Category — Charlotte Dawson

The first episode of Celebrity Apprentice Australia was like the warm up for what is to come for the following episodes. We can see there is going to be conflict between Dicko and Ben Dark, and also Tania Zaetta with what looks like everyone.

For someone with a chequered career she does appear to have very healthy self esteem.

“Did you know I did Baywatch?” she said again and again. She probably needed to keep reminding everyone  of this as it was the last time she appeared on an Australian TV screen.

Fortunately for her David Hasselhoff is extremely diplomatic and said  ”it was a long time ago and we didn’t really work that much together so I don’t really know Tania”.

Though to be fair to Tania she was not the only one of the so called celebs who thought their profile was higher then it was.

Jason Akermanis said “As famous as I am around Australia… ” Newsflash I had barely heard of him and definitely would not recognise him in the street.

The first challenge was to Pamper Pooches or dogs, and they had to do their prep in doggie day care. In fact I did not think it was a great advertisement for doggie daycare as the dogs just ran around in a room with a cement floor and that was where they had to toilet as well. No wonder when the girls team walked in it stank.

The guys team was made up of The Hoff, Dicko, Ben Dark, Vince Sorrenti, Jason Akermanis and Nathan Joliffe. The girls team was Patty Newton, Marion Grasby, Fiona O’Loughlin, Charlotte Dawson, Lauryn Eagle, and Tania Zaetta.

Marion thought that Dicko was one of the bigger egos on the show, clearly she has not met Ben Dark before.

Also Nathan thought Dicko was the backstabber of the group.

The twist was the guys had to pick the girl team captain, and vice versa. The girls picked The Hoff thinking because he is such a celebrity he would be too distracted by people coming up to him to be able to manage properly.

The guys team picked Tania Zaetta to be project manager and she took the job very seriously indeed.

The girls after a heated debate called themselves Team Fortune. Charlotte Dawson must have downloaded a latin app onto her ipad as she was coming out with some names with gravitas, however the only problem no one knew what they meant.

Team Platinum  was the guys team name, and Dicko said it worked for them as it reminded them of a lap dancing bar.

Now let’s talk about The Hoff. He was very impressive and is clearly taking his role on the show seriously. He is not just dialling it in, however he was on the show doing a lot of PR. He was everywhere, on the phone, swimming at Bondi, and considering he only flew in the day prior his energy did not flag. Also props have to be given for the Hoff Dog phrase.

On the day of the challenge, the guys team charged $500 for  a wash, and the girls charged $100 but these challenges are all about the corporate donations most of the time not what happens on the ground.

The girls were getting a lot of dogs to wash in fact Patti Newton was working like a dog apparently she ended up scrubbing thirty dogs.

Lauryn Eagle was running around in a bikini which personally I think is a tad demeaning and unnecessary but she did have a rocking body.

Fiona was struggling her only donation fell through and then she went across to the guys team to try and negotiate  a quarter of their earnings as that is what she thought how much they had the advantage of having The Hoff. They obviously declined to negotiate on this issue.

Considering there is that saying never to work with children or animals, there was very little drama from the dogs. The main dramatics came from Charlotte Dawson when she had to pick up a dog poop, other then that there was no leg humping or dog biting.

In the boardroom it was revealed Tania and Dicko raised the most money individually which was over $45000 each.

Also in the board room Mark Bouris was joined by his son Dane Bouris, and Deborah Thomas. Now Dane at this stage is showing he is no Ivanka Trump or even Donald Jr, however it was his first episode so he would have been feeling nervous.

Mark Bouris was determined to stir up trouble and asked what Charlotte thought of Tania Zaetta. She said  she thought she was going to be all show no go, but she was extraordinary. Most of the other team mates agreed.

Well except for Lauryn who  said ”I don’t really work well under the conditions under a person who is controlling and domineering”. Which is interesting considering there were rumours her ex-boyfriend was exactly like that.

