President-elect Donald Trump has denied that he will work on the new series of Celebrity Apprentice after taking office.
It had been reported that Donald Trump would continue to be an executive producer of the reality show he helped create.
Donald Trump tweeted on December 10 that he would “devote zero time” to the new series, which will be hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
However, the president-elect did reaffirm that he has a “big stake” in the show.
Donald Trump fronted Celebrity Apprentice, which is owned by MGM and aired by NBC, until 2015, when his political career took over.
There have been concerns about a conflict of interest because of The Apprentice‘s advertising deals and because NBC also runs various news productions.
Donald Trump tweeted, referring to the Apprentice‘s creator, TV producer Mark Burnett: “I have NOTHING to do with The Apprentice except for fact that I conceived it with Mark B & have a big stake in it. Will devote ZERO TIME!”
Image source NBC
He described the reports that he would be working on the show during his presidency as “fake news”.
Donald Trump will be sworn in as the United States president on January 20, 18 days after the new series begins.
Variety magazine, which first reported the story, had claimed Donald Trump would be paid at least “in the low five-figures” per episode. MGM declined to comment on the financial arrangements.
Some observers have questioned whether the connection could affect the reporting on Donald Trump by NBC’s news division.
In June 2015, NBC said it had ended its business relationship with Donald Trump because of “derogatory statements” he made about immigrants during his presidential campaign.
However, The Apprentice new series was recorded in February, before NBC severed its ties with Donald Trump and before his election.
His supporters have defended him, comparing his Apprentice credit to royalties received by President Barack Obama from his books.
Donald Trump is due to hold a news conference next week outlining how he plans to leave his business “in total in order to fully focus on running the country”.
The new series of Celebrity Apprentice features stars including Boy George, Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi.
Lead singer of 1980s pop band Visage Steve Strange has died at age of 55 following a heart attack, his record label has announced.
Steve Strange, best known for the hit Fade To Grey, died in hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Ex-Visage bandmates Midge Ure and Rusty Egan said they were “devastated” to hear of his “untimely passing”, adding: “Steve was a major face of the 80s.”
Boy George tweeted he was “heartbroken” about the death of Steve Strange, saying he was “such a big part of my life”.
Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon tweeted that Steve Strange was “the leading edge of New Romantic. God Bless him”.
Fellow 1980s pop star Billy Idol tweeted: “Very sad to hear of my friend Steve Strange passing, RIP mate.”
Steve Strange’s agent, Pete Bassett, said he would be remembered as “a hard-working, very amusing and lovable individual who always was at the forefront of fashion trends”.
“Up until last year he was putting together a book of fashion styles based on the New Romantic movement and it comes as a great shock.
“We understood that he had certain health problems but nothing we knew was life threatening.
“His friends and family are totally shocked, we had no idea anything like this was likely to happen.”
Steve Strange had suffered ill-health, including in December last year when he was admitted to Princess of Wales Hospital, in Bridgend, with a bronchial infection and an intestinal blockage.
Born Steven Harrington, in Newbridge, the UK, Steve Strange got involved in music after seeing the Sex Pistols in concert in 1976.
He went to London aged 15 to work for Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McClaren before co-founding the Blitz Club in Soho, central London, which would become a focal point for the New Romantic movement.
Bands including Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Culture Club all got their start at the club before finding stardom.
Visage formed in 1979 and their breakthrough single, Fade To Grey, peaked at number eight in the UK in 1981.
It reached number one in both Germany and Switzerland, and was the first of five UK top 40 hits for the band, which also numbered Midge Ure and Rusty Egan among its members.
He also starred in the video of his good friend David Bowie’s number one single Ashes to Ashes in 1980. At the time, the futuristic mini-film was hailed as the most expensive pop music video in history.
Steve Strange – who admitted he faced drug addiction problems in the years that followed his early success – recorded a new Visage album, called Hearts and Knives, in May 2013, with the band boasting a new line-up. Visage also recorded a new classical interpretation of Fade To Grey last year.
Boy George showed off a black eye caused during an altercation at a night club on Saturday evening.
The former Culture Club frontman – now a successful DJ – was injured as he left the Amadeus nightclub in Northallerton, North Yorkshire on Saturday evening.
Boy George, 50, real name George O’Dowd, was leaving the venue when there was an altercation with a female club-goer.
A spokesman for Boy George claimed: “George was leaving the club when, the club management have said, a drunken and aggressive woman lunged for his hat – and in doing so hit him in the eye.”
The spokesman claimed that as a result of her actions, the woman was asked to leave the club.
Boy George was injured as he left the Amadeus nightclub in Northallerton, North Yorkshire on Saturday evening
Boy George posted the photograph on micro-blogging site Twitter, adding: “Looking pretty after being assaulted on Saturday night! Nice!”
The star added: “Poor Christine having to make up only one eye after an incident in a club….I have one big bruised eye! Sweet.”
Boy George, though, is not pressing charges against the woman.
The singer first rose to fame as the cross-dressing frontman of Culture Club.
They were one of the most successful stars of the1980s with chart-topping singles including Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? and Karma Chameleon, which was the biggest selling UK single of 1983.
However, the band fractured as Boy George’s infamous heroin addiction worsened. In 1986, he was even arrested for heroin possession.
Boy George subsequently rebuilt his career as a DJ but has intermittently come to the attention of police.
The singer was sentenced to five days community service in New York for falsely reporting a burglary in 2006.
In 2009, Boy George then served four months in prison in the UK after he was convicted of false imprisonment.
A reunion album with Culture Club has also been mooted for later this year.
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