RECAP Thursday night on “The Apprentice,” I had to fire a beautiful woman, something I just don’t like doing. Audrey Evans, who is only 22 years old, somehow totally lost control of her emotions and did an absolutely terrible job leading her team. The task was building a miniature golf course but Audrey just didn’t have it. She had the look. Boy, did she have the look, but she didn’t have the leadership. Book Smarts had a clear and concise plan with Chelsea Piers. And Street Smarts? Well, they didn’t have street smarts. They had absolutely nothing and worse, they had no leadership. Because Audrey’s beauty was so intense, at the end of the show the cameras got me slumped over in a chair saying, “Well, at least I didn’t bring back the best-looking one.” Ladies, I hope you give me some credit for that. I fired the best-looking woman ever on “The Apprentice.” The bottom line is this is business and you can’t mess around in business. APPEARANCE MATTERS Appearance really does matter. Whether you’re in the boardroom or a party or no matter what you’re doing, how you dress says a lot about your personality. When people come to me for a job interview, I expect them to look the part. If they’re not willing to wear a suit and tie, it’s probably not going to work. I’ve actually had people come in in undershirts. They may be very talented but, you know, it doesn’t work for me. It’s just not right. That’s part of the reason I put my name on a line of men’s suits, exclusively available at Macy’s. They’re called the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection and the suits are for executives as well as men who are really looking to make a good impression in the workplace. If you want people to take you seriously in the workplace you have to dress the part. Whether you choose one of my suits or whether you shop somewhere else, if you look successful, you are going to be successful. ABC MOVIE I heard that ABC is planning an unauthorized movie about me. It better be accurate or my attorneys are standing by. But I can’t think of a single actor today that I’d like to play the part of Donald Trump. Who I’d really love would be Cary Grant, but you know, they don’t make them like that anymore. Now Cary, by the way, doesn’t look anything like me. But I still wouldn’t mind looking like him. The truth is they just don’t make movie stars like they used to. I don’t want to get personal. I don’t want to mention names. I don’t know most of these actors. But let’s face it. Do we have a Clark Gable? Do we have a Cary Grant? Do we have an Audrey Hepburn? I really don’t think so I see people on the street all the time that I think are better looking -- far better looking – than most of the men in Hollywood right now. Likewise I see women that blow our big actresses away. So why aren’t they in the movies? Acting isn’t so tough. Believe me. IMPRESS PEOPLE I get so many email messages and so many letters from people asking for some basic business advice. One of the best things you can do is impress people. Impress people and you will make money. It’s really that simple. Here’s how to do it.      Be on time. You should never tolerate late arrivals or missed deadlines from yourself or from anyone else for that matter. Do your homework. Poor planning and thoughtlessness is inexcusable. Be honest. Most people can smell a lie and appreciate honesty even if it’s not exactly what they want to hear. Let other people do some of the talking. No conversation should ever be onesided. Be self-deprecating and disarming. Save your hardest edge for when you really need it. I still follow the same advice that I’ve written in my original book, “The Art of the Deal.” After all, manners can always be improved and they can also help you make money. RECAP Erin can really talk but it didn’t help her Thursday night. The Philadelphia attorney learned that it wasn’t wise to be a wise guy. It cost her a job. She’s beautiful and her mouth goes a mile a minute. She can really talk. But her fate was sealed in the boardroom when she made wisecrack after wisecrack. Then, at the end, the final one paid off. In actuality, until Erin butted in, I was probably heading toward firing Chris. Angie was also in trouble. In fact, all three did a really terrible job. But Chris looked like it was about time to go when, for some reason unknown to me, Erin butted in. I had to look at her and say, “Erin, you’re fired.” I really enjoyed last night’s episode and I hated losing Erin. She’s beautiful. She’s smart. But she had to go. HAVE A GOOD ATTITUDE There are plenty of people in the world who see the negative in every situation. Their glass is always half-empty. Now some people like a good friend of mine, Simon Cowell of “American Idol,” make a lot of money by purposefully being tough, negative, whatever you want to say. But Simon, who is a tremendous talent, does it with reason. And without him I’m sure the ratings on “American Idol” would never be the same. On a recent episode of “The Apprentice” this season, Michael was universally disliked by his teammates. It wasn’t at all a difficult decision to fire him. It’s important to have a good attitude. If you don’t agree with an idea or an approach, make your opinion known but in a straightforward manner. Setbacks and disappointments will always happen, but learn from them. Expect them, but