How Gene Simmons became a TV apprentice
Five Qs | It all started when Donald Trump asked
'Hey, you want to do the show?'

December 30, 2007
BY CINDY PEARLMAN

Is a rocker smart enough to be "The Celebrity Apprentice"? KISS frontman Gene Simmons says you should never be too sure. "I think it's fair to say that if it wasn't for the guitar hanging around their necks, many rockers would probably be asking the next person in line if they'd like some fries with that," he opines.

Even so, Simmons joins up for the next installment of "The Apprentice," debuting Jan. 3 on NBC, where celebs try to win $1 million for their charity. How cutthroat was it? Simmons says it wasn't for the faint of heart. "I can't be specific, but the truth is that there was literally more than one doctor that was brought onto the set because of the physical exhaustion."

1 Gene, you've done much more in life than rock the house, so you might be great at all the Apprentice tasks. What else have you done in life?

I started off as a sixth grade teacher in Spanish Harlem. I also worked for Vogue magazine as an assistant. I was a man Friday to the editor in chief years ago and did lots of stuff. I also worked as the assistant to the director of Puerto Rican Interagency Council, a government-funded research and demonstration project. I've done it all.

2 How did Donald Trump lure you into doing "Celebrity Apprentice"?

I went to a restaurant and I saw the powerful, attractive and world-famous Donald Trump there. And on the way out, we exchanged pleasantries and it was sort of a "Hey, you want to do the show?" kind of thing. It was very fast and I went to myself, "Well, I got a lot of stuff, KISS is going back out on tour, I got to tie my shoe and -- wait a minute. That's an interesting idea." ... Of course because I'm delusional, I thought I was going to sit in the judge's seat on "Celebrity Apprentice." I didn't know Donald Trump was going to throw me right into the pits of hell with people like Marilu Henner. She's all smiles and innocent, and little miss goody two-shoes. She's a killer.

3 What makes you want to compete in something like "The Apprentice"?

You know, I'm blessed to be the king of my own domain, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. But the question is if the rug is pulled out from under you and you don't have your support system, your staff, and your infrastructure, how good are you really? I'm also an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs, it seems to me, by and large are self-motivators and self-starters. They'd rather do it themselves and sort of outsource and use somebody else's infrastructure to get to where they want to go -- it's a cheaper business model. So I wanted to see how good I was in another situation. I was curious. I mean, I'm the rat that knew the maze to get to the cheese as a rocker. But how good am I in a brand new maze? The question is -- and this is what any champion in any field will eventually have to ask himself or herself -- once you've got enough money, once you've got enough fame and the glitz, and the glamor and the power, and the accoutrement of the American dream, when all the flashbulbs are gone and the girls stop kissing you, and you put the awards away and the sun comes up the next morning, and you're there by yourself -- will you get up at the crack of dawn and try to beat your own record?

4 What did you learn about Donald Trump from this experience?

I learned that the people who have a problem with Donald Trump and the "You're fired" routine aren't pragmatic. You know, they think you're supposed to say nice things in life and that, you know, nobody can be fired. The truth is in life if people don't like what you do or you don't make sense, it's nothing personal. It's business. This is business and how you feel about it personally is beside the point. So my suggestion for everybody watching this show is to put on your thick skin, 'cause -- buckle up. It's going to be a rough ride.

5 Do you think some of your fans will now see you in a different light as a hard working, hustling Apprentice to Trump doing menial and businesslike tasks? Will this blow our image of you?

The disadvantage I had on the show is that I come from the boogeyman world, which is the rock world. I do some other stuff, but if you're in the rock world you're supposed to be big and bad, and you're supposed to be surrounded by beautiful women all the time. And, you know, people think of the accoutrements, the posse and the guys. People think you flinch and somebody brings you Champagne. I don't drink at all, by the way. So in some ways this Apprentice goes certainly against what I'm supposed to be projecting. But so what?

Big Picture News Inc.

JAN 3RD, 9 PM - THE APPRENTICE on NBC.

   NBC has changed the debut air date of THE APPRENTICE back to its original airing date and time. So, for the last time, tune in to NBC on January the 3rd at 9 pm and see what all the fuss is about

SIMMONS FAMILY ON EXTRA
   

   Hey, be sure to catch us on EXTRA (NBC) on Dec 26th.  And, of course you can always catch NGTV.COM on EXTRA as well. 

