Episode 9 Extras – I’m Ready For My Close-up, Mr. DeVill
The Apprentice: Los Angeles, Episode 9 Extras – I’m Ready For My Close-up, Mr. DeVille, Mon by Kathy Lonergan -- 03/20/2007 After watching The Apprentice this week, did it seem like some of the scenes might have ended up on the cutting room floor – much like most of Muna’s dialog? Time to check out the Yahoo Extras to see what we didn’t get to see. For example, what did Frank think of his own acting abilities? First of all, I want to apologize for missing my recap last week; apparently I had a brain freeze. Luckily, Brian’s Performance Reviews hit what few highlights were there in the first place. Truth be known, last week’s clips weren’t that exciting, but far be it from me to completely shirk my responsibilities, so before tackling this week’s Extras, I will give you a mega-condensed, albeit belated, version of Week 8’s Extras: Tim thinks James always has one side of his brain on the Boardroom, and the other on the task. (As for Tim, I think 1/8 of his brain is on the task, and the rest is on Nicole, but nobody asked my opinion.) He also feels their team had a good concept, but didn’t have good execution. Surya boasts a 5-2 record, better than anyone else (his words, not mine). He accuses James of disloyalty “to the nth degree.” Nicole thinks Arrow isn’t easily led, but they got rid of the kinks. The biggest problem was Michelle. Speaking of kinks, has she mentioned in the last five minutes that she and Tim are an item? Surya reminds us all that he has a 5-2 record. Frank thinks Surya is full of excrement. Surya reiterates his 5-2 record. Bill Rancic agrees that James has a PhD in CYA. He sees right through James’ 11th-hour tactics because he’s been where James is. He also thinks Tim should not be fired just because it was his idea behind Arrow’s concept. Surya refers to Trump as “my future employer” and adds that he has a 5-2 record, just in case we were unclear. James argues with Surya and defends himself against disloyalty accusations. Trump thinks Tim’s boxing idea isn’t that great, and doesn’t “get” Tim’s explanation that boxing is a metaphor for life. He is also heard to ask, “Do you have some balls?” – but alas, it’s not during the Boardroom, it’s on the golf course. Surya confirms that, well – you know the drill. Record or not, “He’s FIRED!” What you didn’t see was Surya’s exit interview, which went something like this: “I’m the best candidate because I combine entrepreneurial spirit with big business knowledge… blah blah, 5-2… I have a strength in relating to people and knowing where they come from, but ironically, that didn’t happen here… yada yada, I was 5-2… James is disloyal, blah blah… Frank undercut me, blah blah, I was an outsider, which played a huge part in the outcome, yada yada… I feel like I let Trump down… yada yada, … there are a few people I connected with, namely Angela, who I trust because of her integrity, and Derek, who was hilarious.” Okay, I’ll admit I took a little artistic license with the “yadas” and the “blahs,” but trust me, I spiced it up. You can call me Mrs. Dash, if you will. Phew! With that out of the way, we can focus this week’s task, which was to write a webisode: an online commercial for Soft Scrub. Since I’m sure you’ve already seen the episode and/or read Betsy’s recap, I’ll press on, like a Lee Nail! This week’s Apprentice webisode focuses on Kinetic’s performance, from the initial brainstorming session to the filming of the commercial. We learn that their concept is Angela’s idea, and as she pitches it to the team, Heidi and Kristine quickly jump on board, while Muna is not quite sold. She asks lots of questions, which raises Kristine’s hackles. Taking a page from The Book of Frankie Suits, Kristine mocks Muna by doing the universal sign for “crazy” as Muna is talking. (Or, in keeping with Muna’s penchant for Espanol, perhaps I should say “loco.”) In an interview, Kristine vents about Muna’s micromanaging and says she would love to slam her under the table. Yikes. It’s called decaf, Kristine – look into it. Now that we have the threats out of the way, we move on to the division of labor. Once again, we see the team agree that Muna would be very valuable behind the scenes, as she is so detail-oriented. Inexplicably, Muna disagrees and suggests she be in front of the camera, and Kristine capitulates. The final part of the webisode is a montage of Kinetic slowly imploding, as scene after scene has to be re-shot due to Muna’s ineptitude as an actress. Way to go on that decision, Kristine. In addition to the webisode, there are a number of replayed scenes this week. We