Celebrity Apprentice 2010 News: Donald Trump Speaks Extensively On New Season

News

This is the full transcript of the press conference call with Donald Trump and Bret Michaels

Coordinator: Hello and welcome to the Celebrity Apprentice conference call. At the request of NBC this call is being recorded for instant replay purposes, a transcript of the call is also being made. With us on today’s call are Donald Trump and Bret Michaels, also on the call is Meredith Fitzpatrick of NBC. To ask a question on today’s call please press star 1.

Meredith Fitzpatrick: Hi everyone it’s Meredith Fitzpatrick. Thank you so much for joining us for this conference call. Just wanted to remind everyone that the third season of the Celebrity Apprentice premiers Sunday, March 14 on NBC from 9:00 to 11:00 pm.

And this year’s cast includes Darryl Strawberry, Cyndi Lauper, Bret Michaels, Sharon Osbourne, Michael Johnson, Holly Robinson Peete, Bill Goldberg, Carol Leifer, Sinbad, Summer Sanders, Rod Blagojevich, Maria Kanellis, Curtis Stone and Selita Ebanks.

We’ve also just sent out screeners. If you did not receive one please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me, again it’s Meredith Fitzpatrick and I can be reached at 818-777-2879. I believe we’re ready for questions.

Coordinator: The first question comes from Joshua Maloney, Niagara Frontier Publications.

Joshua Maloney: Hi guys, thanks for your time today.

Donald Trump: Thank you Joshua.

Bret Michaels: Welcome.

Joshua Maloney: Donald it’s a great cast, I love the cast. Tell us a little bit about the selection process.

Donald Trump: Well it’s very interesting, Joshua, because so many people want to be now on the show. You know, after the first success and then the Joan Rivers success of those two shows they – just celebrities want to be on the show. So I would say probably six or seven people per spot we were turning down.

And we just – we thought it was a really — we wanted some athletes, we wanted some actors, actresses, we have models, we have wrestlers, we have a beautiful wrestler and a big wrestler, Goldberg and Maria – Maria is a beautiful woman who’s a wrestler with the WWE and their big star.

So, you know, it’s really – it’s been a very interesting process. But the hardest thing – because we really have some good people that want to go on very badly and I guess maybe we’ll save them for the next show because it looks like that’s going to happen.

Joshua Maloney: All right. And Bret, tell us, you know, obviously whether you won the show, whether you lost in the first week, at some point obviously you were in the boardroom; what was that experience like for you?

Bret Michaels: Well the boardroom is exactly what I thought it would be like, it’s very intense in there. You go in – again and I want to say this, I was very excited first of all to be on the show. And for me being a diabetic myself and having, you know, lifelong diabetes it was intense in there. I went in to fight for my charity and very personal for me. And when I went in there it was exactly how I saw the other two seasons, very intense.

Joshua Maloney: All right great, thanks guys. Good luck with the season.

Donald Trump: Thank you very much.

Bret Michaels: Thanks.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Megan Murphy, Us Weekly.

Megan Murphy: Hi guys how are you doing?

Donald Trump: Hi Megan.

Megan Murphy: Hi. So I just would like to know how is this season going to be different than past seasons. Are you going to do anything to change it up a bit?

Donald Trump: Well again we have, you know, we’ve had such a success and, you know, frankly when you have a success you don’t like to do too many changes. And what we do have is there has been a different tone. Now as you know everything has not been shot so I can’t tell you how it ends, I don’t know myself how it’s going to end and of course we’re going to have a two or three hour live finale.

But the cast has been very interesting. They’ve been very tough, very nasty but there’s also a lot of fun and funniness with respect to what happens which I don’t think we had in the last one with Joan as an example and with Piers. It was really nasty people really hating each other. These people hate each other but it’s also funny; there’s something funny about it that I didn’t have in the first two so I think that might be the biggest differentiation in terms of, you know, the three casts.

Megan Murphy: Okay and Bret, is there any chance that your pal Miley Cyrus is going to make a guest appearance?

Man: I hope not.

Bret Michaels: There may always be a chance you never know; you’re going to have to tune in to find out.

Megan Murphy: Well that’s intriguing. Okay thanks guys appreciate it.

Donald Trump: Thank you very much.

Bret Michaels: Yes.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Jim Halterman, futoncritic.com.

Jim Halterman: Good morning gentlemen.

Donald Trump: Good morning.

Jim Halterman: The first question for Donald, can you kind of tell off the bat who is going to do well and who isn’t? Do you have any kind of gut feeling when you just first meet these people?

Donald Trump: Well that’s always to me the most interesting question because I’d like to think of myself as being okay with people. But so often I’ll say this one is going to be a star, let’s say Bret, he’s going to be a star; he’s going to be great. And then he turns out to be a dud. I’m not saying that happened and frankly it didn’t happen, okay.

But you never really know. I mean, oftentimes you’ll see somebody and you’ll say oh this person’s going to do great especially with the celebrity because you’ve known these celebrities at least, you know, through reading about them for so many years.

And a lot of times you’re really disappointed and a lot of times somebody that is not really – that you don’t think of so highly turns out to be a star. So it’s very, very tough. You don’t know what happens and, you know, with pressure and the heat of battle you just don’t know what happens.

So I’ll have a preconceived notion, yes, always. A lot of times that turns out to be not necessarily correct.

Jim Halterman: Got it, okay. And Bret, what was your strategy going into the game assuming you had one?

Bret Michaels: There was absolutely in my mind – I thought I had a strategy and this was it. I knew that I – again and I go back to this being lifelong diabetic I went in there with one intent and that was to win. And when I went in there with that attitude I know one thing that I felt was extremely important for me was to deliver myself to each task.

And what I found is I thought there was going to be some quitters. You know, when I watched the other two seasons I immediately felt that I knew who was going to walk off the show or not last. And most of it turned out to be true, right.

On this one there was no quitters and I think that’s what made this coming season the most intense because no one was giving up the battle.

Jim Halterman: Nice. Okay can’t wait. Thanks guys.

Donald Trump: Thank you very much.

Bret Michaels: You bet.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Rodney Ho, Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Rodney Ho: Hey I just wanted to ask you about – can you hear me?

Donald Trump: Yes we can Rodney.

Rodney Ho: Can you hear me?

Donald Trump: Yes we can.

Bret Michaels: Yes.

Rodney Ho: Sorry about that. I just wanted to ask you about Goldberg, what was he like? He’s a Georgia man.

Donald Trump: Well he was – first of all he’s very capable. And he’s a very tough guy; he’s not easy to get along with that I can tell you. And he’s – I don’t mean just tough physically he’s tough in a lot of other ways. And he was – I have a lot of respect for him but he’s a very difficult kind of a guy.

Rodney Ho: And was he tough in the boardroom too? I mean…

Donald Trump: Yes he was tough. He’s a tough guy. He’s a tough cookie but physically and mentally. He’s strong, he’s very strong.

Rodney Ho: You don’t get intimidated much do you Mr. Trump?

Donald Trump: No I don’t. You know, look I know – I understand life and hey we’re here for a certain period of time and that’s the end. What’s to be intimidated about? But Goldberg is certainly a guy that can intimidate people. And I think, Bret, you would agree with that right?

Bret Michaels: I would agree 1000%. And here’s the thing about – we talk about Goldberg, he’s menacing to be around first of all. He’s a very extremely, extremely intense guy and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. And he’s a fighter, I mean, when he has a – but he also when he goes after something he really goes after it and there’s no – if you’re in his way you get run down.

And, you know, you get run over and at the same time I had to put out of my mind that I like him and respect him as a wrestler and enjoy watching him but I’m also going up against him to win and that’s what made it intense because he is big and physically, you know, there’s some times I’m going to be straight honest that we loved each other and hated each other and went head to head and I just knew I could outrun him that’s what mattered.