LADIES IN WAITING

   Here is our new Lady In Waiting, Heidi.
   Happy to share with all of you just how beautiful our Ladies are.  You can click here, or go to the top of this page and click LADIES IN WAITING. There, you will find the Ladies listed by name. By all means, click away and worship their beauty. The best part of all of this, is they probably live right next door to you.  

   And Ladies, do YOU want to be a Lady? Send your fotos and a few quotes about yourself and your interests here.

Gene Simmons Family Jewels:
The Complete Season 2 - DVD Review

While season one of this series introduced us to Gene Simmons and his wacky family, season two took things to another level. You actually have real, gritty drama in a reality TV show. For the most part, Gene Simmons Family Jewels is a comedy that everyone can laugh at. However, there is just enough real drama to keeps things interesting. No one has to wonder why this show became another hit for A&E. Season two of this show proves once again that there is quality reality television programming out there, you just have to know where to look.

Read the entire review...

GENE SIMMONS ON CELEBRITY APPRENTICE

   Ok, folks. It's confirmed. We can talk about it.
   Today, we did some interviews for the media with DONALD TRUMP and MARILU HENNER.
   January 10th, 2008 on NBC at 9 pm (check your papers for local times), we're going to be on. Who's going to be last man or woman standing?  Watch and see.
   Here's a promo clip from the show.

KISSOLOGY: Volume Three 1992-2000”
is available in stores today!!

The three Bonus Discs are available with KISSOLGY 3 on initial shipments only - get them while you can. Due to higher than expected demand, initial production for the limited edition versions has already been depleted (“sold out”), initial orders are in retail, and all limited edition units will be in the market place today.

Bonus Discs info is as follows:

Best Buy - Brazil 1994

Wal Mart/Sam’s Club - Madison Square Garden/NYC 1996

General Market - Weenie Roast/Irvine, CA 1996

Please send KISSONLINE your KISSOLOGY 3 reviews!

 2008 TOUR

   Ok kids. To learn all the latest re my favorite band KISS and upcoming touring plans AROUND THE WORLD *(potentially), click on to KISSONLINE.COM -- the only official KISS site.

   March 23rd, 2008 -- Wellington, New Zealand - WESTPAC STADIUM.
   Want to go? You can get Presale Tix on from December 17th onward for a short time.
   There are other shows being planned for AUSTRALIA and perhaps the rest of the world. Check out Kissonline.com to find out more.

Gene,

I see you frequently advertise NGTV.

For those of us who may have missed it, would you mind explaining exactly what your role is with NGTV and how you factor into it?

Thanks-
Warren

Response from Gene:

I'm the Chairman of the Board of NGTV.COM.  My partner Rich Abramson and I raised the money for the venture. We have a 25,000 sq foot building in Beverly Hills, where the finest creative team I've ever seen, daily puts together content that blows anything else away.  It is the brainchild and is run by KOUROSH TAJ and his partner JAY VIR.  Both spearhead, write, direct, produce and in all other ways, make NGTV.COM what it is: THE MONSTER OF THE INTERNET...with over 124 MILLION VIDEO VIEWS!!! Bigger than the NBA. Bigger than NBC.  And now, we can be seen on NBC's EXTRA.
   Now you know.

Letters...

Here's the lovely CHELSEA HANDLER, wearing my glasses backstage after taping the show.

‘Extra’ Turns to Web
‘No Good TV’ Leaps to Evening Newsmagazine
By Daisy Whitney
December 9, 2007

In the latest of a rash of industry deals to import Web content to television, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution’s syndicated entertainment newsmagazine “Extra” has arranged to carry segments from the red-hot online network No Good TV twice a week.

The deal, which is strictly promotional for both parties, gives “Extra” a chance to lure younger Internet viewers to its show and affords No Good TV a chance to snare some of “Extra’s” female-centric audience for its online celebrity interviews, which average 10 million views a week across NGTV.com, YouTube and mobile phones.

More...

DOMINATRIX PARTY

   Too bad you couldn't join us for the "casting party" -- the DOMINATRIX PARTY. It was a casting call for about 30 beauties, mostly dressed in stiletto heels, corsets and of course, lifted and separated. All of this is for our DOMINATRIX COMICS, one of 4 titles in our SIMMONS COMICS GROUP. CLICK HERE to subscribe.
   Yes. I promise. We will soon post some very nice fotos taken of the event.
   And of course, the ongoings were all filmed for our forthcoming Season III of GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS.  We have 34 new shows coming!!!

