Donald Trump Bows Out of Presidential Race – Good Riddance!

Donald Trump, ever the proud man, announced today that he was NOT going to run for president even though he felt he would have won the general election.But some insiders say that NBC’s announcement yesterday that the network was prepared to recast the bad haired goofball on his own “Celebrity Apprentice” reality show was the real reason behind his exit.Trump told reporters,

"I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election. I have spent the past several months unofficially campaigning and recognize that running for public office cannot be done half-heartedly. Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector."

Really? Donald, did you really think the country would vote for you? Is your pride and ego that big?Others point to his awkward firing by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month, and the grass roots effort in Indiana to oust him from the prestigious job of Pace Car driver as another reason.Related: Trump Fired from Driving Indy Pace CarOthers say that behind the scenes NBC was growing concerned at all his hot air, and the effect it was having on “The Celebrity Apprentice” sudden ratings decline.Related: Celebrity Apprentice Loosing Viewers and RatingsBut the consensus growing around the country is that we just could not afford to have a president with such bad hair.Related: Donald Trump Bad Hair Day – PhotosIn the end we may never know what the final straw was.But when Trump decides to tell us we’re sure it will be the biggest, most successful reason the HE has ever created.Personal Note:Deep down we all knew, and so did Trump, that he would never have a chance at the job of President. It’s just sad that he, and the media, had to waste so much of our time the last three months pretending like it could actually happen.Donald – YOUR FIRED!That felt good.Follow InfoStar on Twitter

Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice Loosing Viewers and Advertising Dollars

Donald Trump may have had a good reason to go after Obama about his birth certificate – public relations.While Trump seems to spew on about how his show “Celebrity Apprentice” is the most popular show on NBC, the truth seems quite different.Trumps recent display of hatred toward Jerry Seinfeld and Robert De Niro, along with his bizarre conspiracy about Obama’s birth certificate, may be destroying his reality show.In fact, the numbers look really bad, with viewers 18-49 down over 40% this year, and advertising revenue far behind last year. And with all the Meat Loaf and Gary Busey shenanigans this year one would think the show would be a runaway success.Advertising Age says “Apprentice” ad revenue is down for a couple of reasons.First, Trumps uncertain Presidential run and poor handling of the birth certificate issue has driven advertisers away. The latest? - Groupon, who has pulled their ads from the Trump website.Another reason traditional advertisers are passing on Trump is the increase in product placement during the show. Arby’s, for example, pays a hefty fee when Trump issues a challenge relating to a new menu item or ad campaign.One ad exec says,

“The product placement has become so ‘in your face’ that the entire show is starting to look like Trump is a sellout. The show looks more like a 60 minute infomercial than a prime time realty show. The constant product placement distracts from the usual commercials.”

Sweeps are coming up next month so it benefits Trump to drive as much attention to himself and the show as he can – how convenient there is a political race with his name in it to stir up a little face time.Lastly, the contracts for both Trump and executive producer Mark Burnett expire after this season so there are questions whether NBC will be interested in another season or not.An NBC exec says there are no problems at all,

'The Apprentice' is in a very challenging time slot on Monday nights and it's responded with consistently good results, including the most upscale audience for any unscripted show in prime time. ... It remains a key series for our future."

But when advertising execs are asked you get a different story,

"The Apprentice is generally on the decline. The move to Monday from Thursday nights had a negative effect. But that's not the big issue. It's the content of the show. It's matured. People are looking for other ways to be entertained. They don’t want to watch D-list celebrities sell hamburgers, pizza or wedding dresses."

Trumps last tirade came yesterday at his hotel in Las Vegas where he gave a speech riddled with the F-word and other obscenities to a crowd of over 1000.Unless there is a spectacular race to the finale during sweeps next month, and if Donald can’t keep his mouth shut about Barack Obama and others, then look for this to be the beginning of the end for “The Apprentice”.At least we can still laugh at his bad hair.

First American Idol Results Show Dominates Ratings

Everybody was holding their breath.Everybody wondered about the new judges.Everybody wondered if American Idol could survive without Simon Cowell.Well, the results are in, and last Thursday’s live results show, the first results show of the season, rang in with a whopping 26.1 million viewers. That may or may not sound like a lot, but in the world of television it is huge.To put things in perspective, the closest competition was CBS with 9 million viewers for “The Big Bang Theory”. All the other networks struggled to barley hit 4 million viewers.Host Ryan Seacrest told the audience that there had been 40 million votes for the contestants.Critics were skeptical.Steven Tyler was thought to be the weak link going into the season but has since emerged as the new king. Jennifer Lopez has also stepped up to the plate, but after an entire season I wonder if I will be able to stand hearing that voice…. that voice.And the talent has been better this year and less time has been spent laughing at the losers that never should have made it through the judging door in the first place.We’re glad to see AI break out of its mold and try to blaze a new trail. And apparently the viewing audience also approves.