Donald TrumpWatch

'The Donald' News You Can Probably Live Without

· Trump tells Carolyn: 'You're fired!'  Carolyn Kepcher, the blonde co-star of Donald Trump's 'The Apprentice,' has been fired.  The 36-year old sidekick, who in addition to her role on the show ran the Trump National Golf Club in posh Westchester County north of New York City, was fired earlier this week. Trump's daughter Ivanka has replaced Kepcher in the role, while Trump's son Don Jr. is the successor to the 78-year old real estate lawyer George Ross on the show. 

· Trump, 'Apprentice' loser going Hollywood.  Real estate tycoon and reality TV star Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is adding a Hollywood production company to his business empire, and has named a "fired" contestant from "The Apprentice" to run it. 

· Donald Trump's Wife Gives Birth to a Boy.  Donald Trump's wife gave birth to a boy Monday, the billionaire developer announced.  "Everyone's perfect," Trump said in a telephone interview on MSNBC's "Imus in the Morning," about 20 minutes after the arrival of his fifth child.  Trump, 59, said the new baby was already making him feel younger. 

· Donald Trump Chooses New 'Apprentice.'  Donald Trump chose Randal Pinkett, an experienced 34-year-old founder of a New Jersey consulting firm, for his fourth "Apprentice" on the show's finale Thursday. 

· Restaurant owners finally cash in their chips.  Eight years after battling with The Donald over his development plans, the owners of a small mom-and-pop restaurant near Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino are cashing in their chips in a deal said to be worth more than $2 million. 

· Pope, Donald Trump's Hair Among Top Costume Picks.  What's hot for Halloween this year? The owner of a New York costume shop said the big sellers are "Star Wars" characters, popes, priests and gladiators. Paul Blum of Abracadabra Magic and Costumes said another big seller is the Donald Trump wig. 

· Stewart Planned to Bump Trump From Show.  Before her version of "The Apprentice" began, Martha Stewart thought she was saying "you're fired" to Donald Trump.  While "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" hasn't done well in the ratings, Stewart initially had much higher hopes - even that her NBC show would eclipse Trump's original.  "I thought I was replacing The Donald," Stewart says in the Nov. 14 issue of Fortune magazine. "It was even discussed that I would be firing The Donald on the first show." 

· The Donald's cash advice costs $1.5 million.  Millionaire wanna-bes will learn from the master today as Donald Trump passes on his wisdom - for $25,000 a minute. The mogul takes the stage as the highlight of the Learning Annex's Real Estate Wealth Expo for a record-breaking $1.5 million fee. 

· Trump: I Blame Martha for Slip.  The Donald says he knows why his version of "The Apprentice" is hurting in the ratings this year: Martha Stewart. 

· Donald Trump, Wife Expecting Child.  Donald Trump is about to get a new apprentice. The mogul's third wife, Melania Knauss, is pregnant with his fifth child. 

· Trump Delivers Lecture to Online Students.  For Donald Trump, making money seems to come easily. More than 2,000 people paid $249 each to read the real estate mogul's advice when he delivered his first online lecture on dealmaking Tuesday night on his Trump University Web site. 

· Trump trumped in auction for his old property.  This was one deal The Donald could not make. The world's most famous real estate developer bid $25 million Tuesday for the 2.5 acres of beachfront property in Atlantic City where the Trump World's Fair Casino once stood. Housing developer Bruce Toll bid $25.15 million. 

· "Apprentice" wannabe's X-rated past.  When the new season starts for "The Apprentice," there's already a pick for Donald Trump's next flunky.  Alla Wartenberg, whose network bio describes her as a 31-year-old Russian who has made millions running a chain of Las Vegas spas. Left off Alla's c.v. is her work at the Palomino Club, a Sin City strip joint where the female talent works topless and bottomless. Wartenberg once hustled $40 lap dances under the pseudonym Ecstasy and took down a California businessman for a bundle before he was convicted for murder and is now sitting on death row. 

· Trump Hires Hand-Picked Cast.  The mega mogul has personally rounded up the latest crop of Apprentice candidates, all vying for the chance to become the Donald's right-hand man or woman in one of his many business ventures. Trump claimed to have handpicked 17 out of 18 of the contestants for the fourth season of the reality series, saying he was "angry" during production of the third season because of the casting decisions made by producer Mark Burnett and other staffers. 

· Trump Pleads to Rebuild U.N. Headquarters.  Donald Trump is the only person standing between an honest deal to rebuild the aging U.N. headquarters and a massive waste of public money. He told senators so on Thursday.  "When can you start?" said one appreciative lawmaker, Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn.  The United Nations says it will cost $1.2 billion to overhaul the 39-story building along New York's East River. No, says the city's highest-profile developer. More like $3 billion, he told senators. 

· Trump: ABC Movie Better Be Accurate.  A TV movie set to air Tuesday night about billionaire real-estate mogul Donald Trump had better be accurate — or he's going to sue ABC.  "I hope the overall tenor of the movie is accurate, or I'll sue their a--es off," vowed Trump, who had nothing to do with "Trump Unauthorized." 

· Trump Unveils Launch of Trump University.  He's built buildings, written books, married models and starred in a reality TV show. On Monday, Donald Trump announced his latest venture: Trump University.  Don't expect ivy-covered walls or a football team. Trump University will consist of online courses, CD-ROMS, consulting services and Learning Annex-type seminars. 

