This week's Apprentice featured a bitter boardroom, a plural firing and some acting skills than made A.J. Soprano wince.

The Apprentice posed an interesting query to its viewing audience. Is it possible for a season premiere and a season finale to be held in the same month? I once would have thought that impossible. Now I’m not so sure. I’m guessing the Donald is not paid by the episode on these things, because he’s banging them out like leggy wives. He fired eight people in three episodes this year. On that pace, it’s mathematically possible to produce a full season every six weeks.

Next season is scheduled to run from mid-February to late February. He’s going head-to-head with the Laguna alumni in sunny Southern California. I hate to use the word “desperate” since it’s my network but something smells fishy. The Donald is New York. Would he really spend a couple months with the Governator for a few measly rating points? Next you’ll tell me they’re stooping to 3D glasses. (Oops, scratch that.)

We’re down to the final four and it’s got some depth especially after last year’s effort. It’s not quite the Kwame-Rancic package, but it's close. Not counting radio station numbers, Randal has been strong all season. Rebecca has been impressive by pulling a Daniel LaRussa and overcoming a bum ankle to persevere. (Yes, I know, I can’t possibly get through this without saying farewell. Goodbye Mr. Miyagi. Go to the light, my friend, where the chopsticks are huge, the flies are slow and the Saki is free. I just have no more tears left to cry.)

The task this week is to produce a 60 second promo for a new Microsoft product called Live Meeting. The Donald provides an immediate adlib, “I use a lot of Microsoft and it works so I’m very happy.” After this week of hell, I’m going to call that adlib questionable at best. I spent a couple hours with our IT guy to retrieve a priceless amount of photographs that my wife didn’t back up (“What d’ya mean back up?”) off a blue screened machine. Apparently, the registry was “corrupt”, said the nice IT man.

“No! Not my registry. I don’t believe it. There were never any signs. It wasn’t out late or ditching school or hanging out with other registries that couldn’t make eye contact. What can we do to make it more law-abiding? Can we send it to a halfway house? Maybe some rehab? I’ll send the thing to military school if I have to, some tough love is just what that registry needs. We need those pictures by God.” So for me, at this point in my life, “it works” aren’t the first two words that come to mind.

The dream team of Randal and Rebecca decide to tell a story about a failed meeting attempt due to large files and delayed flights. Alla and Felisha give a similar effort about alleviating frustration over a busted taxi cab transaction, I think.

Randal is able to secure some acting “talent” for the commercial and I literally laughed out loud when I just typed that word. The actor was clearly due back at Chili’s for his second shift because he mailed it in. He couldn’t even handle a role as Leper #4 in a sixth grade production of ‘Godspell’ much less this. Rebecca’s direction was priceless. It basically translated to, “OK, that was good, but, ummm, why don’t you try and switch it up this time and, you know, act.”

Randal and Rebecca pinch hit and did the acting themselves and it got downright uproarious. Randal wasn’t convincing but he was loud by Gosh, he was really, really loud. First time all season, I’ve had to pause to take a second to collect myself. When Randal presented the video to Carolyn, he admonished Leper#4 as being “sub-par” and again, I needed a pause.

Her advice was helpful and encouraging, “How long did that take you?” which Rebecca took as, “How long did it take to slop that together?” Randal disagreed and was still gushing over his performance as “Guy who can’t download a file with severe hearing disability.”

Alla and Felisha had some trouble with their taxi debacle footage so they went with the old reliable strobe-like display of indecipherable information. Honestly, I’m not quite sure what I saw. I felt like I was watching the Japanese version of Pokemon. That thing was about as wholesome as my unscrupulous registry. I wish I could say more but I went into convulsions and blacked out.

When my wife revived me, Alla and Felisha were in the boardroom. Alla was beating Felisha unmercifully and Felisha was crying. It was a spunky boardroom as both took their lumps. When Felisha got the boot, Alla literally jumped out of her seat like a team trying to run a play before the other team has time to challenge. Always kills me. The Donald threw the red flag and told Alla to sit back down. "You’re fired."