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US Townhall RealStories presents DAVID LYONS of THE CAPE
Written by Scott Katz   
Wednesday, 02 February 2011 03:50

Airing Mondays on NBC is the new urban superhero drama, The Cape.  The titular character is in reality Vince Faraday (played by David Lyons), a police detective working in the crime-ridden and corrupt fictional locale of Palm City, CA.  When the new police chief is murdered by a criminal known only as "Chess," Faraday and his partner, Marty Voyt (Dorian Messick) investigate.  Unfortunately for Faraday, his partner is a dirty cop who delivers him right to Chess.  Chess turns out to be Peter Fleming (James Frain), a billionaire businessman and owner of a private security firm that is seeking to privatize Palm City's police force and public security operations for his own evil ends.  Chess frames Faraday for the murder of the police chief and after a chase by Fleming's security teams that is televised on the local news that ends in an explosion, Faraday is believed dead by everyone including his wife (Jennifer Ferrin) and young son (Ryan Wynott).

Of course, Faraday survived and is taken in by the so-called Carnival of Crime, a band of bank robbers operating as a traveling circus as a cover.  The leader of the circus, Max Malini (Keith David), provides Faraday with training and a special cape.  Faraday allows everyone to continue to think that he is dead so that he can fight Chess and clear his name without endangering his family.  Faraday decides to operate as a masked vigilante called The Cape, which is the name of his son's favorite comic book superhero.  Helping The Cape carry out his mission is Orwell (Summer Glau), an investigative blogger who has her own secret reasons for joining Faraday in his battle.

 

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DAVID LYONS as Vince Faraday/The Cape [Photo Credit: NBC]

 

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO DAVID LYONS

USTH: What attracted you to this type of material in the first place? Are you a Sci-Fi or comic book fan at all?

DAVID LYONS: I wasn't a Sci-Fi comic book fan, and what attracted me to it was knowing that [while] it was a Sci-Fi comic book genre, at the heart of it was a very, very real family. And so the way I approached the script was the same way I approached the character – was not in terms of being a superhero. It was in terms of being a family man that's torn away from everything that he loves and he's using this last vestige of hope in order to get it all back.

So it's kind of been a really interesting and steep learning curve for me in terms of the genre of the world and the mythology of these worlds, but one which has been incredibly enjoyable and quite a huge eye-opener and quite a thrill.

 

USTH: What is it like for you to anchor a television show? Are you feeling any sort of pressure at all on a personal level?

DAVID LYONS: I think that, you know, you feel pressure regardless of what role you play. Just in terms of the fact that when you work on something and – like anyone whether it be a painter or a cook or – when you prepare something for other people to view, there is trepidation involved.

But what we've been doing is just focusing on the characters themselves [and] getting into the storyline so that that concept of leading a show, whatever, is not at the forefront of my mind, and I can't afford to let it be. It does start getting in the way of the work, and at the very end of everything, the work is what you're there for.

 

USTH: What's been the most fun aspect of working on this series?

DAVID LYONS: The cast – without a shadow of a doubt – the cast. We've assembled not only just the most fantastic bunch of actors right through every single role, they're also an incredibly fun, humble, awesome bunch to be around. So we've managed to create a really beautiful family environment that is a lot of fun to work in. And so coming to work creating this world, which is so rich and textured, it's only embellished by the fact that everyone around is having such a great time.

 

USTH: Thank you, David, for speaking with us today, and good luck in the future.

 

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Disgraced police detective VINCE FARADAY becomes the

 comic book character, The Cape [Photo Credit: NBC]

 

The Cape airs Monday nights at 9pm Eastern on NBC.

 

 

 

 
US Townhall RealStories presents: VANESSA MINNILLO, guest star on 30 ROCK
Written by Scott Katz   
Tuesday, 01 February 2011 09:59

Recently, we spoke to actress Vanessa Minnillo, who will be doing a guest star appearance on the hit NBC series, 30 Rock.  Ms. Minnillo plays Carmen Chao, a highly competitive co-worker of Avery Jessup (returning guest star Elizabeth Banks) at MSNBC.