I may not beat him in a fight but I knew I could out run him. And so – but I didn’t back down. We both went at it but in the end, you know, the bottom line is we both wanted to win.

Rodney Ho: Thanks.

Donald Trump: Thank you.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Lisa Steinberg, Starry Constellation Magazine.

Lisa Steinberg: Good morning gentlemen, thank you so much for speaking with us.

Donald Trump: Good morning.

Bret Michaels: You’re welcome.

Lisa Steinberg: I apologize I’m a little under the weather today but I couldn’t pass up the chance to have at least five minutes with Mr. Trump and you Bret.

((Crosstalk))

Lisa Steinberg: Well, Mr. Trump I was wondering now that it’s Season 3 of the show what can these celebrities do to really set themselves apart and show them, you know, show you that they’re in it to win it?

Donald Trump: Well they really are in it to win it, that’s one thing I’ve seen and I could tell you from Seasons 1, 2 and from the regular Apprentice, I mean, people really want to win. Every once in a while you’ll have a quitter but it doesn’t happen often.

And I think the reason that they do and even setting apart is the level of intensity they feel for their charity. You know, unlike regular Apprentice where somebody worked for me for a pretty good salary for a year this one is – the money goes to charity. And last year millions of dollars was raised for charity.

And I could tell you this year more money is being raised for charity than even last year. So a lot of charities – in Bret’s case he’s very strong for his charity as he’s already told you. But everybody really has a charity that they love. Some are foundations that they’ve set up themselves in advance – long advance of the show, they’ve been with them for years.

So they really fight, the intensity is there. And I think maybe more so because of the fact that it is a charity that they’re fighting for.

Lisa Steinberg: And Bert we mentioned these strong personalities that are on the show with Goldberg and of course the amazing Sharon Osbourne, how do you think you stack up to these strong personalities?

Bret Michaels: Here’s what happens for me, when I go into these shows they are absolutely strong personalities, I know that they’re extremely smart. I know that they’re strong physically, mentally so when I go in there that makes me up my game. And I feel the reason I’ve survived 20 years in the music business is I just don’t back down to a challenge and especially when it’s that close to my heart.

And knowing that they’re smart, knowing that you’re up there in front of Mr. Trump, in front of Sharon, in front of Strawberry, in front of Goldberg, all these people it really makes you up your game. And I think that what people forget about all this is when you go in there how intense and hard of work this is.

They, you know, you go onto a show and if you don’t deliver yourself for the real fact that this is a – this is real; you are out there in the streets working hard. I forgot about anything that was going on around me other than delivering to the task. And knowing I’m going up against some smart people it made me even up my game more.

Lisa Steinberg: Well thank you both, gentlemen, again and I appreciate it.

Donald Trump: Thank you very much. Feel better.

Bret Michaels: Yes.

Lisa Steinberg: Thank you.

Bret Michaels: Thanks.

Coordinator: The next question comes from April MacIntyre, Monsters and Critics.

April MacIntyre: Gentlemen, thank you so much.

Donald Trump: Thank you.

April MacIntyre: I watched the first episode and I have to say I think it’s one of the best seasons so far.

Donald Trump: Oh that’s great, thank you.

Bret Michaels: Thank you, thank you.

April MacIntyre: My first question for you Mr. Trump is do you ratchet – you’re like a prosecuting attorney when you have them in the boardroom. Do you ratchet – I thought it was very interesting how you went after Blagojevich when he…

Donald Trump: Right.

April MacIntyre: …was hemming and hawing. And I was wondering if you could talk about that and if you kind of meter your approach to different personalities. And since he’s a politician you…

Donald Trump: Right.

April MacIntyre: …went for it with him?

Donald Trump: Well I could tell you with him it was just the beginning because it really is – it’s pretty wild what happens. And he’s pretty wild. It’s going to be very interesting I can tell you. And I think, you know, just like you like the cast it’s – the cast has turned out to be amazing.

Yes, I think you deal with different people differently. I deal with Goldberg differently than I deal with the Governor. I deal with, you know, really like Joan Rivers last time I dealt with her much differently than some of the other contestants. Certainly if you look at Dennis Rodman and Joan, you know, you deal with people differently.

And you have to be able to have that ability because frankly you deal with some people in a certain fashion and you have to know how to deal and other people in a totally different fashion.

April MacIntyre: Right.

Donald Trump: And I do deal with people differently, yes.

April MacIntyre: And the question for you Mr. Michaels, you’re incredibly well-spoken, you’re very focused, you don’t come across as the prototypical rocker, you know, like someone like a Tommy Lee or even like a Dennis Rodman who has this kind of faux rocker persona even though he’s a sports figure.

I was wondering if you could talk about your background and just some of the things that have made you who are in your career, I mean, you’re decidedly different than a lot of rockers that I’ve come across.

Bret Michaels: Well first of all thank you. And I want to say this, I thank – first of all I’ve got to start by thanking my parents. I grew up in a very blue collar family. We grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

And you know what for me I think what has been my blessing through all this – I went in there knowing first of all when you say prosecuting attorney that will be the understatement of the year because I’ve got to tell you something I never sweated as much as I do in that boardroom.

So first of all you got to up your game. And when you say that I think what it is for a lot of people – what you see with me is exactly what you get. And I think a lot of times people try to overly act out the rockstar thing or try to be what they think people want them to be.

And I think what makes a real rockstar, what makes a real original person, is being exactly who and what you are and not trying to act out any other persona.

Donald Trump: And I can just add that, you know, I won’t say if Bret lasts, how long he lasts or anything else but he was also very different than I thought. He’s a tough, tough cookie. And I was a little surprised by it. He was really strong and very, very smart. With all that he may have been fired very early on because a lot of smart strong people make mistakes. And when you make mistakes you get fired. But he turned out to be very good, excellent.

Bret Michaels: Thank you.

April MacIntyre: Compelling show this season. Thank you.

Donald Trump: Thank you very much.

Bret Michaels: Thanks.

Donald Trump: Thank you.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Cindy Perlman, New York Times Syndicate.

Cindy Perlman: Hey you guys thanks for doing this today.

Donald Trump: Hi Cindy, thank you.

Bret Michaels: You’re welcome.

Cindy Perlman: First question – and I’m so glad the show’s back. The first question for Mr. Trump, after a little hiatus how do you feel going back in the boardroom and what does it feel like for you the first time you say, “You’re fired?”

Donald Trump: Well it is a little hiatus because, you know, when we started off it became so successful that NBC decided to do three in one season including the Martha Stewart fiasco which turned out to be a fiasco unfortunately. But then it, you know, but it did very well even after all of that it continued to do well and then we did the celebrity version.

And I just have a great kick out of it, you know, I get a great kick. I really like it a lot. They want to renew it for another two or three seasons. And, you know, we’re thinking about that. But it’s been just for me it’s been a lot of fun. And having a little bit of a break between shows like American Idol where it goes on once a year, you know, there’s something very nice about it.

Cindy Perlman: And as someone who also writes for the Chicago Sun Times could you talk a little bit about Blagojevich and your – why you chose him and how he’s doing so far?

Donald Trump: Well I’ll tell you, as I said about Bret, Bret really was very much different than I envisioned him; I didn’t envision him bad or good, I didn’t know what to expect. But I could tell you he turned out to be a very tough competitor. And Blagojevich likewise and Bret can maybe speak a little bit about this because he probably got to know him as well or more than me because, you know, they virtually lived together .

But it took a lot of courage, first of all before we even get to the show, it took a lot of courage under the pressure that he’s under for him to even do the show. I’ve known people over the years where they’ve had problems like he’s got and they go into a corner and they shoot themselves or they go into a corner and they just hide.