see Nicole vs. Mother Nature as she tries to take a shower, which is hilarious. We see Tim and Nicole shooting their commercial. While Nicole thinks it’s adorable that she and Tim are playing lovers in their commercial, Tim throws around such phrases as “completely hideous” and “massively awkward.” Granted, he’s not saying Nicole is either of those things; it’s just that the whole “proposal” thing is a little too much too soon. Believe me, the sweat you see on his brow is not from using Soft Scrub Deep Cleaning Cleanser, which I hear, by the way, is safe for all surfaces. Our next clip is an uncut segment of Arrow in the editing room. As the team watches, it’s clear there are no Oscars in their future, but Frankie seems particularly aghast at what he’s doing on camera. “What was that wave I was doing with my hands??” he wails, the expression on his face priceless. It’s a little Ray Romano-esque, I think. Nevertheless, Nicole and Stefani think Tim looks great on camera, and Stefani adds that when he’s describing the product, Tim sounds completely believable and legitimate. We also see James admitting he knows nothing about soap operas or filming commercials, and in an interview, he says he is happy to “rely on the expertise of his teammates.” We see Tim obsessing about the music, while Frank offers us his tomato sauce metaphor: “If you add too much of something to it, you ruin it.” Einstein… Newton… Frankie Suits. There you go, America – the triumvirate of genius. It’s time for a replay of Kinetic’s editing room session. As the tape plays, we see Muna falter and everyone else cringe; nothing new here, folks. And speaking of nothing new, we see what’s billed as an uncut scene, but to me, it’s the same ol’ same ol’ Arrow meeting Ahhhhnuld scene that we saw before. We also see another replayed scene – the amusing yet disturbing comments Kristine makes about Muna reading the Bible, a book about a Messiah vs. her reading a book about a guy who just thinks he is. Heh. And now for the grand finale… Le Boardroom! Though the debate is broken down into a number of separate clips, in essence we see the entire Boardroom all over again. Though they’re listed as uncut scenes, judging by my recollection of Sunday night’s broadcast, there isn’t much new material. One interesting remark is made by Ivanka, who has been sorely missed. In a season filled with changes for the worse (tents, anyone?) she has been the only bright spot. Her intelligence and business savvy lead me to believe she must have been sired by the UPS man. I wonder if paternity testing would bear out this theory; could the “shiny objects” gene be absent from her DNA? But I digress… again. In debating Kristine’s decision to allow Muna to appear on camera, Ivanka notes that working behind her father, you won’t always be on camera. She adds that you’ll always be behind him if he’s on camera. Heh. She’s got his number, that’s for sure. The Boardroom continues with Trump asking each team member who she would fire, and then going after the same information by asking Angela and Heidi which of the potential firees, Kristine or Muna, they would want on their team. So confident is Muna that Heidi will support her that she asks the question directly rather than letting Trump do it himself. Ah, hubris. Muna, did they not teach Greek mythology in Jamaica? Speaking of Muna, I leave you with her exit interview. In it, she tells us that she thought she could be the next Apprentice because she felt she had what it took. She says she has learned a lot and has become sort of an apprentice along the way. She describes the final task and laments that even though she speaks clearly, she didn’t come across that way in Kinetic’s commercial, which resulted in their loss of the task. She says that before going into the Boardroom, she prayed hard, not that she would be spared in the firing, but that she would do both Jamaica and her parents proud. Going into the Boardroom was like going into a lions’ den, she says, and it was extremely hurtful to hear Kristine label her as “difficult.” Muna feels strongly that she is one of, if not the hardest working members of either team. She thought she would have received more support from her teammates. She says she tried to accept her firing with grace. In closing, Muna says she has learned many things from her time on the show. She learned that she is a lot stronger than she realized, and that the person who does you the worst is often your greatest teacher. In case anyone out there was unsure, she cites Kristine as the person from whom she has learned the most. Muna says she is going to move forward and is hoping for the best.