Fiona admitted she put all her eggs in the one basket and once she got one donation she went on washing dogs, however it did not come through and she was now vulnerable.

The guys team were asked whether they relied on The Hoff was being too much of a celeb and not project managing. Dicko defended the guys team strategy and said “If Elvis comes and joins the band you don’t give him a tambourine and stick him up the back.”

And as The Hoff said he may not have the corporate connections here but “use me, use me, use me”.

Nathan Joliffe surprising brought in the biggest single donation out of all contestants it was Zhu Shoes and his former girlfriend, Erin McNaught was there as well. To get the money the guys had to put on heels, but as a publicity stunt it did not match the Pauline Hanson in underpants one that was the first challenge of the previous series of Celebrity Apprentice.

Unfortunately for the girls they raised $88287 to the guys  $143,362 which meant The Hoff gave $231,649 to the Starlight Foundation. His work here is done…

Back in the board room it was revealed Charlotte raised $5500, Marion raised $2000, Fiona raised $325, Tania raised$49,000, Patti $17,000, and Lauryn raised $14,000.

The other issue that was discussed was the price point of their dog wash. It was an issue the girls were charging $400 less than the guys. Marion defended it by saying they had not wanted to make it prohibitive, however as Dicko said as they were watching it via TV that was exactly the point of it.

Tania brought in Lauryn and Fiona back into the boardroom with her and Fiona was fired. Mark Bouris really had no other choice.

It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it… After not being able to lob onto the first challenge of Celebrity Apprentice Australia Season two, I thought I better hustle to the Celebrity art auction that was open to the public. Oh and try to get a bit of action with The Hoff.

I took my two young interns who had to be sacked, if you think Gen Y’s have issues then just you wait for the Gen Z’s to hit the workforce they are prima donnas. Going by the George Calombaris school of industrial relations I paid them with an ice cream and they still were not happy.

Anyway today it was the Celebrity Art Challenge and it was open to the public.  There was the girl’s team plus The Hoff – clearly they are sharing him around, and the boys team going to head to head in an art challenge where the celebs had made art pieces to sell charity. Whoever wins will have made a motza  for their charity as the prices were high.

What is like on the set of reality TV show? Well basically the shows are made in an editing suite as there was not a lot of action happening on the ground. Just small little vignettes that will be edited into something fast paced. There is at least three days of filming that goes into one episode.

Marion Grasby was project manager for the girls team and Dicko for the men. Like last season to make the money it was all about the corporates. The girls had roped in Staedler the stationery company and the guys had Roses Only, also BSC some sort protein bar turned up with a cheque.

Charlotte Dawson who has clearly found the elixir of eternal youth is looking fantastic – just to show I am an equal opportunity blogger and think of the male readers here is Charlotte looking foxy.

Tania Zaetta also appeared to have dabbled in the dark arts of botox as does The Hoff whose nickname should be the fantastic plastic.  Tania Zaetta must be this season’s villain as there is not a lot else going on there. Though her career does limp along so she must have some fans or a very good agent.

The intern took a photo of Dicko and as I was on a middle aged man rampage also he is the reality TV veteran of the show he has been in four. Even Nathan Joliffe indulging in body art could not turn my head.

However what I did see were the celebrities determined to win the challenge as well as make an entertaining reality show and the viewer should reap the benefit of this.

Celebrity Apprentice Australia Season Two will air on Channel NINE in 2012.

After weeks of rumours Celebrity Apprentice Season Two has now been announced, and one name they managed not to leak out was Patti Newton.

Patti Newton will be an interesting choice as she was very popular on her stint on Dancing With The Stars, however the rigours of this show are much harder and the ‘real’ Patti might slip out.

