On Friday, December 10, 2010, USA Network premieres a new documentary special hosted by NBC News Special Correspondent, Tom Brokaw.  This project, entitled Tom Brokaw Presents Bridging the Divide, seeks to look beyond the often-inflammatory rhetoric that seemingly saturates the media whenever hot button issues such as immigration, racism, and gay rights are discussed. 

With the help of the 2nd Annual "United or Divided" survey conducted by Geoff Garin of the Democratic-leaning Hart Research Associates and Glen Bolger of the Republican-leaning Public Opinion Strategies, Bridging the Divide seeks to reveal the true feelings of Americans today on various civil and human rights issues that are at the forefront of the American political discussion.

Several vignettes throughout the special highlight the struggles of ordinary people who are fighting bias and discrimination that they feel they are encountering in their own lives.  We meet Luma Mufleh, an American woman born in Jordan, who organized the children of refugee population of Clarkston, Atlanta into a soccer team called The Fugees after the town had denied them access to many of its playing fields.  We meet Charlene Strong, a woman from Washington State who was denied hospital visitation to her dying partner because the hospital did not recognize these same-sex partners as relatives.  Ms. Strong now works around the country fighting for equal treatment of same-sex partners.  Other stories include a single mother whose 11 year old son committed suicide after being bullied, and a woman who had both legs amputated and became a scholar, track athlete, and role model for the disabled.

Mr. Brokaw, Mr. Garin, and Mr. Bolger held a press conference call to discuss the findings of their survey and to preview the documentary.  We were on hand to ask the panel several questions, and the entire interview is presented below in its entirety.  Please excuse the feedback noise in the background as it was the result of several conflicting phone lines on the call.

On Monday, November 15, we spoke to Poppy Carlig, who had been the eleventh contestant fired by Donald Trump on the November 11 episode of The Apprentice.   Poppy elected to be project manager for Fortitude, while Clint volunteered to be project manager for Octane.  The task: to design an in-store display to showcase the new perfume fragrance of Kim Kardashian.  Ms. Kardashian herself judged the results of the two teams, and she found the display created by Poppy, Stephanie, and Liza to be very amateurish and akin to an arts-and-crafts project bedazzled by sequins than the more upscale looking women's vanity-inspired display designed by Steuart from Clint's team.

Since leaving The Apprentice, Poppy has embarked on a relationship in San Francisco with fellow contestant, David Johnson, as revealed in our last interview with David himself.

Here are the facts about Poppy Carlig from her NBC Apprentice bio:  Poppy Carlig, 24 (Richmond, Calif.), a recent Stanford graduate, who has a Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology and Master's in Sociology, hasn't been able to secure a full time job in her chosen field.  She was offered a job doing breast cancer research, but unfortunately due to the economic recession, the funding fell through.  Carlig currently lives in Richmond, California with her parents and works as a part time caretaker for her grandmother.  As a competitive synchronized swimmer, making the Olympic training squad and winning 4 NCAA championship titles in college, Carlig is ready to use her competition skills.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO POPPY CARLIG OF THE APPRENTICE 10: 

USTH: Good to speak to you today, Poppy. Now, going back to the first part of the show – the segment where Anand got fired – you guys were all in your street clothes, so it looked like a very different setup than normal.
So just take us through that process. What were you told by the producers before you entered the boardroom, and what did you expect was going to happen in there before Donald Trump revealed that Anand had sent text messages to his friend in violation of the rules of The Apprentice?

POPPY CARLIG: You know, I really was not sure what was going on. We were woken up extremely early that morning.  The people that chaperone us around and move us around, they were hustling and bustling.  So I knew something was going on.  I figured it was just going to be like a corporate restructuring where Mr. Trump switches up the teams again because he wasn't happy.  But then, I heard Mr. Trump bellow from the boardroom, "Bring the contestants in!" And I thought, "Oh boy, we're in really big trouble. We did something very, very wrong."  So I didn't really know what it was – who it was. I just knew that he was very, very angry.

USTH: If you had been in that situation that Anand had been in, and Mr. Trump confronted you that you did something outside of the rules, how would you have handled that situation as opposed to the way Anand did?

POPPY CARLIG: I definitely wouldn't have lied to Mr. Trump.  First of all, it takes a pretty conscious act to sneak a cell phone into The Apprentice.  It also takes a pretty conscious act to text someone when you're project manager.
So, if I would have been in that position and Mr. Trump had confronted me I would say right away, "Yes, I did that, and I messed up."  It's difficult for me to put myself in that situation, though, because I would never do that.

USTH: Moving on to the actual task – creating an in-store display to showcase Kim Kardashian's new perfume.  When you guys were in the boardroom, and Liza looked at the competitor's project – the vanity that Steuart designed – and sort of gushed over it, what were your feelings, first about Liza's strong reaction to the competitor's product, and secondly, what do you think about the other team's project, yourself?