· Trump Developing 'Apprentice' Musical.  Move over Max Bialystock. Broadway's foremost wheeler-dealer in "The Producers" could be joined by another man enamored by big money. Producers Barry and Fran Weissler and Mark Burnett, with an assist from real-estate mogul Donald Trump, are developing a musical based on "The Apprentice," Trump's hit NBC television series. 

· Trump chooses his 'Apprentice.'  Donald Trump selected Kendra Todd as his first female "Apprentice," handing her a job with his organization and a $250,000 salary at the close of the NBC reality show's live finale Thursday night.  "I couldn't be happier," Todd told The Associated Press after her win. "I was the girl who used to watch this on television and here I am. Dreams do come true. Just work hard and you'll get there."  Todd, the 26-year-old "book smarts" real estate broker from Boynton Beach, Florida, bested "street smarts" entrepreneur and mother of two Tana Goertz during the final boardroom battle. 

· Donald set to unveil 'World Trump Center.'  Donald Trump, escalating his war against the "empty skeleton" Freedom Tower, will offer his own design for a rebuilt 111-story "World Trade Center" at Ground Zero at a press conference tomorrow.  "We have a beautiful model that has been built, a very big model," Trump told The Post yesterday. 

· ‘Apprentice’ turns into a dogfight.  This was officially the last week for team competition on "The Apprentice" this season, but you’d never know it from watching Thursday’s show, since there was almost no teamwork to be found. The winning project manager did almost everything herself and ignored her teammate except when she had the chance to snipe at him, while the loser took a cab ride to Staten Island in search of beads. 

· 'Apprentice' Contestant Arrested at Tampa Casino.  What does it take to get fired on "The Apprentice?"  Getting arrested on a disorderly conduct charge at a competitor's casino can't help real estate millionaire Chris Shelton. 

· 'Apprentice' Reject Surprised at Outcome.  Although he has chewed tobacco during tasks and thrown tantrums at teammates, young millionaire Chris Shelton was spared by Donald Trump on the latest episode of NBC's "The Apprentice." Gym franchise owner/cabaret singer Angie McKnight was fired, despite pleas from advisers Carolyn Kepcher and George Ross. 

· ‘Apprentice’ sponsors are the real losers.  This season, those millions of dollars spent on product integration haven't necessarily helped the companies — or the candidates. This week, some of the companies featured on the show were even blamed by the losing team for their problems. 

· 'Apprentice' Reject Sticks by Criticism.  After a tumultuous tussle between Net Worth members Alex Thomason and Chris Shelton, it was project manager Stephanie Myers who was sliced out of NBC's "The Apprentice" for her weak leadership ability during a task involving pizza. 

· Jose Canseco, Omarosa to Star in TV Show.  VH1 has selected seven new has-beens to stop being polite and start trying to revive their careers on "The Surreal Life." The fifth season, now in production, will premiere Sept. 4, the cable channel announced Tuesday. 

· Trump Wants Jackson to Perform in Vegas.  What do Wayne Newton, Celine Dion and Michael Jackson have in common? If Donald Trump and his partners have their way, they all will have a resident performing gig in Las Vegas on their resumes. 

· CNN cans Kwame's talk show.  A CNN show starring "Apprentice" runnerup Kwame Jackson has been canceled even before it got off the ground.  CNN's new boss, Jonathan Klein, canned the biz show that would have featured Jackson interviewing executive bigwigs and pop stars about their careers. 

· Omarosa: 'Apprentice' feeds stereotypes.  Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, tagged as an imperious diva on "The Apprentice," criticized the NBC reality show for stereotyping her and other black contestants. 

· "Inside my 'Apprentice' audition."  So here I am, just a few feet away from Donald Trump. As he patrols the audition room of "The Apprentice" like a third-grade teacher, a group of photographers trace his every move. Kelly, last season's winner, is sitting to my right. The rest of the table, our faux boardroom, includes ... well, there's no other way to say this: loonies. 

· Porno ‘Apprentice’ ads don't connect.  "I would never in a million years have expected a Republican district attorney from Tennessee to come up with a homosexual commercial," Kendra said, referring to her "Apprentice 3" teammate Bren.  But that's exactly what Bren pitched: An ad that, as his Magna teammate Michael said, was basically a "vegetable porno with a gay twist." 

· Paraplegic Claims Disability Bias by 'Apprentice.'  A paraplegic who wants to be on "The Apprentice" has a message for host Donald Trump - "You're biased."  James Schottel, a St. Louis lawyer paralyzed from the waist down by a spinal cord injury, has sued producers of Trump's hit NBC reality show, saying they are discriminating against would-be contestants like himself and violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.  

· Desperation starting to show on ‘Apprentice.’  NBC knows it’s losing you. NBC knows that you care a lot less about “The Apprentice” – still the only successful multi-episode reality show it’s ever launched — than you did in its tremendous first season. NBC knows that “The Apprentice” isn’t going to be the bulletproof ratings champion that “Survivor” has been for CBS. And NBC is getting desperate. 

· One Fired, One Quits on 'Apprentice.'  Thursday night's "Apprentice" episode featured the show's first-ever "double-whammy" — with two contestants leaving the NBC reality show. 

· Trump set to go 4th on the next 'Apprentice,'  Newly married billionaire Donald Trump isn't letting the little lady get in the way of his daytime work.  Indeed, Trump will be on hand Friday morning to scour through another group of "Apprentice" wanna-bes. 