Yes, kiddies. Here's your humble servant, at the SIMMONS COMICS/IDW "Dominatrix" Comic Book PARTY....and here also, are various ladies auditioning to become Dominatrix. More on this later. Meantime, click here to subscribe.

   If you haven't seen my cartoon show, MY DAD THE ROCK STAR (now in its 5th year), you can catch it on NICKTOONS at the following times.
8:00 am on NickToons
8:30 am on NickToons
2:00 pm on NickToons
2:30 pm on NickToons
3:00 am on NickToons
3:30 am on NickToons

Hey Gene~!

I saw you on the Chelsea Early show last night~! Wow, your always thinking of ways to have fun, and to promote what you do at the same time. When you starting pulling out the "gene simmons DVD's, Energy Drinks, etc..." I was like wow, Gene knows how to promote.

Keep up the amazing work Gene~! Will you be at NAMM in Anaheim, CA by chance this January~?

Take Care,
Eliott Janz
16yr old guitarist
As seen in GuitarWorld Magazine
& The Music & Sound Retailer Magazine
www.myspace.com/edjrocks

Letters...

COCA COLA AND SANTA CLAUS

   Ok folks. Here it is, straight from Coca Cola's mouth. The modern day "look" of Santa Claus WAS INDEED created by Coca Cola. It is the present day, Worldwide "look" of Santa...created by a beverage company. I'm all for it, incidentally. It's as valid to do that, as European artists in the Rennaisance period, making Rabbi Ben Yoseph look like a Nordic, 6 foot man, with straight, blondish hair. Seems rather odd, because the Rabbi was born in Israel and during the period he lived, the average height was 5'5" tall...and the New Testament describes the Rabbi -- bronze skin (dark), curly hair...probably cut shorter.  Take a look at the cover of TIME magazine a few years ago,  that featured a computerized version of what the Rabbi probably looked like.

Coke Lore
Coca-Cola® and Santa Claus

Most people can agree on what Santa Claus looks like -- jolly, with a red suit and a white beard. But he did not always look that way, and Coca-Cola® advertising actually helped shape this modern-day image of Santa.

2006 marked the 75th anniversary of the famous Coca-Cola Santa Claus. Starting in 1931, magazine ads for Coca-Cola featured St. Nick as a kind, jolly man in a red suit. Because magazines were so widely viewed, and because this image of Santa appeared for more than three decades, the image of Santa most people have today is largely based on our advertising.

Continued...

Here are the limited edition KISSology 3 covers for the 5 disc versions as they will appear in stores on December 18th! Left to right: Best Buy (Brazil 1994); General Market (Weenie Roast/Irvine, CA 1996); and Wal Mart/Sam’s Club (Madison Square Garden/NYC 1996). Due to higher than expected demand, initial production for the limited edition versions has already been depleted (“sold out”), initial orders are in transit to retail, and all limited edition units will be in the market place on street date. Fans are encouraged to look closely for these stickers to confirm which version they are getting upon purchase; and/or to confirm which limited version internet outlets may in fact be carrying, as some 4 disc replenishment may be in the market place within the 1st week of release.

Dussault Apparel Motel Creates Unique Shopping Experience
on Melrose

By Anastasia Gilbert

Melrose Avenue will never be the same. The Dussault Apperal store, which celebrated its grand opening this past week, blocked off an entire section of Melrose specifically for the star-studded event. Founder, Chairman, and Chief Creative Officer Jason Dussault invited his close friends, Gene Simmons, Criss Angel, and others to celebrate the store opening where they celebrated in style.

Dussault Apparal seems more like a rocked-out motel than a clothing store. From a 70’s style diner to a roadside motel honeymoon suite to a motel checkout area, the store creates an atmosphere you won’t soon forget.

Jason Dussault has been working on the design for 8 months and the consensus is that it is the most unique experience for shopping in L.A.

Dressing rooms are lined with vintage skin mags, while the walls are adorned with neon signs. Behind the VIP doors - where custom pieces are showcased to some of Hollywood’s elite - lies a replica of a ski lodge, complete with a private bar and bed.