The Apprentice: Los Angeles, Episode 9 Extras – I’m Ready For My Close-up, Mr. DeVille, Mon by Kathy Lonergan -- 03/20/2007 After watching The Apprentice this week, did it seem like some of the scenes might have ended up on the cutting room floor – much like most of Muna’s dialog? Time to check out the Yahoo Extras to see what we didn’t get to see. For example, what did Frank think of his own acting abilities? First of all, I want to apologize for missing my recap last week; apparently I had a brain freeze. Luckily, Brian’s Performance Reviews hit what few highlights were there in the first place. Truth be known, last week’s clips weren’t that exciting, but far be it from me to completely shirk my responsibilities, so before tackling this week’s Extras, I will give you a mega-condensed, albeit belated, version of Week 8’s Extras: Tim thinks James always has one side of his brain on the Boardroom, and the other on the task. (As for Tim, I think 1/8 of his brain is on the task, and the rest is on Nicole, but nobody asked my opinion.) He also feels their team had a good concept, but didn’t have good execution. Surya boasts a 5-2 record, better than anyone else (his words, not mine). He accuses James of disloyalty “to the nth degree.” Nicole thinks Arrow isn’t easily led, but they got rid of the kinks. The biggest problem was Michelle. Speaking of kinks, has she mentioned in the last five minutes that she and Tim are an item? Surya reminds us all that he has a 5-2 record. Frank thinks Surya is full of excrement. Surya reiterates his 5-2 record. Bill Rancic agrees that James has a PhD in CYA. He sees right through James’ 11th-hour tactics because he’s been where James is. He also thinks Tim should not be fired just because it was his idea behind Arrow’s concept. Surya refers to Trump as “my future employer” and adds that he has a 5-2 record, just in case we were unclear. James argues with Surya and defends himself against disloyalty accusations. Trump thinks Tim’s boxing idea isn’t that great, and doesn’t “get” Tim’s explanation that boxing is a metaphor for life. He is also heard to ask, “Do you have some balls?” – but alas, it’s not during the Boardroom, it’s on the golf course. Surya confirms that, well – you know the drill. Record or not, “He’s FIRED!” What you didn’t see was Surya’s exit interview, which went something like this: “I’m the best candidate because I combine entrepreneurial spirit with big business knowledge… blah blah, 5-2… I have a strength in relating to people and knowing where they come from, but ironically, that didn’t happen here… yada yada, I was 5-2… James is disloyal, blah blah… Frank undercut me, blah blah, I was an outsider, which played a huge part in the outcome, yada yada… I feel like I let Trump down… yada yada, … there are a few people I connected with, namely Angela, who I trust because of her integrity, and Derek, who was hilarious.” Okay, I’ll admit I took a little artistic license with the “yadas” and the “blahs,” but trust me, I spiced it up. You can call me Mrs. Dash, if you will. Phew! With that out of the way, we can focus this week’s task, which was to write a webisode: an online commercial for Soft Scrub. Since I’m sure you’ve already seen the episode and/or read Betsy’s recap, I’ll press on, like a Lee Nail! This week’s Apprentice webisode focuses on Kinetic’s performance, from the initial brainstorming session to the filming of the commercial. We learn that their concept is Angela’s idea, and as she pitches it to the team, Heidi and Kristine quickly jump on board, while Muna is not quite sold. She asks lots of questions, which raises Kristine’s hackles. Taking a page from The Book of Frankie Suits, Kristine mocks Muna by doing the universal sign for “crazy” as Muna is talking. (Or, in keeping with Muna’s penchant for Espanol, perhaps I should say “loco.”) In an interview, Kristine vents about Muna’s micromanaging and says she would love to slam her under the table. Yikes. It’s called decaf, Kristine – look into it. Now that we have the threats out of the way, we move on to the division of labor. Once again, we see the team agree that Muna would be very valuable behind the scenes, as she is so detail-oriented. Inexplicably, Muna disagrees and suggests she be in front of the camera, and Kristine capitulates. The final part of the webisode is a montage of Kinetic slowly imploding, as scene after scene has to be re-shot due to Muna’s ineptitude as an actress. Way to go on that decision, Kristine. In addition to the webisode, there are a number of replayed scenes this week. We see Nicole vs. Mother