Celebrity Apprentice 2012 Continues On As Drama Increases; Predictions

Pic of Day      

Do They Come Any Bitchier Than Lisa Lampanelli?

So Joan Rivers was the appointed bitch during a recent season of Celebrity Apprentice. At the time I thought her bitchiness was kind of scripted as these things often are. But damn, Lisa Lampanelli is a winner with her wrath and nastiness, dear Lord.

For a while she hated teammate Dayana Mendoza and her mouth knew no bounds. On this more recent episode aired on Sunday, Easter night in fact, 4/8/12, Lisa turned her anger at Lou Ferrigno. Lisa had a nasty mouth and Ferrigno threatened Lisa with bodily harm. Damn, Ferrigno's supposed to be the brave Incredible Hulk who comes to save the day and he's going to throw a woman out the window?

There's been a couple of interesting tasks since my first post on this reality series, one of my faves. The challenges have included creating a few commercials for such diverse products as O Cedar mop, Buick and Entertainment.com. They were charged for throwing a live party for Crystal Lite. On a night of double challenges the teams created a New York guidebook and a demonstration for walking for Walgreens.

As of this writing there are eight celebrity contenders left.

Arsenio Hall
Aubrey O'Day
Clay Aiken
Dayana Mendoza
Lisa Lampanelli
Paul Teutul, Sr.
Penn Jillette
Teresa Giudice

Lisa Lampanelli is listed as a comedian and I know comedic talent often requires a certain amount of acidity. But this woman has being acerbic down to a genuine talent. Which is not to say, in any fashion, that I do not like her. She, however, does not seem to like anyone.

I do think The Donald seems to make a career out of the boardroom time, but Donald Trump never met a camera he did not like.


For now, enough claws have been revealed to keep a viewer's eyebrows raised. Arsenio Hall, a fellow I always considered pleasant, really has it in for Aubrey. Who is now on his team for while the show began with men versus the women, that's all changed. As of this writing, the teams consist of:

Arsenio Hall
Aubrey O'Day
Teresa Giudice
Clay Aiken
Paul Teutul, Sr.

vs

Dayana Mendoza
Lisa Lampanelli
Penn Jillette

This make up, again very uneven, might change at the next challenge.

As for predictions for winners, well hey, I think Lisa's got as much of a chance as anyone to win this. She is very smart, does do a lot of the work and surely is aggressive. Beyond that, Arsenio I think, won't last. Dayana is pretty but dim. Clay just ain't it. Paul Teutul, Sr I would pick as second choice to win. Aubrey won't last till the end I predict, neither will Teresa. Penn Jillette could end up in the top three.

I reserve the right to change my mind as future events unfold.

Celebrity Apprentice 2012 has been an entertaining reality show, as it always is. It airs on Sunday nights, NBC, at 9pm.


Celebrity Apprentice 2012 Continues, Women Bicker, Men Stay Strong, It Becomes a Hoot

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Drivel: Change Agent

Forgive me, my friend, for I have not Driveled.

Each day, I think about what has happened and think, 'I should Drivel that.' And yet I don't. Why? Because you are currently holding too many loose ends. The aquarium must remain a loose end for awhile yet, but I think I can tie a knot in the one about work.

I have met my new Supervisor, several times, and I have had multiple team meetings with her and my team. I feel like the cautious time is over and find I am not only comfortable with Chris, I like her. A lot.

folks I really, really wanted on my team

Things she told me - or the team - have been true, and the story has been consistent whether I heard it directly or from someone else on the team. I haven't found myself confused over what she meant about anything, and when I'm given a task the way I complete it has always been either acceptable (good or really good) or there were minor tweaks (needs a bit of work), but none of them resulted in it being given to someone else to finish, a serious talk about how to do something, or that severe look of disappointment which always makes me wonder what I missed. These things I have experienced from Supervisors in the past when we didn't quite communicate to each other very well; I just didn't speak their language.

None of that right now. It helps me feel like I'm doing a good job (yes, even when I'm asked to refine a deliverable) and gives me confidence to step it up and do other or more things.

A couple of weeks ago, our team underwent another change. Way back somewhere between July 2010 and October 2010, a decision was being made about employees who have a similar role to mine yet work in other departments. The work is the same and while a computer program or two might be different, it might be a good thing to move all of those folks together.

We were assured the decision would be made soon. Then it would be made within two weeks. Then we'd have the answer October 14. Then sometime in November. Then by the year's end . . .

The decision wasn't made, people who were looking forward to that move got other positions, and the Supervisor I had then left us. I figured
the decision was dead.

Apparently it wasn't all the way dead. That consolidation is being made. Overnight, we got five more team members. A couple of them were folks I really, really wanted on my team.

The best news - for me - was that three of them were based in my own town. I would no longer be the only child on my site! Being required to move to the other site is always my biggest fear with any change.

Then, a week later, we got another person, also based here.

Monday was our first team meeting as a group. I knew the dynamics would shift a bit, but I was not prepared for how it actually went.

It was *amazing.* Almost - dare I say it - like family.

For the first time in my entire work life, I am excited about a change.

Corporate tells us that all exempt staff should be "change agents." We should lead change, embrace it, be a role model for staff who aren't so much into it . . . even if we aren't into it ourselves. That's always been tough for me. I don't handle change well.

But in that room, with my new expanded team of thirteen (one was missing), I suddenly saw all the possibilities. The improvements we could make, the efficiencies we could gain, the strength we could give to each other, all were crystal clear, like the path before me on a bright spring morning.

You know what? I think I'm finally a change agent. I am excited to be part of this change, and my team ROCKS.

Michelle
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