POPPY CARLIG: I thought that Clint's project was phenomenal, and the thoughts in my head were vocalized by Liza.  I knew that we had lost the task the second I saw their product.
The thing that bothered me about Liza is she doesn't really say things at the proper time.  It didn't surprise me that she said that, though.  She did that when we were meeting executives sometimes.  For example, when we met the executive from Perfumania, she openly admitted that she never had even heard of the store.  So, she could use some tact.  That would happen a few times.

USTH: Once the show was over, did you stay in touch or become friendly with any of the contestants – besides David, of course.

POPPY CARLIG: Yes, I have definitely gained some great friendships.  Brandy and I are very close.  We started our friendship on the show, and it has continued.  And she is San Francisco, so it makes it easy to maintain a friendship.

USTH: What are your feelings about Stephanie because, on the show, she said she really liked working with you – that you two compliment each other, but you have said things where it sounded like maybe your feelings about her aren't exactly the same.  Just to clear that up, what is the relationship between you and Stephanie, and how do you feel about her?

POPPY CARLIG: I think that Stephanie and I work well together. I think that is true. I don't think that we work well against one another [on different teams]. You know, throughout the season and the episodes, there were a number of times when she would say things that were less than kind about me or to me.  Taking ownership for ideas and things that maybe I had come up with.  So, I think that she is a great person.  She is someone who I like to hang out with – not necessarily someone who I would want to work with.

USTH: Looking back at the experience on The Apprentice overall, what do you take from that?  And if you could, would you do it all over again?

POPPY CARLIG: I would definitely repeat this experience.  I essentially went through business school, and I also got a scholarship to business school.  So it was a great experience. Overall, I learned maturity, I think.  I really learned that not everyone likes sequins, which is fine.  But, I also found professional passions that I may be interested in.

So, I have no idea where I'm heading, professionally.  I think that this show definitely just opened my eyes to more opportunities because I am young and I have the world in front of me.

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

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We recently spoke to singer/television personality Nick Lachey in advance of the return of the a capella group singing competition, The Sing-Off, for a five episode run in December.  Nick was the lead singer of the boy band, 98 Degrees, and then pursued a solo career with Jive Records.  The relationship with Jive has since ended, and Nick has spent the last few years making television appearances and planning the next stage of his music career.  And possibly a reunion of sorts with 98 Degrees...?

We also had an opportunity to speak with Joel Gallen, the executive producer of The Sing-Off to find out from him just how difficult it was to narrow down all the applicants to the final ten groups that will be performing on the series.

The Sing-Off premieres on Monday, December 6 from 8:00 to 10:00pm on NBC, and then continues Wednesday the 8th, Monday the 13th, and Wednesday the 15th.  The live finale will air on December 20.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO NICK LACHEY AND JOEL GALLEN OF THE SING-OFF: 

USTH: Regarding your engagement to Vanessa Minnillo, have you and Vanessa set a date or a timeframe yet for your wedding?

NICK LACHEY: No, we're still, you know, basking in the glow of our very recent engagement and enjoying that.  I'm sure we'll get on to all the other planning and whatnot shortly, but right now we're just enjoying this experience.

USTH: Okay, great. As far as The Sing-Off is concerned, you've done a few other projects that have involved finding new talent such as Clash of the Choirs and Taking the Stage. Can you talk a little bit about why these types of shows are important to you?

NICK LACHEY: Well, I think for me I remember that moment when we got discovered, when you got your opportunity. And certainly, there are countless talented people across the country and around the world.

And, it's exciting to see people who truly love a cappella singing, who love music.  It's exciting to see them get that opportunity to step out and make their dreams come true, so to speak.  And have the chance, the opportunity to win a competition like this and make it a career potentially.  So, this is the genuine love and excitement that's contagious with all these talented people.

USTH: In terms of your career going forward, are you going to be releasing any more albums, or are you planning to focus more on acting?

NICK LACHEY: Music will always be my passion and kind of my home base, so to speak.  So yes, I'm actually getting back into the studio here right now to start a new record.  I'm now independent.  Jive Records and I've – we've decided just to part ways, which is exciting because the music business has changed so much over the last few years.  There are a lot of new opportunities and ways to go about being in the music.  So it's exciting – kind of an exciting rebirth for me to attack from a different angle and get a new perspective.

But yes, music will always be something that is very meaningful to me.  And I can't ever imagine not doing this in some capacity.  So, very excited to get some new music together and get a new album out there for everyone to hear.

USTH: Okay, great.  And you know, you've sort of alluded to fans of 98 Degrees that there might be some surprises on The Sing-Off – that you might perform with them or something.  Are there any actual plans for a 98 Degrees reunion to go out on tour – like Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block have done?