Here’s a guy doing a major, major television show for two hours primetime and, you know, even the government, you know, the government wasn’t thrilled with that whole thing. And he really displayed great courage in doing the show and as far as a player is concerned highly competitive, worked very hard, I mean, you wouldn’t know this guy was a governor or an ex-governor.

And he really worked very hard and, you know, I think he does a very good job. I won’t say how long he lasts or if he lasts but he did a very good job. What do you think Bret?

Bret Michaels: Here’s – I want to say this, in the short amount of time that I was around Rod I just want to say this, in my time spent with him I will say this he was fantastic for me, I mean, we started talking, both of our parents coming from, again blue collar background. I found him extremely nice. I thought he was down to Earth. And every time we had to do something together he was focused.

You know, when we got thrown something in the very beginning we were both – he was focused and he’s great at delegating stuff. I mean, and that’s his expertise. I think he embraced stuff. And he wasn’t – I’ll say this honestly – he was not scared to get his hands dirty which is, you know, for me again, you know, what you assume a politician to be like he dug right in and got into it. And he was – I thought he was great honestly.

Donald Trump: The amazing thing is this is going on pretty much at the same time as his trial. So…

Bret Michaels: Yes, yes.

Donald Trump: …I mean, it’s a very interesting situation I’ll tell you. And so many of the questions in all fairness to all of the other contestants who are in many ways, you know, and some really bigger names, so many of the questions really evolve around the Governor and, you know, what was he like and everything else; people are very interested.

And the fact that his trial is going to be going on almost at the same time it’s very interesting and very compelling to watch.

Cindy Perlman: And finally for Mr. Trump even after all these years do you ever feel bad about firing someone or just part of the job?

Donald Trump: I always feel bad – no, not always, sometimes somebody, you know, not everybody do I like. And sometimes I don’t like people. And, you know, it doesn’t bother me. The hard ones are when you really like somebody, really respect somebody and they make a mistake.

Like as an example Scott Hamilton, how can you not like Scott Hamilton from the last season? And I had to let Scott go. And I’m a great fan of Scott, he won Olympic gold medals, he’s a, you know, great champion and everything else. And he understood he made a mistake on the show and I really had no choice. And I felt very badly about that because I considered him to be just a great person and I still do.

But I have to do what’s right. And there are many other examples, you know, I fire people that win gold medals, great champions, everything else, and, you know, it’s not – it’s not easy. People say oh well it comes easy for me, it doesn’t. And it’s never fun. It’s all to easier though when I don’t like somebody or when they’re really, really bad then it becomes much easier, Cindy.

Cindy Perlman: Thank you so much.

Donald Trump: Thank you very much.

Bret Michaels: Yes, thanks.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Sammi Turano, TV Grapevine.

Sammi Turano: Good morning?

Donald Trump: Hi.

Sammi Turano: It’s an honor to talk to both of you.

Donald Trump: Thank you.

Bret Michaels: Thank you, good morning.

Sammi Turano: Good morning. My first thing, Mr. Trump, tell Ivanka her book was absolutely fantastic and thank you for being a role model for women my age because…

Donald Trump: Oh thank you.

Sammi Turano: …we’re around the same age so…

Donald Trump: Okay good thank you. She’ll appreciate that.

((Crosstalk))

Sammi Turano: Oh good. And that actually leads to my first question, what do you think is your biggest success, your actual business success or the fact that you raised such amazingly self sufficient children?

Donald Trump: Well I’m getting a lot of credit on the children. And Ivanka will be back and Don will be back and we’re also having some other people joining us, Erin Burnett from CNBC and some others; we have some great people on the show.

But Ivanka – everybody’s asking about Ivanka. So many people have said will she be back? Will she be back and the answer is yes, she’ll be back on the show. But, you know, I do get a lot of credit. They’re very good kids. They were – they went to very good schools, they were great students at the best schools. And, you know, they’re good.

And, you know, I couldn’t wait to get them on the show. Now I had no idea the show would be into its, you know, when you get into 9 and 10 that’s pretty amazing in your world of television. See it’s not my world it’s your world because I just entered it a few years ago.

But, you know, it’s hard to believe, while it’s not that many years it’s still, you know, you start hitting number 9 and number 10 that’s a lot of success in that sense. And, you know, people are all asking about Ivanka and she will be back on the show absolutely and even playing a bigger role than she did.

Sammi Turano: Oh well that’s wonderful, congratulations.

Donald Trump: Good, thank you.

Sammi Turano: And my other question for Bret, who’s the most interesting person you worked with on this show?

Bret Michaels: That is a really tough on and I’ll explain why…

Donald Trump: Well hopefully he’s going to say Mr. Trump.

Bret Michaels: That was my first answer.

Donald Trump: No I’m only kidding.

Bret Michaels: The – and the truth of the matter is when you go in there – let me just start with this, the truth of the matter is when I went in here and started to know who was going to be on the show and you know you’re going to go in there and face Sharon Osbourne and you’re going to face Darryl Strawberry and you’re going to go in there with people that are, you know, athletes and other, you know, musicians and people that are strong business-minded successful people you really know that you’ve got to up your game.

And I think for me probably the most fascinating person – honestly it starts – and again it does for real – it starts going in with Mr. Trump. I mean, you’re going up against one of these people, a person, who is extremely a rockstar in his own right. And at the same time you’re going in there knowing it’s going to be intense in the boardroom. You know that he takes no crap. And, you know, you don’t want to slip up.

And so going in there knowing how extremely intelligent he is, marketing, all that stuff I knew I had to have my game – my A game on right. And then second of all I would say on the cast I think the one I feared the most was going to be Sharon Osbourne.

Donald Trump: One thing I – one thing I could add and I think more so than any other season is that – and the question was asked before about do you have any preconceived notions which is a great question and always an interesting one for me.

But I think more than any other show I would say that some of the people that I thought were really, really, really tough killers weren’t and some of the people that I thought were not that tough turned out to be. And I think more than any other show that’s the case.

And I think you’ll see that because some of the people you think are these absolute rocks in terms of strength are not so strong and some of the ones that you think maybe weren’t as good or wouldn’t be as good are really tough, tough people and tough competitors.

And I think more so than any of the other shows that I’ve done that’s the case here, does that make sense and Bret maybe you can comment on that but I can tell you – and I can’t mention names but a few of the people that I thought were just these brutal killers turned out not to be.

Bret Michaels: I will agree with you beyond 1000%. And what it was when I went in there I went into – knowing that – to never underestimate your opponent. I think that’s my one blessing. But some of the people I thought were going to be, again, completely, completely strong personalities and killers turned out, again, not to be and then some of the ones – fortunately for me I never underestimated anybody because sometimes it’s the sleeper that’s the one that gets you, you know what I mean?

And I’m telling you everybody on this cast – I said it before and I’ll say it again – every single person that joined nobody was a quitter, I mean, everyone came out firing and all of us extremely strong-minded and bullheaded on the way we wanted to accomplish it.

Because if you think about what happens it’s not the task that kills you it’s that there’s all these people battling with their own thought of how you’re going to get there and then the project manager has to figure it out because you’ve got two zillion opinions and it could be death by committee if you procrastinate.

And I think that’s what was a killer for some of these people, they just procrastinated and they got killed. They took too many decisions and finally as project manager you’ve got to jump up and say no, I’m done, this is what we’re doing and some of them just didn’t have the cajones to do it.

Sammi Turano: Makes sense and you’re living my dream, Bret, and that’s not a lie, I’d love to go on the Apprentice someday.

Bret Michaels: I did get to live the dream, it was an awesome feeling.

Sammi Turano: Well I’m proud of both of you, thank you…

Donald Trump: Thank you very much.

((Crosstalk))

Sammi Turano: …Mr. Trump for being a role model and you too, Bret, thank you.