Nature as she tries to take a shower, which is hilarious. We see Tim and Nicole shooting their commercial. While Nicole thinks it’s adorable that she and Tim are playing lovers in their commercial, Tim throws around such phrases as “completely hideous” and “massively awkward.” Granted, he’s not saying Nicole is either of those things; it’s just that the whole “proposal” thing is a little too much too soon. Believe me, the sweat you see on his brow is not from using Soft Scrub Deep Cleaning Cleanser, which I hear, by the way, is safe for all surfaces. Our next clip is an uncut segment of Arrow in the editing room. As the team watches, it’s clear there are no Oscars in their future, but Frankie seems particularly aghast at what he’s doing on camera. “What was that wave I was doing with my hands??” he wails, the expression on his face priceless. It’s a little Ray Romano-esque, I think. Nevertheless, Nicole and Stefani think Tim looks great on camera, and Stefani adds that when he’s describing the product, Tim sounds completely believable and legitimate. We also see James admitting he knows nothing about soap operas or filming commercials, and in an interview, he says he is happy to “rely on the expertise of his teammates.” We see Tim obsessing about the music, while Frank offers us his tomato sauce metaphor: “If you add too much of something to it, you ruin it.” Einstein… Newton… Frankie Suits. There you go, America – the triumvirate of genius. It’s time for a replay of Kinetic’s editing room session. As the tape plays, we see Muna falter and everyone else cringe; nothing new here, folks. And speaking of nothing new, we see what’s billed as an uncut scene, but to me, it’s the same ol’ same ol’ Arrow meeting Ahhhhnuld scene that we saw before. We also see another replayed scene – the amusing yet disturbing comments Kristine makes about Muna reading the Bible, a book about a Messiah vs. her reading a book about a guy who just thinks he is. Heh. And now for the grand finale… Le Boardroom! Though the debate is broken down into a number of separate clips, in essence we see the entire Boardroom all over again. Though they’re listed as uncut scenes, judging by my recollection of Sunday night’s broadcast, there isn’t much new material. One interesting remark is made by Ivanka, who has been sorely missed. In a season filled with changes for the worse (tents, anyone?) she has been the only bright spot. Her intelligence and business savvy lead me to believe she must have been sired by the UPS man. I wonder if paternity testing would bear out this theory; could the “shiny objects” gene be absent from her DNA? But I digress… again. In debating Kristine’s decision to allow Muna to appear on camera, Ivanka notes that working behind her father, you won’t always be on camera. She adds that you’ll always be behind him if he’s on camera. Heh. She’s got his number, that’s for sure. The Boardroom continues with Trump asking each team member who she would fire, and then going after the same information by asking Angela and Heidi which of the potential firees, Kristine or Muna, they would want on their team. So confident is Muna that Heidi will support her that she asks the question directly rather than letting Trump do it himself. Ah, hubris. Muna, did they not teach Greek mythology in Jamaica? Speaking of Muna, I leave you with her exit interview. In it, she tells us that she thought she could be the next Apprentice because she felt she had what it took. She says she has learned a lot and has become sort of an apprentice along the way. She describes the final task and laments that even though she speaks clearly, she didn’t come across that way in Kinetic’s commercial, which resulted in their loss of the task. She says that before going into the Boardroom, she prayed hard, not that she would be spared in the firing, but that she would do both Jamaica and her parents proud. Going into the Boardroom was like going into a lions’ den, she says, and it was extremely hurtful to hear Kristine label her as “difficult.” Muna feels strongly that she is one of, if not the hardest working members of either team. She thought she would have received more support from her teammates. She says she tried to accept her firing with grace. In closing, Muna says she has learned many things from her time on the show. She learned that she is a lot stronger than she realized, and that the person who does you the worst is often your greatest teacher. In case anyone out there was unsure, she cites Kristine as the person from whom she has learned the most. Muna says she is going to move forward and is hoping for the best.