Airing January 3 on NBC, Celebrity Apprentice features such stars as legendary KISS bassist and Family Jewels star Gene Simmons, actress/dancer Marilu Henner, former Olympian Nadia Comaneci, actor Stephen Baldwin, former Playboy Playmate Tiffany Fallon, former UFC champion Tito Ortiz, Sopranos actor Vincent "Big Pussy" Pastore, country star Trace Adkins, and former heavyweight boxing champ Lennox Lewis to name a few.

Just before Christmas, we had the cool fortune of doing a conference call with Donald Trump, Gene Simmons, and Marilu Henner who were more than ready to serve up the goods on what goes down on the seventh and special "Celebrity" season of The Apprentice

Donald Trump on whether there were any celebrities that were hard to get:

"Well, I would say that the ones that were on the show pretty much felt very comfortable in their own skin. They wanted to be there. I think we can say that about Gene and about Marilu. You know, they understand themselves. They’ve got confidence in themselves. And generally speaking, I would say no, most people wanted to be on the show. We didn’t have to do a hard sell on most people."

Trump on how his own celebrity has changed since the first season of The Apprentice:

Well, I think I was very well-known, but this is a level that... You know, I’ve had two - somebody asked me a question - I’ve had numerous number one 'Best Selling' books and I’ve had a show that became, in many weeks, number one and a top, top show. And they said, 'Which is more important?' Well, there was an awfully good feeling just to have the number one book on the New York Times list, right? But this is a much different level in terms of - certainly in terms of exposure and in terms of celebrity. So I would say that it has changed. I thought I was very well-known before, but now... You know, where it’s changed mostly is with young kids. I mean, 10-year-old kids now come up and they say, 'You’re fired! You’re fired.' And those were not my generation. These are not children that probably would have known who Donald Trump is, but they all know now. So certainly in that group, I’m much better known... it is interesting because over the years people have said you’re a much nicer person than we thought and yet all I do is fire people. So I fire people and so I said basically that’s not very much of an indication of how nice a guy I was before. I mean, it wasn’t very good. But, you know, I fire people and think I’m a much nicer person. So you have to explain that one. I can’t."

Gene Simmons on what he admires about Donald Trump from a business standpoint:

"I like that he changed his own business model, respectfully, and this is from the peanut gallery on the outside. Being in the real, real estate business of getting banks and having them hound you and actually going in there, the idea that Donald has become his own brand - his name and likeness are even bigger than his business. So it’s gotten to the point where Donald Trump is the Good Housekeeping seal of good business, which is to say that if I want to do real estate or almost any other venture, you stick the name Donald Trump on there and he appears once, and you’ve got a business that’s going to go sky high. That is a real accomplishment."

Simmons on what he learned about Donald Trump from the show:

"Well, you know, the people who have a problem with Donald Trump and the 'You’re Fired' routine aren’t pragmatic. You know, they think you’re supposed to say nice things in life and that nobody can be fired. The truth is that in life, if people don’t like what you do or you don’t make sense, it’s nothing personal. It’s business. So last time I checked, this is business and how you feel about it personally is beside the point. So my suggestion for everybody watching this show, put on your thick skin because - buckle up. It’s going to be a rough ride."

Marilu Henner and Gene Simmons on whether fans will view them differently after being on The Apprentice:

MARILU HENNER: I think if you’re comfortable with yourself you know you’re representing yourself. Now what ends up on the cutting room floor, I don’t know. I mean, I haven’t seen the show yet so I have no idea. But if you’re in there to play the game the way - and represent yourself - and I think Gene and I probably had some advantages over some of the other people because we’re both used to being on camera. So we didn’t have a different personality if the camera was on or not, you know...

Donald Trump, Gene Simmons, and Marilu Henner Talk Celebrity Apprentice Page 2