TVNZ's Trump card

(Back) Merilu Henner, Piers Morgan, Nelly Galan, Trace Adkins, Gene Simmons, Carol Alt, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump, Jr, Jennie Finch, Lennox Lewis, Tito Ortiz, Vinnie Pastore, (bottom) Omorosa, Stephen Baldwin, Donald Trump, Tiffany Fallon, Nadia Comeneci

In news likely to have more viewers returning to their favourite illegal BitTorrent sites, the bigwigs of TVNZ are still deciding when they will screen Donald Trump's much-trumpeted Celebrity Apprentice.

His all-sorts cast of 16 variably famous faces will debut in the US on January 3 after being officially introduced this week.

The oddest part of the ceremony is that the players had been known to the American media for almost a month. It perhaps indicates the sway Trump now holds - or an unusual outbreak of co-conspiracy between rival media - but it's been one of the best kept secrets in the US.

The Donald reckons he had 125 celebs busting for a crack at his boardroom and claims to have personally whittled them down to a tight-14, based on their business experience and acumen.