· You're married! Donald Trump weds.  Property mogul and reality television star Donald Trump married Slovenian model Melania Knauss on Saturday at a lavish social event in the exclusive Florida resort town of Palm Beach.  Trump, star of the NBC television show "The Apprentice" where he pitilessly dismisses contestants with the words "You're fired!" and his bride were married at an evening ceremony at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, set amid waving palm trees and immaculate landscaping. 

· Trump, king of burgers.  A burger developed by the winning team in the season premiere of the Donald Trump reality show "The Apprentice" went on sale Friday at Burger King restaurants nationwide. 

· Trump Hits Boardroom Before the Aisle.  Before Donald Trump walks down the aisle for a third time, he'll strut back into the boardroom for the premiere of the third season of NBC's "The Apprentice."  Trump said the new season's "book smarts versus street smarts" boardroom sessions will have less "meanness" and more "emotion" compared with the previous season, which included screaming spats between runner-up Jennifer Massey and candidate Sandy Ferreira. 

· Picture-perfect Mrs. Trump III.  At $100,000, the wedding dress for the future Mrs. Donald Trump takes the cake. Slovenian supermodel Melania Knauss has picked a hand-embroidered frock from Christian Dior that carries a price tag that is pure Trump. With its 13-foot train and even longer veil, Knauss' dress is so heavy, she was advised to eat hearty so she has the strength to make it down the aisle Saturday, Vogue magazine reports. 

· 'Apprentice' Cast Will Sail to Caribbean.  An eight-day cruise themed on the hit NBC show will sail from New York to the Caribbean on Sept. 26, after a bon voyage party in Manhattan with a send-off from Donald Trump. Cast members from the show - including Bill Rancic, the first apprentice, and Stacie J., Jennifer C. and Raj from the second season - will be on board. 

· Trump picks his 'Apprentice.'  One key lesson if you want to be on Donald Trump's payroll: don't let the boss fly off unnoticed.  The Donald chose software executive Kelly Perdew, 37, to join his staff during the season finale of "The Apprentice" on Thursday. He rejected feisty lawyer Jennifer Massey despite her bare-knuckled fight for the job. 

· Media not as fired up about 'Apprentice.'  At this point during the first season of "The Apprentice," Syracuse professor and media observer Robert Thompson had done 50 interviews about the success of the NBC reality show. 

· Free ring circus.  Donald Trump knows the "Art of the Deal" - and he is proving it by getting a $1.5 million wedding ring for free. He will present it to Melania Knauss at their upcoming nuptials. 

· Last 'Apprentice' challenge: 3-hour finale.  Fans watching the conclusion of "The Apprentice 2" will have to wait nearly three hours to hear Donald Trump utter "You're hired."  NBC confirmed yesterday that the finale of "The Apprentice 2" will air over the course of three hours on Dec. 16. 

· Trump Wants $500M From Investors.  Donald Trump got fired. Now he's asking for $500 million. The real estate mogul and television star is offering to drop his breach of contract lawsuit against the Eastern Pequot tribe and the casino investors who replaced him in exchange for a half a billion dollars. 

· ‘Apprentice’ women keep selling sex.  Carolyn Kepcher has said of this season's "Apprentice" female contestants that they made her ashamed to be a woman. And if anything helped bolster her thesis on this week's show, it was desperate contestant Ivana actually yanking off her skirt on Wall Street for $20. 

· Trump calls bankrupcy a 'success.'  Donald Trump said he will remain chairman and CEO of Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, but his share would be reduced to 27 percent from 47 percent under a proposed restructuring plan reached with bondholders last month. Trump denied the bankruptcy was a setback. "I don't think it's a failure, it's a success," he said in the interview. "In this case, it was just something that worked better than other alternatives. It's really just a technical thing, but it came together." 

· Trump's casino operations file for bankruptcy.  Donald Trump's casino operations filed for bankruptcy on Sunday in a long-expected move that would allow the real estate maverick to restructure the company's debt and overhaul its aging casinos. 

· Who will win ‘The Apprentice’?  On “The Apprentice 2,” despite Donald Trump’s erratic behavior in the boardroom this season, the pack has thinned into a group of eight reasonably strong contenders. 

· Rich rival Trump gives Branson poor marks.  Trump, star of NBC's "The Apprentice," was very happy rival billionaire Richard Branson's Fox reality show debuted to low numbers Tuesday night.  "I thought his show was terrible," Trump told the Daily News. "And I thought he was terribly miscast." 

· Another ‘Billionaire’ tries to get real.  Television executives love nothing better than trying to imitate a successful show. In theory, it guarantees them a hit, while protecting them from the risks involved in original ideas (read: "potential bombs") at the same time. 

· Miami Architect Sues Donald Trump.  A judge should order the destruction of two condo towers being built for an oceanfront resort that carries the name of Donald Trump, according to a lawsuit filed by a Miami architect who claims the billionaire and a hotel developer took his design. 

· What’s with Trump’s weird voiceovers?  The boardroom scenes of “The Apprentice” are, without question, the show’s most dramatic moments. Nothing can compare with the drama of watching B-school graduates verbally claw each other in order to win the approval of a billionaire mogul. 

· Reality Catches Up With Reality TV.  Old standbys like "Fear Factor" and "The Bachelor" have experienced significant ratings declines. Newer shows that enjoyed good ratings, such as "The Apprentice" and "America's Next Top Model," are also slipping. 

· Trump Says 'Apprentice' 3 Is Now Filming.  Although the second season of "The Apprentice" is far from over - 12 candidates remain - Donald Trump has confirmed the third installment is now filming. "It's going very well," Trump told The Associated Press. "It's a great group." 