NICK LACHEY: We remain in contact with each other constantly and kind of throw that idea out there every now and then.  I don't think there are any imminent plans to get back together.  But it's certainly something we've all kept the door wide open on.

USTH: Now regarding the show again, you're sort of the impartial host, but within your own mind as you're watching these groups sing, do you pick out a favorite and root for somebody?  You know, not necessarily voice it to the public, but do you have a favorite of the ten groups that are there?

NICK LACHEY: You know that they're all so different, and they all come from different kinds of backgrounds and maybe have different strong suits in terms of their experience in a cappella.

So, just when you think you've heard it all, "Oh, that's the group that's way out front," the next week someone else comes along.  I remember the first season, Voices of Lee, I think in one of the earlier episodes maybe they were on the brink of not making it to the next show.  And then they grew and they got better, and they were right there as one of the final groups in the competition.

So you never know.  It can all come unraveled in one performance, or you can elevate yourself dramatically with one performance.  That's the beauty of performing on national television; you never know how it's going to play out.

So, there's really no way to predict with any accuracy, who's going to win and who's going to lose.

USTH: All right. And a couple of questions for Joel. Joel can you give us a ballpark estimate of just how many groups initially auditioned for this season?

JOEL GALLEN: I would say including the ones that we didn't see in person but they sent us links or video and stuff like that – probably in the neighborhood of 600.

USTH: Let's talk about that then.  How do you narrow down 600 groups to 10?  What criteria do you use to get those final ten groups on the show?

JOEL GALLEN: Well, just like with any casting process, there are certainly obvious ones that just are not up to the standards, that get eliminated right away, as far as their singing abilities and their blends as a group and all that.

And we have a team of executive producers and myself, and obviously the casting people that have had years of experience doing this. And they're very difficult decisions, but we make them based on what we think is best for the show.

And like I said earlier, what we think will also be the best for the audience watching and making sure that we are representing a lot of different styles of music. So, there's not too many of the same type of group.

It's a definitely a difficult process. I can't say we've mastered the process yet.  I don't know of anybody in this business who gets involved with casting – there's always going to be disappointment.  There's obviously a lot of celebration for the people that make it.

And the ones who don't make it, they probably usually benefit from it and they come back and they audition the next time.  I do another show called America's Best Dance Crew, and there we're going into our sixth season.

And there are groups that have been rejected three, four, or five times in a row, and they keep coming back.  And the group Poreotics, who won Season 5 – they auditioned all four seasons and didn't make it.  They finally made it Season 5, and then they were the champions.

So you know anything's possible.  And it just will make these groups work that much harder to get back, hopefully, for Season 3 because there's only room for so many groups.

USTH: How long is this casting process? How long does it take you and your team to narrow down 600 groups to 10?

JOEL GALLEN: Well it's probably about a 90 day process – probably three months through production, traveling, reviewing, coming back and going through the process.  I can't give you an exact calendar, but I would say it's approximately a three month process.

USTH: There definitely seems as though there is a lot of hard work and preparation that goes into making this show.  Viewers will get to see the results of their efforts for themselves as The Sing-Off returns to television for its second season beginning Monday, December 6 for a five-epsiode contest that culminates in the live finale on Monday, December 20.  The series will be hosted by Nick Lachey and judging the competition are Nicole Sherzinger (Pussycat Dolls), Ben Folds (Ben Folds Five), and Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men).

On Monday, November 8, we spoke to David Johnson, who had been the ninth contestant fired by Donald Trump on the November 4th episode of The Apprentice.  Beginning with this episode, the teams were reconfigured with David, Anand, Poppy, and Stephanie on Fortitude, and Brandy, Steuart, Clint, and Liza on Octane.  The task was for each team to create a four-page ad that showcased the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection for Macy's department store.  David and Brandy were the project managers, and David took a lot of the task onto himself for his team, which also gave him the lion's share of the blame when the Macy's staff preferred the brochure designed by Brandy's team.  David was fired by Mr. Trump, but has since moved to San Francisco and embarked on a relationship with fellow Apprentice contestant, Poppy Carlig.

Here are the facts about David Johnson from his NBC Apprentice bio: David Johnson, 34 (Portage, Mich.), embodies the image of the All-American father of five. The Navy veteran, part-time stand-up comedian and once successful account manager, married his high school sweetheart and is father to five children. Johnson, a Portage, Michigan resident, once had two houses and could buy his family whatever they desired, and in today's recession has become an unemployed family man who can't pay his mortgage and is determined to prove to his children that he is still a great provider.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO DAVID JOHNSON OF THE APPRENTICE 10: 

USTH: What was your game plan going into this process, and did you have any sort of criteria of things that you would be willing to do and things that you would not be willing to do in order to win the game and become Donald Trump's apprentice?

