Tuesday, March 25, 2008

So WHO Does The Apprentice?


So who are the gossipmungers talking about this year?

More than 20,000 high-flyers, wannabes and loonies applied for the position in Sir Alan’s empire, which is valued at £800 million.

Simon Ambrose won last year beating Kristina Grimes, who has a property website that allows buyers to speed up legal obstacles. Always thought she should had won.......Then again, I am not a 60 year old multi millionaire am I?

2008 The Apprentice starts on the Beeb, tomorrow 26 March. Can Katie Hopkins be forgotten now?

Is Shazia Wahab, an IT expert who committed professional suicide by suing a city law firm the new talk of the show, or is it Simon Smith, an ex-soldier fresh from rehab?

If you want more information read on, if you want more dirt, read on:


Speaking of muck, will Sir Alan, be "sick of looking" at Alex Wotherspoon a 24 a regional sales manager from Bolton. Alex Wotherspoon, started life selling horse manure for fertiliser says The Bolton News. Easy to say he sounds full of sh*t isn't it?!

"I give 100 per cent all the way. I always speak my mind," said Mr Wotherspoon who lives in Rosewood, Westhoughton. Let's see what he says as he drives away in the black cab then.

Want more on Wotherspoon then here's a link for The Bolton News: http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/display.var.2131969.0.0.php?act=complaint&cid=1292216


Next up is Raef Bjayou, aged 27, and an entrepreneur from North West London. He's privately educated at WESTBROOK HAY and HAILEYBURY where he was School Captain. He then read Politics & History at University of Exeter where he founded the Exeter University Debating Society. Apparently he has faced death many times - Don't know if that was while debating at Exeter but it may be when he meets Sir Alan in the boardroom.

Contender? Possibly? Tit? Definitely!
For the intellectuals amongst us have a read this link on 'RB' in 'Real Business': http://www.realbusiness.co.uk/business-comment/4998911/alan-sugars-new-entrepreneur-apprentice.thtml

Ian Stringer is third in the line up. He's a 26-year-old, software sales manager, from Flitwick in Bedfordshire.

Ian has two young children and is separated from his wife. So young.........
Ian's claim to fame was that he had a No. 8 hit in the charts – the second top selling unofficial World Cup record for 2006 – when he rewrote the lyrics to Tony Christie's Amarillo.
"He's a really nice guy. He had a game of football and took us all out for dinner." Stringer said of Christie.......Is Stringer a nice guy? Think so


Bit boring for me.


I admit I look the look of the photo and don't care what this man's personality is like, I WANT HIM TO STAY, but for those who want more info;
Lee McQueen, 30, recruitment sales manager for Capita Group. He now lives in Buckinghamshire, but his first proper job was as a catering manager at Harrow School.

Can I just look at the picture? He's single" (HOORAY)...I'm married.....

His trademark is his 'reverse pterodactyl' impression

Next!
Nicholas De Lacy Brown, 24, is a barrister and it seems an artist too. Here's a link to prove the later! http://www.delacy-brown.com/ Doubt he won the Apprentice otherwise this website would not be there and he'd be too busy working for Sir Alan.

Nicholas lives in West London but was formally from Shoreham by Sea in Sussex and went to a minor private day school called OUR LADY OF SION.

He says: "From the moment I was born I knew I was destined for great things." And added the 'De Lacy' bit to his name to make him sound posher. Bye bye Nic Brown.


Simon Smith, 35, is a Sky senior satellite TV engineer from Harlow in Essex.
Oh hang on, there is more to Simon that first meets the eye, Simon spent nine years as an NCO in the Royal Artillery Regiment where he qualified as a surveyor before his exemplary discharge.

Simon fought in Bosnia and not only battled the enemy, but also battled a drug habit. He wants to help other ex-soldiers rehabilitate into the community. What has this got to do with winning the Apprentice? I don't know........ I wonder though if Simon is a fighter and may do better than it looks on paper or too old to be taught new tricks.


..........Forgive me but I do not see many good contestants out of this lot so far.

Maybe Kevin Shaw can turn things around. Kevin, 24, was a bank manager by the age of 19 and is now a regional manager for the Halifax PLC. Obviously he can't sing or they would have had him doing one of those awful ads. He's from Woking in Surrey but originally from Bath and is friends with Jenson Button.

Definitely a get up and go sort of character. "I am driven, ambitious and hungry... I don't mess about. If I want something I will get it." Says the Crawley Observer. http://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/latest-south-east-news/Budding-apprentices-hope-to-be.3890090.

