美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump To Retain Credit As Executive Producer Of 'Celebrity Apprentice'

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: 

When the new season of the reality TV show "Celebrity¹ Apprentice²" premieres January 2 on NBC, a familiar name will be in the credits. Donald Trump³ will be listed as executive producer. It's another conflict of interest for the president-elect, and NPR's TV critic Eric Deggans says it could be a problem for NBC, too.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE⁴: When Donald Trump first announced he was running for president back in June 2015, his statements about Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals led NBC to declare it had ended its business relationships with him. NBC sold its stakes in Trump's Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants⁵. It also replaced him as host of "The Celebrity Apprentice" reality TV show with another celebrity-turned-politician, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE NEW CELEBRITY APPRENTICE")

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: Welcome to "The New Celebrity Apprentice." I am the new boss.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Really?

DEGGANS: But it turns out, NBC isn't totally out of the Trump business. Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for the president-elect, told NPR about "The Apprentice," quote, "Mr. Trump has a big stake in the show and conceived of it with Mark Burnett." Mark Burnett is an executive producer of several reality TV hits, including the American version of "Survivor," NBC's "The Voice" and "The Apprentice," where Trump built his fame with a single catchphrase.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE APPRENTICE")

DONALD TRUMP: You're fired.

DEGGANS: Burnett is also president of MGM Television. MGM owns "The Apprentice" franchise⁶. According to The Hollywood Reporter, MGM will pay Trump whatever fees he earns as a producer and profit participant on the show. It's hard to tell how much money the president-elect will earn from "The Apprentice," because Trump hasn't disclosed it and he hasn't released his tax returns. It's also tough to tell how much he'll be involved with the production of the show. Executive producer titles can mean many things. They can designate the most powerful producer on the show or highlight a star with little day-to-day involvement. And while some have compared the issue to past presidents who earned royalties⁷ from books while in office, the primary issue here is transparency, both from NBC and the president-elect.

NBC, which declined to comment, didn't disclose Trump's remaining ties to "The Apprentice" when it announced it was severing⁸ other business deals with him. And news of Trump's status on "The Apprentice" was first reported by Variety, not NBC News, which covers the Trump administration. As President, Trump could appoint federal regulators who oversee⁹ issues involving NBC and its owner Comcast, even while he earns money from "The Apprentice." Trump has announced a news conference December 15 to discuss how he will distance himself from his businesses. Maybe then the public will learn more about his connection to NBC and "The Apprentice." I'm Eric Deggans.

1 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

2 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 pageants   

n.盛装的游行( pageant的名词复数 )；穿古代服装的游行；再现历史场景的娱乐活动；盛会

参考例句：

• It is young people who favor holding Beauty pageants. 赞成举办选美的是年轻人。 来自互联网
• Others say that there's a fine line between the pageants and sexual exploitation. 其他人说，选美和性剥削之间只有非常细微的界线。 来自互联网

6 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

7 royalties   

特许权使用费

参考例句：

• I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3，000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
• Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分

8 severing   

v.切断，断绝( sever的现在分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The death of a second parent is like severing an umbilical cord to our past. 父母当中第二个人去世，就象斩断了把我们同过去联在一起的纽带。 来自辞典例句
• The severing theory and severing method for brittle block are studied. 研究裂纹技术应用于分离脆性块体的分离理论和分离方法。 来自互联网

9 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。