learn from them. Then just move on. Don’t dwell. You’ll do a lot better in life with a positive attitude. A FEMALE PRESIDENT? Although the next presidential election is still years away, have you given any thought to who you’d like to see in the Oval Office? A lot of Americans have. According to a new poll, more than 80 percent of the voters say they would vote for a woman president in 2008. That’s a pretty impressive number. Only about 60 percent, however, agreed that the United States is ready for a woman president in 2008. So the next question, naturally, is which woman will make history. More than half the voters polled think that New York Democrat, a really, really great person, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, should try for the job. A significant majority of those women polled said that a female president would be better than a male president in handling domestic issues. I know one thing. If I saw somebody that I liked and if she were a woman, I’d vote for her right away. RESPECT AT WORK When it comes to the work environment, apparently a lot of employees feel like Rodney Dangerfield. They just don’t get any respect. According to a new report, nearly 80 percent of employees feel they get no respect at all at work. And they think the situation is only getting worse. The study, conducted by the respected Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, found that performance decreases and creativity suffers when there’s no courtesy and civility at work. But the study’s biggest surprise is that the average Fortune 1000 executive spends 13 percent of his or her time mediating work disputes. That means seven weeks each year are spent trying to mend difference between employees. What a waste of time. Treat people with respect and they’ll return the favor. At least, usually. You’ll also save lots of money and time and people will know you are a good leader. SCHOOL JUNK FOOD My friend, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, has taken a pretty interesting stance on a school issue in his state. Arnold supports legislation that would ban the sale of junk food in all of the state’s schools. Instead of buying candy bars and potato chips in cafeteria vending machines -which by the way, I used to love and use too much -- students would instead get choices like fruits and vegetables. Instead of soft drinks, kids would get milk. I like milk too. Arnold hopes to develop additional legislation that would also address unhealthy snacks. That doesn’t mean everything but tofu and carrot chips will be outlawed. He’s just trying to find a way to deal with childhood obesity. I wish Arnold were around when I were a kid because I was one heavy, fat kid. I know schools really rely on the funding dollars that they get from snack food and soft drink companies. But it shouldn’t be at the expense of children’s health. RECAP Last night the music stopped for a former nightclub owner named John. He was good, he was smart but it just didn’t work out for him. John, who’s thirty-two years old, claimed to have a rapport with the recording artists, but really messed up when it came to negotiation with some of these people. So last night it was the newly restructured Street Smarts that lost out on the challenge. The entire evening centered around Fuse Music Channel. The channel that I predict will be serious competition someday soon for MTV. The people at Fuse are smart, enthusiastic, and they’ve built up a winner. Maybe more importantly, they got themselves on the Apprentice, and you know what that means, that means success. Gafford was the ninth contestant to be fired so far, but you know what, he won’t be the last. BASEBALL AND STEROIDS Opening Day is right around the corner. Unfortunately this year there's a negative buzz thanks to accusations that so many ballplayers are, well, on steroids. But don't look for Major League Baseball to rush the record books to the printer for changes any time soon. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who is doing a terrific job under very, very difficult circumstances, said that no records will be taken away from players who are suspected of drug use. Commissioner Selig said that changes to the record books would be unfair to those players because no one knows for sure whether or not they used steroids. Our country's legal system is based on the principle that people are presumed innocent until proven guilty, so baseball has to take the same stance. With Jose Canseco as the most outspoken accuser, I'd say the players don't have much to worry about any time soon. DELEGATE A good leader knows how to delegate. Often, however, it’s a difficult task. That’s because many people believe, including me, that if you want to get it done right, you have to do it yourself. However, a leader can’t do everything. That’s why you have people working for you. You hire the best people for the job and then you let them do their thing. Watch them closely, but let them do their thing. But there are many leaders who can take delegation to an extreme. On a recent episode of “The Apprentice,” the lovely Audrey delegated nearly every task. When her team members would ask what she wanted them to do, she would say, “That’s your job. You should know,” and avoid making a decision. Audrey’s team lost the task and because of her poor leadership