Tycoons in Reality TV Turf War
It's Donald Trump vs. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, squaring off in a heated war of words -- and the center of the ruckus is reality TV.
Cuban is about to launch his own get-rich ABC reality show, called "The Benefactor," where the billionaire will fork over a million bucks to a wanna-be mogul. But Trump says, "I hope he does better with his TV show than his team did in the playoffs. He’ll never be able to top ‘The Apprentice.’"
Trump has since accused his competition of being an "Apprentice" copycat, and Cuban is going ballistic -- firing back via his Web site, where he says, "If I wanted to do a show like yours, I would have met with (creator) Mark Burnett."
Trump isn't talking, but "Apprentice" finalist Nick is, saying, "Trump is an icon in business."
But Cuban's not just targeting Trump's show, he’s also getting personal, attacking Trump’s slick style, saying: "I don't have an entourage, I have friends. You talk about how much you are getting paid per episode, I talk about the fact that I'm not. You need to make more, I have enough."
And the differences don’t stop there. While Trump made his money through real estate, Cuban made billions on the Internet. Trump loves to be seen sporting designer suits, Cuban's a jeans and T-shirt type of mogul.
But while the pair certainly has their differences, they can agree on talent. Within moments of "The Apprentice" finale, Cuban was standing by with a job offer for "Apprentice" runner-up Kwame Jackson.
Today, as the controversy heated up, Cuban began backing down from his anti-Trump stance, offering Trump a truce, and asking if the two can break bread together at a fast food joint.
And the always respectable Trump added, "He’s a really nice guy and I hope he does well."
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