In the story, Liz (Tina Fey) fakes being pregnant in order to hide the fact that Avery is pregnant from Carmen, whom Avery considers a workplace rival.  This episode will air Thursday, February 3 on NBC.

We spoke to Ms. Minnillo about her guest spot, her acting aspirations for the future, and her relationship status with singer Nick Lachey.

 

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(l-r) Vanessa Minnillo, Elizabeth Banks guest star on 30 ROCK [Photo Credit: Al Goldstein/NBC]

 

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO VANESSA MINNILLO

 

USTH: Going into this project – being a guest star on 30 Rock – were you nervous or did you have any anxiety about working with...

VANESSA MINNILLO: I was nervous...

USTH: ...the 30 Rock cast?

VANESSA MINNILLO: I can even cut you off at that, because this is a big deal for me. This is 30 Rock, NBC. It's Emmy Award winning, Golden Globe winning, and the cast alone is just – this is as good as it gets. This is A-List. These are A-List actors and comedians that I'm working with, so I was completely beside myself. I was so nervous that I was actually making myself sick just for the audition process.

And I was traveling, actually, the day that they were auditioning girls for the role of Carmen Chao, which is my character's name, and I couldn't make the audition. So, what I had to do was put myself on tape, which is even more nerve wracking because one of the things I love is being able to walk into a room and meet people, make eye contact, have a conversation with them, and then go into reading.

But this is just me putting myself on tape, sending it in directly to the people and the powers that be, and then they show Tina – she's the final yes or no – and I completely, to be honest, I made a fool of myself. But, I thought it was necessary for the character. I laid it all on the line. It took me, gosh, by the time I got to my friend's house to shoot it, it was already midnight.

I came back home at 1:30, and the car was picking us up for our flight at 5:00 am. I didn't sleep. I showed it to Nick [Lachey, Ms. Minnillo's fiancé] when he woke up, and I'm like, "What do you think?" And he said, "Wow. Like, you literally just put on the line." He said, "They're either going to think you're crazy and you're psycho, or that you're really a good actress."

And so, you'll see Carmen is a fun character to play. She's bananas. She's very confident. She's very honest. She's very outspoken. She's very out there. And so, I tried to let that come across on the tape and obviously I think it did, and they literally called me while I was in Cincinnati – for our engagement party, actually – and said, "You got the job." So, I left from Cincinnati to New York, shot it all in one day, and just had the most amazing time.

 

USTH: Does the storyline allow you to come back to make future appearances?

VANESSA MINNILLO: The storyline is – obviously, I don't want to give too much away – but yeah it does, and that's the beauty of 30 Rock. They said with everybody that they've had – it always leaves the door open for this big revolving door of fun guest star appearances. I guess recently they had somebody on there play an HR guy, and they loved him and had such a great time with him, and he was great that they brought him back already for a couple other episodes. So, I am putting all of my faith in the TV gods if they will let me come back. Trust me, I've begged and said as much as I could.

 

USTH: I can imagine. It is a great show, obviously, and it is a feather in your cap to be on it. Looking into the future, would you want to star in your own weekly series? Do you think you would like something like that – an ongoing weekly engagement?

VANESSA MINNILLO: Yeah, I think that would – that's like the dream job. For me, hosting was always fun and was something that I was able to do at – without sounding, I don't want to – some people find their niche. Like Nick is able to sing a capella in front of 50,000 people. I cannot do that, but I can host. I can get on a microphone, and I can be myself, and I can interview people, and I enjoy that.

Acting is fun because it lets you dive into other parts of your personality and in your brain and even in your psyche. It's almost therapeutic when you dive into characters. So, when I came to L.A., I actually have been doing some guest appearance roles, I've had a couple pilots that didn't go, but it's all good stuff.

People are out here for years at a time and never get one, so I have to count my blessings in that regard and hope this year is the year. It's already starting out with a bang with 30 Rock, so hopefully I can keep the momentum going.

 

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Vanessa Minnillo on the set of 30 ROCK [Photo Credit: Al Goldstein/NBC]

 

USTH: Do you think that comedy is your strength, or would you like to try a drama?

