Yeah, but is Joan Rivers truly a powerful celebrity? I always got that she’s a hanger-on and generally mocked by Hollywood (and sadly, even herself in recent years).
[ul]
[li]Ratings[/li][li]Donald Trump enjoys being a celebrity more than he enjoys being a real estate mogul, and people like Joan Rivers hold the key to that goal (he thinks)[/li][li]Donald’s son is on the board of Joan’s charity[/li][li]Donald and Joan have been close friend for years[/li][/ul]
It was very obvious from the beginning that Joan was going to win. She should have been fired many times over - she even quit! (so much for Trumps mantra “I hate quitters!”) - yet each week there she was again.
Well, Annie’s pals are all Mafia white trash, so you know they’re not going to do Trump any good.
I’m not much of a celebrity-follower so I could be wrong, but that’s always been my impression, too. The fact that she had such trouble raising money might validate that.
Sure, those are the cynical reasons (not that they’re untrue), but I was thinking more about the gameplay aspect. From that POV, it really wasn’t logical that she hung around.
Oh well, like I said earlier in the thread, this was the first season I watched any of the Apprentices and it’s definitely going to be the last. Seeing that gameplay and results don’t win this thing, it’s kind of a waste of time.
Good question. I’ve been told, via other Internet discussions, that she travels in some powerful entertainment circles. I don’t know what those circles would be though, nor do I know how much influence she would wield.
So I think it’s possible, but I can’t guarantee any specifics.
If she has powerful friends, they certainly didn’t seem to come through for her when it was fundraising time. In a previous episode, she and Melissa made a point to make certain that Trump knew that they were calling their friends but were being turned down.
I don’t know if Annie deserved to win or not but I’m pretty certain that if Trump wanted a real apprentice, he’d pick Annie over Joan.
I really wonder how much of the finale was really live. Unlike all prior finales this one did not promote that it was LIVE. Regardless, I now think that the Donald must have had a prior deal with Joan to not fire her. Perhaps it was made to entice her to return after she stormed off when poor little Melissa was fired. At that point Joan was pretty adamant about not returning. Perhaps it was made long ago to even get Joan to be on the show at all. You should watch the last minutes of the finale carefully. Note that there were no camera shots of Joan’s or Melissa’s faces when Trump announced the winner. Why? I think it was because their reactions would’ve shown that they were not surprised that Joan won. They knew what the result would be. Also there were no reaction shots of the audience because it would’ve shown the shock and disbelief on their faces that Annie didn’t win. The only reaction shot was Annie’s and she really looked like she didn’t know who Trump was going to pick. It even appeared that she expected Trump to pick her until he fired her. Go check it out. The way that Joan went over to give Annie a consolatory hug also looked like it was pre-planned. The whole ending felt contrived. The fix was on.
As to the straw poll, I vote for Annie of course.
Annie should have won
twickster
Rainbowthief
phungi
Jodi
HelloNinja
JThunder
DudleyGarrett
The Controvert
nivlac
Joan’s win was the correct decision
Diogenes the Cynic
Hm, looks like Dio is somewhat in the minority here. How … unexpected. 
Chalk up another vote for Annie from me.
If I had a vested interest in this show, the subjective nature of 4 out of the 5 criteria would really piss me off. I think Trump had his favorite and she was always going to win. I actually think it should have been Brande vs Annie in the final.
Annie should have won
twickster
Rainbowthief
phungi
Jodi
HelloNinja
JThunder
DudleyGarrett
The Controvert
nivlac
notfrommensa
Joan’s win was the correct decision
Diogenes the Cynic
Given how lopsided the vote is here, why do you think so many people (discarded Apprenti et al) were saying Joan? Just sucking up to Trump, or bowing to the juggernaut, or were they seeing something we’re not?
They definitely did promote it as live, but it was certainly poorly produced and directed. Anything w/ the audience in the museum was live, and there was a “LIVE” tag in the corner of the screen for those scenes. The live bits were just very rare and unnecessary.
Mark me down for Annie.
I will never watch another episode of this show again as a result. More importantly, Melissa and Joan Rivers are part of the reason women have it so hard in male-dominated industries. It’s often other women who end up try to take them down, and have a hard time adhering to basic standards of professionalism.
I’m with Annie, too.
And I can’t imagine what would make me want to watch another season of this crap. The venom spewed by the Rivers women was really distasteful. There was the initial “Oooo, that’s good TV!” rush, but it just got so ugly and out of control. Trump is a flaming sphincter for rewarding these harpies. Feh.
This thread beats watching the last episode for me.
Jesse was dead to Trump the moment he declined to bring his wife and her Hollywood friends on the show. How can you betray The Trump like that?
(Jesse brought as many famous friends on the show as Joan did )
It is clear to me that the event planner quitting was totally scripted and planned by the producers.
Every single season on this show (Celebrity Apprentice and normal Apprentice) during the final task, something “big” and “dramatic” happens. Someone’s flight gets delayed, team member quits, etc.
I’m coming in late today, but I agree with Dio, Joan rightly won.
Based on what we saw, the event planner was an idiot. Ok, so Maybe Joan didn’t give him detailed instructions, but what the heck does “planner” mean, anyway? He should have more ability than to just to do what he’s told, he should be able to actually, ya know, plan, based on what type of event it is, who’s going to be there, the intent, etc. He knew that Kodak was heavily involved, so he comes up with . . . white? Joan didn’t insult him or yell at him or anything, she just shot down his boring ideas. His widdle ego got bruised, so he stormed out. Joan wasn’t the cause.
Joan’s event was much, much more interesting and fun. Annie raised more money, which only proves that she has friends with deep pockets, so what? If you want that to be the main criterion for who wins, why have an event at all? Just have each person get pledges from their friends and be done with it. But given that a big part of the challenge was the event itself, Joan’s made Annie’s look like a high school party.
Annie should have won
twickster
Rainbowthief
phungi
Jodi
HelloNinja
JThunder
DudleyGarrett
The Controvert
nivlac
notfrommensa
Joan’s win was the correct decision
Diogenes the Cynic
Roadfood
This was the first U.S. Apprentice I watched, and happily, the last… But I still think Joan blew Annie out of the water. She’s old and crazy, but still did a better job.
Annie should have won
twickster
Rainbowthief
phungi
Jodi
HelloNinja
JThunder
DudleyGarrett
The Controvert
nivlac
notfrommensa
Joan’s win was the correct decision
Diogenes the Cynic
Roadfood
Daffyd
I think the other celebs said Joan over Annie (except for Jesse and, I think, Scott) because they really see Joan as some funny, nice old lady while they feel threatened by Annie. Piers’ stock plummetted in my book; I can’t believe he didn’t say Annie. She was this season’s Piers, for fuck’s sake!
I never saw what was so awful about Annie. She’s smart, tough and must be one hell of a friend considering how loyal her friends are to her (like the guy who drove from Connecticut Friday night to help decorate the space). Plus, like Annie said on the show, she’s the perfect woman because she works hard, cooks, takes care of the kids and gives great blowjobs.
“I will not be berated by this character here.”
“I am not berating you.”
“Oh, stop it! How dare you!”
That exchange spoke volumes.