC 360" viewers in a pun-filled edition of The RidicuList.
There was just one problem. While the strange story was meant to focus on Depardieu's alleged lack of control, it was a giggling Cooper who couldn't keep it together.
Bye, O After a 25-year run in which she established herself as television's talk titan, Oprah Winfrey packed up her favorite things and bid her daily talk show goodbye in May.
While "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is no more, O didn't leave her legions of viewers without a TV offering to turn to. Instead, she launched her own network, fittingly called OWN, in 2011.
Anger mismanagement Meat Loaf may be best known as a rocker, but don't underestimate him. The musical man is just as passionate about his arts and crafts. That's a lesson actor Gary Busey learned when Meat Loaf mistakenly accused him of pilfering his stash of paint supplies on "The Celebrity Apprentice."
“OK! (Bleep)! Mother-(bleeper),” Meat Loaf raged at Busey. “I bought those (bleep bleeping) sponges. Part of that paint is mine. (Bleep!) I’m sick and tired of (bleep), you mother-(bleeper).”
Saving face "Breaking Bad's" fourth season finale was far from the first to end in a jaw-dropping face-off, but it was definitely the first to end in a literal face off.
So long, Gustavo Fring!
A bad Situation Long before the fourth season of "Jersey Shore" premiered stateside, reports from Italy revealed that Mike "The Situation" Sorentino sustained a neck injury following a fight with housemate Ronnie Ortiz-Magro. That, naturally, led "Shore" fans to believe the big guy flew into one of his typical rages and made short work of Sitch.
But, as everyone learned when the relevant episode aired, Ortiz-Magro didn't deal the all-important blow. It was The Situation, caught up in a manic fit of bravado, who knocked himself out when he launched head-first into a wall.
Beg your Parton? Whether or not child pageants are appropriate for the little girls who compete in the glitz events may be up for debate, but few would argue the appropriateness of girls dressing up in strictly adult ensembles — well, that is except for Madison's mom who decided to dress her daughter up as Dolly Parton, complete with padded boobs and booty, on "Toddlers & Tiaras."
(Dis-)Honorable mention: Madison's mom wasn't the only one who gave her girl a grown-up look. On another episode of "T&T," Paisley's mother decked out her little one as the call-girl lead in "Pretty Woman." No, really!
And the award for the Best Awards Show Host goes to … Hollywood bigwigs used to kid-glove handling when it comes to awards-show ribs weren't prepared for the gloves-off treatment they got from funnyman Ricky Gervais at the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
Those offended by Gervais' big-night barbs -- which included potshots at Charlie Sheen, Bruce Willis and "some famous Scientologists" -- will have yet another opportunity to clutch their pearls when the actor-comedian takes the stage for the awards on Jan. 15.
Mad Maks Ballroom bad boy Maksim Chmerkovskiy is no stranger to stirring things up on "Dancing With the Stars," but even by his own standards, he really kicked off a feud-fest last season when he entered into a war of words with head judge Len Goodman. After Goodman nitpicked Chmerkovskiy's pro partner, Hope Solo, one too many times, the pro hoofer took the panelist to task and ranted about how it was "(his) show."
The back-and-forth with Goodman sparked a later spat for Chmerkovskiy with Carrie Ann Inaba and even rumored bad blood behind the scenes.
I do Sure, he dragged his feet for 28 years, but KISS rocker Gene Simmons finally popped the question to partner Shannon Tweed on "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" this year.
After one long midseason cliffhanger, Tweed said "yes" and Simmons said "I do."
I do too — for now Of course, Simmons and Tweed weren't the only reality stars to step up to the altar in 2011. While the whole union didn't last as long as Simmons' engagement, Kim Kardashian's wedding to Kris Humphries was a far bigger boob-tube event.
In the four-hour primetime special "Kim Kardashian's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event," viewers watched Kardashian's (first) special day play out just before the not-so-special divorce talk took over.
After a season that stood out for drama and star-studded feuds, the final challenge on the “Celebrity Apprentice” pitted the two most mild-mannered stars against one another. The showdown between singer John Rich and actress Marlee Matlin ended in a quiet victory the man in the cowboy hat, and that’s just how he wanted it.
Country superstar John Rich, winner of "The Celebrity Apprentice" 2011, says he feels that he succeeded in the reality TV competition while making no enemies and winning a record windfall for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
During a Monday morning visit to TODAY, Rich explained why he believes he beat the competition, and how he did it without getting dragged into the drama.
“‘Body of work’ is what we were calling it, because it is such a grind—‘Celebrity Apprentice’ goes and goes and goes and goes and goes,” Rich said of the strategy that allowed him to win the game, even though he was behind in the last battle. “The whole challenge is, ‘Can you really be at it the whole time?’ And I tried to be that way.”
Another part of Rich’s approach that proved important was his decision to be a likable guy regardless of all the gameplay.
“My goal was try to win and never have anybody say a bad word about me,” he recalled. “I wanted to go into it like that, and I succeeded. It was great. I made friends with everybody on the cast.”
That was no small feat considering all of the personal conflicts that popped up over the course of the competition. According to Rich, he was able to avoid all of that by keeping his eyes on the real prize.
“I’m better when I’m playing on behalf of something bigger than myself, without a doubt,” the country crooner said. “Because there were a lot of times I wanted to engage the craziness or become part of the drama. I went, ‘I’d really like to go say that to him or her.’ And then I went, ‘You know what? I’m not going to do it.’ Cause you’re there for your charity. You’re not there for yourself.”
As a season jam-packed with some of the crankiest stars “The Celebrity Apprentice” has ever hosted draws closer to the end, boss Donald Trump shows no mercy. Last week saw one walkout-turned-termination, two verbal pink slips and at least half of the drama exit the show when NeNe Leakes, Star Jones and La Toya Jackson left. On Sunday night, Trump returned to the rapid-fire firings by sending two more hopefuls out of the running before the boardroom action was even half over.
First on the chopping block was Lil Jon who committed the unforgivable blunder of not picking himself as one of the best candidates for the finale battle.
As expected, Lil Jon took the news in stride.
Next up was the man single-handedly responsible for the remaining drama on the show, the sometimes raging, sometimes teary-eyed Meat Loaf. Although Trump complimented Meat Loaf’s “beautiful” emotions, and even asked the rocker to teach him how to cry, he had to admit enough was enough.
“From a pure business standpoint, too much emotions can also not be good,” the bigwig said.
As expected, Meat Loaf choked up.
The final two applicants standing are John Rich and Marlee Matlin. The two began their final battle this week, but the winner won’t be revealed until the “Apprentice” finale airs on May 22.
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