VANESSA MINNILLO: I've always said comedy is exactly what I want to do. But interestingly enough, while I've been taking acting classes and coaching, my coach says that drama's probably more where I'll be comfortable because I have so much to pull from in every single one of the roles I had to be dramatic in. Like, I just got back from Hawaii Five-O. I have to cry. I was on CSI: New York, I had to cry. I was on Psych, I had to cry.

And so I'm like, "Wow, I guess there is a little dark Vanessa that's dying to come out and just express herself," you know? So, I'm open to any and all opportunities, not just limited to comedy, but that one for sure I feel the most comfortable in.

 

USTH: On a personal note, I'm not really up on the latest celebrity gossip, but have you and Nick set a specific wedding date yet?

VANESSA MINNILLO: No, we haven't.

USTH: Is there any indication of when you would do that, or is that sort of under wraps right now?

VANESSA MINNILLO: No, it's just we're enjoying being engaged. Everyone rushes to the next step, and I like this step, you know? It's fun, and I'm in love, and we're happy. So when it comes, and it happens organically, I will be welcoming it with open arms.

 

USTH: When did you and Nick first meet?

VANESSA MINNILLO: We actually met at a pageant, believe it or not. We were both judging Miss Teen USA.  This is in 2003, maybe.  He was judging. I was judging. I was Miss Teen USA 1998, so they brought me back to judge and he was, you know, Nick Lachey and 98 Degrees, and his album and had a solo album coming out, so he was a judge as well. And that's where met as friends and obviously through MTV had kept in touch whenever he came to New York to do TRL [Total Request Live]. It was like I just saw an old family member, "Hey, what's going on? How's it going?" So, I had known him for a minute.

 

USTH: Vanessa, thank you for speaking with us today, and good luck to you and Nick in the future.

 

Ms. Minnillo's episode of 30 Rock airs Thursday, February 3, 2011, 10pm Eastern on NBC.

 

 

 
US Townhall RealStories presents: Television Producer KENNETH JOHNSON
Written by Scott Katz   
Tuesday, 25 January 2011 08:20

Kenneth-Johnson-resizeOn Wednesday, January 19, 2011, we had a very special edition of our interview series, USTownhall RealStories.  We had the pleasure of having a one-on-one in-depth chat with legendary television producer/writer/director, Kenneth Johnson.  Fans of classic television, particularly in the scifi genre, will no doubt know his many influential works.  Mr. Johnson first made a splash on television after some years in Hollywood for his creation of Jaime Sommers, the Bionic Woman in a special two-part episode of The Six Million Dollar Man on ABC that shot the series to the top of the ratings where it remained for its next two seasons.  The fan reaction to Jaime and to the performance of actress Lindsay Wagner was so strong that, although the character was killed off at the end of the story, the network ordered that she be brought back for a return appearance.  Subsequently, the character was spun off into her own series that catapulted Lindsay Wagner to international superstardom.

Mr. Johnson was also responsible for bringing the long-running Marvel Comics superhero strip, The Incredible Hulk to the small screen for CBS.  This series ran for five successful seasons and remains probably the most widely-known and well-liked version of the Hulk.  Mr. Johnson's trademark in his writing is to incorporate the human element into his stories and put it front and center.  This certainly was true with Bill Bixby's melancholy performance as the tormented Dr. Banner that allowed the series to be taken seriously by adults rather than dismissed as a kids' show.

One of Mr. Johnson's biggest ratings successes was the television miniseries, V, which was broadcast on NBC in 1983.  This four hour event was followed the next season by another miniseries and, finally, a weekly series.  However, Johnson left the franchise during the production of the second miniseries, V: The Final Battle.  Imagery from the original V miniseries, which included gigantic spaceships hovering over major cities across the globe was paid homage to in the feature film, Independence Day.

Mr. Johnson has done numerous other television and feature film projects including Alien Nation, Short Circuit 2, and Steel.

