william.scherk Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 An entertaining article from Fortune, that haven of The Them. The contours of the story mostly view Trump's success with You're Fired as a communication story, less as showbiz story. I thought to put this under Politics, or Movies and Entertainment, or Psychology, but settled for 'interesting articles.' It is not a political argument, nor an exposé, nor a psychologizing ramble, but it speaks to those who want to know more about Donald Trump. Quote The Inside Story of How 'The Apprentice' Rescued Donald Trump by Michael Kranish , Marc Fisher SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 “There has to be a way to do a successful show in an American city,” Burnett thought. The way home, he realized, was through Donald Trump. Burnett’s lightbulb moment came when he was filming the finale of Survivor: Marquesas in New York’s Central Park, at Wollman ice-skating rink, which Trump operated, having famously renovated it in a jiffy and under budget after the city government had spent six years and $12 million failing to fix it. Burnett was fed up with being stuck in the jungle, “with crocodiles and ants and everything that could kill you.” He decided that his next show needed to be set in a different kind of jungle, made of asphalt, “and what I needed was someone larger-than-life, very colorful,” a character who could carry this new urban Survivor, who would be likable, tough, and fascinating enough to interest an audience for a full season. [...] Burnett pressed Trump on the power of TV to shape reputations: Trump had been famous for more than a generation, but a TV show of his own would allow him to mold his image as never before, giving Americans the chance to see him in a way they perceived as unmediated. Without a show of one’s own, Burnett believed, a celebrity is but a product of editors’ headlines and journalists’ takes. Being the star of a show would let Trump remake himself as he saw fit. The pitch was an instant hit. Burnett walked out of that first meeting with a handshake deal to make The Apprentice. Trump secured not only a starring role on a show made by TV’s hottest producer but also 50 percent ownership of it. Trump had consulted no one, done no research. He liked the idea; he bought it. It was a classic Trump moment, an example of the gut-instinct decision making that he had proudly touted throughout his career. Buy a show. Win an audience. Burnish an image. “It’s very easy,” Trump said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 8 hours ago, william.scherk said: An entertaining article from Fortune, that haven of The Them. The contours of the story mostly view Trump's success with You're Fired as a communication story, less as showbiz story. I thought to put this under Politics, or Movies and Entertainment, or Psychology, but settled for 'interesting articles.' It is not a political argument, nor an exposé, nor a psychologizing ramble, but it speaks to those who want to know more about Donald Trump. Them! was a 1950s black and white horror movie. --Brant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 14 hours ago, Brant Gaede said: Them! was a 1950s black and white horror movie. -- I am remembering a Beagle Boys-like masked group called T.H.E.M. (the horrible evil men) in a comic book during the Man from UNCLE era. I have yet to find corroboration. Richie Rich? Little Lotta? First time I watched the trailer of Them! above I kept waiting for the name and face of Hillary Clinton to appear to further terrorize the nation. That seems to be the horror-movie premise of the 2016 campaign, from both sides. The Other must not take power or It's Too Late. Monsters to the left of me, monsters to the right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 THEM was about giant ants... The result of mutations caused by radioactive fallout. The motion picture was made back in the day of above ground atomic bomb tests..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backlighting Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 19 hours ago, Brant Gaede said: Them! was a 1950s black and white horror movie. --Brant A horror movie it was...at least for me, who saw it a a little kid and had nightmares about it. Frankenstein, the original one, also had the same effect.--J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 On 9/9/2016 at 1:50 PM, william.scherk said: An entertaining article from Fortune, that haven of The Them. William, I liked the idea of seeing who was able to "rescue" the Trump brand from obsolescence and how they decided to do that. Here's how the reality show guy decided on Trump to save the Trump brand from being swallowed down a memory hole and forgotten from the culture at large (quoting from the article): Quote Wollman Rink put the idea right in Burnett’s face: TRUMP was plastered all over the Zamboni and the walls of the rink. Burnett took the hint and went to see Trump at his office in Trump Tower. Hmmmmm... Without Mark Burnett having the Trump brand plastered right in his face everywhere he looked, he never would have been able to save the Trump brand from extinction. (Did I just hear a thud in the article's theme?) Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Them! was one of the best films of its genre. --Brant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 12 hours ago, Backlighting said: A horror movie it was...at least for me, who saw it a a little kid and had nightmares about it. Frankenstein, the original one, also had the same effect.