By Lauren Tuck (Editorial Assistant, POZ)
Following the cliffhanger from last week's Celebrity Apprentice, Donald Trump started off the penultimate episode answering the question we were all dying to know: Which of the celebrity contestants--Aubrey O'Day, Arsenio Hall and Clay Aiken--would be fired and not make it to the final round?
Thankfully, Trump cut right to the chase, and Aubrey O'Day was cast off. Finally! On her dismissal she said, "I'm somebody that stands in your face and is so bright and shines so big that you're either intimidated, you're annoyed, or you're in love." I stand firmly in the annoyed category. But my happiness regarding her dismissal was only short lived.
The finalists were summoned to Lincoln Center, the New York City arts center where this season of fierce competition all began. Clay Aiken and Arsenio Hall were tasked with putting together a 30-second advertisement, a fund-raising party and a talent show for their own charity (Arsenio's for the Magic Johnson AIDS Foundation; Aiken's for The National Inclusion Project, an organization he founded to promote the inclusion of children with disabilities in activities with their non-disabled peers). But, lest this task seem too daunting to take on alone, Trump calls on ousted B-listers Aubrey O'Day, Debbie Gibson, Lisa Lampanelli, Teresa Giudice, Penn Jillette, Dee Snider, Adam Carolla, and Paul Teutul--but not sixth-place finisher Dayana Mendoza--to assist.
When this hodgepodge group of amateurs takes on party and event planning, only one outcome is certain: lots of drama. Although the viewers won't get to bask in it until next week's season finale, I have a feeling Arsenio will win. His advertisement concept is clever. He had his team (Lampanelli, Giudice, Carolla and Teutul) dressed in '80s garb delivering the message, "These clothes, these styles are gone, but you know what's still here? AIDS! HIV!" If they manage to get Magic Johnson on video facing the right direction, if the party goes off without a hitch and the comedy/talent show induces roars of laughter, then Arsenio can definitely win this one for the Magic Johnson AIDS Foundation.
Watch the clip below of Magic talking to the side:
Compared with his competitor Clay Aiken, Arsenio seems cooler, calmer, more flush with celebrity friends with deep pockets, and more determined to win Celebrity Apprentice. "I can't even put into words how important it is to be able to earn things for the Magic Johnson AIDS Foundation and to continue the opportunity to earn even more," Arsenio said. "You come here to help people, and I've done it--and I'm not finished." Watch next week to see if Hall reigns victorious and wins $250,000.
Following the cliffhanger from last week's Celebrity Apprentice, Donald Trump started off the penultimate episode answering the question we were all dying to know: Which of the celebrity contestants--Aubrey O'Day, Arsenio Hall and Clay Aiken--would be fired and not make it to the final round?
Thankfully, Trump cut right to the chase, and Aubrey O'Day was cast off. Finally! On her dismissal she said, "I'm somebody that stands in your face and is so bright and shines so big that you're either intimidated, you're annoyed, or you're in love." I stand firmly in the annoyed category. But my happiness regarding her dismissal was only short lived.
The finalists were summoned to Lincoln Center, the New York City arts center where this season of fierce competition all began. Clay Aiken and Arsenio Hall were tasked with putting together a 30-second advertisement, a fund-raising party and a talent show for their own charity (Arsenio's for the Magic Johnson AIDS Foundation; Aiken's for The National Inclusion Project, an organization he founded to promote the inclusion of children with disabilities in activities with their non-disabled peers). But, lest this task seem too daunting to take on alone, Trump calls on ousted B-listers Aubrey O'Day, Debbie Gibson, Lisa Lampanelli, Teresa Giudice, Penn Jillette, Dee Snider, Adam Carolla, and Paul Teutul--but not sixth-place finisher Dayana Mendoza--to assist.
When this hodgepodge group of amateurs takes on party and event planning, only one outcome is certain: lots of drama. Although the viewers won't get to bask in it until next week's season finale, I have a feeling Arsenio will win. His advertisement concept is clever. He had his team (Lampanelli, Giudice, Carolla and Teutul) dressed in '80s garb delivering the message, "These clothes, these styles are gone, but you know what's still here? AIDS! HIV!" If they manage to get Magic Johnson on video facing the right direction, if the party goes off without a hitch and the comedy/talent show induces roars of laughter, then Arsenio can definitely win this one for the Magic Johnson AIDS Foundation.
Watch the clip below of Magic talking to the side:
Compared with his competitor Clay Aiken, Arsenio seems cooler, calmer, more flush with celebrity friends with deep pockets, and more determined to win Celebrity Apprentice. "I can't even put into words how important it is to be able to earn things for the Magic Johnson AIDS Foundation and to continue the opportunity to earn even more," Arsenio said. "You come here to help people, and I've done it--and I'm not finished." Watch next week to see if Hall reigns victorious and wins $250,000.
















Meanwhile, across the hall at Team Unanimous, Aubrey O'Day once again asserted that she is the driving force and creative mind behind every smart decision made on her team, even when she isn't in charge. Their theme drew on zen, yoga and Aubrey (because it's All About Aubrey). Arsenio Hall needs to step up and play just as dirty as the has-been pop princess or else he doesn't stand a chance of winning in the finale.
As soon as Aubrey said, "I'm involved with a lot of charities. I have worked with battered women's shelters, I've worked with refugee camps, I've worked with children with AIDS in Africa, I've worked with Nelson Mandela, I've worked with the Dalai Lama, I've worked with Fidel Castro..." I thought she was a goner. I mean Fidel Castro! Seriously? But, Lisa's uncontrollable emotions and loud mouth eventually got the best of her, and she was sent packing. Lisa is so loud in fact that Marlee Matlin remarked, "Even being death I could hear her." Well, you win some, you lose some. Then the show faded to black before the third castoff of the night was announced.
He was born to a cartoonist father in Reading, Pennsylvania, and moved to New York City when he was 19. He was captivated by the graffiti scene and soon began decorating the NYC subways with his signature imagery.
For more on his extraordinary work and life, visit
For the second time this scintillating season, Arsenio Hall won a charitable donation for the Magic Johnson AIDS Foundation. Trump offered $20,000, and Good Sam contributed $25,000 in addition to 100 percent of the proceeds from the sales of Good Sam mascot merchandise. Unfortunately Hall's win is bittersweet because Dayana Mendoza--a third of Team HIV/AIDS (the third is Lampanelli, who is playing for Gay Men's Health Crisis)--was fired this week. We'll miss Dayana.
As much good as Lisa does for the LGBT community, her poor behavior reflects negatively on her character, and it overshadows her achievements. It may be true that Dayana isn't the brightest bulb (for example she thought the word jingle referred to a Christmas song--as in "Jingle All the Way"), but can't we please cut the bombshell beauty some slack! English is not her first language. I've been learning Spanish for 10 years and still get tripped up on the verb "to be." Also, props to Dayana for always keeping her composure whenever Lisa is spewing insults in her direction, a true queen for sure. 
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