Mr. Johnson spends an eventful hour with us to talk about all of that and more in this exclusive interview.  He relives the full behind-the-scenes stories of some of his more memorable television moments, and reveals some information that hasn't been as widely discussed and may just surprise you.

How did Mr. Johnson feel when Warner Bros. tried to take his "Created by" credit off the new V series currently airing on ABC?  Which other actresses were considered for the part of the Bionic Woman that eventually went to Lindsay Wagner?  Was Lee Majors' then-wife, Farrah Fawcett, ever a contender for Jaime Sommers?  Given Bill Bixby's background in comedy as the star of My Favorite Martian, what made Johnson decide that Bixby was the right person to play Dr. Banner in his adaptation of the Incredible Hulk?  What did Johnson say when he met Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, the men behind the blockbuster film, Independence Day?

The answers to those and other questions await in what promises to be a most memorable interview that no fan of classic television or scifi would want to miss!

 

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US Townhall RealStories presents: DEBBIE GIBSON & TIFFANY
Written by Scott Katz   
Tuesday, 25 January 2011 03:46

Mega-Python-picDebbie Gibson.  Tiffany.  Python. Alligator.  Nothing could conceivably make a movie containing all of these elements any better, right?  Well, what if we told you that the python was a mega python and the alligator was a Gatoroid?  You'd pretty much have egg on your face, wouldn't you?

1980s pop music sensations Debbie Gibson and Tiffany join forces for the first time on screen in the latest scifi thriller from the folks behind similar "mega" telefilms, The Asylum.  Ms. Gibson previously appeared in The Asylum's campy cult classic, Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, while Tiffany was bravura incarnate in Mega Piranha.

In Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, Gibson plays a fanatical animal rights advocate who "liberates" illegally imported exotic snakes from pet stores and sets them loose in the Florida Everglades.  Not to be outdone, Tiffany plays an overzealous park ranger who is so worried about the growing ecological damage in said Everglades that she injects her precious alligators with a steroid formula that makes them grow MEGA!  A war of the species – between snake and alligator and between Gibson and Tiffany erupts – threatening to end civilization as we know it.  Can Gibson and Tiffany stop chickfighting long enough to work together to restore nature back to normal or will it be armageddon for us all?

 

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO DEBBIE GIBSON AND TIFFANY:

 

USTH: Now that New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys are going out on a tour together, what do you think about the two of you doing some kind of musical tour together? Would you ever want to do something like that?

DEBBIE GIBSON: Well, yes, I mean for starters we're doing an appearance together this weekend at the Canal Room in New York.  I don't know how Tiffany feels about this but, I've always wanted to reestablish my next chapter in music before doing that.  And in a way that's what New Kids did. They had this incredible new hit album which established who they are currently, and now they're pairing up. So, I could see things possibly going in that direction.  I'm somebody who takes one step at a time and I never say never. If something comes up and it interests [her and me], I'm sure we would both entertain it.  I think if it deterred us each from our individual musical goals and it wasn't right then we wouldn't.  I'm certainly open to entertaining anything. I mean, who would've thought this movie would've come up and we would have gone, "Sure."  Tiffany and I and alligators and pythons – okay. You could never have even envisioned that coming up. So, yes, I'm open to it if it's the right thing at the right time.

TIFFANY: Definitely, I agree. As of right now, musically, I'm headed into a country direction.  I've got a new album coming out next month called Rose Tattoo. It's a totally different sound than "I Think We're Alone Now" and the pop stuff. I haven't abandoned that, but I kind of put that into the new sound as well.  So, I think if it's for the right reason, and it shines a bright light on it, it would be a great thing.  Again, going back to the fans, I think that they deserve it, and they would appreciate it, but it can't take away from what we're doing currently now. It has to be something that embraces that as well.

 

USTH: There are so many young actresses and singers out there whom you read about in the tabloids – they're getting into trouble with the paparazzi catching them in compromising positions.  Was the media scrutiny as intense when you were teenagers? And what advice would you give to young girls who are just starting to break into show business?