--J Was that the version with Boris Karlov? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 14 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: On 9/9/2016 at 11:50 AM, william.scherk said: An entertaining article from Fortune, that haven of The Them. I liked the idea of seeing who was able to "rescue" the Trump brand from obsolescence The Fortune article may not be as exciting or informative as THEM! for some of the front porch. My favourite part was Donald Trump deciding, in real-time, to do the show. Mark Burnett's pitch was perfect. 14 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Here's how the reality show guy decided on Trump to save the Trump brand from being swallowed down a memory hole Is that the theme here -- that without Burnett and The Apprentice, Trump was destined to die a death and be forgotten? 14 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Quote Wollman Rink put the idea right in Burnett’s face: TRUMP was plastered all over the Zamboni and the walls of the rink. Burnett took the hint and went to see Trump at his office in Trump Tower. Hmmmmm... Without Mark Burnett having the Trump brand plastered right in his face everywhere he looked, he never would have been able to save the Trump brand from extinction. (Did I just hear a thud in the article's theme?) I love your high-contrast superlatives. "Everywhere you look, the Brand" but but but someone said "extinction" and someone said "down the memory hole." All or nothing, this or that, no degrees, only binary splits. Obsolete or ... ? In terms of the Trump brand, I cannot know the alternate reality. I could argue from a Great Man theme -- that Trump was always a great man, that The Apprentice success is only a gob of added gloss to the Greatness that always Was. In that inarguable alternative, there may have been no Trump-Burnett deal, no Apprentice, yet Trump still will have built out to the successes of today. I like that kind of alternative rear-view mirror. Panglossian. Speaking of The Them, here's another interesting article, this time from Esquire, reprised from 2004: Quote Do you mind if I sign these contracts while we talk? Ever since The Apprentice, my life has gotten so much busier. It's been an interesting run. Some people say, "The Apprentice has made you even bigger." To a certain extent, it has. Now young kids see me and come running over, screaming, "You're fired! You're fired!" I'm not sure kids knew who I was before The Apprentice. It's sort of interesting when you think about it. What I do on the show essentially is analyze people and then fire somebody—sometimes pretty viciously. And that makes people think I'm a nice guy. Whereas before, they viewed me as a bit of an ogre. Maybe it's because people knew me only through the press; they didn't know the person behind the name. One thing about television, it brings out personality. People are able to watch me in action. They hear my voice and see my eyes. There's nothing I can hide. That's me. Television brings out your flaws, your weaknesses, your strengths, and your truths. The audience either likes you or it doesn't. Obviously, the audience likes me. In the history of the business, there's never been anything like this—a businessman has the highest-rated show on television. Businessmen don't even get on TV, let alone have the number-one show. What can I—[phone interrupts]. Hold on, I want to take this....Reeeeeg! How are you? ... I'm sitting here with Esquire magazine. They're putting me on the cover. It's a story about...wait, I'll let him tell you. [Turns on speakerphone.] Esquire: What it feels like to be an American icon. [...] I would have been tougher on terrorism. Bin Laden would have been caught long ago. Tell me, how is it possible that we can't find a guy who's six foot six and supposedly needs a dialysis machine? Can you explain that one to me? We have all out energies focused on one place—where they shouldn't be focused. When I look at some of the things that happened in government, I can't believe it. Countries that we're protecting are screwing us on oil prices. It's unthinkable. I wouldn't stand for it. How would I handle that? That's what it feels like to be me. But it's more than that. I'm competitive, and I love to create challenges for myself. Maybe that's not always a good thing. It can make life complicated. I've gone through so many phases—although to me it's been one steady life. I used to be thought of as an eighties phenomenon. When the real estate market crashed in the early nineties, I was billions in the hole. Yet right now my company is bigger, stronger, and more powerful than ever. The show is the biggest thing on TV. And I'm saying to myself, Where do you go from here? And my answer is: I have no idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 2 minutes ago, william.scherk said: Is that the theme here -- that without Burnett and The Apprentice, Trump was destined to die a death and be forgotten? William, It's probably a matter of interpretation from the clickbait headline to the article: "The Inside Story of How 'The Apprentice' Rescued Donald Trump." Rescued Donald Trump from what? Hmmmm?... That's a pretty reasonable question to ask, especially when the very first line in the very first paragraph warns of the death-dealing danger: "the Trump brand was teetering on the edge of no longer being the gold standard," and heralds the "British-immigrant TV producer who was only a few years removed from selling $18 T-shirts on Venice Beach" who magically appears to save Trump's ass like a cross between a rags-to-riches David the Goliath slayer and a fairy godmother. With that kind of binary frame in the setup for the story, it's pretty hard to not see anything but binary splits. Where else is the theme gonna appear after an intro like that? And it's a pretty good insinuation that the article's author thought the Trump brand was destined for the toilet if not for such a happy accident of fate. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 William, I absolutely loved this part of the Esquire magazine cover you provided: Who knew Esquire was in the prediction business back in 2004 and was so good at it? Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 (edited) 56 minutes ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: [T]he article's author thought the Trump brand was destined for the toilet I appreciate your point of view. It isn't clear to me what the massive TV success of The Apprentice meant to the Trump brand, in your mind. Perhaps it did nothing in terms of consolidating, extending and perfecting the personal brand. If Trump was not destined to be obsolete, down the toilet, extinct or otherwise circling the drain, then his rise to dominance in 2016 had nothing to do The Apprentice at all. At all. Donald Trump was always at war with Eastasia. His brand was always Great. He never had any problems. No one helped him. Trump phasers on Stun. _______________________ Readers of the article in Fortune would have noted that the two (2) authors have published a book from which the article was excerpted. Written by Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher, it's called Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power From the gushy, breathless blurb at Amazon, a reminder of The THEM: Who is Donald J. Trump? Despite decades of scrutiny, many aspects of his life are not well known. To discover Trump in full, The Washington Post assembled a team of award-winning reporters and researchers to delve into every aspect of Trump’s improbable life, from his privileged upbringing in Queens to his astonishing 2016 rise to seize the Republican candidacy for president. Coauthored by Washington Post investigative political reporter Michael Kranish and senior editor Marc Fisher, this comprehensive book documents Trump’s fascinating family roots, his aggressive efforts to make a name for himself in New York social circles, and his penchant for big bets—on real estate, branded businesses, and, ultimately, on himself. The authors, seasoned journalists who interviewed Trump for this book, scrutinize everything from his youthful alliance with the power broker Roy Cohn to his alleged dealings with organized crime and his controversial projects in New York City, Atlantic City, Florida, Scotland, and Azerbaijan. The authors examine Trump’s wealth, the evolution of his political beliefs, and his peculiar identity as a billionaire businessman, celebrity, global brand, television star, and now candidate for the most powerful office in the world. Few individuals have ever roamed so widely through such diverse realms as real estate, sports, entertainment, and national politics. How has Trump’s life informed his bold statements on the economy, immigration, race, global trade, terrorism, and women? Drawn from in-depth reporting by The Washington Post, Trump Revealed is essential reading as the 2016 American presidential election looms. Edited September 11, 2016 by william.scherk Added link to and blurb for the featured book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 1 hour ago, william.scherk said: It isn't clear to me what the massive TV success of The Apprentice meant to the Trump brand, in your mind. William, That's easy. One more thing among many. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 25 minutes ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: One more thing among many. I'll meet you halfway: a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 4 hours ago, william.scherk said: Donald Trump was always at war with Eastasia. His brand was always Great. He never had any problems. No one helped him. Trump phasers on Stun. _______________________ Trump phasors on yuuuuge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backlighting Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 10 hours ago, BaalChatzaf said: Was that the version with Boris Karlov? Yes. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021884/?ref_=fn_al_tt_5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 3 hours ago, william.scherk said: I'll meet you halfway: a little bit of this and a little bit of that. William, How about a lot of everything? Donald Trump is a professional-level high-grade marketer. I understand the need of opponents to try to diminish his achievements during an election, but I don't see how pretending that his branding competence is a fluke or a trifle will ever be credible to anyone except those who already dislike him. It is pure singing to the choir. And even then, the word "credible" is a stretch. Opponents are more likely to accept the idea just because it is anti-Trump rather than because it reflects reality. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 1 hour ago, Backlighting said: Yes. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021884/?ref_=fn_al_tt_5 Its alive! Its alive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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