Donald Trump: Thanks very much.

Bret Michaels: You’re welcome.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Emily Yahr, Washington Post.

Emily Yahr: Hi, thanks so much for doing the call.

Donald Trump: Hi Emily.

Emily Yahr: Hi.

Bret Michaels: Oh you’re welcome.

Emily Yahr: So my question, you know, obviously there’s lots of news surrounding NBC lately and, you know, your show does well for them. So I was wondering, Mr. Trump, what you think NBC has to do to kind of get back in the ratings game, produce more scripted shows or, you know, have these realities shows with lots of drama, you know, what your thoughts are on the state of them.

Donald Trump: Well Jeff Gaspin, I know him, and as you know he’s new to the role. And I think he’s going to do a spectacular job at NBC. And, I mean, they need more shows like the Apprentice, not necessarily from a reality standpoint but they need shows that hit – that capture the imagination.

And, you know, frankly certain shows that are on should be changed because, you know, I don’t know they get some pretty good reviews but they don’t get people watching ultimately the people watching is going to be very important. And it’s nice to get both. We’ve sort of had both and we’ve…

Emily Yahr: Right.

Donald Trump: …had the Emmy nominations, we’ve had a lot of good accolades passed our way and that’s always nice. But ultimately you have to have people watch. I think that NBC is going to really do well. I mean, I understand their current leadership, I know their leadership and I think they’re winners so I think they’ll turn it around.

Emily Yahr: Okay. Great thank you.

Donald Trump: Thank you very much.

Emily Yahr: Sure.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Nicholas White, fancast.com.

Nicholas White: Hey guys how’s it going?

Donald Trump: Hi Nicholas.

Bret Michaels: Good, doing great.

Nicholas White: Mr. Trump you had talked a little bit earlier about how maybe somebody you expects to be a rock didn’t come quite – maybe surprised this time around. You know, somebody that stands out obviously is Sharon Osbourne, she seems very tenacious, she’s got a lot of show business experience.

You know, is she the front runner you think going into this season? And, you know, maybe talk about any kind of advantage she has over the competition.

Donald Trump: Well she’s very smart, she’s very strong, very strong-minded and willed. You see what she did with Ozzy because Ozzy is a great talent in terms of music but I guarantee he wouldn’t have been where he is today without Sharon and he understands that better than anybody. So she’s obviously a great character on the show.

You know, beyond that I can’t talk too much because I can’t tell you how she does obviously. But she has been a great character on the show there’s no question about it.

Nicholas White: And for you Bret, what is the future of your other show, Rock of Love? Do you want to keep doing that? Is that something that interests you?

Bret Michaels: Yes, I’ll tell you it’s funny you would ask that because I had a great time – an absolute great time doing Rock of Love, had a lot of fun. And I’ll say this though I was really excited about being on Celebrity Apprentice. The show that – there’s also another side and I think that the reason so many people tune into this show is really simple, it feels like every person if you’re on this show you feel like you’re in it, you’re living it, you’ve got a chance to look at these tasks and do them.

And when I watched the other two seasons of Celebrity Apprentice for me those seasons I felt like this, you know, I would do this, why did they do that? And I think – and I use it just as a – and I’m saying this just as an outsider watching TV, when you go in there you deliver yourself to it.

And I think that with Rock of Love what I, you know, obviously the show, I loved doing it, it was very, very – it was the number one show for VH1 three years in a row. So it was a great opportunity for me but it really helped me to forget that there was anything around me, any cameras, anything and I just delivered myself to the project.

Nicholas White: Great, thank you.

Donald Trump: Thank you.

Bret Michaels: You’re welcome.

Coordinator: The next question comes from (Hahn Win), zap2it.com.

(Hahn Win): Hello gentlemen.

Donald Trump: Hello, (Hahn).

(Hahn Win): Hi. So Mr. Trump you mentioned something about how this season although everyone worked incredibly hard and were very intense there was also a sense of fun that you got.

Donald Trump: Yes.

(Hahn Win): Can you point to any of the contestants in particular that you think delivered this sense of fun?

Donald Trump: Well I think Bret is a good example. He was, you know, he was very intense. Also, you know, he was roughed up pretty much by Goldberg and some others but he handled it incredibly well. But there was a lot of funniness. It was rough but it was funny.

Actually somebody from NBC that reviewed a number of the shows said, you know, the interesting part about this show is that there’s tremendous, you know, the juices are flowing and everything else but it’s really funny. And honestly the other ones were mean, they weren’t funny.

This one’s mean too, it’s got a lot of meanness in it but it’s also very funny. So that’ll be interesting to see, I mean, frankly the mean always seems to work the best so I’m speaking against myself a little bit because the mean always seems to work the best.

And, you know, like when people ask me – a lot of times I’ll get somebody where there’s a bar mitzvah or there’s a wedding and – friends of mine or people I know would you do me a favor would you fire us because we’re showing it. They never want to be hired they always want to be fired.

And it’s almost like the firings that are the meanest, if you look back on the Apprentice those are the ones that everyone likes the best, I mean, the really nasty firings. And, you know, you can’t do that like, you know, certain people that I’ve mentioned previously you can’t fire them too rough otherwise you look like an idiot.

(Hahn Win): Right.

Donald Trump: But the mean firings are – this show is – it’s got a lot of meanness but it’s got a lot of funniness to. So it’ll be interesting for me to see how that plays.

(Hahn Win): Okay thank you.

Donald Trump: Okay thanks.

(Hahn Win): And for Bret, you had mentioned a little bit about how you had enjoyed doing Rock of Love and how would it feel going from this intense environment back to that show?

Bret Michaels: You know what, honestly, I would have a lot of fun – let me say this – and I just wanted to add something to the other one, I think on this one too because I was in there for the amount of time I was on the show there was a sense of really having fun and getting it done.

And one thing that Mr. Trump said is true I was really shocked because I go in there to say how are you doing and I try to respect the people I’m going in there not only to like but I’ve got to go up against them right?

And we had this sense of having fun but getting it done. But let me tell you this show this year I will tell you this hands down runs much more a gamut of emotions. I mean, things that happen, things that went down in the amount of time that I spent there were – I can say this truly insane, sometimes funny, sometimes extremely painful.

And when I say painful I mean emotionally painful. And it ran a bigger gamut of emotions. And I think for me to go back to doing a Rock of Love is a lot of fun, I mean, it’s basically drinking and dating, it can’t be that hard. And it’s so, you know, sucking face and debauchery is not – I’ve, you know, that’s the way it is.

But I think the one thing for me is the harder I work the luckier I got, right? And that’s been my motto. And for me there’s a reason you survived 20 years in the music business and it’s not just by getting lucky for 20 years in a row.

And so like I said to go back to Rock of Love would be a lot fun but I was completely honored to be on this show and allowed to show that I have another side to me.

Donald Trump: Well this show will helps his other show a lot because he does come on – in the time that he’s on the show he does come off, I mean, really good. I think this will have a huge, you know, because this is obviously a much bigger audience. And this will have a huge impact on his other show. So, Bret, I want 10% okay? Whatever you do on that show I want at least 10%. I’m only kidding.

((Crosstalk))

Donald Trump: Go ahead, next question.

Bret Michaels: He’s not kidding.

(Hahn Win): Yes, you think you can attract different type of clientele for that audience, I mean…

Donald Trump: Well I think this will attract that, yes. I think this will attract that.

Bret Michaels: Absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know what, to be – I’ll be brutally honest here’s the thing I didn’t even go into this – when I went in to do this I really wanted to be on this show.

It wasn’t like well I wanted to be here and do this show not only for the fact that again I’m a lifelong diabetic, the charity, a situation I’m going through in my personal life with my daughter and different things that are going on in my life, it was important for me to show – to put it out there for, again, for as long as I lasted.