The Daily Telegraph have announced the cast as:

• David Hasselhoff – does he need an introduction?;
• Marion Grasby – former Masterchef contestant;
• Jason Akermanis – AFL player;
• Lauryn Eagle – Water skier and model;
• Nathan Joliffe – Winner of season one of The Amazing Race Australia;
• Fiona O’Loughlin – Comedian;
• Tania Zaetta – faded starlet and Bollywood star;
• Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson – Former Australia Idol judge, and former host of Can of Worms;
• Ben Dark – reporter on Getaway;
• Vince Sorrenti – comedian;
• Charlotte Dawson – judge on Australia’s Next Top Model.

It is a good cast guaranteed to attract a diverse viewer. Dicko is always popular as is Marion Grasby. Charlotte Dawson will ensure she gets a lot of screen time, and chances are she will be looking hot as last week she sequestered herself up at a health farm.

Fiona O’Loughlin and Vince Sorrenti will provide some laughs. Hopefully Nathan Joliffe will show more personality then he did on The Amazing Race but then when your are suffering chronic jetlag it is probably hard to razzle.

Tania Zaetta may get cast as the villain, and I expect Ben Dark may want to keep his “dark side” contained on camera.

My only issue with The Hoff being on here, is will he actually take the challenges seriously.

The show start shooting this week.

What do you think of the cast?

The Daily Telegraph are saying Australia’s Next Top Model judges Charlotte Dawson and Alex Perry are suing Nine MSN and Facebook over allegations she bullied a university student during a vicious online exchange. (Previous blog post on the issue here).

The stoush cost Charlotte an $18,000 contract.

The article says:

Dawson said she initially joined the Facebook slanging match, believing it was “one of our friends joking around”.

“But as soon as we started, the responses became really full-on and the messages we were sent were so explicit,” she said.

Dawson said comments described her as a “disease-ridden prostitute” and “crack whore”.

“I was so fascinated people would write such hateful things and when I wrote back they’d say, ‘Oh, we love you, we were just having fun’.”

But the online “fun” allegedly ended in death threats to the pair, who now plan a joint action against a Ninemsn report which documented the thread.

In the piece, Dawson reportedly conceded calling the page’s creator a “westie scrag” and its members “f … ing losers”.

Ninemsn head of news Hal Crawford defended the article yesterday, stating: “Charlotte Dawson confirmed with [us] that she had made those comments.”

I think this will be an interesting court case to watch, and wonder if it will set case law in relation to social media comments.

Australia’s Next Top Model judge reveals to the Herald Sun that plastic surgery is not all it is cracked up to be.

The article states:

Dawson, an outspoken judge on Australia’s Next Top Model, freely admits she has had a number of surgical procedures over the years, including liposuction, fat injections, breast implants, Aptos threading, Botox injections, dermal fillers and an eye lift.

However, the 44-year-old has confessed to Who magazine she regrets some of the work she has had done.

“Anyone thinking plastic surgery will make them happier is wrong,” Dawson has told the magazine.

The thing I would like to know is why would you have fat injected into your face?

The Contender commences on Fox 8 this Monday November 2 at 8.30pm. I will be doing a recap, but don’t have my usual enthusiasm as I am not a boxing fan. Anyway let’s hope it surprises me, and I am a big fan of Charlotte Dawson.

Here is what the press release said:

An unscripted drama about the lives, fears and hopes of 14 professional super middleweight boxers, The Contender Australia follows these boxers (from Australia and New Zealand), as they compete for the chance to forever change their lives and the lives of the people they love.   

Following the great success of the U.S. series of The Contender, the first series of the Australian version offers the boxers the ultimate prize of a fight with Anthony “The Man” Mundine.

 Charlotte Dawson and Daniel Amalm host The Contender Australia and work beside boxing mentor Johnny Lewis and team trainers Paul Briggs and Billy Hussein, who all play a part in guiding the boxers through the intense training and the most challenging experience of their lives.  

Produced by Granada Productions, the series follows their journey and the challenges these boxers face in their personal lives and career, as well as provide insight to their fears and hopes. The highly stressful, tough competition will test their relationships with each other in and out of the ring.  

Introducing our Contenders: 

ADRIAN TAIHIA, 26, Sandringham, New Zealand. Described as a rising star in New Zealand, Adrian only started his boxing career three years ago and boasts an undefeated record.

 BEN McCULLOCH, 27, Sydney. This hot Australian prospect is enjoying the “intensity” and “adult” world of boxing. Only turning pro last year, with three fights under his belt his future looks bright having won all three, two by way of knockout.  

DANIEL MACKINNON, 25, Otorohanga, King Country, New Zealand. Currently the New Zealand middleweight champion, Daniel credits his left hook as his strength. In the ring, he likes to work out his opponent and says no matter what their style is he can figure it out and adapt.

GARTH WOOD, 31, Petersham, Sydney. Once voted NRL’s fittest athlete during his rugby league career, Garth only turned pro two years ago – a short but impressive start with five fights and four wins under his belt.  

ISRAEL KANI, 36, Noosa Heads, Queensland. This former super middleweight champion prides himself on his fitness and training and is always ready to fight and compete, joining The Contender to get a sense of how far he can go in the sport. 

JOSH CLENSHAW, 32, Mt Druitt, NSW. He may wear his heart on his sleeve but, with 42 fights and more than 286 rounds to his name, he has been in the ring with just about everybody and has experience on his side. 

JUNIOR TALIPEAU, 25, Cronulla, NSW. Turning professional four years ago, Junior has come a long way in a short time with an impressive 14 fights and 14 wins record under his belt –  winning the vacant Australian middleweight title and making six successful defenses.

KARIZ KARIUKI, 32, Blacktown, NSW. This softly spoken fighter prefers to do the talking in the ring with an impressive record of 18 wins, 17 of them by way of knockout, and is currently ranked 10^th in the World Boxing Organisation ratings.

LES PIPER, 25 Carrara, Gold Coast. Les is the current Australian super middleweight champion and referred to as an improving fighter. He describes himself as a pressure fighter who has a high work rate and an aggressive and busy style.

 LUKE MOLONEY, 29, Reservoir, Melbourne. Often referred to as a pure boxer with great skills, Luke is currently ranked State champion and describes himself as more of a technician than a knock-out-style fighter. 

NADER HAMDAN, 35, Kingsgrove, NSW. Once a street thug and “out of control youth” who turned his life around with boxing, Nader is the only Contender to have already gone the distance with Mundine in a world title fight.  He turned pro at 20 and now at 35 he feels this is his “last shot”.

PRADEEP SINGH, 22, Boronia, Melbourne. Describing himself as “a nice man with a good heart” and priding himself on being healthy, Pradeep is religious about training for up to 17 hours a day.  

SONNI MICHAEL ANGELO, 24, Sydney. Described as one of the more outrageous personalities of Australian boxing, Sonni (“Jungle Boy”, from the Congo) has a style which has been described as explosive and unpredictable. He believes he is indestructible and someone who has defied all odds. 

VICTOR OGANOV, 32, Perth. Victor instills fear in his opponents with his professional career record of 28 wins all by way of knockout: an impressive record showing his talent and the lethal power in his hands.

 If you are reading this article through a feed on TV.com please come and join the discussion and check out the blog at www.realityravings.com

Cassi modelling for Portmans

Frockwriter  has this excellent blog on how Alex Perry and Charlotte Dawson were caught out bitching about Cassi Van Den Dungen, the “bogan” who was runner-up on the latest Australia’s Next Top Model.

Apparently on Alex Perry’s Facebook page he said this amongst other things:
“YES ITS TRUE, SHE WONT SIGN ELITE CONTRACT… WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A GIRL WITH LOW INTELLIGENCE, GOING OUT WITH A MAN TEN YEARS OLDER OF A SIMILAR IQ…THE COMBINATION IS POWERFULLY STUPID … THE ICING ON THE IDIOT CAKE IS THAT SHE WANTS HIM TO BE HER MANAGER SO SHE DOESNT HAVE TO PAY AGENCY COMISSION (IM ASSUMING THEY WOULD ALSO HAVE AN ISSUE WITH PAYING TAX!!!) BUT CONSIDERING THAT HE DOESNT WORK, AND SHE’S TO STUPID TO, EVERYTHING MUST BE PEACHY KEEN IN SUNBURY!!!”

