• Variety, Friday, June 1, 2007 11:30 AM

NBC has not taken "The Apprentice" out behind the barn and shot it -- yet. The network is in talks with Donald Trump and Mark Burnett even after Trump said last week he planned to walk away. But Ben Silverman, the network's new entertainment chief, has a long relationship with Burnett and within 48 hours of coming on board, he was ready to discuss the possibility of keeping the one-time hit show.

"Silverman wants some time to see if a deal could be done. He really made Donald feel comfortable and wanted, so he and Mark were happy to grant NBC an extension on the option," which expired Friday, says one insider.

As a result, NBC's option on "Apprentice" is now good until June 8, making the odds of a return a bit better.

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