Punctuality is not my strong point if you know what I’m saying. So I’ll just leave it at that. And but I enjoyed every minute. And there’s no doubt this show is a huge success. And if some of those people come back to watch the other one it’s great. But I was – I was just into doing this one while I was there.

(Hahn Win): All right great, thank you very much.

Donald Trump: Thank you.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Monica Garsky, Flash News.

Monica Garsky: Hi you two, thank you so much for your time.

Donald Trump: Thanks Monica.

Bret Michaels: Oh you’re welcome.

Monica Garsky: Bret you were talking earlier, you know, you grew up in a blue collar family, things like that. I guess I’m kind of just wondering what a couple of your first jobs were maybe growing up as a teenager or something just toward building your empire, you know?

Bret Michaels: Well the very first things I did I, you know, when you grow up in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania areas we’re experiencing right now I was good at shoveling snow and managed to make a little money out of it. u know, and then also cutting lawns and then it went onto being – I started as a busboy, worked my way up to fry cook and eventually became the assistant to the assistant manager where you could, you know, work your way up to be, you know, the actual cook.

And it sounds strange but all of those things that I learned I was – I worked at Purina and unloaded bags of dog food and, you know, every single job that I took on – I worked as a – my biggest one and the longest one was working as a maintenance man and that’s what I did. I went in there and worked maintenance, you got up at 6 o’clock in the morning and you worked from 7 o’clock until 3 o’clock, you know, and that was what you did.

And all of those experiences have helped me to take this back because if you think about being a musician when you’re in a rock band you’re a roadie as much as you’re a musician. In other words duct tape is your best friend. And you learn to take those skills and apply to what happened on Celebrity Apprentice.

Monica Garsky: Absolutely. It sounds like all those jobs have kind of helped you get that work ethic going and everything.

Bret Michaels: Yes, and I’ll tell you what I mean by blue collar. I am – I will say one thing if I was to say this, I – as much as I would like to glamorize rock and roll and all that stuff, I’ll be honest with you I’m not scared to get my hands dirty and get in there and work hard.

And I’ll tell you what I think that that is also what helps me when I take on these tasks.

Monica Garsky: Great. And Mr. Trump I’m wondering, you know, you do all kinds of challenges on this show, that’s the best part of the show. What are your favorite challenges to kind of watch the celebrities tackle? What are, you know, true tests of character in your opinion?

Donald Trump: Well we do have a lot of different challenges and we have a lot of different sponsors. And then sometimes we go back to the selling of the lemonade just to have it, you know, we turn down a lot of sponsors because actually NBC Mark Burnett and myself, you know, we like the basics so whether it’s selling lemonade or doing something else very basic without having to deal with Proctor & Gamble or Kodak, etcetera, sometimes is sort of interesting, expensive for us to do that but that’s okay.

So many of the challenges, I mean, I find that – and it would seem that the rating also find that the favorite part of the show by far is the boardroom. And the boardroom has gotten longer over the years because of that. I mean, the challenges have plenty of time. But the boardroom has gotten, you know, it’s been inching up because it just seems that what people like the most about the show is the boardroom.

And so, you know, we’re focused on both aspects but we have been trying to lengthen the boardroom. And that’s because of viewer requests very strongly.

Monica Garsky: Okay I can see that, yes, that’s where all the intensity is where people…

Donald Trump: Yes.

Monica Garsky: …are on the edge of their seats…

Donald Trump: They really like that the best.

((Crosstalk))

Donald Trump: I mean, the challenges are good by they really like the boardroom the best.

Monica Garsky: Okay perfect.

Donald Trump: Okay.

Monica Garsky: And then earlier you were talking a little bit about, you know, you’re fired line. After all these years the line has not faltered, it’s still strong, it’s still a highlight of the show. How do you keep your phrase strong? How do you keep…

Donald Trump: Well…

Monica Garsky: …saying it so people love it?

Donald Trump: It turned out to be a good phrase. You know, it was a fluke. I don’t know if anyone knows the story but the first show I was a little exasperated with one of the contestants and I used the line you’re fired. When Mark Burnett and I agreed to do the show we didn’t have that, you know, we thought we’d say, you know, get the hell out of here or do something right?

But it was sort of a fluke that it happened. And it’s hard to really envision that but it was You’re Fired. And all of a sudden America went crazy over the show. It happens to be a great catch word. And then as you know TV Guide or one of the major magazines actually they did a poll and after Here’s Johnny and one other great it was number three on the top 100 phrases in television history.

Monica Garsky: Oh my gosh.

Donald Trump: So that was a pretty big honor. I didn’t realize that. But it was, you know, it’s been an amazing thing and an amazing phrase. It just seems to work, I mean, for some reason it was used in the first show and it started people. And it really caught on and it’s just been, you know, an amazing thing to watch.

Monica Garsky: Yes, absolutely. Well it’s short, sweet and simple so…

Donald Trump: Yes.

Monica Garsky: …I can agree…

((Crosstalk))

Donald Trump: It really has been quite good.

Monica Garsky: Great.

Donald Trump: Thank you.

Monica Garsky: Well best of luck with the show this season. Thank you.

Donald Trump: Thank you very much. Bye.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Marty Flannigan, globaltv.com.

Marty Flannigan: Hi there gentlemen.

Donald Trump: Hello Marty.

Bret Michaels: Hello.

Marty Flannigan: Hi. For Mr. Trump I was wondering now that you and Bret have spent some time together and having come from very different backgrounds is there anything you were surprised to find that you have in common?

Donald Trump: Well, you know, I’ll tell you a terrible story. Years and years ago my parents had a lot of problems with me because I was rather rebellious like Bret. And they sent me to an institute; I think it was called the Johnson Institute. And it was an aptitude institute to learn what you do the best right? So Bret will be shocked to hear this. I was like seven or eight.

And they gave, you know, aptitude tests. And they would do things like play a note on the piano and then five minutes later play five different notes and which note matched up to the first note, things like that okay?

Marty Flannigan: Yes.

Donald Trump: So the thing that my aptitude was the highest at which floored my father, he couldn’t believe it, was music, okay. See that Bret?

Bret Michaels: That’s awesome.

Donald Trump: It was music, yes. My highest aptitude was music. So I was floored by it but my father was totally floored by it, I’m not sure he was thrilled either if you want to know the truth. So I guess that’s something we might have in common.

Bret Michaels: Wow.

Donald Trump: Because Bret obviously has a great aptitude for music; he’s been great at what he does.

Bret Michaels: Thank you very much. And I will say this about Mr. Trump, you know what when you – the one thing as a musician that you get about people is I’d like to think I’ve got a good sense or sixth sense about people and I will tell this, you know, it is intense when you’re around somebody and the things, you know, you don’t sit there and go what do we have in common, what I looked at is you go into there and it’s an admiration for where he is, where he’s gotten to, what he has been through and the amount of success.

And for me I think anyone goes in there and the reason, you know, you also talked about the line you’re fired, you’re not just getting fired alone in a room, you’re walking in there with other celebrities, you’re setting across – and I’ve set there across and heard the words you’re fired, right?

It – when you’re hearing this from such a prominent – I’m just saying this business man, you know, that is – and know that there is so many eyeballs watching it that’s what makes it intense.

Marty Flannigan: Yes, wow, thank you Bret. And one last for Mr. Trump, are you a Poison fan perchance?

Donald Trump: Yes I am.

((Crosstalk))

Donald Trump: What I love…

Bret Michaels: …Unskinny Bop and Nothing But a Good Time.

Donald Trump: We’ll go and have a good time. I hope I get invited. But I am absolutely.

Marty Flannigan: Great, thanks so much guys.

Donald Trump: Okay thank you very much.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Earl Dittman, Wireless Magazine.

