Martha Stewart’s Apprentice: A Good Thing?

When domestic diva Martha Stewart is released from Alderson Federal Prison Camp early next month, she won’t have to look for work – she’s already got some lined up. NBC announced yesterday that Martha Stewart will star in a spin-off of the hit show The Apprentice.

Auditions have already begun to find 16 to 18 candidates willing to compete for a one year job with a $250,000 salary working for Martha Stewart Omnimedia, Inc. One notable difference between the Donald Trump edition of The Apprentice and The Apprentice: Martha Stewart is that Stewart will not use Trump’s signature line of “You’re fired.” What Stewart will say instead is not yet determined.

Also not yet determined is when the show will debut. The Apprentice: Martha Stewart could run concurrently with the next season of the Trump show next fall or possibly air in the mid-season. NBC Universal Television Group President Jeff Zucker told reporters that no decision has been made yet as to the scheduling.

If the spin-off is to be ready to air in the fall, filing will have to start while Martha Stewart is out of prison on house arrest. That doesn’t necessarily mean all of the scenes with Martha will have to take place in one of her estates – during her work release, Stewart can work away from home for 40 hours a week. During the rest of the time, she’ll be at home, tracked by an electronic monitoring bracelet.

Trump says that he and Martha Stewart are longtime friends, and he wishes her a successful comeback. There was a rivalry between Trump and other moguls with reality shows, namely Mark Cuban and Richard Branson. Martha Stewart is different, according to Trump. He told reporters, “With Branson and Cuban, I wanted them to fail, and fortunately they did – even more miserably than I had hoped. Martha and I are teammates.

Will The Apprentice: Martha Stewart be, as Martha might say, “a good thing”? Watch Reality News Online for all the details.

Betsy Wasser is the Associate Editor of Reality News Online. She can be reached with any comments at betsyw42@hotmail.com .

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