LPWire: Trump Said She Was Fired, but Danza Said 'You're Hired'

Trump Said She Was Fired, but Danza Said 'You're Hired'
New York Native and 'The Apprentice' Star Ereka Vetrini Named Sidekick on 'The Tony Danza Show'

Ereka Vetrini, a native New Yorker who came to be known as one of the toughest competitors in season one of the hit series "The Apprentice," has been tapped as show announcer and sidekick on "The Tony Danza Show," scheduled to premiere live on September 13th. The announcement was made today by John Redmann, executive producer, "The Tony Danza Show."

As Tony's sidekick, Vetrini will introduce the show each day, discussing news of the moment and hot trends with Danza at the top of the show. In addition, she will also act as a show correspondent, covering red carpet events including premieres and awards shows for "The Tony Danza Show."

Vetrini, who graduated with honors from Boston College, ruffled some feathers during "The Apprentice" after a run-in with the always controversial Omarosa. The 28-year-old has worked in Hong Kong, Australia, Greece and Spain as an Internal Operations Consultant for cosmetics giant Estee Lauder. Most recently, Vetrini worked as a Global Promotional Marketing Manager for Clinique where she managed all promotional programs worldwide.

"I was looking for someone whose name ended in a vowel, and I think I found her. Ereka's great, and I'm so happy she's aboard," commented Danza.

"I couldn't be more thrilled about the opportunity to work with one of the most popular television personalities of all time," Vetrini said. "I learned everything about business from working in my parent's pizzeria; the two best business people I know ... and now I'll be able to learn everything there is to know about television from a man whose career has stood the test of time."

Commenting on the addition of Vetrini to the daily talk show, Redmann said: "Ereka adds an enthusiastic, intelligent and fun female voice to the show. She has tremendous conversational chemistry with Tony and isn't shy about her opinions. She may not have been hired by Donald Trump -- but we've found the best person for the job."

"The Tony Danza Show" is produced by Riverward Productions, Inc. and distributed by Buena Vista Television.

--Posted August 5, 2004
Source: Buena Vista Television