The Apprentice- Martha Stewart

[Albertan mom]

I wonder if Jim had any type of ulterior motive for helping Marcella? Or does he just really like her and was truly being nice?

He did say once that he wants to get rid of all the stronger players first.... Amanda could be seen as stronger then Marcella...

 

[RyMickey]

Who woulda thunk that Jim would've made it to the Final Six? I must say that he's playing the game right. Sure, he might be a little off-the-wall, but I think he's really smart and (generally) knows when to turn the craziness on and off. I'm sure that Jim thought Marcella wasn't as big a threat as the girl that got the boot which is why he coached Marcella before the board room. Hey, it's all part of the game.

Marcella, though...I don't think she could cut it as an "executive." Isn't that what the position is for? Maybe if Marcella trying out to be a cook, but she just can't seem to get people to listen to her. I don't think she's a pushover, but for some reason, people just don't listen to her.

I'm thinking the winner is the other woman that was on Marcella's team...her name escapes me now, but she has always been controlled and had a positive attitude.

 

[Slacking]

RyMickey, are you talking about Leslie? She's been a good candidate but she hasn't really had her own story, shes pretty much been in the background. Her only story was pretty much when she volunteered to move over to Matchstick and she led them to a loss.

Glad to see Amanda gone, I couldn't stand her a tall! I just got weird vibes from her.

Marcella honestly should have been fired, but I think Martha isn't done trying her sugar buns.

 

[WIcruizer]

Marcella, though...I don't think she could cut it as an "executive." Isn't that what the position is for?

I disagree. Macella is operating in an artificial environment. One in which people can ignore her, sabatoge her, play games, etc. In a REAL working environment at MS, she wouldn't have to put up with all that. She is bright, gets along very well with people, and knows about food.

Being a manager myself, I know it's important to get along with many groups of people. Those who report to you, other "equal" managers, company executives, customers, vendors, etc. Someome like Jim is entertaining, but I would never hire him as an apprentice. It would only be a matter of time before he offended someone. Jim is very good at playing the game, but in the end MS will pick someone who can actually run a team within the company. That's not Jim. I agree the only other real candidate is that other woman who worked with Marcella on the last task.

I've noticed that both MS and Trump are on the lookout for candidates who are deliberately "tanking" a task to make the PM look bad. It's about time! I've always felt like the PM gets too much of the blame for failing a task. Because again, the PM is an artificial "manager." Normally employees would work hard for the manager, kiss up, work extra hard to prve themselves, etc.

On both Apprentice shows, some candidates don't work hard, aren't real bright or creative, or try to take the PM down. Then the PM is accused of not having control of the team. Well of course they don't have control!

One other thing I notice throughout all these shows. The supposedly "professional" women are mostly catty and don't remotely act like a business professional. It's like "I'm a woman hear me roar" only 40 years too late. Again, it's both shows. If any of the women who work for me would act like that within the team, they wouldn't be around for long.

 

[WIcruizer]

Marcella honestly should have been fired, but I think Martha isn't done trying her sugar buns.

I don't agree. She had a great marketing idea. There were plenty of people coming into the store, the problem was she had 2 people on her team trying to sandbag her. The problem was sales, which takes the whole team.

 

[Slacking]

If her whole marketing idea was, lets hire a known pastry chef, well that sure didn't translate into sales. Sure, the team wasn't selling the way they should have been, but a better and more thoguht out amrketing plan may have made it easier to sell units.

 

[WIcruizer]

True Slacking, but I think he team members were slacking. I don't agree with the premise that the PM is expected to come up with all the ideas. They had 3 other people, and someone should have stepped up with an idea. As in..."Ok...we have a flow of people coming through sampling pastries...now how to we take advantage?" Also, nobody made any suggestion on selling price.

 

[RyMickey]

RyMickey, are you talking about Leslie? She's been a good candidate but she hasn't really had her own story, shes pretty much been in the background. Her only story was pretty much when she volunteered to move over to Matchstick and she led them to a loss.

Yeah, I was talking about Leslie. For some reason, she just strikes me as someone Martha would like. An older woman (who, as we learned last night, is a Latina who could bring a new dimension to MarthaS.Omnimedia) who doesn't bring on controversy. Sure, she lost, but there's just something about her that strikes me as Martha-esque. I can't really pinpoint why I think she "fits in," but it's just an inkling that I get.

WICruizer - I do think Marcella has a good concept/direction for the company and I honestly was impressed by her ideas last night. That being said, I still don't see her as an "executive." I see her as "a chef" who longs to work for Martha and perhaps bring her ethnicity to the table as well. Just my two cents...

 

[SRUAlmn]

Re: Marcella

Didn't Martha make some kind of comment about not looking for someone for a 'particular' position. Something about her company having many different facets to it and that she may be looking for people for different types of things. I think it was when she was asking Amanda what she would bring to her company and all Amanda could say was that she has done a little marketing or something like that. I really felt bad for Marcella. I have worked in a scape goat situation and it stinks to constantly feel that you have no support.

I have also been a manager and I agree with what WICruizer said. I never understood why Donald and Martha never seem to grasp that. They usually say 'why couldn't you control your team?' but it's not a true environment. This is not how it would be when you are managing people.

 

[WIcruizer]

That being said, I still don't see her as an "executive."