TIFFANY: Myself, I don't think it was as intense with the paparazzi. Two things, I think for us being the child stars girl next-door it wasn't acceptable at that time to be out of control. I mean, that really would've been a career ender.  And I think we both knew that and respected it and we weren't those types of people. I know for myself singing was my high. I just loved what I was doing. So I wasn't looking to deter from that.  Now I think it is a little different because it's more about being seen and going to parties and clubs. And I think that the teen artists now have a lot more leeway [in terms] of what's acceptable.  You really have to be your own consultant on that because I think that sometimes they're led astray at this point.  But for me there wasn't paparazzi on every corner. I still had safety zones. My home was off limits. And I could do things where there wasn't somebody always there. Now somebody snaps a picture of you with their iPhone, and it's everywhere.

DEBBIE GIBSON: Yes, I think it's what Tiffany's saying too – I agree it's – and it's both things. It's [also that] we were more responsible. We were not seeking out fame for fame sake. We did retreat to our respective hometowns.  And the paparazzi were not looking –  even if the paparazzi were as bad as they are now, they were not going to look to find me at a bowling alley or a roller rink on Long Island, which is pretty much where I was in my down time – not very exciting for tabloid fodder.  So yes, the extent of it for me was like my street was closed off on prom night because the paparazzi – and graduation. They wanted to get a picture of me graduating, and they wanted to get pictures of me going to the prom.  That was about the extent of it which for them was a big deal. I don't envy the teen stars growing up right now and having their every move being scrutinized.  Tiffany and I, like she said, I think we did make good choices. We were not partiers and all that.  With that said, nine out of ten teenagers are so if somebody is just going to want to grow up and develop at their own rate and in their own time it is a shame that their every move is documented.  I mean, God, if every teenager's every move was documented, we'd be seeing a lot of scary stuff.  But, that's why kids go to college, and they experiment. And it's kind of a shame that there's really nothing sacred anymore like she was saying.  Somebody goes into a bathroom at a party, and they're snapped on an iPhone and it's everywhere. It's really daunting.  I don't know that I would have escaped with my sanity had I had to deal with that. I think that's a lot to ask of anyone to deal with.

TIFFANY: Yes, and I just think it was a different time...

DEBBIE GIBSON: Yes.

TIFFANY: ...even videos what we wore. I mean, I can remember when I wanted to wear a short skirt and people went crazy.

DEBBIE GIBSON: Oh I know...

TIFFANY: ...so for me it was wearing black. I wore all black, and they were like, "She's in all black. Alert the media." What? Yes, yes funny.

 

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(l-r) Tiffany, Debbie Gibson

[Photo Credit: NBC Universal / SyFy]

 

USTH: Regarding the movie, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid,  what was it like doing this kind of movie that involves special effects and green screen technology where you're reacting to something that's not even there? Was that difficult for either of you?

DEBBIE GIBSON: I thought it was really fun. You know what? It goes back to when you're a kid and you play and you use your imagination...

TIFFANY: Exactly.

DEBBIE GIBSON: ...which I think is a blast. You're picturing some giant creature that doesn't exist. You have no idea what it's really going to look like at the end. I still don't know what the creatures look like. I'm going to be as surprised as anybody else.  And you're trying to work with your fellow actors so you're seeing the same thing. And for me I was like channeling the dog that lives down the street from me that I always hear from behind a gate but that I don't see, and every time it scares the living daylights out of me when it growls when I walk by.  You just tap into whatever it is that gets you to that place. But it's fun. I used to watch Land of the Lost and stuff like that giant, really bad dinosaurs that were created and posed. So, yes, it was just fun and imaginative.

TIFFANY: It is like just being in your backyard. I mean that's exactly what was happening for me. Because as a kid I was always in the backyard with my stuffed animals and living out and climbing trees and just – I was always on, put it that way.  So that's where I put myself. The best was having the director, Mary Lambert, say, "Okay look, I know there's a huge gator that you can't see, but it's huge, and you're saying 'Oh look, look at the gator,' and some other kind of semi-cheesy lines. But I really want to see that in your eyes."

DEBBIE GIBSON: Yes. Mary was so great at giving us...

TIFFANY: So that was like the best instruction.

