Friday, February 4, 2005
Trumped
John Jaani Janardhan
Trrrrump pam pam pam pam
Watched an episode of The Apprentice tonight. For those if you who haven’t heard, this is the reality show from Donald Trump where contestants are divided into teams and compete in business-related challenges. Every week a contestant gets fired until the final candidate who ends up with the much-touted dream job and a six-figure salary.
Given the gazillion people that apply to be on the show, one would like to believe that the final eighteen who compete are some of the brightest and the best. Today, one of the contestants quit, which was a first. Some priceless parting words from the lady —
I couldn’t continue like this any longer. My body was mentally exhausted. My mind was mentally exhausted.
Er .. HUH?
Reality shows don’t always bring out the best…very good?May be..Excellent??may be… But not the best…cuz for these shows adding value (read glamour) is a very high priority…
Friday, February 4, 2005 @ 4:01 AM
I kid you not, my roomie and I caught the same thing and were laffing our heads off. I worked up quite some BP at that pathetic slacker. Remember she was upto the same S*** last week. What irritated me most was the bloody beatific smile she was giving, as if she was doing some ‘ehsaan’ on people by being there. Felt like just wiping that smile off her face.
Well lemme stop right here before I get all worked up again.
Friday, February 4, 2005 @ 7:45 AM
The best part that I like in, “The Apprentice”, is the comments from Trump’s assistants. They are very cool-minded and whatever they say is quite insightful. And of course to learn the mistakes that people most often do under pressure.
Friday, February 4, 2005 @ 11:10 AM
wasn’t that from the week before weekend. yesterday it was different.Like all other shows there is a black person,just to get some minority viewers.
Anyways i think the whole apprentice is like a WWF. I dont think it is a reality show.Iam sure that the final is going to between one street smart and one book smart.And you can see how it is shaping up to that finale.Winner of every week alternate between the groups.
Friday, February 4, 2005 @ 3:33 PM
I think its sad that they pick the worst when it comes to people of color for Apprentice.Omarosa,Stacy(the one they called crazy),Ivanna and now Verna.I am not sure whether its intentional or not on the part of producers but having been an ardent watcher for three seasons(including the current one),Raj seems to be the most tolerable among them,even though he embarrassed us to death with his womanizing more than the clothes, after a great start.
Friday, February 4, 2005 @ 4:08 PM
[shantanu] A reality-show in my opinion tend to be less reality and more show. The genre, as such, is not my cup of tea, but I make an exception for The Apprentice.
[Devdutt] Ah :) I was wondering if there were others who went ‘huh?‘ like I did. And yeah, she did the least amount of hard work on her team, complained about her teammates practically torturing her, then roamed around the streets of the NJ shore and promptly came back with comments like ‘my teammates are angels‘. How did THAT happen? Very confused woman. Anyway, thank heavens she had the sense to quit before her team threw her out.
[Anand] Yeah, very true! There are some lessons to be learnt from the show, especially about people-management and keeping one’s cool in high-pressure situations. And how to look perfectly groomed and smashing on camera even with just 1.5 hours of sleep ;) I think the show rocked in the first season but, to be honest, the second and third seasons have been a bit of a drag. Lets see..
[sk] Yeah, you’re right. She says these priceless words from the week before. I guess I forgot all about her until she showed up again on Thursday and her famous words appeared (partly) in the recap. Hence the delay in blog-writing!
On the book-smarts vs street-smarts topic, they way I see it, Trump’s tasks are geared more towards street-smartness than book-smartness. As a result the intitial tasks will have a higher tendency to be a SS win (unless the PM does a major botch-up like last week). However some of the book-smart people are also street-smart, so once the duds on the BS team are weeded out, they’ll bounce back.
[Ramchi] I completely agree. All of the minority participants (excepting Kwame from the first season and Kevin from the second) have invaribly been a namoona of some sort. On a relative scale, Ivana was most normal, I suppose.
As for Raj, I must admit I found him obnoxious but very very entertaining :) He didn’t conform to the stereotype, which was great! Plus I think, it takes a LOT of guts to ask Anna Kournikova out on a date on national television, knowing fully well you are going to be rejected :) He was memorable, if nothing else!
Friday, February 4, 2005 @ 4:38 PM
I dont think there is any “real”ity show on television since everything is doctored to create TV Masala!
