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Bret Michaels is the Celebrity Apprentice wild card

By April MacIntyre May 16, 2010, 21:23 GMT

Bret Michaels lead singer of Poison performs at the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, 21 August, 2007. Rocker Bret Michaels was released from hospital on 04 May 2010 some two weeks after he was rushed to intensive care after suffering a brain hemorrhage, his doctor said. EPA/STEVE C. MITCHELL

Some very interesting things have emerged about a personality many people did not spend a whole lot of time chewing over. 

Rocker Bret Michaels, a bit of a reality TV trainwreck on VH1's "Rock of Love" entertained vapid artificial looking lesser women in a bid to be his girlfriend.  Now after his positive "Celebrity Apprentice" performance which has endeared him to a wider audience, many new fans are hoping Michaels will shoot a little higher than a skank filled bus for his next TV effort.

Michaels, 47, plans to return to live performances on May 28 -- just five weeks after surviving a near fatal brain hemorrhage, according to his official web site posted last week

He was released from the hospital two weeks ago, and he is also planning to continue his solo dates as well as kicking off a tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd on June 10 in Florida.

Donald Trump also shared at the recent TV Academy panel that his hopes were that Michaels would participate in the end of his series.  Michaels was sidelined by both the severe brain hemorrhage and an emergency appendectomy back in April.

This week will see Michaels with Oprah Winfrey in his first TV interview since being hospitalized, according to website www.bretmichaels.com.

But all eyes will be tuned in to the May 23 finale of NBC TV reality show "The Celebrity Apprentice". 

At the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood last week, NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" was celebrated for a season highlighted by building drama as show producers lauded their famous contestants, who executive producer Mark Burnett paid tribute to.

"These contestants get less rest than those on Survivor," said Burnett, on panel with Donald Trump, Sharon Osbourne, Curtis Stone, Holly Robinson Peete and producers Eden Gaha and Page Feldman.

Curtis Stone talked to Monsters and Critics and shared he had nothing but immense praise for his fellow season contestants.  "Goldberg is an great guy, he took me by surprise, sweet man, very gentle, I miss him, he was always super-complimentary about his wife, kids. Sinbad was funny. I could listen to him all night long."

"Darryl Strawberry was kind of tired, the long days... he thought this was too much like hard work, not that he's scared of hard work, and I think he saw the opportunity to duck out and he did."

And when the women ganged up on him then changed their tune, Stone laughed, "It wasn't easy, but it was a good challenge."

Holly Robinson-Peete was glad the Cyndi drama was behind her. "She's not over it yet, and the reality is that I really do like Cyndi, but I've moved on; I am in this competition for my charity and I came to win as much money as possible for families who cannot afford autism services for their children." 

Robinson-Peete also shared that her mind-set for the show was akin to prepping for an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for her eldest son who is autistic. " I came to win, my charity is my fifth child, I approach those boardrooms like an IEP, laced up and ready to go, so every time I win money that's one less family that has to chose between their rent and paying medical bills for their child."

Michaels told People magazine in an interview published last week that he felt lucky to be alive and wanted to "continue to rock the world."

Michaels' latest album "Custom Built", which includes a track with teen singer Miley Cyrus, is due for release on June 8.