DAVID JOHNSON: I think it's kind of obvious that I would have done about anything to win. Going into the thing, I figured I'd either be first one fired or win the whole thing because I wasn't going to play with any team members. And I looked at it as a competition where there's only one winner, and from the very beginning I just wanted to play it my own way. And yes, I did some things that were questionable and they got me to a point but in the end, I think the way I played it ultimately led to my demise.

USTH: In the boardroom, your teammates all sort of ganged up on you each week it seemed. But one thing I noticed is that, even though you were defending yourself, you always maintained your composure and you never really went off on anybody in a negative way too badly.  Was that also part of your strategy? How did you manage to maintain your composure when so many different people were coming at you each time?

DAVID JOHNSON: Well, I mean it's pretty simple, I guess, when you look at it. It's a contrast from the way I played it during the task to when the boardroom started. And the reason the boardroom is – Donald Trump and his family are in the boardroom, and it's a different world and a different environment in there. And, it's a room of respect and I'd have to maintain that in front of Mr. Trump himself.

So, it's very easy for me to revert back to my military days and go into a mode where it's a lot of sirs and yes and I sit there and I take what I get. Squabbling doesn't ever accomplish much and, I was hoping that by other people getting enraged at me and saying things that it would actually take their credibility away and allow me to look better in the eyes of Mr. Trump – if I didn't fire back with the level that they came at me.

And, there were some times in that boardroom that it was pretty brutal back at me in general and the whole Oompa-Loompa tirade that [Clint] went on and so, I actually found myself laughing at a couple of his comments.

And so, no. I mean, it wasn't hard to keep my composure because of the people I was with and it being Donald Trump – I had to be professional in the boardroom.

USTH: Now that all the gameplay is over, when you look back on your teammates, are there any ones that you actually liked in real life and maybe want to keep in contact with or at least have some respect for them?

DAVID JOHNSON: Well, the thing is, it's funny. You know, how it happens during the show, and then what goes on afterwards when, everything is done and you're allowed to actually find out who these people are.

Actually during filming even Gene and I had some words in the beginning of the season. And we quickly, actually, became quite close throughout his time there and then after. And Gene and I stay in contact. You know, Brandy and I being that she lives close to where I live now, I've seen her outside the show – and a couple of others.

And, of course, there's – it's funny because everyone's personality is different when the competition is over. It's almost like a boxing match if you will. You can hate your opponent while you're in the ring and you can throw your jabs and then afterwards you go out and you can actually have a beer.

So I mean of course it's different and there have been some relationships, some more than others, that have come from the show. [Editor's note: Some time after David and Poppy were fired from the show, they embarked on a relationship that continues to this day.]

USTH: In the ending segment [Rockport: Next Steps], you said you started your own company. Can you just tell us what type of company you started and how things are coming along in that regard?

DAVID JOHNSON: I've been in telecommunications for ten years – ever since I got out of the military – and I love it. It's an ever changing environment. And so [my company] is a technology consultant company where I have third party contracts with vendors and I sell my products and services to my old client base that I had and that I established as well as [to] new [clients].

So, it's one of these I guess you'd call me a VAR, which is a value-added reseller, because of my relationships with a lot of my accounts. I'm able to steer them in the right path of technology. And so, I started it pretty much right away when I knew I didn't want to go back and work for "the man." I didn't know what to expect, of course.

And it's been pretty decent. Bumps along the way, of course, once the show came out. There's been some, "Oh, man. You know, wow! That's who we're doing business with!" kind of moments which I've had to do damage control on. But for the most part, it's good. I have relationships, so it was nice to get back in with my old clients.

USTH: You talked a little bit before about how after you were fired, you got together with Poppy, but I just want to clear up something Alex Delgado told me when I interviewed him in September. He said that after you guys get fired, you all gather together in a "sequester house" like the TV series, Big Brother. Is that the case or what really happens when you're in that taxi and you're going away?

DAVID JOHNSON: Well, yes. Of course. You're fired - you go to that other place, if you will, and you're sequestered until the end of the show. Everyone's there in various stages if they do get fired but ultimately every contestant does get together at the end of the show when everything is done.

So, once filming of the show wraps then you're able to be free because even in the "sequester house," if you will, you still have rules and babysitters where you cannot really spend time with the other contestants unless it's monitored and you're not really allowed to do much.

It's a controlled environment. But, after everything's done on [the show], during those few days of wrap, that's the time where, I was able to spend time with [Poppy] and [do] some other things.

You know, it was after I was fired that they stopped bringing the remaining seven contestants over to the other house because it didn't make sense with filming being so short to go [to the other hotel for sequester].

And so, all those contestants that remained – they stayed [in the original location]. We stayed on the other end of town and then once everything was wrapped, we were able to get together.

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

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