Kevin Shaw has Contender written all over him.
Michael Sophocles, 24, is a telesales executive from North London. This is the official line. He is also an ACTOR or at least an am-dram actor. http://www.newtheatrix.co.uk/Trial/thecast.html so he will know how to perform in the boardroom. Michael is another ex privately educated candidate from HIGHGATE SCHOOL where his love of acting started.

I'm beginning to think most of the candidates are only up for this for the publicity or is it the TV producers picking the people for TV frolics and viewing figures?

Michael Sophocles is only in it for for exposure

Who's next?

Ah yes Shazia Wahab, 35, is a self employed mosaic artist from South London. Let's get the rumours out of the way.
"I October 2003 City law firm Allen & Overy found guilty of victimising Shazia Wahab, an Asian IT expert who sued her former employer for punitive damages totalling £1m. "
Here's a write up from a non-tabloid newspaper. Lawyer.com: http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=107095

So we know she stands her ground and will not tolerate BS.
Shazia is one of 11 children and has had to fight to get where she is. I like her.


Claire Young, 29, is a senior retail buyer from South London . Born in South Africa and brought up in Wakefield where she attended ST HILDA'S and WAKEFIELD HIGH SCHOOLS. She then went to Bristol uni where she read medicine for a year but swapped to horses gaining a Bsc in Equine Studies.

She's single and Oprah is her hero oh and she's ambitious, her nickname at work is `the rottweiler'.
I don't have much to say about her because she comes across as one of the crowd. DULL........Would like to be proved wrong.


Lucinda Ledgerwood, 31, is a risk manager from Edinburgh However she also has a multitude of other job titles to her name. She has a registered business address at Elmwood Terrace in Edinburgh. Lucinda's biggest regret is turning down being a Bond body double - Again another 'wannabe'.
I cannot get over how many this year wastrels there are? I find Lucinda a posh boring bird. Hope she goes quickly.

Link to Scottish Daily Record: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/entertainment-news/2008/03/19/former-checkout-girl-battles-for-the-apprentice-crown-86908-20355469/

Sara Dhada, 25, is a car trader from Leicester but that does not do her justice. Sara is a qualified lawyer with a degree in both law and economics. She took over the reigns of her family car business from her brothers. Why do the Apprentice? What about the family business, obviously doesn't care about that anymore.

"I'm a true example of pure class and elegance. I don't try to be glamorous - I'm just naturally like that."

And she believes she is ALWAYS RIGHT.


Lindi Mngaza, 22, is a business liaison manager from Birmingham
Business liaison manager Lindi, 22, said: "My nickname among friends is African Princess, as I am from royal descendants."She lives by the motto: "There is no I in team, but there is an I in winner." Lindi might find spelling team hard as she is dyslexic (joke), my daughter is mildly dyslexic, I understand completely.

Don't think I like her much either.


Jennifer Maguire, 27, originates from Dublin but now lives in Bristol. She is described as a marketing consultant from Bristol and says of her skills,
"I can sell pieces of paper for £50. I rate myself as the best salesperson in Europe."
What about personnel skills?
She's an "iron fist in a velvet glove"
Jennifer is an ex champion showjumper too.....Don't know what that has to do with running businesses?
Link here to the Driffield Times:http://www.driffieldtoday.co.uk/latest-south-west-news/Budding-Apprentice-hopes-to-be.3889839.jp

Single mum, Jenny Celerier, 36, is a sales manager from Leicester is a fighter. She contracted meningitis and was told she would never 'sustain independent living again' and she did.

Jenny has a degree in marketing from the DeMontford University and awards coming out of her ears. She doesn't sit on the fence and if she means what she says this is a contender. Her age may be against her, nevertheless, she is in the top 12. Reminds me very much of Kristina on paper and not just saying tat because she is a single mum. Jenny has the same credentials and btw the photo does her no good.


Helene Speight, 32, is a global pricing leader from Wakefield, Yorkshire
I have no idea what exactly a global pricing leader does? Sounds good on paper but is probably dull and well paid as most of the executive jobs are.

"I don't have regrets. I do what I do and deal with the consequences." Helene says.
She works in her 'global pricing job for General Electric and is responsible growing profits and market share in the automotive, airline, oil and gas industries. Ahhh...Now I know!

Helene believes she can triumph though her ability to be decisive, inclusive, and influential in the workplace and after this she will conquer the planet.


Will put a blog entry on Wednesday on how I feel the show went and my new views on the contestants. Wonder if they will change much? TV can manipulate our views and I have no doubt that what we see and what is true are two differing things anyway.

No comments: