You read it here first: I predicted that Kwame Jackson would be toast on The Apprentice after he picked viper Omarosa Manigault-Stalworth for his reconstituted Protege team as he and fellow “Apprentice” sole-survivor Bill Rancic battled to the end for that $250,000-a-year job for Manhattan mogul Donald Trump (see my “Apprentice” post for April 9). Kwame, you fool!
Of course, anyone could have predicted that Omarosa, who washed out weeks ago for her whining, shirking, and backstabbing ways on the NBC biz-reality show, would decide to finish her dinner rather than attend to a crucial call regarding the the wherebouts of rockista Jessica Simpson, whose charity appearance at Trump’s Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City was the Protege-ites’ task last night. But Omarosa added lying to her resume of employment sins. When Simpson temporarily disappeared after Omarosa neglected her assigned duty of coordinating the star’s arrival, Omarosa told her nervous teammates that the manager had blown her off, when it was actually the other way around.
Simpson was eventually found, and Kwame managed to pull off the benefit smoothly despite this and other treacheries from Omarosa (along with some ball-dropping by Kwame’s erstwhile buddy and reconstituted teammate Troy McClain, who was supposed to set up a VIP breakfast but never got around to telling the staff what time it was supposed to be.) But Kwame knew that Omarosa hadn’t been straight with him–and did nothing to discipline her. “I’d fire that person,” said Trump. Since Omarosa had already been fired, Trump fired Kwame. Bill, by contrast, committed only the sin of being one of those nervous, micromanaging bosses who drive employees crazy as he led a reconstituted Versacorp in putting together a golf tournament at the Trump National Golf Course. He won hands down.
I could write more about Trump himself, a master ham and self-promoter who ought to quit his own day job (many of his real estate and casino ventures are a bit shaky right now) and go to work full-time as a reality personality. What a genius! But instead, I’ll focus on that old feminist canard, the “glass ceiling.” Tell me, readers, do any of you think that a single female contestant on “The Apprentice” deserved to be where Bill is today? Last night it was whining business as usual for the “Apprentice” gals, and not just Omarosa. Heidi Bressler spent her time on the job complaining that Kwame wasn’t nice enough to her. Amy Henry, true to form, dissed Bill in front of Trump: “He’s not as calm, cool, and collected as he could be.”
No, gals, you have to work, not whinge, to earn a top spot in the corporate world.