DEBBIE GIBSON: Yes. She was great.  With all due respect to Tiffany's and my previous Syfy movies – the other megas and all that – I think this had more thanks to Mary – and did have more of a focused tone.

TIFFANY: Yes.

DEBBIE GIBSON: Not to make it sound like Shakespeare, but she really did, I think, create a world in which we were all seeing the same things and feeling the same level of fear.  And, as they say in acting class, it's not funny to the actors, [it's] funny to the audienceSo, the more we committed to the fact that we were really seeing these creatures – I mean, I think that's what's going to make it the most fun for the audience to watch.

TIFFANY: Definitely.

 

USTH: I know, Debbie, you've done a lot of theatre here in the United States and in England. So you have any plans to do any more?  And, Tiffany, would you also be interested in doing live theatre – musical theatre – of some sort?

DEBBIE GIBSON: I'm waiting for the phone to ring for them to call us to do Velma and Roxy together in Chicago. I'm just saying.  I'd like to do more. I think I'll do theatre my whole life. Women like Patty LuPone and Betty Buckley – they're as much heroes to me as Elton John and Billy Joel.  With that said, unless it's something really, really amazing or originating a role, I want to focus on my music, and I'm doing a new album also this year so that'll be the prime focus.

TIFFANY: I would love to do something on Broadway. That's one thing with Deborah I went – I've seen you twice...

DEBBIE GIBSON: Yes.

TIFFANY: ...on Broadway and she's amazing. And so it's always funny because I always bring my son and he never comes to anything I do but he'll go to see Debbie Gibson.  But, that's definitely something I would love to do. And I'm going to be seeking that out. Musically again, I'm doing the new album this year and doing a lot of touring off of that.  But I have a lot of goals and dreams and things that I want to do. I want to continue in the acting world. I'd love to do more scifi. I'm just really such a fan, and there's just so much more that now I'm addicted, so there's no stopping me.

DEBBIE GIBSON: Yes, and that's another good point. You were asking me earlier for advice for young people in the business and stuff: Stay open to doing all these things and be versatile and make sure your chops are developed in every area because to have a long sustainable career – that's why Tiffany and I are still here doing this because we've been able to be versatile and do new things.  And for me, I know when the music trends were doing one thing, I was able to go do Broadway. There's no role I want to do [now] on Broadway, [so] here we are doing this Syfy film.  It's like you can always be challenged and be working and enjoying and that there's never a dull moment...

TIFFANY: Right.

DEBBIE GIBSON: ...and, it's so great to hear Tiffany say, after 22, 23 years in the business. it's like. "Oh my God, I've got this whole new chapter of dreams and goals," and all of that, and I'm in the same place.  And that's so cool because we could be sitting here, going "Ho-hum all right, time to pack it in."

TIFFANY: Well and I think, too, that there's something about when it's in your blood as an artist. I know for me there's never been a plan B. I've been...

DEBBIE GIBSON: Me too.

TIFFANY: ...singing since I was a little girl. I'm so thankful that it worked out because I drove my family nuts.  Add I'm constantly not driving myself crazy like what am I going to do, that panic situation. It's – I really am dreaming. I have dreams and goals and things that I can see myself wanting to do. And I've always been that way.  So there's never a ho-hum moment for me. There's times that things don't work out the way I planned, but such is life. And, especially, I think it's magnified maybe in this industry. You have to be resilient for that.  But, as an artist, it's like I will sing even if I'm just in my shower. It's got to come out. So, to be able to have these opportunities I think that's why I always think, "It sounds great. It sounds fun, and it sounds like I can grow as a person."  So I'm always thankful and I never – same thing what Debbie was saying – I never have a closed mind about things.

 

USTH: Thank you for speaking with us today, and good luck in the future. I'm sure good things are going to happen for both of you.

 

Mega Python vs. Gatoroid airs Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 9pm on SyFy. 