Charlotte Dawson also wrote stuff including “too true. Enough about the bogan … she’s someone elses nightmare now.”

When the Dawson was asked by Frockwriter author Patty Huntington whether these comments were true she said:

 ”Absolutely. I could not give a rat’s ass. They’re the sort of things I would say on the show. What’s wrong with them being on a Facebook page? That’s what I’m paid to do. I’m paid to call it as I see it.

“They’re not defamatory, they’re said with humour, not vitriol, and honesty. It was a situation that I was very much involved with.

“Her boyfriend, during the live finale, was grabbing his crotch and sticking his tongue out at me. You don’t know what this girl has gone and done to evoke the ire of a lot of people.

“We don’t give a shit. We’re coming from a place of personal experience and Cassi has very much frustrated and angered and disappointed a lot of people…. She’s upset her family terribly, she’s been a real nightmare and spat in the faces of people who supported her”.

Christ if the crotch grabbing is true that Brad Saul must be a huge tool. What is the story about making his own business, he does not even have his own job! I thought the whole point of her not going overseas was because he was building his own business.

Link to story in The Australian.

Two Dubbo Dancer’s Are Through To the Top 100 on So You Think You Can Dance Aust
Charles Bartley and Ashleigh Tegart from Dubbo are two names of dancers who are through to the top 100 week in Sydney. Charles is currently studying at Brent St Studios, so it will be interesting how many of that alumni make it in on Season 2. Marko Panzic, Hilton Dennis and Rhiannon were three dancers from there in Season 1.

Shire uber model Cheyenne Tozzi was called in as a replacement judge for Charlotte Dawson at the Townsville casting call for Australia’s Next Top Model.

Charlotte stayed in Sydney to be near jailed boyfriend Matthew Rhodin. Matthew who is up on fraud charges, spent the weekend in jail as he had yet to post the $100,000 bail. I wonder if Charlotte will help come up with the cash?

Anyway all reports from Townsville was that Cheyenne, who is only 19, acquitted herself very well.

Full story on Daily Tele.

Ricky-Lee Coulter To Be A Divorcee at the age of 22.
The men in Australia will be rejoicing today now it has been revealed her marriage to Jamie Babbington is over. Ricky-Lee’s publicist cited “distance and time apart” for the split. Ricky-Lee moved to Sydney to be a co-host on Australian Idol.

The couple were together for seven years. So she must have been 15 and he was 24 when they started going out. I am not sure what I think of that.

Full story on Daily Tele.

So You Think You Can Dance Australia auditions in Brisbane Today
Brisvegas dancers were out in force today for the auditions of SYTYCD Au. Season 1 winner Jack Chambers was from Brisbane, he will be permanently moving to New York in March. Part of his prize money has gone towards buying an apartment on the Upper West Side. Nacho Pop and Jack were also at the auditions today.

Brisbane Times has more details.

Charlotte Dawson’s Boyfriend Is Doing Jail Time.
Now what is it with Next Top Model judge Charlotte Dawson and her propensity for men who have difficulties with the law. Her former husband Scott Miller currently has drug charges laid against him, and her current squeeze Matthew Rodin just spent the night in jail on fraud charges.

$100,000 is required to get him out of jail. Now Charlotte seems like a sensible woman she needs to ditch this guy and fast. Does she really want to be schleping to Long Bay Jail each weekend if he is convicted? The charges relate to a $7.5 million fraud.

The Australian has the full yarn.

America’s Next Top Model Cycle 12 Spoiler Alert.
NY Mag has a little article saying the overseas trip for the Cycle 12 models is in Sao Paulo.