Martha Stewart "Apprentice"

[madpots]

Anybody going to try out for Martha's Apprentice? I got a notice that try-outs start tomorrow. They will be in Las Vegas February 11th, but I think I will pass. If its as cutthroat as Donald's I wouldn't want to be on it.

[MISSINDI]

I got an e-mail today, and am seriously considering it... :)

[schuh]

No way. Everyone I know who has encountered her says she's not a nice person to be around.
Also, you may want to find out what the job really is. With Trump, it's president if a division. With Martha, it's less clear. It says it would be her "apprentice." You could be fetching coffee for her.

[jabelt]

My SIL was a PR exec at a NY firm and personally worked with Martha on a project and to say her reputation isn't just rumor is an understatement. Beware!

[bobmark226]

Originally posted by schuh
You could be fetching coffee for her.

I fetch coffee anyway, so I might as well be doing it for (presumably) more money!

Bob

[tperes]

I joked with DH about this last night. However, I am starting a new job in August, my "realistic dream job" so I think I am going to pass this time. It will be fun to watch, though!

[Lillith]

My newspaper said that the salary would be the same as Donald's apprentice, which is $250,000. You can bet you'd be doing alot more than fetching coffee for that kind of $$$.

[mrswaz]

I just cannot imagine a Martha version of the show being as entertaing as the Donald version. Does this mean the end of Donald on The Apprentice?

[jabelt]

Originally posted by mrswaz
Does this mean the end of Donald on The Apprentice?

I heard it was just a spin-off.

[MISSINDI]

Originally posted by schuh
It says it would be her "apprentice." You could be fetching coffee for her.

The salary is $250,000/year, just like Donald's apprentice, and for that, I'd happily fetch coffee. :D

[annagins]

Originally posted by madpots
Anybody going to try out for Martha's Apprentice? I got a notice that try-outs start tomorrow. They will be in Las Vegas February 11th, but I think I will pass. If its as cutthroat as Donald's I wouldn't want to be on it.

Where did the notice come from?

[madpots]

I got an email, but I think they were running something on the bottom of Apprentice last night. I didn't pay too much attention to it.

[bobmark226]

Here's an interesting take from Forbes today. It might also be noted that the stock is up 1.77 or 5% today!

Bob

***********

The Five Dumbest Things on Wall Street This Week

By George Mannes
Senior Writer


1. The Lady and the Trump
Want to be like Donald Trump? Well, do so at your own peril.
You're ... Fricasseed
Money money, Martha!



Now, we're not referring simply to his bizarre hairstyle. Nor are we talking just about his management style -- specifically, the style that led Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts into bankruptcy.

No, we're thinking of Wednesday's announcement that Martha Stewart, following her release from federal prison, will star in a spinoff of the Trump-centered reality TV franchise The Apprentice.

Yes, soon after Stewart is released from jail in March, a gaggle of executive wannabees will vie on-camera for a position at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSO:NYSE - commentary - research).

Well, as much as people are rooting for Martha's rehabilitation, and as much as her company's stock has soared while she's been in prison, we just don't get it. The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, we suspect, will go the route of previous Apprentice-copycat shows starring Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and British adventurer/entrepreneur Richard Branson: It'll deflate faster than one of Branson's hot-air balloons.

See, the primal appeal of The Apprentice is the joy of watching a bunch of ambitious punks brutally fight over money in the presence of a guy who celebrates the culture of money.

But while Stewart, a former stockbroker, is indeed a moneymaker with a lot of drive, her public persona has nothing to do with money or ambition. It's all about family, friends, food, decorations and happy homes. Her public focus is on the good times that money can't buy -- happiness in a cozy home, not a rat-race workplace.

So we don't understand how you can have people ruthlessly compete with one another to be paragons of domesticity. It's too paradoxical to contemplate.
Nor do we see the appeal of watching the behind-the-scenes, no-nonsense businesswoman that Martha Stewart undoubtedly is. We prefer the gracious hostess that Martha plays on camera, even if it is an act.

No, we don't want Martha Stewart to star in a reality show. It's the unreality that is her genius.

[schuh]

I think Forbes has it right.

