George Takei Takes On Donald Trump
'Star Trek' legend to compete in 'Celebrity Apprentice'
How will George Takei react when Donald Trump tells him he's fired? Well, if you're George Takei, you're actually expecting to hear Trump say the words, "You're hired."
Takei has joined the cast of "Celebrity Apprentice," the "star"-studded version of "The Apprentice" that Trump had hosted for several years on NBC.
The fourth season of the show begins Feb. 12, with Takei part of the largest cast assembled yet for the show. The occasional guest announcer for the Howard Stern radio show will join models, actors, singers and Lisa Lampanelli for the latest edition that raises money for charity.
Takei told Twitter followers soon after the announcement that he would be playing for the Japanese American National Museum. The charity, located on East First Street in Los Angeles, maintains a mission of promoting understanding and appreciation of America's ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience, according to the group's website.
The idea of creating a museum happened on the streets of L.A.'s Little Tokyo in 1982 as business leaders and decorated World War II veterans starting talking about the idea. The museum picked up $1.75 million in seed money later that decade from California state officials and Los Angeles city leaders. The museum itself opened its doors in 1992.
Joining Takei from the genre is Lou Ferrigno, who played the title character in "The Incredible Hulk" in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside Bill Bixby. The 60-year-old actor and bodybuilder is partially deaf because of a childhood ear infection, but still would go on and win two Mr. Universe titles and play in the Canadian Football League.
His work on the Hulk didn't end with the original television series. He would reprise the role in the 1988 and 1989 television movies "The Incredible Hulk Returns" and "The Trial of the Incredible Hulk." He also would voice the Hulk in 26 episodes of the 1996 animated series and would make a cameo appearance in Ang Lee's 2003 version "Hulk."
Although he didn't actually appear in Edward Norton's 2008 "The Incredible Hulk," his voice was heard as a security guard.
Singer Debbie Gibson is joining the cast as well. Not only was she known for some popular songs in the 1980s and 1990s, but she also fought her teen rival Tiffany in Syfy's original movie "Mega Python vs. Gatoroid."
All the competitors will be separated into teams and compete against each other in weekly tasks led by Trump. A winner will be named in May, joining past Celebrity Apprentices Piers Morgan, Joan Rivers, Bret Michaels and John Rich.
The show averaged a 4.9 rating/8 share last year, according to Fast National overnight ratings from The Nielsen Co., ranking fourth on NBC and No. 42 overall.
For a full list of this year's competitors, check out our sister site Inside Blip by clicking here.
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