Photos: Vince Neil presents $770,000 to Keep Memory Alive from ‘Apprentice’ winnings
Hometown rocker Vince Neil proved a hero to our Keep Memory Alive charity Monday night when he donated $770,000 of his “The New Celebrity Apprentice” winnings for research and caregivers support at The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
On the NBC episode “Candy for a Billionaire,” Vince was selected as project manager for his team and put in charge of two tasks. The first was to create a chocolate confectionary for billionaire See’s Candies owner Warren Buffett and the second to raise more money for charity than the opposition. Vince won on both counts.
Vince is appearing on the reality-TV competition with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the boardroom boss. The ex-Motley Crue frontman is playing to raise funds in memory of his friend, “Iron Chef” Kerry Simon, who died from Multiple System Atrophy. Kerry was being treated for the awful and rare degenerative neurologic condition at The Lou Ruvo Center.
Vince, with the help of Dollar Loan Center owner Charles Brennan of Las Vegas who chipped in the first $100,000, hit his iPhone contacts for donations while MMA pal Chael Sonnen supervised other team players at the chocolate factory. Vince chose brittle to be presented. It defeated Jon Lovitz’s raspberry chocolate concoction, and Vince won another $25,000.
Meantime, he reached $350,000 in donations, including one he cajoled from me. If he ever gives up rock ’n’ roll, he would be a top-notch fundraiser. His final tally beat the rival team by more than $15,000.
Vince told me he offered to split the fundraiser amounts equally with rival project manager ESPN sports anchor and NFL legend Ricky Williams. But “The Terminator” was instructed by network and production officials that it would be against the rules, and Vince was awarded both amounts for KMA.
“Now that’s a chunk of change,” Vince told me as he turned over the money to Drs. Hua, Miller and Coldwell representing the new MSA research program inspired by Kerry. At the screening party at Vince’s Tatuado at Circus Circus, Vince was told by KMA leaders that his donation was the largest one of its kind in the organization’s 20-year history.
Vince told them in reply that his win was the third-largest ever on “The Apprentice.” “I’m almost in tears,” Vince told me. “It was very moving to talk with the doctors about the work they are doing and why they need the funds. I lost my friend Kerry to a horrible brain disorder, and now the mother of another great friend is dealing with dementia.
“So for me it was a privilege to raise this money and donate it. I’m just glad to know it will greatly help the research and the caregivers.” KMA Chairman Larry Ruvo called in from his Reno offices with thanks and congratulations.
Jon, who has started a monthly run of shows with fellow “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Dana Carvey at The Foundry at SLS Las Vegas, was “terminated” and ordered “to the chopper” for his helicopter ride from the series. Next Monday Vince faces Arnold’s wrath when he hires sexy Las Vegas dancers to promote a new bacon product with a skyscraper rooftop stunt.
The first hour of the telecast showing Vince’s successful chocolate war featured the contestants dueling over a Kawasaki advertising campaign, with Carson Kressley up against Kyle Richards as rival project managers.
Carson produced an Every Body Rides Kawasaki campaign showing him nude on a bike, and he hired a drag queen for product photographs. Kyle was sent to the chopper for not taking any risks with her vision.
Now in Week 3, the ladies have lost three of the four challenges, so Arnold decided that the teams had to be shuffled. The remaining contestants are Vince, Carson, Chael, Ricky, Boy George, Matt Iseman, Laila Ali, Brook Burke-Charvet, Lisa Leslie and Porsha Williams.
Vince summed up: “This was a long, tough shoot for television. More work than I’ve ever done in my life, from 5 a.m. sometimes till midnight seven days a week. But to win all that money and be able to give it to a Las Vegas charity in my own hometown made it very special.
“I’m just so grateful to all my friends who came through when I asked and chipped in to give us this win. I’m just thrilled that it is going to do so much good for the marvelous medical team at the clinic.”