· Trump's new book will awe, and bore.  “Think Like a Billionaire” is one of those quick reads that will leave you feeling a little awed and empty at the end.  Trump tells us at length that billionaires can have incredibly fun lives. Work is not work but an extension of a passion for living to the fullest, succeeding, acquiring, consuming. If you consider your job a burden, you’re in the wrong field and clearly not thinking like a billionaire, Trump advises in his new book, “Think Like a Billionaire.” 

· Money can't buy him love.  Donald Trump's Manhattan-sized ego can be bruised, after all. Not to mention kicked around, stomped on and even punctured - thanks to a bunch of aging comics and low-wattage celebrities at yesterday's Friars Club roast. 

· Colleges Recruit 'Apprentice' Star Troy.  Troy McClain may have been fired by Donald Trump during last year's inaugural run of the reality television show "The Apprentice," but that isn't stopping several universities and colleges from recruiting him to star on their campuses. 

· Trump ex-apprentice fired up.  Donald Trump has not seen the last of Stacie J.  She has bounced right back after her slap-down on "The Apprentice" last week - and now is working for a company that wants to buy a piece of Trump's debt-laden casino business. 

· Bets May Reveal 'Apprentice' Finalists.  An offshore bookie has suspended betting on the winner of the second season of NBC's "The Apprentice," citing an "unusual betting pattern on two contestants" from accounts originating in New Hampshire. 

· Bradford's firing: Absolutely deserved.  the firing on Thursday's second episode of "The Apprentice 2" came out of nowhere, and the fired competitor has only himself to blame.  Bradford, the 33-year-old lawyer and real-estate investor from Florida, was sitting pretty after the first week of the show. 

· 'You're fired' top TV catchphrase.  You can forget about "Fuhgeddaboutit!" as far as television catch phrases are concerned.  According to a new list issued Monday of top television buzzwords, the favorite expression from "The Sopranos" is so yesterday that it has been replaced by several new phrases this past TV season, including Donald Trump's message to losers on "The Apprentice" -- "You're fired!" 

· Trump fires salvo at ABC.  Donald Trump says ABC News is readying a hit piece on him - to air on Thursday's installment of "Primetime Live" - but he's not taking it lying down.  The star of NBC's "The Apprentice" has refused to give "Primetime Live" co-anchor Chris Cuomo an interview, but his attorney sent the network a blistering letter threatening to sue if the segment, as rumored, damages Trump's reputation for 'vast wealth and amazing business acumen.' 

· Trump seeks $1 million an episode.  With the second season of "The Apprentice" debuting tonight, a third slated for January and Donald Trump's contract with NBC about to expire, Trump says he wants more. And it could cost NBC a mint — he might ask for as much as $1 million per episode, sources say. 

· Stakes higher for Donald's new crew.  How cocky has the success of "The Apprentice" made Donald Trump as he heads into season two? Put it this way: On tonight's second-season NBC premiere, he makes fun of his hair. Season two of this smash series, premiering tonight, is Super-Sized just a bit - and not only with its 90-minute kickoff edition. There are 18 contestants this time, with such new tweaks in the game as a next-week immunity for the victorious team leader. 

· Donald Trump: The Remake.  His trademark hairstyle has stayed the same, but since he became a hotshot TV star last season, Donald Trump has turned into a friendlier, funnier, teddy-bear version of his old self.  

· Trumps art of the free meal.  name is synonymous with money, but Donald Trump has never used a cash machine. "I've never used an ATM," the blustery billionaire tells Playboy. "I don't handle cash a lot. When I go to restaurants, especially since 'The Apprentice,' I always get free meals — 'Oh please, Mr. Trump, there's no charge' — even if I'm there with 10 or 15 people. 

· The Donald's ex to host show to find a boy toy.  Now that her ex-husband The Donald has become a TV star as host of "The Apprentice," Ivana Trump is coming to prime time with a show of her own, helping a "mature" woman find love with a younger man. 

· New 'Apprentices' revealed.  The female contestants are: Pamela, 32, an investment firm partner who says the competitors will "eat each other"; Jennifer C., 31, a real-estate agent who's also an equestrian; Stacie, 35, a model who owns a Subway franchise in Harlem; Jennifer M., 29, a lawyer; Sandy, 28, and Elizabeth, 31, business owners who describe themselves as innovative; Maria, 31, a short-haired marketing executive who's critical of the women on the first season; Stacy, 26, a lawyer; and Ivana, 28, a venture capitalist who says working with Trump would be the highlight of her career.

The male contestants are: Raj, 28, a bow-tie wearing real estate developer who doesn't really watch television; Bradford, 32, a shaved-headed and slightly goofy lawyer; Chris, 30, a stockbroker who thinks sex sells; Andy, 23, a recent Harvard grad who describes himself as a "swarthy gentleman"; John, 24, a marketing director who says good-looking people are smarter; Wes, 27, a wealth manager who believes season two's women won't use femininity to their advantage; Kevin, 29, a law student who says Trump is "the best"; Rob, 32, a Texas branding salesman; and Kelly, 37, a software executive who describes himself as a leader. 

· The Donald As The Dean?  Proving again that his megalomania knows no bounds, Donald Trump is plotting the establishment of, we kid you not, Trump University.  No word yet whether it will teach its students how to lose money in the casino business. 