It would be well within Martha's real personality to rake people over the coals the way the Trumpster does. That's the most entertaining part of the show. But it would be contradictory to her "It's a Good Thing" persona.

I'd watch a couple of episodes to see how it all pans out.

But life is to short to work for either one of them. I don't care how much it pays.

[MISSINDI]

Originally posted by annagins


Where did the notice come from?

I got an e-mail too, but you can also get more info/apply here (http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Apprentice_3/open_call.shtml).

[annagins]

Originally posted by MISSINDI


I got an e-mail too, but you can also get more info/apply here (http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Apprentice_3/open_call.shtml).

Thanks!

[Miss Giggles]

They are having "casting calls" today in Detroit for it.

I wonder if they will show her temper tamptrums she is rumored to have? Not my favorite though.

I would be Tyler Florence's apprentice!

[gertdog]

Originally posted by MISSINDI


The salary is $250,000/year, just like Donald's apprentice, and for that, I'd happily fetch coffee. :D

Yep! NBC pays the salary anyway, not Trump or Martha, so it's not like they care whether you're running a division or shining shoes.

I wouldn't apply, but I'll watch at least the first few episodes. Just the difference in style between Martha and Trump would be interesting.

[annagins]

Originally posted by Miss Giggles


I would be Tyler Florence's apprentice!

Yeah, wouldn't we all :D

I don't quite agree with the Forbes article. In fact, I think it's the paradoxical nature of the concept that might make the show interesting.

[MISSINDI]

Funny how the different sides of the CLBB seem divided ... over on the Other Stuff board, there's a thread on her new show too, and there seems to be a lot more support for her there. Just an observation... :)

[Melman]

Tyler will be in town tomorrow giving a free cooking demonstration. The hospital system is doing some type of women's health day.

Yes, I'd also sign up to be an apprentice for Tyler (carry his coffee, mop the floors, pretty much anything)...Martha? Nah. No interest.

[Mamasue]

I certainly won't signup but looking forward to at least viewing a few shows. Martha has helped me be creative and to see things in different ways! :D

[schuh]

Originally posted by MISSINDI
Funny how the different sides of the CLBB seem divided ... over on the Other Stuff board, there's a thread on her new show too, and there seems to be a lot more support for her there. Just an observation... :)

Please don't get me wrong ... on the legal side, I thought what happened to her was ridiculous. I don't think it's right that she's in jail right now when so executives who have rendered their employees' retirement funds worthless are walking free.

But I do know people who have dealt with her in business contexts, and nobody has a good thing to say about her. I'll be curious to see which Martha surfaces in the TV show.

[MISSINDI]

schuh - I completely understand. I've heard the stories too, and they abound enough, that I don't doubt the truth in them. It's always interesting, though, that when men in the business world behave the way she supposedly has, they're great business executives, shrewd, admired, revered, etc., but when a woman does, they're a b*tch. Not excusing whatever she does, just interesting... While I might not agree with everything she does, I'm sure a lot can be learned from her, and think it's amazing the empire she has built from a small catering business started from her own kitchen table. :)

[schuh]

Originally posted by MISSINDI
schuh - It's always interesting, though, that when men in the business world behave the way she supposedly has, they're great business executives, shrewd, admired, revered, etc., but when a woman does, they're a b*tch.

I think there's some truth in that, but I do think that if a guy did the same stuff I heard about Martha doing, they'd say he was a jerk as well.

[Aubergine]

i read about this in the past week's New York magazine, where there is a long cover story about MS. SO and i are having a lively debate about the outcome of M's incarceration; my gut tells me that it can only have been a humbling and humanizing experience, resulting in a genuinely 'kinder and gentler' Martha, whereas SO (who holds a supervisory civilian position in a state men's prison, and thus is probably more 'qualified' than i to comment on this) foresees the opposite.

if i were post-college-30, i'd likely take a shot at this, and probably have a ball. in my younger days, i worked for and with some famous, highly influential and powerful persons, and lemme tell you, it's an incredible learning experience; it also yields great contacts and looks terrific on a resume.:D

i've never seen the Donald's show, and i expect my stomach for this one will last about as long as Rocco DiSpirito's - about one episode. but who knows? i've always had a soft spot for MS.