skills and despite her great beauty, I said, “Audrey, you’re fired.” A good leader walks a fine line. Learn how to delegate but don’t do it to a fault. LIQUOR COMMERCIALS ON TV After forbidding them for years, CNN has become the first national cable TV news network to air commercials for hard alcohol, specifically vodka. Although the big national broadcast networks – NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX – still refuse to air commercials for hard alcohol, several cable channels run them. The entire reason these commercials have been nixed in the past is that television is a powerful vehicle that obviously attracts an impressionable young audience. When commercials for whiskey and vodka and gin air, that exposes young children and teenagers to what they think is a glamorous product. Believe me, it’s not glamorous. CNN and CNN Headline News are imposing strict rules on hard alcohol commercials. But I’d hardly call their actions responsible. Obviously, cable’s going to make a lot of money making alcohol commercials. But should they be doing them? I don’t think so. ROBERT BLAKE’S TRIAL I have to admit I’m fairly surprised that people don’t seem to care very much about Robert Blake’s trial. It has all the elements that normally capture the public’s attention – a celebrity and a murder – but for some reason, this one just hasn’t caught interest. If you haven’t been paying attention, Robert Blake was accused of murdering his wife in 2001 outside his favorite restaurant in Los Angeles. He said he didn’t do it because he left his car to pick up his gun in the restaurant, which he left behind. That is probably the worst excuse I’ve ever heard -- maybe so bad that he’ll get off scot-free. Now his choice of women, Bonnie Blakely, didn’t sound exactly wonderful. There were a lot of people after her and I guess that’s what the jury is thinking about. But I hope he’s found innocent. She was bad news and anybody who uses the excuse that they left their gun in the restaurant and therefore wasn’t in the car when she was shot, can’t be all bad. ADULTERY IN THE OFFICE These days it seems as if executives are being held accountable not just for how they run their business but also for what happens in their personal lives. As you may know, Boeing chief executive officer Harry Stonecipher was asked to resign after having an extra-marital affair with a female executive who was a lot younger and fairly attractive. It’s highly unusual that someone in his position would get fired for an affair, especially when it was consensual. No one was coerced, no one got a better job, more money, or any of that stuff. The ones who really should have the big say in the matter are the spouses who have been hurt. They can kick their better halves out of the bedroom or out of their lives – like Stonecipher’s wife did – but I’m not really sure whether or not they really should be kicked out of the boardroom. Because, you know what? If you really did a poll, I would bet you most of the powerful men running companies are having affairs. BOB SLATER’S BOOK I’ve had books written about me and it’s generally not been a good experience for me at all. A year ago I began to hear that a man named Bob Slater was planning to write a book about me. I had no idea who he was. I decided to check him out with Jack Welch and he told me that Slater was a great writer, a fair guy and you’ll be very, very interested in what he has to say about you. Jack told me I’d be smart to cooperate with him. So I did. And today Slater’s Book, “No Such thing as Overexposure: Inside the Life and Celebrity of Donald Trump” is hitting the book stores. I couldn’t tell Bob Slater what to write about me and he did his own independent work. He certainly came to his own conclusions. But I’ve just read it cover to cover and guess what? It’s really a fair representation of Donald Trump. I can’t believe it. Anyway, I hope you go out and buy the book. Jack Welch was right. Bob Slater’s a helluva writer. MICHAEL JACKSON’S TRIAL Like most people, I’ve been following the events of Michael Jackson’s trial. As I’ve mentioned before, I know Michael and I hope he’s found innocent. There seems to be no revelation that the accuser’s mother is bad news. She once brought a multi-million dollar lawsuit against a department store that was settled out of court. The case was shattered by allegations that she may have lied under oath and coached her son as to what to say in court. But I have to admit that Michael isn’t exactly helping himself. I can’t think members of the jury were too impressed the day that Michael showed up late for trial and was actually wearing pajamas. Pajamas are the exact thing that Michael shouldn’t be wearing to this trial in particular. But Michael’s eccentricities shouldn’t be the focus of the trial. Let’s hope the attorneys continue to dig deeper and deeper into this woman’s past. I think she’s bad news. Good luck, Michael. Keep fighting. And, by the way, you still have to clean up your act. BUSINESS PROPOSITIONS The other day I received an email on TrumpOnAir.com from someone who said he had a business proposition that seemed too good to be true. He wanted advice on how to proceed. Here’s my advice: If it seems too good to be true, it usually is. The rule is, weed out a lot of the so-called opportunities immediately