Leisure … more than a word, it’s a lifestyle

Don’t know about anyone else but I think this season of “The Apprentice” is one of the best ever. Like most people I thought the gloss had gone off a TV show that really was struggling to come up with something new.

Series after series we’ve had the same format; brand name company sets a challenge, contestants fight each other to win, there’s a winner and there’s a loser and then someone gets to hear The Donald’s famous word’s “You’re Fired“. Enthralling stuff in season one and two but the later seasons were desperately missing something and I was  hoping that one day we might actually see the real trials and tribulations of the small business owner on the show. You know, the guy desperately trying to make his business work…. the guy fighting for the American dream… not some corporate fat cat who’s never had to make pay roll in his life.

So,  a brilliant move by Mark Burnett and his team rescued the show. Bring in the celebrities. Not that we should be surprised by this move by the likeable Brit as he has managed to regurgitate and resuscitate his other reality show “Survivor” for season after season. Anyone wanting a good read should go out and get his book “Jump In!”… I wholeheartedly recommend it.

But back to the plot, last week we saw it thicken as Piers Morgan was quickly set upon by his own teammate, Stephen Baldwin. Quite comical to see Baldwin go running to Trump “because I can’t work with Piers”… loser.. hypocrite. Yes, hard to believe but this was the same guy who was thoroughly enjoying watching the ladies embarrassment as the all time biggest rat from “The Sporanos”, Vincent Pastore turned one way and then another as he tried to work out which team he wanted to work for…. at least he had the decency to quit when he still couldn’t work it out…. another loser.

So, we’re now left with a choice of Carol Alt, Lennox Lewis, Marilu Henner, Nely Galan, Omarosa, Piers Morgan, Steven Baldwin, Tito Ortiz or Trace Adkins as our winner. Some choice eh? Who you rooting for?

Personally, I found it a great shame that Gene Simmons got himself fired. There’s much talk in business circles about that…and the common consensus is that he’d had enough of the show and just wanted out. The astute folks out there point out that he’s a businessman and the tv coverage alone would have been great for him… I guess the truth will come out one day.

 One thing that can’t be denied though is that Gene was head and shoulders above the rest of them. Gene gets business. Anyone watching his “Family Jewels” TV series will know that but what you may not know is that Simmons has his fingers in more pies than most. First of all there’s the fact he kept all the rights to the rock band he co-formed… ”KISS“… a clever and smart move by a man in an industry not know for brains. But that was 30 years ago and whilst KISS continues to entrall their fans, Simmons has quietly gone about creating an empire.

There’s Simmons Abramson Marketing, Gene Simmons Moneybag, Simmons Comic Group, Simmons Books, Simmons Records, Simmons Audio Visual and even his own magazine called Gene Simmons Tongue! If you then consider that Gene is also the Chairman of the Board at NGTV.com you’ll begin to understand this guy is serious about business.

Back to the Apprentice, Simmons obviously had other things on his mind…like the delectable Shannon Tweed for instance…now there’s another lesson… how do you stay happily unmarried for 22 years? Beats me… but I digress. The Apprentice this season has rekinded so much interest that a new series has already been agreed. Yep, that’s right season two of “The Celebrity Apprentice” will premiere in January 2009. Now that’s some kind of come back for Trump and Burnett… and it gives more credance to the fact you should never give up in life even when you think you’ve gone as far as you can with something.