· 'Apprentice' Star Kwame Makes Trump-Sized Deal.  The runner-up in the first season of the NBC reality show "The Apprentice" has completed a multibillion dollar real-estate deal of his own. With two other partners, Jackson has made a deal with officials in Prince George's County in Maryland to develop an 80 to 130 acre area into commercial and residential property.  The deal is worth $3.8 billion and will provide over 32,000 jobs, Jackson said. 

· Trump Board Came Out by Parker Brothers.  First the board room, now the board game. At his Fifth Avenue Tower on Wednesday, Donald Trump unveiled his newest business venture: a new Parker Brothers board game with high stakes dealmaking and dollar sums in the billions. Move over Mr. Monopoly. 

· 'Apprentice' Winner Gets Second Job.  Bill Rancic, who won a job with Donald Trump on "The Apprentice," will moonlight as a spokesman for a credit card company. 

· The Donald show - 'Bankruptcy!'  Maybe Donald Trump's next reality TV series should be called "Atlantic City." This time he'd be a contestant, not the king holding court - and this time, the show would end with the government telling him, "You're bankrupt!" 

      » Trump's toys for the newly bankrupt.  Trump. You gotta hand it to him. One day, he's introducing a new line of fancy clothing. Next, he's declaring bankruptcy like it's no big deal. In fact, it may turn out to be a great deal! The perfect opportunity for him to start pitching products that are a bit more downscale. 

· Trump to seek bankrupcy on hotels.  Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc. said key bond holders had agreed to take the company into voluntary bankruptcy and restructure its $1.8 billion in debt to get a $400 million capital infusion. 

      » Trump set to fire himself.  Developer will step down as CEO of casino company.  Donald Trump, the real estate developer and star of reality show "The Apprentice" appeared poised to use his trademark line "You're fired!" on himself as chief executive and to cut his controlling stake to 25 percent if the deal with debt holders and a Credit Suisse First Boston equity fund goes through. 

· Trump Searches Big Apple for 'Apprentice.'  A camouflaged architect, children screaming "You're fired!" and hundreds of business-suited wannabe moguls flocked to the Trump Tower for "The Apprentice 3" auditions Friday. 

· Trump Hotels loss widens.  Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc. said its quarterly net loss widened as casino competition sharpened, adding that controlling shareholder Donald Trump was making progress in talks to restructure the company. 

· Trump plans high rise luxury hotel-condo tower in Las Vegas.  Donald Trump filed plans Thursday to build what would be the tallest hotel on the Strip. The 64-story hotel-condominium tower would be built on a portion of the Frontier Hotel property, across from the Wynn Las Vegas resort project and next to the Fashion Show Mall, Trump said. 

· "Apprentice" becomes a money pit.  After the first season's success of "The Apprentice," Donald Trump wanted a fat raise. He heard the six actors on the hit comedy "Friends" each took home about $1.5 million an episode so, as the sole star he figured he should get $9 million per show. Still, his program ran an hour and "Friends" just 30 minutes. Mr. Trump bumped the figure to $18 million. "That seemed fair," he says in an interview. "I'm not being totally facetious." 

· What is 'Apprentice' building?  While Bill Rancic won the $250,000 job to oversee a construction project in Chicago - it appears he is doing everything else instead. 

· Donald Trump Finishes 56th in Golf Tourney.  Donald Trump may be a billionaire real estate developer with a hot TV show, but that doesn't make him master of the golf course.  Trump finished 56th in his debut Sunday at the $500,000 American Century celebrity golf championship at Lake Tahoe. The mogul said he didn't expect the competition to be so strong. 

· It's all about the hair.  It's all about the hair and The Donald's hair is a miracle of modern construction. It just may be the eighth wonder of the world. 

· Trump Searches for 3rd Apprentice.  Donald Trump hasn't even chosen his second apprentice, and he's already looking for his third.  Trump spent Friday interviewing prospective candidates for the third season of his hit NBC reality show, "The Apprentice," at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles on Friday. 

· Apprentice TV star involved in scrap in North Miami Beach.  Not content with her 15 minutes of fame, local reality TV star Katrina Campins is in the spotlight again.  The Apprentice contestant said the driver, Donald Seay, "brutally attacked" her and fiance Ben Moss, during an argument at Seay Towing in North Miami Beach. 

· Trump fires up the presses.  Today "The Apprentice," tomorrow the world!  Make that Trump World.  That's the name of the slick magazine with which reality-television star Donald Trump is scheming to conquer more pop-culture territory and go mano a mano with Queen of All Media Oprah Winfrey. 

· Kwame Jackson Axed As Trump Pageant Judge.  Less than two months after getting fired by Donald Trump on the U.S. reality show "The Apprentice," runner-up Kwame Jackson got the boot again - as a judge for Trump's Miss Universe pageant. 

· Branson looking for 'reverse of Trump.'  IT's not "The Apprentice" or anything like it, says bil lionaire tycoon Richard Branson of his new jet-setting reality show that's in the works for Fox.

"I want a lot of the reverse of what Trump was looking for," Branson, the global adventurer, entrepreneur and founder/chairman of the Virgin group of companies told The Post yesterday about what qualities he'll be seeking in the candidates for his tentatively titled, "The Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best." 

· Care to blow $3.95 a minute?  Omarosa - the irritating black witch from The Apprentice - now has her own 900 number and can aggravate you even more by phone for the small sum of $3.95 per minute. 

· 'Apprentice' Nick turns down Raider offer.  Nick Warnock, who appeared in the NBC show "The Apprentice," said he was upset that the Raiders management announced his employment. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. 