I have been following the Apprentice since the time it started and those who have also been doing the same you will realise that in many episodes,the people renting out apartments,buying stuff etc are people setup by Trump himself to get the result he wants and to make it interesting till the end!
Friday, February 4, 2005 @ 6:02 PM
For some reason, comments seem to have been disabled on the earlier post. Or at least, that it what blogger says when I try and post a comment. So here it is, in response you your response to my comment.
LOL
- - -
Thanks a lot. Yes, I hope I make it through! I’ll have a ‘blog party’ when I do!
:-)
Friday, February 4, 2005 @ 10:34 PM
Megha
I agree with your view. The problem with the media (especially the american media) is they beat any new idea to its complete death. All the channels try to extrapolate the new idea to it’s Nth derivation and finally bore you to death. Reality TV started out with the Survivor series and it’s come this far (The other day I saw an ad for another reality series which would be hosted by Sylv. Stalone). And whenever any “new” news comes up, say for instance the Chandra-Levy scandal, they have immense coverage on the topic as though nothing else in the whole world matters and basically bore you to death with it. That’s why I dont watch these things religiously, just whenever I have nothing else to do :-)
Saturday, February 5, 2005 @ 10:24 AM
Speaking of reality shows, I’d personally prefer to see girls boozing and doind crazy stunts (read the Real World), but I’ve tried watching the Trump’s Hire-a-Dork-who-will-kiss-ass (read The Apprentice)and Mark Cuban’s (owner of the dallas mavs)show (dunno the title) and i think Trump does a slightly better job. Plus the “You’re fired” seems awfully funny to me!
Saturday, February 5, 2005 @ 6:22 PM
* My body was mentally exhausted. My mind was mentally exhausted. *
It’s like saying take a copper wire of steel and heat it upto boiling point in refrigerator. :O) Or was this a bit too exaggerated level of the lady’s blah! :D
Sunday, February 6, 2005 @ 12:16 AM
reality shows!!! hmm they don’t interest me much…. for the very fact that its not that real… i see lots of elements of showbiz n masala added to make it a fancy one to watch… I prefer comedy series :)
Monday, February 7, 2005 @ 5:34 AM
Nice to see a fellow Patriots fan! Go Pats! Err… r u a Pats fan just cuz of Brady? (:D)
Monday, February 7, 2005 @ 11:00 AM
[Sidharth] That’s true, it is mostly a setup. I think the key to watching shows like these is to not take them seriously. All said and done, it’s just one big Trump PR job, but hey, he’s the one paying for the show, so why wouldn’t he blow his own ‘trump’et in it? :)
[.:A:.] Look forward to it! :) (And comments are enabled and working again on the other post, sorry about that!)
[Anand] Agree completely. Leave it to the media to flog an idea to death. Average Joe, Biggest Loser (the weight loss show, not sure of the title), Fear Factor (which ought to have been titled Gross Factor, since I see very little fear in it, ughh!), Ultimate Hoax, Swimsuit Model Search .. the list is just endless. And this is all just *one* channel. God save us! Good that you manage some entertainment out of it though :)
[Sriram] Sure :) Its just one crazy show versus another. Hard to really say which one’s better. Guess as long as you get your entertainment fix for the day and don’t take them too seriously, you’re okay! :)
And a Patriots fan just cos of Brady? :) Heavens no! To be honest, be it coach Belichick, Brady, wide receiver (and yesterday’s MVP) Branch, Dillon, Vinatieri (with his 41-yard winning field goal last year) or any of the others, its so tough to pick just one person and call them a star. They’re all heroes. This is a team that really truly exemplifies *team*. And even now, they dodge the dynasty question, hesitating to proclaim themselves as great. That’s what makes me the proudest!
[Fun_Da_Mental] Something like that! At least yours was consistently contradictory. Can’t even say that about her :) Seriously, look at that statement. Both parts! My body was mentally exhausted — technically not possible. My mind was mentally exhausted — completely redundant. Eeesh!
[Prasad] That’s always a smart choice to make! :)
Monday, February 7, 2005 @ 4:31 PM
Not too much into apperentice but yea I did follow the first season religiously and Kwalm (qwalm, cualm ? how do u spell that) was my personal favourite.