I guess it depends on what MS considers an "executive" to be in her company. A lower manager..middle manager...upper management. I don't think she's looking for anything close to a C level manager. Just someone she could put in charge of a project, or some sub-category of one of her units.

I think Marcella is more than capable of taking that on. She is the most passionate about working for MS, which goes a long way in my book. I have managers working for me who weren't the most qualified, but they were passionate about their job, and the company. Those are the people who succeed.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Interesting show last night.

I'm glad Jim gave the pep talk. Regardless of what his motive may have been. If you deserve to go, fine--but Amanda had no interest in helping the team b/c she wasn't the leader. And if she had a better idea--when the PM finally solicited it she said.."no" And in a side interview she said that she wasn't going to perform a leadership funciton or something like that.

And surprise of all surprises---Apprentice MS has been cancelled and hasn't been renewed next season.

I am watching the show solely b/c I want to see how it ends, but I am not a fan of how it has been produced and how Martha about half the time is unavailable for assignments and what not and delivers them via "video conference" which is nothing more than a pre-taped video disguised as a conference.

It's as if she lost interest real quick in the show herself.

 

[SRUAlmn]

The thing that bothers my fiance and I the most is the way she dismisses them from the conference room when they're let go. It's so inconsistent and she acts so awkward when she says it. It just sounds so unprofessional. It makes us cringe.

 

[Slacking]

About the Martha on video thing, I'm ok with it because I am pretty sure it is because when the show was filmed Martha was still wearing her ankle bracelet and was limited with the amount of time she was allowed to be away from home.

Leslie is a great candidate, but storywise at this point it would be a blah ending, people really wouldn't care one way or another.

Having watched more than my share of reality TV, I know that the ebst series are ones that have endings that stir strong emotions (whether positive or negative) in the audience which can be created through stories that are rpetty much created in the editing room.

 

[SRUAlmn]

About the Martha on video thing, I'm ok with it because I am pretty sure it is because when the show was filmed Martha was still wearing her ankle bracelet and was limited with the amount of time she was allowed to be away from home.

Leslie is a great candidate, but storywise at this point it would be a blah ending, people really wouldn't care one way or another.

Having watched more than my share of reality TV, I know that the ebst series are ones that have endings that stir strong emotions (whether positive or negative) in the audience which can be created through stories that are rpetty much created in the editing room.

I totally agree. I don't think there was ever a chance to really care about any of these people. They didn't spend enough time building the characters. Now, there are millions of people who don't really care who wins.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

About the Martha on video thing, I'm ok with it because I am pretty sure it is because when the show was filmed Martha was still wearing her ankle bracelet and was limited with the amount of time she was allowed to be away from home.

Leslie is a great candidate, but storywise at this point it would be a blah ending, people really wouldn't care one way or another.

Having watched more than my share of reality TV, I know that the ebst series are ones that have endings that stir strong emotions (whether positive or negative) in the audience which can be created through stories that are rpetty much created in the editing room.

Someone defended it earlier and I just don't believe it.

She was allowed to leave her home for work for 48 hours per week. .

She had her ankle thing removed after midnight on September 1.

The show premiered on Sept 21st....do we know if it finishes taping prior to air?

Anyway--I just don't understand why she can't spare 2 hours to deal with candidates personally--or just have them come to the location she is at (Donald does this with his group all of the time). The first time she did the tape--it was stated it was a video conference...and a video conference indicates interaction and conferencing which she doesn't do. At the very least, she could just do it as a video conference. JMHO.

Her present limitations:

She will be on probation for a year and a half, meaning that until March 2007, she is not allowed to get drunk, own a gun or leave the federal court district (for her other homes in Connecticut, Maine and the Hamptons, for example) without permission. She must meet with her probation officer whenever requested and submit monthly reports on her activities, and she cannot associate with other convicted felons unless she wants to become an informer.

This explains why she isn't on any of the reward challenges that take the winners from the area.



And just for giggles....the only ones I like are the 2 chefs....and hey--even Jim would make for a humourous win. The other candidates--no idea about them whatsoever except that the one girl did get annoyed with the one who was let go last night for just talking on and on and on and on.

 

[Slacking]

I am very sure that the show was taped during the summer months. I think June or July.

She hasn't "videoconferenced" for every challenge, but I'm sure she has a busy schedule which was severly limited because of sentence.

 

[RyMickey]

So for some reason, I'm switching back and forth between the repeat of Martha Apprentice on CNBC and Survivor (and I'm getting angry at myself for becoming a reality tv junkie this season)...and I'd like to change my tune on Marcella. She performed really well on the task and was completely thrown off by Adam and Amanda.

Plus, she's so darn cute that I'd like her stick around for a couple more weeks..

 

[Slacking]

Welcome to the darkside. I've been addicted to reality since Survivor began back in 2000.

Yeah, Marcela is a cutie. *Insert obligatory sugar buns joke here

 

[RyMickey]

Welcome to the darkside. I've been addicted to reality since Survivor began back in 2000.

I remember your love for reality tv from last year's infamous American Idol/Scott Savol debate (once again -- angry at myself for remembering the full name of "Scott Savol" when I can't remember a single thing I learned today in my World History class).

 

[CPM]

And surprise of all surprises---Apprentice MS has been cancelled and hasn't been renewed next season.
.

That's a bummer, I like the show.