· Omarosa's Bad Hair Day.  Proving there is such a thing as bad publicity, Apprentice villain Omarosa has discovered there are drawbacks to being reality TV's most reviled character.  The single-monikered saboteur (whose full name is Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth) has been cut from an upcoming Clairol commercial for Herbal Essences hair color. 

· Raiders Hire 'Apprentice' Nick Warnock.  A former Xerox copier salesman who made it to the final episodes of Donald Trump's hit reality show, "The Apprentice," has been hired by the Oakland Raiders - but not to play football, according to Raider's management. 

· Quarterly report shows latest squeeze at Trump casinos.  Trump is placing a high-stakes bet that his casinos will generate enough cash over the next few weeks to make a $73.1 million debt payment due at the end of the month. It will be a tight squeeze, even for someone with Trump’s feline financial dexterity. 

· Donald Trump Publishes Life Advice Book.  Donald Trump has more advice on how to get rich. To coincide with the debut this fall of the second season of his hit reality TV series "The Apprentice," Random House is releasing "Think Like a Billionaire," an advice book Trump describes as a fast path to the good life. 

· Donald Trump Proposes to Girlfriend.  There's a new member of Donald Trump's "A-Team." Following Ivana and Marla, model Melania Knauss became engaged this week to the billionaire developer, Trump spokesman Norma Foerderer said Thursday. 

· Omarosa walks off Jimmy Kimmel Live.  Omarosa, whose apparent sense of entitlement and bad attitude seems to increase daily, left the show's studio about 22 minutes into the live telecast because a lie-detector had been set-up on stage. 

· Fans want to wash Omarosa right out of their hair.  On heels of the news that the hair-care company is considering featuring her in commercials for Herbal Essence, Omarosa haters are bombarding the company with calls and e-mails, as well as organizing a boycott of Clairol products. 

· "It's All Fake."  Regis Philbin thinks "The Apprentice" was fixed - and that troublemaker Omarosa was planted on the show to stir things up.  "I have a sixth sense about these things... that's not to say it doesn't make for great television, it does... unless somebody was paid to accept a role - like Omarosa," Philbin said. 

· ‘The Apprentice’ to become The Author.  The winner of “The Apprentice” is close to signing a deal with a major publisher to write a book, sources say. The as-yet untitled tome would not, however, be a tell-all about behind-the-scenes at the hit reality show.  

· Why Trump hired Bill Rancic and the other Apprentices fell by the wayside.  People hire self-images. Trump hires aggressive, smooth and smart young candidates, and he wants an executive whom he can trust to make the right decisions consistently, to think the way Donald Trump thinks. 

· 'Apprentice' cries: No Marosa!  'The Apprentice' may be over, but the cat fighting continues.  In a New York Post report, contestant Ereka Vetrini is publicly questioning why Omarosa Manigault Stallworth is getting all the attention - including a possible shampoo commercial - in the aftermath of the hit reality show. 

· Mark Cuban interested in 'Apprentice' runner-up.  Billionaire Mavericks owner said he'd hire Kwame, who was fired by Trump.  Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he might hire Kwame Jackson, who was "fired" by Donald Trump on the reality TV show "The Apprentice" on Thursday night, ESPN reported Friday. 

· Test Pattern: Blogging ‘Apprentice’ finale.  Minute-by-minute updates from the big show. 

· NBC Wins Ratings Game With 'Apprentice.'  For one night at least, Donald Trump can really proclaim that he was the king of television. An estimated 27.6 million viewers tuned in Thursday to watch Trump say, "You're hired!" to Chicagoan Bill Rancic on NBC's hit boardroom game, "The Apprentice." 

· KFC offers Kwame $25,000 for one week of work.  Immediately following the finale of this season's hottest new reality show, KFC Corporation made good on its promise of a one-week stint as Chief Sales Officer by extending an offer to Kwame Jackson. 

· USA Today Web site names wrong 'Apprentice.'  USA Today's online edition on Friday featured a draft of a story saying Harvard Business School graduate Kwame Jackson had been chosen for the coveted chance to work for Trump. 

Kwame, not Trump, needed to say ‘You're fired!’  It was his mishandling of Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth that was Jackson’s downfall.

Had he berated her after one of her many mistakes, or fired her when she flat-out lied about handling Jessica Simpson’s transportation, then Jackson might have stood a chance. But he did not even recognize the saboteur that Manigault-Stallworth turned out to be.

And despite audience speculation — Manigault-Stallworth was not a brilliant mole. She was just a really bad employee. 

· NBC:  Bill Rancic is ‘The Apprentice.’  Return of Omarosa helped bring down Kwame Jackson.  Rancic edged out fellow finalist Kwame Jackson, the laid-back 29-year-old New Yorker and Harvard MBA, for the Trump-described “dream job of a lifetime” and its $250,000 salary. 

      » USA Today:  Bill is named Trump's 'Apprentice' in TV showdown.  Donald Trump, weighing in like the U.S. Supreme Court after the last presidential election, ended a job hunt that seemed to attract as much attention. He delivered Trump-style justice Thursday, passing over Kwame Jackson of New York and hiring Bill Rancic of Chicago. 

      » Wash. Post:  In the End, Omarosa Was The Donald's Trump Card.  When Donald Trump finally uttered the words "You're hired!" on last night's two-hour, partly live season finale of "The Apprentice," it basically came down to ... Omarosa. 

      » CBS:  Trump To Bill: You're Hired!  The reality TV show "The Apprentice" came to its much-anticipated climax Thursday when Donald Trump chose Bill Rancic, the street-smart 32-year-old Internet entrepreneur from Chicago, to be his apprentice. 