“And even now, they dodge the dynasty question, hesitating to proclaim themselves as great. That’s what makes me the proudest!” I second that….Freddie Mitchell’s big mouth was not appreciated. I am an Eagles fan and so many eagles fans had high hopes yday(though people knew that patriots is a better team). Dreams of winning the superbowl had to be saved for some other year. An air of silence in the streets of philadelphia and chaos amongst the unruly was evident. Patriots did a great job and the game was very entertaining. Massachusetts is the most happening state around with the Red Sox and Patriots hitting the bulls eye, though not related..if Kerry had won the race for presidency…MA woud have had a Visa Triple Crown eh ?? :)
Monday, February 7, 2005 @ 10:44 PM
Oh yea..as I was typing the comment a song started playing ….“Megha chaaye aadhi raat” ..from a playlist of around 900 songs …talk about coincidence !!
Monday, February 7, 2005 @ 10:49 PM
Ah yes, Kwame was good! Pity he didn’t win.
Am sorry about the Eagles loss. They played well and really made the Pats work for their victory, but i’m sure that’s not much solace for the Eagles fans. Yeah, the Kerry win would have nicely sealed the deal, but oh well, it was not meant to be..
That’s an interesting coincidence indeed! And what a lovely song! S D Burman’s gorgeous music, Neeraj’s simple, eloquent lyrics and Lata’s sweet voice .. *sigh* Now that I think about it, all the songs from Sharmilee (1971) are wonderful — Kishore’s kaise kahen hum pyaar ne humko, khilte hain gul yahaan and o meri sharmilee, Lata’s megha chhaye aadhi raat and aaj madhosh hua jaaye re, and the sultry Asha cabaret number in which she hits supersonic notes — reshmi ujala hai makhmali andhera. Sorry, but I cannot help get carried away when you mention music like this! :)
Oh by the way, on an unrelated note, i’ve resized the navbar on top to take the full width of the page, like you suggested. Hope it works!
Tuesday, February 8, 2005 @ 2:08 PM
Arre wah, u wrote about all the songs :). Very nice songs they are..Looks like you have a penchant for old songs :) OK, if the discussion is this detailed.. I can’t resist but tell u that when heard using earphones, it(megha chaaye ) gives me ghoosebumps :p . A sampler of such ghoosebump songs - Aap Kyon Roye (Woh Kaun Thi), Aayega Aayega (Mahal), Teri Duniya Main Dil Lagta Nahi(Bawre Nain). I don’t want to fill ur comment box with play lists :) so I will leave it at that for now.
Superfecto !! The nav bar occupies the full width of the screen :) … page looks uniform. Good job !!
Friday, February 11, 2005 @ 1:23 AM
typo, typo - ghoose = goose :D.
Friday, February 11, 2005 @ 1:24 AM
[pingoo] If you fill my comment space with playlists, I definitely won’t complain :) I love to ramble about old Hindi film songs. Here’s some more additions to the ‘ghoose’-bump :) list off the top of my head — kuchh dil ne kahaa kuchh bhi nahin from Anupama (1966), jhoom jhoom dhalti raat from Kohra (1964) (both songs have Lata singing under the baton of Hemant Kumar whose combination has produced some outstanding gems), lag ja gale ke phir ye haseen raat ho na ho from Woh Kaun Thi (1963), o panchhi pyaare saanjh sakaare from Bandini (1963) .. okie, i’ll stop now :)
Friday, February 11, 2005 @ 6:10 AM
Good to know that u don’t mind my hindi moojik rambling :). That is a nice addition to the list. I just heard this song “kuchh dil ne kahaa kuchh bhi nahin”, sounds cool..never heard before though. o panchhi pyaare saanjh sakare…heard it when i was thisss little …I luv the tune and asha’s rendition. U know what, the best gbump(goosebump :p) songs are the one’s by Mukesh..the King Of Sorrow …totally luv them. The revival version of the song I mentioned above from Bawre Nain (Teri Duniya Main Dil Lagta Nahi) kicks ass ..ost’s don’t have the clarity *sigh*. Another random gem by Mukesh….“Aaya Hai Mujhe Phir Yaad Woh Zaalim”(Devar,1966)..tune and lyrics rock.
p.s Your new post about Casablanca reminds me of the title song) “I fell in love with you watching Casablanca”(Bertie Higgins))….I remember. a few years ago I was listening to it once and literally had tears in my eyes ..can u believe that !! emotion laden songs are a class by itself.
