The Dedicated Playlist

Music to get fired to: A dozen songs inspired by the Celebrity Apprentice seasonfinale

Gary Busey' tender performance of "True Love Ways" from his Oscar-nominated rolein "The Buddy Holly Story" is a reminder of what intrigued us in the firstplace, well before his days as Reality TV gold.
Oh, there are more well-known Meat songs than “Objects In The Rear View MirrorMay Appear Closer Than They Are” but we needed one that was a big, blubberingmess, much like the surprisingly resilient Mr. Loaf has been throughout theseason.
Donald Trump hasn't tried to sing, thank goodness
Photo by Virginia Sherwood/NBC Universal Inc.

I am of the firm belief that every event in life is made more pleasurable with the appropriate music mix. To test that theory, I came up with a list of songs that can help you enjoy the gloriously ridiculous showcase of bizarre celebrity behavior known as The Apprentice. Put this mix on right before Sunday night’s season finale of Celebrity Apprentice and destroy your remaining brain cells.

“Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy” by Big & Rich

When he trotted this song out the first week on acoustic guitar, I was a little worried that John Rich might run his most well-known contribution to the music world into the ground. Luckily, it was just a precursor to his memorable ode to Camping World, which is burrowed into my brain to this day.

“I Think I Love You” by David Cassidy

Alas, David was not long for the game, getting ousted by a Richard Hatch power play in the season opener. That was a shame, really, because he seemed to be wired so tight that some entertaining emotional breakdowns were inevitable. Speaking of emotional breakdowns…

“When It’s Over” by Sugar Ray

For Mark McGrath, the “rocker/TV host” (I would argue that both of those titles play fast and loose with the truth), it was over when he ran up against the Busey juggernaut in the boardroom. And all around the world, statues crumbled for him.

“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson

Did you know that street blocks light up for all members of the Jackson family when they are accompanied by a sinuous bass line, as Latoya proved in her exit from the show? Did you know that saying Celebrity Apprentice has no shame is as obvious as saying that turtles have no foot speed?

“Angel In The Centerfold” by J. Geils Band

This is one is for Playmate Hope Dworaczyk (thank you, Wikipedia, for that spelling), although “Who Are You” also would have worked fine as a tribute.

“Yeah!” by Usher

Be honest: How many of you figured that Lil Jon in real life was just like the portrayal of him by Dave Chappele? He has been one of the pleasant surprises of this season, both entertaining and a good player, even though he’ll probably come up just short (no pun intended) behind Rich and Marlee Matlin.

“Taxman” by The Beatles

For Richard Hatch, of course. I know. Too easy.

“Homer, Ozzie, and The Straw” from The Simpsons

This song is from the memorable Homer At The Bat episode, which, by the way, featured not only Jose Canseco but also Darryl Strawberry, both of whom were, to put it kindly, big duds in their time on Celebrity Apprentice. Does that mean we can expect to see Roger Clemens next season? Or does it mean I watch way too much TV?

“Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are” by Meat Loaf

Oh, there are more well-known Meat songs, but we needed one that was a big, blubbering mess, much like the surprisingly resilient Mr. Loaf has been throughout the season. That’s why I chose this Bat Out Of Hell II power ballad craptacular, which, as you can tell by the title, is a typically subtle Jim Steinman composition.

“(How To Be A) Millionaire” by ABC

I’d like to think that Trump played this for his 8-year-old son in 1985 to inspire him. “Listen to what he’s saying, Don Jr., and don’t ever forget it. And , by the way, this Martin Fry fellow, he’s going to be huuuuuge.”

“Walk On By” by Dionne Warwick

After seeing her prickly demeanor this season, it doesn’t take a Psychic Friend to see that I’d be walking on by Miss Dionne if I passed her on the street for fear of being berated.

“True Love Ways” by Gary Busey

Do you remember a time when Busey was more than just a punch line? This tender performance from his Oscar-nominated role in The Buddy Holly Story is a reminder of what intrigued us in the first place, well before his days as Reality TV gold.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep welcomes spooky season with PG-scary new movie

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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