      » CNN:  The Donald hires Bill as The Apprentice.'  To a live audience, Trump said the magic words that may change the life of his new apprentice: Bill Rancic. 

      » FOX:  Trump Picks His 'Apprentice.'  "The Apprentice" came to its much-anticipated climax Thursday when Donald Trump chose Bill Rancic, the street-smart 32-year-old Internet entrepreneur from Chicago, to be his apprentice for the next year. 

      » ABC:  Bill Gets the Job on 'The Apprentice.'  When Bill Rancic aced "The Apprentice," Donald Trump gave him a choice of two plum jobs: managing a Trump-owned golf course in California or overseeing a 90-story building project in Chicago. 

· Chicago Suburb Cheers 'Apprentice' Winner.  He started his own Internet cigar company, owns a home in a swank Chicago neighborhood, skydives to relax - and now Bill Rancic can add "apprentice" to his list of accomplishments. About 150 people gathered Thursday night at a hangout in this Chicago suburb where Rancic grew up to watch him win Donald Trump's hit reality series "The Apprentice." 

· 'Apprentice' Stars Party After Show.  After the show ended, the real fun began as the contestants, plus the ubiquitous Donald Trump, girlfriend Melania Knauss, Trump's kids Donald Jr. and Ivanka, and-oddly enough, Billy Joel and fiancée Kate Lee all piled into a big party NBC threw on the ground floor of Trump Tower. 

Companies cash in on 'Apprentice'

Winner of Trump show will get a Crossfire roadster, while KFC has job waiting for runner-up.

The first season of NBC's hit show "The Apprentice" may be over, but other companies are just starting to try to cash in on the popularity of the reality show that concluded Thursday night. 

· The Donald finally chooses The Apprentice, but the big winner is NBC.  Without The Apprentice, NBC entertainment boss Jeff Zucker would have probably heard "you're fired!" by now. 

· In reality, executives would avoid Trump.  Donald Trump might project himself as a much-sought-after boss in the reality TV show The Apprentice, but many executives say they'd be reluctant to work for him. 

· Face it: It's all about the Donald.  No matter who takes home the title of “The Apprentice” tonight, the show's big winner was clear from the very first episode, when the ratings went through the roof.  Overnight, Donald Trump, America's favorite megalomaniacal multimillionaire, became Donald Trump, TV star. 

· Reality check on 'the Donald.'  Donald Trump may have the final word on his hit reality TV show "The Apprentice," but financial problems in his casino business have left many investors speechless. 

· Could Apprentice Bill Have Been 'The Bachelor?'  Before he tried to woo Donald Trump, Bill Rancic was a regular Don Juan. Only "Extra" has Bill’s casting call for a romantic reality show that never got off the ground. In it, Bill is very candid about what he’s looking for in a woman. 

· The Apprentice's Secrets Revealed.  So, with the show's two-hour season finale airing tonight, TV Guide Online is firing off 11 things Donald Trump (and executive producer Mark Burnett) would never tell you about the nation's guiltiest pleasure. 

· Lessons learned from 'The Apprentice.'  The public may hate downsizing, layoffs and jobs moving to India, but as many as 30 million Americans are expected to watch Donald Trump utter "You're fired!" on tonight's final episode of NBC's reality hit "The Apprentice." 

· Scandals of 'The Apprentice.'  Sex and scandal, drama and deceit, bitchiness and backstabbing - it was just another day at the office for the contestants of "The Apprentice," according to the New York Daily News. 

· The genius behind 'Apprentice' (it's not Trump).  Ask the Donald what the secret of the show's status as a top 10 hit and cultural phenomenon is and he'll say, naturally, Donald Trump. This should surprise no one; given the chance, Trump would somehow wheedle a conversation around to the point where he's taking credit for the sun rising every morning.

But for all the credit - or blame, depending on how you feel about the show - coming Trump's way, the real secret weapon here is Mark Burnett. 

· 'Apprentice' tops 'Survivor' in Nielsens.  Television viewers didn't abandon their sets during a spring holiday weekend - just ask Jessica Simpson and Janet Jackson. 

· Trump says he hasn't decided winner yet.  When Trump talked to reporters about the show, Trump hadn't decided whether he would choose Jackson or Rancic to run one of his divisions, at an annual salary of $250,000. He likes both men.

Trump also hasn't decided which part of his empire he'll have the winner run. "I think certain people would be better at one thing than another," he says. "So to a certain extent it depends on who the winner is going to be." 

· Trademark challenger: Fired up over 'The Apprentice.'  While fans of "The Apprentice" gear up for the final firing, one failed contestant is gearing up for a fight with the man who fired her. 

· Trump rides a monster wave of self-promotion.  The real estate mogul may have built his empire with an eye on "location, location, location," but the Trump battle cry now appears to be, "synergy, synergy, synergy," as he rides a monster wave of publicity fueled by the TV show, even as some of his business interests are in a free fall. 

· Trump TV hit edges towards finale.  Business magnate Donald Trump's reality television show in the US has proved a ratings winner as it inches towards its first season climax this week. 

· Trump gets big raise for 'Apprentice' work.  The Los Angeles Times said Donald Trump confirmed he was making about $50,000 an episode for the current series, and that figure would “at least” double to $100,000 for upcoming versions.

Trump has sought to trademark his catchphrase from the show, “You’re fired,” and last week NBC said it would sell official “Apprentice” merchandise featuring the phrase, including shirts and mugs. 