 

 
US Townhall RealStories presents: Gene Folkes of THE APPRENTICE 10
Written by Scott Katz   
Tuesday, 21 December 2010 05:15

the-apprentice-gene-folkes-0On Thursday, December 2, we spoke to Gene Folkes, the fifth contestant to be fired by Donald Trump, on the October 14 episode of the television series, The Apprentice.  The task for that episode involved doing a quickie fashion show – apparantly each team only had four hours to prepare – for the Rockport shoe company, one of the sponsors of this season.  The women's team, Fortitude, gave a bravura performance, which was anchored by Brandy's turn as emcee of her team's show. The men, however, had a much more difficult time and looked ill-prepared and under-rehearsed on stage, much to the consternation of Donald Trump.  The project manager on the task was Wade Hanson, and the emcee for the men's team was Gene.  By the time the episode had finished, both were fired.  The boardroom sequence where Gene and Wade were fired was particularly memorable because Donald Trump was not simply disappointed in the men's team, he was visibly angry and was shouting at both Wade and Gene for what he perceived to be a lackluster effort from them.

Here are the facts about Gene Folkes from his NBC Apprentice bio: Gene Folkes, 46 (Wylie, Texas), has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Morris Brown College and served in the US Air Force. Folkes previously worked at several high profile financial companies as a financial advisor. After being laid off, Folkes has been trying to get his own assisted living facility off the ground while living off of his savings and retirement. Folkes was born in Jamaica, grew up in the Midwest, and currently resides in Wylie, Texas. He is an avid motorcycle enthusiast and cigar aficionado.

 

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO GENE FOLKES OF THE APPRENTICE 10:

 

USTH: I'm just trying to get a sense of the overall task. There seemed to be so much editing of the performance of the task in that particular episode because the boardroom seemed to be extended. So when you guys say that it was four hours for the task, did that mean you had four hours to write the speech, or did it mean when you got the task to when you performed it live, it was four hours in between?

GENE FOLKES: Right, that's correct. In other words, when we got task delivery – when we met that morning, and Mr. Trump had actually delivered a task, it was go-time. So the minute we all left we were going to go back to the war room and start strategizing. When we got back, there were shoes from Rockport. And so, between the time that we had to initially pick out wardrobe, come up with a theme, assign different pieces of the task to team members, and then from go-time, which means we're actually going to do the fashion show, that was four hours.

 

USTH: Okay. Because normally the tasks take place over two days, right? You do part of it one day and then you present the next day?

GENE FOLKES: That is correct.

USTH: Okay, but for this particular task, it was just all in one day.

GENE FOLKES: All in one day, yes.

 

USTH: From the edit, I didn't get a clear sense of what exactly were Wade and Clint doing for this task. I understand that Anand and Steuart went shopping and you and David were writing your speeches. What did Clint and Wade do for those four hours?

GENE FOLKES: You know, that's a good question. I mean...

USTH: Because I didn't see it.

GENE FOLKES: No, no, that was a good question and I think that's ultimately why Mr. Trump made the decision that he did regarding Wade. I think Wade – and I know Wade and I have talked but I think Wade has a different leadership style. And I think Wade's strategy was to assign tasks to people, have them do it, and he has the overall oversight of the task. Clint – I'm not really sure what he was doing during the task. I know he eventually ended up helping out with matching the shoes with the models and some of the cleanup work, if you will. And I know he put together an Excel spreadsheet that was actually on that laptop. Mine was just note cards. We were just supposed to do note cards, write that down, but they wanted something very specific. Name the shoe, name the woman, and the whole thing. So I'm not really sure what Clint's task was – what his job was during that task. And I think maybe Wade was in charge of logistics.

 

USTH: How many shoe styles were there that you had to talk about exactly?

GENE FOLKES: Well, there was – how many models did we have? Did we have eight? And each model had two pairs. So it was like 16 pairs of shoes.

USTH: And you had to write all 16 speeches yourself?

GENE FOLKES: Yes, yes.

USTH: So that's what I'm asking: why did it fall on you to write all 16 speeches and to perform them live instead of maybe dividing up the speech writing? Then you could perform all 16 but have three people, four people write them – each of you take four shoe styles and divide it up that way so you'd have more time to rehearse. You didn't have any time to rehearse, it seems.

