NBC SAYS " YOU'RE HIRED" FOR SECOND SEASON PICK UP OF 'THE CELEBRITY
APPRENTICE' AND ANNOUNCES LIVE TWO-HOUR FINALE OF SEASON ONE ON MARCH
27TH AT 9:00 PM-11:00 PM ET

NBC will present the exciting conclusion of the premiere season
of "The Celebrity Apprentice" with a live season finale originating
from New York City on Thursday, March 27th at 9-10 PM ET. As the
outrageous season reaches its climactic and surprise conclusion,
where one celebrity will be named the first celebrity apprentice, NBC
and Donald Trump will bring the show back to 'The Big Apple' for a
second season with another all-star celebrity lineup of candidates.
The announcement was made today by Craig Plestis, Executive Vice
President, Alternative Programming, Development and Specials, NBC
Entertainment.

The second season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" will premiere in
January of 2009.

In making the announcement, Plestis said, "This revved up installment
of "The Apprentice" has been a game changer for the series. As the
rest of this season unfolds, you just keep watching, these episodes
have been more thrilling than any season before. There were times
when I was screaming at the TV set, literally, and the live finale
will leave you on the edge of your seat. He added. "We are blown away
by the casts drive, energy, and passion to not only play the game but
also to raise a lot of money and awareness for important causes.
There's no other show like it to prove your business brain and we are
already getting calls from high-profile celebrities who want to
challenge themselves in Season 2."

"Everywhere I go, people come up to me and ask about 'Celebrity
Apprentice.' Viewers are clearly connecting, but beyond the terrific
ratings, it's really the charities who are winning the most. Our
celebrities have raised over a million dollars to date. We are so
glad NBC has decided to continue this franchise." Said Mark Burnett,
executive producer of 'The Celebrity Apprentice.'

"We are so grateful for the ongoing support of NBC and Mark Burnett
Productions, and we truly appreciate Gene Simmons' choice to compete
on our behalf," said Pamela W. Barnes, president and chief executive
officer of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. "Through
its emphasis on charitable work and giving back, Celebrity Apprentice
has done a great service -- and in doing so, helped children and
families around the world. We sincerely thank you."

"Millions of viewers have spoken and made 'Celebrity Apprentice' the
#1 show on Thursday nights so far this year. Ben Silverman and his
team have done a tremendous job and Mark Burnett and I are thrilled
to begin an eighth season of this amazingly successful franchise."
Said Donald J. Trump, executive producer of ' The Celebrity
Apprentice.'

"We are so grateful to Mr. Trump for his ongoing commitment in the
fight against breast cancer." Said Carol Baldwin, for the Carol M.
Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund of CNY, Inc.

"The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research is thrilled
to be one of the beneficiaries of NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice."
Not only is the show a unique twist to the great concept of the
original "The Apprentice" but it is a real tribute to the show that
so many charities have benefited significantly with hundreds of
thousands of dollars already donated to worthy causes. We thank
Vincent Pastore for playing on our behalf, the $50,000 we received
will support life saving research for pancreatic cancer."Said Kerri
Kaplan, Executive Director, The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic
Cancer Research.

"We are grateful to Tito Ortiz for designating St. Jude Children's
Research Hospital as his charity of choice as part of `The Celebrity
Apprentice,'" said John P. Moses, chief executive officer of ALSAC,
the fundraising organization of St. Jude. "We depend upon the
generosity of people across this nation who, like Tito, embrace the
dream of our founder Danny Thomas -- that no child should die in the
dawn of life."

The live finale - which will be filmed in front of live studio
audience where the final axe will fall - will offer highlights from
the series penultimate show where the final two contestants held a
celebrity charity auction and managed all aspects of a live concert
for a Multi-Platinum, Grammy nominated American Pop Group with each
celebrity responsible for different aspects of the event. The
finalists, assisted by some former Celebrity Apprentice alumni, race
to organize the event, and one calls in a huge favor from a powerful
friend, while the other finds nothing but dead ends. In addition to
Donald Trump's announcement of the total monies raised for charity,
the live event will lead to his first-ever "hiring" of a 'Celebrity
Apprentice.'

"The Celebrity Apprentice" is television's #1 Thursday series in
adults 18-49 for the first quarter to date, averaging a 3.9 rating,
10 share in adults 18-49 and 9.3 million viewers overall. "The
Celebrity Apprentice" is up substantially versus the prior series in
the "Apprentice" franchise, "The Apprentice 6," with gains of 15
percent in adults 18-49 (with a 3.9 ratings vs. a 3.4) and 13 percent
in total viewers (9.3 million vs. 8.2 million).

The next installment of the show will once again bring business-savvy
celebrity contestants together working towards a greater goal -- all
celebrities will be competing in business driven tasks around New
York City, using their fame along with their proven business acumen,
and perhaps, their wealthy and high profile connections for an assist
in winning challenges, while ultimately raising money and awareness
for their respective causes. Just as in the regular "Apprentice," the
celebrities will be subjected to long hours, grueling mental
challenges, personality clashes, and intense scrutiny -- all without
the help of their regular "safety net" of agents, managers, and
personal assistants.

Certain tasks encourage the contestants to reach out to their network
of celebrity contacts for assistance or donations -- making for
entertaining surprise visits by some of the world's biggest stars
along the way.

This current season has seen CNBC's Jim Cramer, Vince McMahon, Mayor
Michael Bloomberg, Alec Baldwin, and David Hyde Pierce dropping by to
lend a hand or wield an axe with many more to come as the competition
grows more fierce each week.

"The Apprentice" is produced by Mark Burnett Productions in
association with Trump Productions LLC. Mark Burnett, Donald Trump
are executive producers, Eden Gaha and Page Feldman are co- executive
producers.

Source: NBC Press Release