· What was Oprah thinking?  Oprah Winfrey's famously loyal fans are scolding their idol on her own Web site for allowing hated "Apprentice" reject Omarosa [AKA the black bitch] to grace the hallowed TV stage while well-liked castoffs Ereka and Heidi had to sit in the audience. 

· Omarosa's Been Fired Before - Many Times.  Her stint on "The Apprentice" wasn't the first time Omarosa Manigault Stallworth heard the words "You're fired." People magazine says she was bounced from four jobs in two years with the Clinton administration. 

· Experts agree: 'Apprentice' finalists have right stuff.  Busienss experts have often been critical of Donald Trump, but they roundly agree with the billionaire about who should be the two finalists for his $250,000 job. 

· The Women of 'The Apprentice' Cash In.  The women from "The Apprentice" are showing off their bottom line.  Last woman standing, Amy, and former "Apprentices," Katrina, Kristi and Ereka, reveal what's underneath their business suits. 

· More Over-exposure: Trump Putting His Name on a Credit Card.  Donald Trump has put his name on a credit card - in block letters across the top. 

· 'You're Fired!' Gets the Boot — Except From Trump.  Donald Trump has breathed new life into the phrase "You're fired!" on "The Apprentice." But in real corporate America, those two little words have been left for dead. 

· Trump Runner Up Could Get 'Fried.'  Fried chicken giant KFC is offering to make the runner-up on NBC's "The Apprentice" a fast-food executive, it was announced yesterday. 

· 'The Apprentice' Soars Among TV Viewers.  Trump Tower, Trump best sellers and now Trump TV. Even viewers who turn up their noses at other reality series find something intriguing about the show, which is down to the final four contestants on Thursday's show. 

· Richard Branson signs on for Fox reality show.  Mixing a bit of “Around the World in 80 Days” with Trump’s hit reality series “The Apprentice,” broadcaster Fox Thursday said it has signed a deal with Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, for a new U.S. television series tentatively called “Branson’s Big Adventure.” 

· Woman challenges Trump 'You're fired' trademark.  Chicago pottery merchant Susan Brenner has a message for real-estate mogul Donald Trump: in the Windy City, she'll do the firing. 

      » Financial Woes Hits Trump's N.J. Casinos.  Shares of Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts fell 11 percent Tuesday on news of auditors' concerns that, barring a bailout, the company might not be able to continue as a "going concern.' 

      » Trump may have violated gambling laws.  The Division of Gaming Enforcement is looking into whether the Trump Taj Mahal, the crown jewel of Trump's casino empire, got all the approvals it needed before the taping of a recent "Apprentice" episode there. 

· Trump's N.J. Casinos in Financial Trouble.  Donald Trump has become the resident prime-time expert on what it takes to make it in the business world, but his real-life casino empire is in trouble. 

· 'Dateline NBC' Pulls Out Stops for Trump.  "Dateline NBC" plans roughly two hours of stories about "The Apprentice" surrounding its finale next month, including a profile of star Donald Trump. 

· Going too far:  Trump's 'You're Fired' banner draws ire.  A giant "You're Fired" sign on the Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan has earned Donald Trump's development firm four $2,500 summonses from the city of New York. 

· Donald Trump Shelves Golf Course Plan.  Donald Trump has tentatively shelved his plan to build another golf course in Westchester, proposing instead to put mansions on his 213-acre property and sell them for up to $25 million each. 

· Donald Trump Riding High With 'Apprentice.'  Trump, now 57, has managed a bold return to the land of bold-faced names. He's working on a new book; Trump recently boasted that he received a $5 million advance for "Trump: How to Get Rich" (Chapter one: write a book with a $5 million advance). 

· Latest exploits of 'The Donald.'  If The Donald gets the nod from The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, he'll be able to exclusively slap the words "You're Fired" on clothing and "games and playthings," and use it in connection with "casino services."  

· Trump Making a Big Difference for NBC.  If Regis Philbin once "saved" ABC, Donald Trump has certain bragging rights at NBC. 

· Hundreds Line Up to Star in 'Apprentice.'  The line to audition for the second season of the hit reality show "The Apprentice" stretched the length of four football fields outside NBC's Burbank studios as more than 1,000 people sought a spot on the program featuring billionaire Donald Trump. 

· Troy seems least likely to hear 'You're fired!'  He doesn't have a college degree. He lives in Idaho. And now he's considered a favorite to win the job working for Donald Trump on the most successful new show of the season, NBC's The Apprentice. 

      » 'Apprentice' Loser was slurred.  Ex-"Apprentice" Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, who stirred things up on Donald Trump's reality show, says a fellow contestant dropped the "N" bomb on her during the show - but that it was edited out. 

· What it's really like to work for Trump.  Trump is a man of idiosyncrasies not readily apparent on 'The Apprentice.'  "You will never see him in his shirtsleeves, even at his desk, said George Ross. "He always wears a jacket."  Yes it's true he doesn't drink or smoke, but it's not true that Trump is overwhelmingly phobic about germs and refuses to shake hands. 

      » The Art of Trump's Hair.  The billionaire builder and now TV star of "The Apprentice" let a reporter take a close look at his scalp this week to prove his point - that the flip-flop 'do he has become famous for is all his. 

· The World According to Trump.  Just a decade ago, he was a punch line, a combed-over relic from the decade of greed. But he's back, and bigger than ever, thanks to his new hit reality show 'The Apprentice.' 

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