Earl Dittman: Hi gentlemen how are you today?

Donald Trump: Hi Earl. How are you Earl?

Earl Dittman: Doing great. I have to say I spent this weekend watching the DVD of the first Apprentice and, Mr. Trump, I have to say that that was also great. But then the Celebrity Apprentice, you know, last season was, you know, classic television, you know, at its best.

Have you ever thought – are we ever going to see the Apprentice – have you thought about maybe doing one a year of each or is it just not possible?

Donald Trump: Well that’s a very interesting question because I will tell you and I think I can say this, Meredith, a little bit off the record, but we get this question more than any other question, when are we going to bring back the regular Apprentice? And, you know, because it did very well.

And then we just switched to Celebrity but we didn’t do it for any particular reason. I thought it would be very interesting. And, you know, the regular one did so well and you saw that. And, you know, if you get the right cast of the regular so I believe – and, you know, I can tell you NBC is thinking about it; certainly they’re very strongly thinking about it.

A lot of people want us to bring back the regular Apprentice where they keep the Celebrity Apprentice but also bring back the regular so…

Earl Dittman: Yes, yes, both of them.

Donald Trump: ..that ultimately is a decision that NBC will make. But I think more than any other question I get asked when are they going to bring back the regular Apprentice.

Earl Dittman: Yes, yes, oh yes, I mean, they both are very, very great, great shows.

Donald Trump: Well thank you very much.

Earl Dittman: You know, but looking back do you have ever any regrets of any – looking at the old tapes, do you think why did I do that or why did I say that or do you ever have any regrets on things…

((Crosstalk))

Donald Trump: Well I’ve had a couple. I mean, I’ll give you an example, and I’ll get in a lot of trouble when I say this but who cares, trouble is my business right. When I kept Melissa last season…

Earl Dittman: Oh yes.

Donald Trump: …and it was between Melissa and this beautiful girl named Claudia Jordan who is very beautiful. And I kept Melissa. I said, after I did that, oh why did I do that? And then it turned out that Melissa was an unbelievable character later on on the show.

And, you know, it was really – it could have been either one of the two. And I decided – and I really questioned my decision for a while afterwards. I mean, I’ve questioned it a number of times but in the end it works out. It’s sort of interesting because then Melissa came up with that total fit where she went totally crazy and it was carried all over the world, I mean, that fit was one of the great classics.

Claudia would have never had anything like that. She would have said thank you very much and left, you know. Melissa went crazy. And that fit as you remember and I’m sure was one of the great things in television from that season.

Earl Dittman: Oh yes.

Donald Trump: And, you know, had I gotten rid of her a few shows earlier we wouldn’t have seen that. So a lot of times I’ll question but in the end it works out.

Earl Dittman: Have you given yourself a time clock on how many seasons you’ll go, I mean, or can you do this forever?

Donald Trump: Well, you know, it’s an interesting show because it sort of is timeless in the sense that it really works currently. For instance we started doing the heavy charity stuff when charity really needed it and it was good. A lot of people like the idea of bringing back regular Apprentice because now you’re talking about you’ll be – this won’t be for charity this will be, you know, you’ll be having a job with Trump.

Or we could do even a job as an example where I get them a job with somebody else that I know because I have a lot of friends and have lots of people with jobs right? So but, you know, you come back and you have a job with Trump in an area when you have 13% depending on the way to want to count it, 10% or 13% I even heard 17% unemployment.

So, you know, a lot of people are looking at regular Apprentice because it really works in, maybe with a different spin than when we started when the markets were very strong. So, you know, it’s, you know, the whole – it just seems to be something that as long as it continues to work meaning lots of people are watching it I like doing it, I’m enjoying it.

Earl Dittman: That’s great. And thank you. And Bret before I go…

Bret Michaels: Yes.

Earl Dittman: …I just wanted to ask you quickly do you see this kind of like a part two of your career? You have such a great career as a musician, and still do of course, but now you’re on television all the time. Do you see it as a second part, part two or are they still together?

Bret Michaels: You know what, I – it’s very much together. I just see it in addition to what’s going on. And I’ll tell you what when you go in there and get – again I’ve said this before throughout the day, when I went in there the blessing that I had was that I forgot completely – completely where I was at and just delivered myself to wanting to do the best job I could while I was there.

And I go back to one thing that I want to say, I look at it as an addition it’s just something else in your life that you’re adding that’s great. It’s an awesome opportunity. And the one thing that is really important for me to say and I wanted to say this about something you were talking about earlier, I think that the regular Apprentice without a doubt hands down has got to come back.

I think you can do both. But that show is great and it’s very much – there are so many people out there, so much talent that doesn’t get that opportunity to be seen. And I think that Mr. Trump putting in there and watching people fighting to show their skills, their job, their ability to get things done, you know, I think the regular one has got to be back too.

And that’s me shooting myself in the foot as a celebrity saying that. But I’m telling you I think you’ve got to have both.

Earl Dittman: Yes, yes.

Donald Trump: And I will say I – after the first three shows I was so busy, I became so busy because through acquisitions that I was not able to be involved in the casting. And I wasn’t in love with the casting for the last couple of regular – they did very nicely in the ratings but I was not in love with the casting of the last few regular Apprentice shows.

Earl Dittman: Yes.

Donald Trump: And I realized that was a huge mistake for me because I was very instrumental in the casting. And then all of a sudden you get so busy with very, very big deals that are very important that I couldn’t go to – all of a sudden I have a cast that I never saw before and I go there and I say well, you know, I wasn’t exactly thrilled.

So – and I’m not speaking about any individual I’m just saying overall I wasn’t thrilled…

Earl Dittman: Yes.

Donald Trump: …with the casting for the last few regular Apprentice. I guarantee you one thing, if they do bring it back I will be totally involved with the casting. And if you look at the casting of 1 and 2 in particular and the casting, you know, to a lesser extent of 3 but I was really involved with 1 and 2. And I will be very involved if they bring back regular Apprentice which a lot of people want that to happen, I’d be very involved in the casting again.

Earl Dittman: Yes, yes. And well I appreciate – I thank you guys, gentlemen…

Donald Trump: Thank you.

Earl Dittman: I appreciate you very, very much. And keep my fingers crossed for both of them.

Donald Trump: Okay. Thank you very much.

Bret Michaels: Thanks.

Donald Trump: Appreciate it.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Reg Seeton, deadbolt.com.

Reg Seeton: Hi guys, thanks for your time today.

Donald Trump: Hi. Thank you.

Reg Seeton: Now Mr. Trump – Mr. Trump, although Darryl Strawberry has had, you know, a lot of public battles over the years he has been a winner. Can you…

Donald Trump: That’s true.

Reg Seeton: …talk about what surprised you about Darryl?

Donald Trump: Well he has been a winner. And what surprised me is how solid he is. I said Darryl, I’m going to ruin your reputation because you – much more solid. You know, look I knew Darryl because I’m a Met fan and I’d watch the Mets and I’d watch him hit a homerun 10 feet off the ground that would go out of the stands, I mean it was amazing, you know, obviously you’re a baseball fan or you wouldn’t be asking this question right?

Reg Seeton: Right.

Donald Trump: And, you know, the power he had and the potential he had. And a lot of it was wasted because some of his things. But he still had a great career. I think he won four World Series for the different teams. And Darryl turned out to be a great – a great guy and a great character and a tough cookie.

You know, I’m not surprised because, you know, anytime you have these world champion athletes they’re not there just because of the physical they’re also – there’s something special. But wouldn’t you say that’s correct Bret, I mean, you dealt with Darryl very much, he was a teammate of yours.