because there’s so much nonsense going on and usually it’s been done many times before. Not to be a pessimist, but the world is filled with scoundrels looking to make a dishonest buck. Believe me, I’ve met many of them and they are bad. They’re smart. They’re cunning. They’re very, very dishonest. You don’t want to deal with them. You want to avoid them. But if you meet them, you want to beat them. You want to beat them to the ground. And when it comes to your money, you have to protect it from them. If you’re smart and cautious, you won’t be swindled as so many people are. TRUMP ON BROADWAY Recently, a lot of people have been asking whether or not it’s true that I’ll be on Broadway. Well, the answer is yes…and no. A great friend of mine named Marty Richards, who also happens to be a producer (he did the movie, “Chicago”) has asked me about taking over a role in the Tony award-winning “La Cage.” I’ve also been asked by producers to take “The Apprentice” to Broadway. As far as a Broadway Apprentice goes, I think it’s a wonderful idea. Mark Burnett and I have been talking about it for a long time. Everybody wants to do it and why wouldn’t a Broadway show called “The Apprentice” do well? I think it would do great, especially if I didn’t star in this one. But as to me hitting in the stage in a Broadway show and actually doing the acting, like in “La Cage,” I just can’t picture myself going to a theater after a heavy day of work and acting on stage. I’m up at 5 o’clock in the morning building buildings. It doesn’t work. SEXIEST WOMEN Now here’s a topic I certainly know a lot about…sexy women. They’ve caused me a lot of trouble. Angelina Jolie was just named the sexiest woman in the world. This was from the readers of FHM, a men’s magazine. Angelina took over the crown from Britney Spears who didn’t even make the sexy list this year. She has gone down, there’s no question about it. That’s what a marriage can do for you. In the rest of the Top Five…Jennifer Garner was Number 2, followed by Paris Hilton, Charlize Theron and Halle Berry. The biggest comeback belongs to Teri Hatcher who hasn’t been on the list since 2001 when she was in 55th place. Now Teri’s Number 7. Look, I don’t agree very much with the magazine’s picks. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings but they made some glaring mistakes. And there are a lot of women that are far more beautiful than some of the women who are mentioned on the list. MICHAEL JACKSON I’ve been talking a lot about the Michael Jackson trial. It’s no secret how I feel about the accuser’s mother. She’s bad news. When this trial ends, I certainly hope Michael is found innocent because if and when that happens, I have a proposition for him. I’d like to put Michael back into a positive spotlight. Let him show the real reason so many fans love him. Get him back on the stage. Really, that’s the place he’s most comfortable. Specifically, I’m building a new hotel in Las Vegas. It would be great to have Michael involved. But whether it’s for me or for someone else, can you imagine Michael performing? It would be unbelievable. Whether he was still good or not – and at one point he was the greatest -- it would be incredible entertainment. People would go just to see what was going to happen. Would he show up with pajamas? Would he show up wearing maybe nothing one night? Michael Jackson would make it exciting. LYING ABOUT MONEY So here’s a question. Have you ever lied about money? Even if it’s just a little white lie? Maybe you told your husband that those new shoes you bought were on sale and they weren’t. Or perhaps you told your friends that you make a little more money than you actually do. You’re not alone. According to Money magazine, nearly three-quarters of people lie about money in big and small ways. They hide credit card bills, exaggerate stock market success or pad charitable deductions. This whole thing doesn’t happen to surprise me. After all, people lie about everything so why expect them to be honest about money. The surprising thing is that people think money is as sensitive a topic as sex. And they say they’re more uncomfortable talking about money then they are about politics and religion. Well, that’s just silly. Take it from someone who talks about money all the time. It’s a lot safer than talking about politics, religion or sex. But sex is the most fun of all. PRODUCTIVE AT WORK So you think you’re being productive at work? Then you’re in the minority. A Microsoft survey found that workers average only about three good days of work a week. U.S. employees blame the wasted time on procrastination, bad communication and ineffective meetings. And those are three things that can easily be avoided. I make sure that meetings are short, sweet and productive. There’s no reason to take hours to discuss things if you get straight to the point. In any business, good communication is key. Many times on The Apprentice, project managers fail because they don’t keep the lines of communication open with their teammates. Finally, you have to end procrastination. The reason people procrastinate is because A) they’re not motivated or B) they’re just plain lazy. It’s a leader’s job to hire the right people for the job. If they love their work, they’ll be motivated to succeed. If they’re lazy, then let them be lazy on someone else’s time.