GENE FOLKES: No, that's correct. No, we didn't because we had to run around, and there were other things that we needed to do other than that. What the women did – which I thought from a strategic standpoint was smart – was they had come up with a theme first. Everything was, "A Day in the Life of Tristan." I thought that was something that we should have done, but I think that was a project manager decision as far as the logistics and how that worked. So, you know, I mean your guess is as good as mine.

 

USTH: The tone of the boardroom in your particular case was very different from most of the others. It wasn't just Mr. Trump telling you why you lost and what you did wrong. He was certainly visibly upset with you guys – really kind of yelling at both you and Wade and pretty much all the guys. What did you feel about his reaction? Did you expect that severe of a reaction, and did you think it was justified?

GENE FOLKES: You know what? – did not expect that severe of a reaction. That was really shocking that he was really that upset. Do I think it was justified? No, not at all – not that severe. You know, to be called illiterate, to be called, you know, certain things, yes, to me that was crossing the line and that's why he got the response from me that he did.

However, I would say this: that during the course of this show, and I have no reason to defend people, people kept teasing Mr. Trump about having a bromance – that he really liked David or seemed to have bonded with him in some kind of way. I'm kind of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of guy.

And so initially, I believe, that that emotion [from Mr. Trump] – it's like being disappointed in a child and sometimes parents just kind of fly off the handle, if you will. He and I had a one-on-one, and initially I took it like, he's just really disappointed in the performance because he had expected me to be at the end of this program. And, he came down later – and I know this is maybe going to blow your socks off – and put his arm around me and shook my hand and said, "Man, why? You really gave me no choice." Just a different side of him that I don't think a lot of people saw.

 

The Apprentice airs each Thursday night at 10:00pm Eastern & Pacific / 9:00pm Central on NBC.

 

Use the image gallery below to read the other interviews in this series 

Click here to read THE APPRENTICE interviews
Click here to read the BRANDY KUENTZEL / CLINT ROBERTSON / DONALD TRUMP interview
LIZA MUCHERU-WISNER (no interview available)
Click here to read the STEUART MARTENS interview
Click here to read the STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER interview
Click here to read the POPPY CARLIG interview
Click here to read the ANAND VASUDEV interview
Click here to read the DAVID JOHNSON interview
Click here to read the MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY interview
KELLY SMITH-BEATY (no interview available)
WADE HANSON (no interview available)
Click here to read the GENE FOLKES interview
TYANA ALVARADO (no interview available)
Click here to listen to the JAMES WEIR audio interview
Click here to read the ALEX DELGADO interview
Click here to read the NICOLE CHIU interview
01/16 
bwd fwd

 

 

 
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MORE FEATURES... 

 

Reviews & Previews:

Summer 2011 Movie Preview

Fall 2010 Television season

Fra Diavolo

Die Drei Pintos

Romeo and Juliet in Brooklyn

MPI Home Video

Timless Media Group

Boris Karloff's Thriller

Hunter: The Complete Series

Polly and Her Pals

Icons: The DC Comics and Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee

Adrianne Palicki as Wonder Woman

Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern

Spider-Man musical delayed again

Frozen

Dead Space: Aftermath

Altitude

 

 

    

Events:

New York Comic Con

Apprentice 10 kickoff

Farewell to Guiding Light

Farewell to As the World Turns

The Broadway Directory

 

Award Show winners:

Academy Awards

Emmy Awards

Grammy Awards

Tony Awards

American Music Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Screen Actors Guild Awards

American Country Awards

 

    

Television blogs:

American Idol 10

American Idol 9

American Idol 8

Big Brother 12

Big Brother 11

ABC Cancels Both All My Children and One Life to Live

Guiding Light: A Look Back

 

Editorials & Issues:

Scam Alert: Have You Received This E-Mail Job Offer?

Meet the 112th Congress

Brooklyn politicians Kevin Peter Carroll vs. Ralph Perfetto

Before Rosa Parks There Was Lizzie Jennings

Understanding New York State Government

USTownhall RoundTable podcast: The Worlds of Entertainment and Current Events