Saturday, February 12, 2005 @ 1:33 AM
YOU’RE FIRED!
the first season was great….didn’t bother watching much after that…not even that kooky desi guy Raj could make me watch it.
Saturday, February 12, 2005 @ 2:03 AM
[pingoo] And there, I will have to differ in opinion :) For me, the best goosebumpy songs (amongst male-sung songs) are invaribly by Kishore. If not, the next best voice that gives me the shivers is Hemant Kumar. Even today, he sings tum pukaar lo from Khamoshi (1969) and I listen in stunned silence. They simply don’t do emotions like that any more .. *sigh*
[A.Diddy] Its wearing me down, but its still one of those guilty pleasures I haven’t given up on. Although lately its been more of guilt and less of pleasure :|
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 @ 12:44 PM
Aah !! There you go, Tum Pukar Lo is simbly one of the best :). Also luv his song from pyaasa “Jaane Woh Kaise Log The Jinke Pyar Ko Pyar Mila”. His voice is very “hatke”. Some sad or haunting songs of Kishore which I like, recollecting on top of my head….Mere Naina Saawan bhaado(Mehbooba,1976), Dil Aisa Kisi Ne Mera Thoda (Amanush,1975), Chingari Koi Bhadke(Amar Prem).
I guess most of the singers (old one’s) have atleast sung a few hair-raising songs to their credit. The classification (as to which song gives a spine chilling effect) should be song based rather than singer based, perhaps ? The reason I picked Mukesh was ..he is mostly assosiated with sad songs :) and I, having a penchant for such gems feel that he did a great job. It’s just a matter of taste :). Different strokes for different folks !!
Thursday, February 17, 2005 @ 5:43 AM
[pingoo] Different strokes for different folks indeed :) Let me clarify that I do like Mukesh. Just that if I had to rank them in order of preference (which is quite difficult to do) or choose *one* favorite (which is nearly impossible), my pick would invaribly be Kishore. Just a personal bias, can’t really explain it with logic. Am sure you feel the same way about Mukesh. Something about their voice that touches your heart. And matters of the heart cannot be explained by logic :) By the way, the songs of Kishore you mentioned are very dear to me. More so — mere naina saawan bhaado and chingaari koi bhadke ‘cos of the R D Burman connection.
Nice to know you agree on tum pukaar lo. And jaane vo kaise .. *sigh* WHAT a song! Or beqaraar karke humein from Bees Saal Baad (1962), or ye nayan dare dare from Kohra (1964) or .. well the list is endless :) As for song-based vs singer-based goosebumpiness - To an extent I agree, but not entirely. Certain songs give you the shivers because of the emotions conveyed in the lyrics (sad songs, haunting bhoot-type songs). But at the same time, certain singers have that extra something in their voice that gives you the shivers no matter what emotion they convey. Take Hemant Kumar again - be it hauntingly romantic (tum pukaar lo) playfully romantic (beqaraar karke humein), sad (jaane vo kaise log thhe jinko) .. he can give me the goosebumps with a multitude of emotions. So long story short, its a bit of both, in my opinion.
By the way, isn’t it funny how the original subject of this blog was about The Apprentice and here we are discussing old Hindi film music? Not that i’m complaining! :)
Saturday, February 19, 2005 @ 11:24 PM
Things like taste in songs cannot be xplained by logic :), true.
Hey let me clarify that what I meant by song based classification is …not dividing them based on lyrics or singer as such….to take the song as a whole. Like picking songs based on their gbumpiness rather than singer or lyrics (what you were refering to was rating gbumpiness based on lyrics or singer I think ?). Nevermind if I confused you :).
Also, I do agree with the explanation you gave regarding the “song-based vs singer-based goosebumpiness” :).
Haha yea !! this discussion is way off the topic of your blog :). Comments stretching too much eh ? :)
Monday, February 21, 2005 @ 12:55 AM
[pingoo] One of these days, we’ll find a new blog I’ve written, go on a tangent, and once again resume this discussion :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2005 @ 3:23 PM
‘My body is mentally tired’ - physically not possible. :-)
Thursday, June 12, 2008 @ 1:13 PM
“Guilty pleasures” - hmm, nice usage.
Monday, June 16, 2008 @ 1:05 PM