Bret Michaels: Yes, I was – I’ll say this about Darryl, I’m a huge baseball fan and I will say this about Darryl, when you meet him – and again knowing this from coming from the rock side of things, sometimes stuff is so overblown. I’m not saying that he didn’t party and throw down.

But let me tell you something he was – me and him in the amount of time, again, that I was there, he was very, very collected, calm at times. You know, I can get a little out there, no, I can get very out there. And he would reel it back in. He would keep the team right. And I’ve got to say something about Darryl, he was – at the end of it I will say this, became one of my very close friends now.

And that’s an awesome feeling because I respect him as a player. And at the same time this is what’s so strange and awesome about this show all in one, you go in there respecting people and it’s the strangest thing knowing in the back of your mind and in the end you’re going to be in this arena fighting it out together no matter what.

As much as we all might like each other in the beginning you know that all of these – everyone here wants to win. And that’s – you’re baiting people in this show and this year is – I’m telling you hands down, forget about the other ones, is the most intense; it runs the gamut of emotions for sure.

Reg Seeton: Great. Now Mr. Trump in such…

Donald Trump: Yes.

Reg Seeton: …in such a celebrity-obsessed world with so many new reality shows on TV how do you maintain the necessary integrity over ratings to stay a champion? Are they related?

Donald Trump: Well I think, you know, the interesting thing is that I was – if I go back to the Season 1 of Celebrity I was surprised at how intense and how hard they worked. You know, these are spoiled people to a large extent including Bret.

You know, they’re spoiled by success and they live a certain lifestyle that’s very good. And yet they worked so hard and they live so poorly, you know, during the show, sometimes they’re working 24 hours a day literally trying to get a task completed and it was really grueling.

And I started to realize that – and I can say they worked almost harder than the kids coming out of Harvard and Yale, you know, which was surprising to me. And then I realized that what they’re trying to do is protect their brand because they’re a brand and they’re trying to protect that brand and everybody knows them and they don’t want to make, you know, they don’t want to come off badly.

So I’ve seen some very interesting things but I’ve seen people – I think my biggest surprise in Celebrity Apprentice is how hard people were willing to work to succeed if that makes sense.

Reg Seeton: Oh yes, it makes perfect sense. And one last question for Bret, Bret, you just did a song with Miley and in what ways has celebrity, you know, have you noticed celebrity is different to young stars today?

Bret Michaels: You’re talking about just the celebrity of people making…

((Crosstalk))

Bret Michaels: Here’s the thing about – let me – I can cut right to the chase with Miley, here’s the thing, I’ve known the family forever, I spend a lot of time in Nashville. I write down there and she’s one of the – I’m going to just say this, she’s one of the few stars that’s going to go from – and I’ll make this quick – from a pop – young pop superstar who actually has the talent.

I know sometimes she’s got to, you know, that’s the thing when you’re a star like that you’ve got to take the lumps that come with it and form nerves of steel. But I’m just saying this truthfully the girl can sit down and play the guitar, the piano and sing. She did a harmony on one of my songs, you know, that I did, Nothing to Lose. And I think she’s going to break through. And I see that realness in her as a musician.

Donald Trump: Well I can say one thing about – I don’t know Miley but I think she’s really got the it factor so much more so than almost anybody. She is a fantastic – I watched her on one of the talk shows and, I mean, she is like a 30 year old woman. She is a fantastic person and she really does the it factor. So give her my regards, Bret, I think she’s terrific.

Bret Michaels: I will for sure.

Reg Seeton: You need to have her on the show then.

Donald Trump: I’d love to. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Reg Seeton: Great.

Bret Michaels: That would be insane. That would be awesome.

Reg Seeton: Great, thanks guys.

Donald Trump: Thank you very much.

Bret Michaels: You got it.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Bill Harris, Sun Media.

Bill Harris: Hello. Mr. Trump…

Donald Trump: Hello Bill.

Bill Harris: First of all it’s good to talk to you.

Donald Trump: Thank you.

Bill Harris: You strike me – you’ve gone through so many stages of your career, you know, professionally doing all sorts of different things, you strike me as somebody who might get bored fairly quickly and yet you still seem to be as enthused about this as ever. Am I reading that right? Are you as enthused as ever? And what is keeping your interest in this if that’s the case?

Donald Trump: Well that’s a very interesting question. You know, I am enthused about it. And a lot of that has to do with the fact – as you know we’re going to be on two hours now, that’s pretty unusual. Bret, I don’t know if you know it, you know, it’s a two hour show not a one hour show.

Now a one hour show is a show and a two hour show is pretty much unheard of. And what is exciting is you’re on television, everyone recognizes the great success it’s been. It’s gotten such critical, you know, critically positive reviews including Emmy nominations and everything else so it’s been a lot of fun.

But a friend of mine – a great friend of mine who’s in the television business said you don’t give up television, television gives you up. Now you know what that means right? And I thought until just the other night that Jerry Seinfeld might be the exception to that but I see he’s back on television, you know.

But it’s a very interesting expression. And it’s a little bit hard when they say, you know, Donald we want to renew you, we want to this, we – I mean, you know, the good thing is I don’t count on the economics of the show for me. But, you know, there’s something very cool about – I’ve written many number one bestsellers in terms of books and I’ve been on a show that has for many weeks been the number one show on television.

And honestly the television is even cooler. I mean, the book people aren’t going to love me for saying that but the television is even cooler. So, you know, remember the expression you don’t give up television, television gives you up and they haven’t given me up. So, you know, at some point they probably will, it’s very interesting.

Bill Harris: Well that…

Donald Trump: And by the way I hosted Saturday Night Live so I have to tell this to the people because I thought it was great. And Loren Michaels who I think is terrific and they were – a couple years ago – they were going crazy, you know, I was hosting the show and the Apprentice was so crazy through the roof and everything else.

And I said, you know Loren it won’t always be like this. Someday the ratings won’t be good and NBC will call me and they’ll say the show is canceled. And he says no Donald, you’re wrong, they won’t even bother to call you. And I thought that was a great – I thought that was a great – I sat there and I said that’s genius.

So anyway I shouldn’t be telling on Loren but he did make that – and, you know, it’s a tough business. It’s tough but it’s very simple. You know, in real estate you have lots of different components, you have financial, you have location, you have lots of different components.

In television it’s very simple, if you get good ratings they keep you going and if you don’t it’s not a pretty picture, you know, so it’s very interesting. So we’re getting very good ratings and they like us and all of that. But I thought the Loren Michaels story – which I’ve never told before, I thought that was an interesting story.

Bill Harris: That’s a great answer Mr. Trump, thank you very much.

Donald Trump: Okay thank you very much.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Fred Topel, Crave Online.

Fred Topel: Hi guys. Thank you for doing this call.

Donald Trump: Hi. Thank you.

Bret Michaels: You’re welcome.

Fred Topel: Mr. Trump, this is the first time I’ve had a chance to speak with you since the economic crisis got really bad and…

Donald Trump: Right.

Fred Topel: …all these things happened. How have your businesses and yourself managed to thrive and sustain in this time?

Donald Trump: Right, we’ve really been – we’ve really done well. You know, I was lucky that during this last few years I haven’t been crazy. Maybe because of the Apprentice it kept me busy enough that I didn’t buy lots of real estate, okay? And we’re in a very strong cash position.

And I’m now buying a lot of real estate. I just bought a tremendous project in Washington – in the Washington area on the Potomac River. And it’s phenomenal, 850 acres of land that I’ve been after for years and I got it. And I’ve done numerous other things over the last, you know, year or so that frankly I haven’t been doing it as much.

And I don’t know, maybe I can attribute that to the Apprentice. Hey Bret, maybe because I’ve been busy with you characters you kept me out of trouble because I’ve been too busy to invest in lots of bad deals. Because anybody that bought, like, you know, a deal but generally speaking anybody that bought two years ago or 2-1/2 years ago is in trouble today. So we’ve done really well, we’re very, very strong.