The new Dussault Apparel Motel store features ready-to-wear collections for men and women, headwear, jewelry and luggage. As a designer, manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer of high-end quality apparel, Dussault Apparel Inc. aims to design innovative and distinctive products for fashion-conscious customers. Their product line includes premium high fashion hoodies, jeans, tops and t-shirts, as well as urban apparel, hats, jewelry and other accessories.

Guests decorated the walls with signatures and congratulations while outside they were fully entertained by Dj Skribble who was wearing a custom designed Dussault hoodie. Snow sprinkled down onto a clad of hot-tubbed girls while guests were kept busy at the open bar and beds to relax upon.

Dussault’s set-up was not the only focus of the evening. The new store was a huge hit with stars arriving at the opening. Gene Simmons arrived with his wife (Shannon Tweed) and son (Nick), walking the white carpet three times. Criss Angel joined the Simmons family and wowed the crowd when he "mindfreaked" Gene Simmons from receiving a million dollar check.Criss Angel performed a trick in which he wrote a million dollar check to Gene Simmons and had him give it to one of 10 people. Each of the ten people put the check in their wallet and were instructed to turn around holding the wallets in the air. Using pyschology and body language, Angel says he predicted who Simmons gave the check to. Angel said Simmons got tense when Angel drifted near his wife, the one out of ten people who had the check. Criss Angel’s show is called Mindfreak and he is often rightly referred to as one.

Special appearances included the very tattooed and very friendly Kat Von D of LA Ink, chatting with anyone who wanted to meet her. Heavyweight champions, Bas Rutten and Randy Couture were seen mingling with the crowd. Half of the LA Kings showed up, including Rob Blake and Michael Cammalleri, to check out the Dussault Apparel bash. Stephen Coletti made the trip from Laguna Beach to check out the store and drink Speakeasy beer, provided in the VIP room bar.

With Dussault Apparel, Gene Simmons, "Mindfreaks", open bar, hot tubs filled with gorgeous women, and VIP treatment, the store opening proves its’ future is bound to be a success.

Located on 8010 Melrose Avenue, the Dussault Apparel Motel store will be open Mondays – Fridays from 11-8, Saturdays from 11-6 and Sundays from 12-5. For an also amazing experience, go to their website: www.dussaultapparel.com.

Article printed from LA’s The Place - Los Angeles Magazine:

http://lastheplace.com/2007/11/14/dussault-apparel-motel-creates-unique-shopping-experience-on-melrose/

Australia's Bio channel, which AETN International has on pay platforms down under, will debut reality series Gene Simmons Family Jewels in the New Year.

Filling the weekly Wednesday 21.30 slot, the series will make its Australian premiere on January 9, offering a look into the life of the eponymous Kiss frontman and his family. It originally aired stateside on A&E.

HE'S NOT KNOWN FOR WATCHING HIS TONGUE
By CINDY ADAMS

December 3, 2007 -- GENE Simmons of Kiss was afforded the great honor of a roast in LA. So filthy that a high-class refined person such as myself can't even mention the lines thrown, other than somebody said of one famous female name: "Her vagina is so large that the Verizon man couldn't get reception in certain parts." Another about another famous female: "Her private parts are used as a DNA base for 'Law & Order.' " And I don't remember - I think it might have been Carrot Top - who cracked about one closeted gay: "He couldn't be here tonight. He had an accident. Broke his hip falling out of the closet."

Click KISSONLINE.COM for more info.

Below if the full schedule for VH1 Classic's "KISSmas" special, airing December 7 & 8.

December 7:

9:00 PM Dodger Stadium 98 Concert
11:00 PM KISSology II Special

December 8:

12:00 AM Dodger Stadium 98
2:00 AM Unplugged
3:00 AM Sydney 1980
4:00 AM KISSology II Special
5:00 AM To be announced
6:00 AM KISS Video Hour
7:00 AM KISSology II Special
8:00 AM Sydney 1980
9:00 AM Unplugged
10:00 AM Houston 1977
11:00 AM KISSology II Special
12:00 PM Dodger Stadium 98
2:00 PM KISS Video Hour
3:00 PM Houston 1977
4:00 PM Unplugged
5:00 PM KISSology II Special
6:00 PM Sydney 1980
7:00 PM KISS Video Hour
8:00 PM Unplugged
9:00 PM KISSology II Special
10:00 PM Dodger Stadium 98

SIMMONS ABRAMSON MARKETING PROMO -
FRANK'S ENERGY DRINK in TORONTO, CANADA

Parties, Parties and more Parties.