Warp Speed ahead to Celebrity Apprentice

George Takai is featured on this season of Celebrity Apprentice.

I have to admit, that I simply do not like Donald Trump. I also don’t like the TV show, the Apprentice, either, because I feel that Trump is a male chauvinistic pig who endorses outdated stereotypes that males and females should play different roles in the workplace. I soldiered through the first season in 2004, gritting my teeth and biting my lip in anger over the obvious inequalities in his personal choices of winners and losers in each challenge. If I worked for him, he would undoubtedly dub me a witch.

However, this is Celebrity Apprentice, not the Apprentice and I’m pushing all of my feelings aside to watch the show this season. Why? It benefits charity causes rather than individuals. And this season, for the first time, it features famous people even I’ve actually heard of. And what awesome people they are!

Listed in no particular order:

George Takai (pronounced Teh-kay) — Perhaps the most well known of this season’s contestants is George Takai of Star Trek fame. Takai portrayed Lieutenant Sulu, the chief helmsman, piloting the gigantean Star Trek Enterprise throughout the galaxies, propelling the ship at full speed ahead, to warp 9. Takai is an avid publisher of jokes on Facebook, sharing hilarious cartoons, videos, and other humorous tidbits.
Charity: Japanese American National Museum

Debbie Gibson — Every girl wanted to be Debbie Gibson when I was a kid. She was a role model and idyllic teenager with a cute PG taste for fashion. Her songs still resonate within me, and I find myself humming along to “Lost in Your Eyes” in the drug store and reminiscing about old crushes when I hear “Only in My Dreams.”
Charity: Children International

Clay Aiken — Clay Aiken was the boy next door, crooning out a beautiful rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” to earn 2nd place in Season 2 of American Idol.
Charity: National Inclusion Project

Cheryl Tiegs — I mostly know her for her pin up posters modeling swimsuits for Sports Illustrated and commercials where she peddled everything from Cover Girl makeup, Clairol hair color, cars, cigarettes, and her own clothing line at Sears. She currently sells a line of wigs and accessories through Revlon.
Charity: The Farrah Fawcett Foundation

Adam Carolla — What has Carolla not done? A guy with a packed resume, and a jack-of-all-trades, he’s currently an extremely hip and popular online DJ. He’s an avid car enthusiast, skilled carpenter, former boxing trainer, and real estate investor. On his online radio show, he is able to find humor in normally mundane everyday tasks, interviews top celebrities, and dissects the guts out of local Los Angeles politics.
Charity: Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters

Lou Ferigno — The Incredible Hulk! That big green guy who Bill Bixby turned into when he got angry. Yeah!
Charity: Muscular Dystrophy Association

Tia Carrera — A gorgeous actress who portrays beautiful intelligent women, I first watched her on General Hospital. She’s also been in movies, such as Wayne’s World and Lilo and Stitch.
Charity: After-School All-Stars

Arsenio Hall — Host of a fun TV show that never should have been cancelled. Arseniooooooo Hall! We want you back on late night!
Charity: Magic Johnson Foundation

Michael Andretti — Race car driver extraordinaire, he now owns his own team, Andretti Autosport. We love love love him here in central Florida where his team returns each year to participate in races in Daytona Beach.
Charity: Racing for Cancer

Penn Jillette — The speaking half of the famous magic act, Penn and Teller, I know him for his occasional drop in role as Drell on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
Charity: Opportunity Village

Dee Snider — At first, I didn’t recognize this handsome elegant silver fox. Then I clicked on his bio… Oh! He was that guy? That guy in the makeup in Twisted Sister? Well, of course I’ve heard of him. Snider is the lead singer for that great band who is responsible for writing the angry teenage anthem, “We’re Not Gonna Take It!’”...anymore!
Charity: March of Dimes

Paul Teutul, Sr. — Another Central Florida icon, Paul Teutul is best known for his role on American Chopper which brought him and his camera crew to Bike Week in Daytona Beach. He may be rough around the edges, but he can be a real sweetheart.
Charity: Make-A-Wish Foundation