The company is the strongest it’s ever been. And we’re in a big acquisition binge. I’ll let you know if that works out because, you know, I’ll talk to you in five years about it right?

Fred Topel: Yes.

Donald Trump: Who knows. But it seems to be the right time to buy.

Fred Topel: Is that it though? Is it just luck that you happened to not be buying when things were – when things were about to collapse?

Donald Trump: Well I don’t know if it’s luck or instinct or both but there’s always luck involved in things, you know, luck is involved in life; you’re born a certain way, you’re born in a certain location, you’re born – country, you’re, you know, there’s always luck. And some people disagree that there’s no such thing as luck, well, you know, I’ll take them on anytime you want.

But, you know, certain things happen that were very positive for me over the last few years in terms of business. And the business is the best it’s ever been for me.

Fred Topel: And as far as investments I’m still feeling like I’m being pressured to invest my money which I’m not comfortable with anyway let alone after all these things happened with investment advisors.

Donald Trump: Right.

Fred Topel: What would you recommend for someone like myself to do with our money as…

Donald Trump: Well I think you have to sit tight because you probably missed a big part of the stock market uptick and, you know, you sort of missed it. And I hate to say go into the stock market now because the markets gone up a lot but it can also go down a lot. And, you know, when you look at what’s going on it’s, you know, pretty complicated.

I think that this a great time to go out and buy real estate, really a good time to go out and buy an apartment, a house, make sure you get financing, probably seller financing or bank financing – when I say bank financing they’re not putting up any money but you use the bank that’s already got the property because they’ve already put up the money. So I think it’s a great time to go out and make an investment in real estate.

Fred Topel: Well if this – that’s a good answer but if the stock market isn’t our thing, in our comfort zone and besides real estate are there any other sound investment programs that we should explore?

Donald Trump: Well it’s a very big question, I’m just not sure that everybody else on the phone wants to listen to it to be honest, but it is a very big question. But I think, you know, the stock market – I’d be a little bit concerned now because it’s gone up so much, you know, they talk about second correction, who knows if there’s going to be one or not, I hope not.

But I’ve never felt comfortable in the stock market fortunately otherwise I would have lost a lot of money over the last couple of years.

Fred Topel: Well thank you very much.

Donald Trump: Okay, thank you very much.

Fred Topel: It’s great to hear about the Apprentice.

Donald Trump: Well thank you very much.

Coordinator: The next question comes from Erin Demchak, starpulse.com.

Erin Demchak: Hi guys how are you?

Donald Trump: Hello.

((Crosstalk))

Erin Demchak: Good. Bret, I wanted to ask you when you found out who the other celebrities on the show were who were you most excited to work with?

Bret Michaels: I’m going to say this honestly I was excited to meet everyone who was going to be on there. And here’s what it was as I started to find out who everyone was everybody was so different you know what I mean that it was exciting for me. But honestly I was excited to meet Darryl Strawberry, Goldberg. You know, this for me, you know, I’m a guy who loves sports, I love watching the wrestling, I love watching baseball. That was exciting.

And also, you know, you look at Sharon Osbourne, for me I have so much respect. And we’ve known each other obviously I’ve been out on the road with Ozzy, I’ve done stuff and, you know, we’ve seen each other before but not in this aspect. So those would be – I’d say Darryl and Goldberg…

Donald Trump: And maybe Cyndi Lauper for you because you’ve always respected what she does.

Erin Demchak: Yes.

Donald Trump: And she’s become so hot now because Cyndi’s best friend is Lady Gaga who’s the crazy hottest person out there right?

Erin Demchak: Yes.

Bret Michaels: Yes.

Donald Trump: Whose show I saw recently and it was phenomenal. But Lady Gaga loves Cyndi Lauper and she’s, you know, they’re together all the time. And she’s a big factor on the show.

Bret Michaels: Yes, Cyndi Lauper is fantastic. And you know what’s great about her too, she – and Mr. Trump I don’t know if you agree with me with this but just being around her in that amount of time I was there I will say this, that she is – she’s beyond real. Like that’s the one thing about her – and I’m going to say this, I haven’t had a chance to say this about Apprentice, it is one of these shows where they – it is – when I tell you this there is no scripting, it is real.

You’re either there or you’re not there, you’re either into it or you’re not into it. There’s no pampering. And I’ve been my own boss for better or for worse since I’ve been 18 years old. And I will say this, there is no pampering going on. You either put yourself into it or you don’t and every single star or celebrity on this show delivered it. And Cyndi was amazing and she’s out there yet she’s so honest with her answers it’s almost painful sometimes.

Donald Trump: And she is very tough also, I mean, I’m not revealing anything.

Bret Michaels: Yes.

Donald Trump: I would have never thought of Cyndi as being like that tough. She is tough as you’ll ever find. And you know the accent is very deceiving. She is so tough that it’s really almost unbelievable at times. And, you know, that’s a little bit different than I would have thought to be honest. Okay thank you.

Erin Demchak: Thank you very much guys.

Donald Trump: Thank you very much.

Coordinator: The final question comes from Cathy Day, Have You Heard.

Cathy Day: Hi guys. I am a huge fan of the Apprentice and also of Poison so I’m really looking forward to this season.

Donald Trump: Oh good.

Cathy Day: So my…

Donald Trump: Thank you.

Bret Michaels: Thank you. Thank you.

Cathy Day: I wanted to know if you could share some of maybe the more notable business tasks from this season? If there’s anything that stuck out that…

Donald Trump: Well probably I can’t quite do that because that’s going to have to play out itself but I can say we have some phenomenal sponsors including Kodak and others that, I mean, you know, one of the great honors is Kodak has been on almost from the beginning. And, you know, it’s a great company and great everything but they’ve had such success.

Proctor & Gamble they launched Crest Vanilla Mint toothpaste on one of the shows. And it was – because I consider Proctor & Gamble to be like the ultimate marketing company; they’ve done an amazing job. And it was one of the most successful launches of a new product that they’ve ever had.

So, you know, these companies are all great companies. And they all love the Apprentice and they all go on multiple times and that’s for a reason. But, you know, the – some of the twists and turns while I can’t speak necessarily of the individuals I can say that they have been really amazing on this show.

Cathy Day: Okay all right thank you. And Bret…

Donald Trump: Thank you.

Cathy Day: …would we have the opportunity to hear any of your music on the show this season?

Bret Michaels: You know what I honestly don’t know that because when we went in there it wasn’t – it didn’t really have anything to do with the music. It was sort of what the individual brought. I surely hope that you do. I don’t know that you will.

Cathy Day: They didn’t catch you singing in the shower or anything?

Bret Michaels: Yes, say that one more time. I missed it.

Cathy Day: They didn’t catch you singing in the shower or anything?

Bret Michaels: They actually did but that’s the first day early on. And I can tell you this what one thing I wanted to add to this the first day – the first day of this whole show kicking was extremely shocking to me because a lot of things happened, a lot of things got thrown a lot of people’s way especially mine and I’m saying good, bad, indifferent.

And there was some great moments and some extremely ugly moments. It came out of the box extremely strong. And that’s all I can say. I can’t give it away but I can tell you it was much harder and a lot more work than I ever imagined and yet one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

Cathy Day: That’s good. All right, well thank you so much for speaking with us and good luck with the show.

Donald Trump: Thank you very much.

Bret Michaels: You got it, thanks.

Cathy Day: Bye, bye.

Meredith Fitzpatrick: Thanks.

END

Jonathan Widro is the owner and founder of Inside Pulse. Over a decade ago he burst onto the scene with a pro-WCW reporting style that earned him the nickname WCWidro. Check him out on Twitter for mostly inane non sequiturs