Aubrey O'Day — Broadway star and former member of the hip hop band, Danity Kane, earning one gold and two platinum records.
Charity: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)

Dayana Mendoza — Miss Universe 2008.
Charity: Latino Commission on AIDS

Lisa Lampanelli — Comedian.
Charity: Gay Men's Health Crisis

Patricia Velasquez — Latino Supermodel and actress, appearing in TV shows such as CSI Miami and films such as The Mummy.
Charity: The Wayuu Taya Foundation

Teresa Giudice — star of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."
Charity: The NephCure Foundation

Victoria Gotti — Best selling author.
Charity: Association to Benefit Children


I am personally unfamiliar with the following celebrity contestants: Aubrey O’Day, Dayana Mendoza, Lisa Lampanelli, Patricia Velasquez, Teresa Giudice, and Victoria Gotti, but hope to get to know them as I watch the show each week.

I’ll be rooting for all of the contestants in hopes that their favorite charity will receive some much needed attention and funding. I appreciate the good work that Donald Trump is doing with this show, and hope there are positive outcomes for all involved.

The show airs tonight at 9 PM on NBC. (Channel 4 or 1020 on Brighthouse Cable here in Orlando).

The Adam Carolla Project – Don’t try this at home!

One of my guilty pleasures is watching home shows – you know the ones, everything from home improvement and renovation to home buying and selling.

If you have ever attempted to renovate a home and run into all sorts of pitfalls and disasters, you will truly enjoy watching the catastrophes that befall poor Adam Carolla, on The Adam Carolla Project, which airs each Saturday night at 10 p.m. on the DIY network (Channel 166 or 1254HD on Brighthouse Cable here in Orlando). A replay of the last week’s episode precedes it at 9:30 p.m. You can also find the show "On Demand" on Brighthouse cable channel 306. The show originally aired in 2005 on TLC.

Carolla is a hilarious comedian – someone who has the gift of seeing humor in everyday real life situations. I’ve listened to him every now and then on his online podcasts, The Adam Carolla Show, where topics range from cars to celebrities. Not coincidentally, he also frequently discusses his own adventures in investing in real estate, obtaining loans, and dealing with the bureaucratic red tape of taxes and permitting. It’s hard to feel sorry for the guy – he’s a millionaire – so, instead, we listeners can feel guiltless laughing at his unconventional creative solutions to his problems.

Carolla is also an ordinary everyday type of guy, not pretentious, not a know-it-all jerk. He’s someone we can all relate to.

In the TV show, Carolla has decided to take on the self-prescribed challenge of buying a run down home in prosperous Orange County, California, renovating it using only his own money, and reselling it for a million dollars. The year is 2005 and the housing market is still peaking. After scouring the Los Angeles area, Carolla purchases his own childhood home where he grew up for about $740K from his father. His goal is to gut it, renovate it, and add on to it, increasing the value enough to resell the house for $1M.

That may sound like a ridiculous amount to get for a home, until you put the price in perspective. Here in central Florida, this could be compared to buying a traditional neighborhood home for about $220K and reselling it for $300K after fixing it up.

Carolla’s hired a bunch of misfits, his “band of unemployable idiots,” consisting of friends from high school, buddies he’s worked with in the construction business, even his nephew. His old friend Ray Oldhafer is the most comical – anal about using a level, while refusing to wear proper shoes, and instead wearing flip flops on the job.

Every episode, there’s some sort of calamity where someone screws up royally, and we get to hear one of Carolla’s seemingly hair-brained, yet somehow practical solutions to his dilemma. It’s very entertaining. I recommend watching with your buddies after a long Saturday tackling a honey-do list, while enjoying a nice refreshing beverage. Hearing Carolla’s problems will make your own seem less monumental, and you’ll rest easy that night, feeling a bit more intelligent and competent.