Plain-spoken 'Apprentice' star Trace Adkins hits the Shore

BY PHIL ROURA

Sunday, January 20th 2008, 4:00 AM

He's been in bar brawls and catfights, nearly severed a finger during an oil rig accident, broke a zillion bones in two auto accidents and been shot through both lungs and his heart by his second wife.

But redneck country singer Trace Adkins says he has never encountered anybody quite as scary as Omarosa, one of his opponents on Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice."

"She's a pit bull on a chain," says the country superstar in a drawl deeper than Death Valley. "If you decide to approach her with a sharp stick and start poking her, she'll just take the lower part of your leg off. There's nobody meaner than Omarosa."

But only when provoked, says Adkins about - arguably - the most hated woman on the hit NBC-TV reality show. "When her fangs and claws come out, it's usually in response to something. I respect her in some weird kind of way."

With the taping completed, Adkins, who turned 46 last Sunday, is back on tour. Ironically, he's still working for Trump. Saturday he plays the Taj Mahal in support of his latest CD, "American Man: Greatest Hits Volume II," which features a gorgeous new ballad, "You're Gonna Miss This."

He's also a new author. "A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions From a Freethinking Roughneck" (Villard, $23.95) chronicles his thoughts on everything from wanting to reduce radical fundamentalists to cinders to raising money for the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

"That's a program that tries to help the 3 million school-age children in the United States who have severe food allergies," says Adkins, his voice suddenly filled with passion. "That's the reason I agreed to come on 'Celebrity Apprentice.' I'm not a reality TV guy. I don't watch 'em."

When a friend explained that here was a way to raise awareness, "I finally agreed. My 6-year-old daughter, Brianna [from his current, third marriage], suffers severe allergies. If I could help her and the other kids across the country, that's what I wanted to do."

What he found, however, was that people were more interested in celebrity than charity work, he says.

"I went in with a charitable mind-set. That was a misconception," says Adkins. "That's not how it was. It was just a regular ol' 'Apprentice' show with everyone trying to slash each other's throats."

Still, he had his favorite. "I love [Kiss frontman] Gene Simmons. He is absolutely very intelligent."

And The Donald "is what he is, man. He runs all that stuff in the boardroom flying by the seat of his pants. He is totally in charge, in command. That's how the dude is. I dig his style."

TRACE ELEMENTS

On being shot in 1994: "My wife [Julie] got home from work ... and when she smelled beer on me, she exploded. I went to the bathroom. When I came out and walked into the kitchen ... [she] was pointing a .38 pistol at me." They struggled. The pistol went off. "The bullet went through my left lung, through my heart, through my right lung, and out the other side." It took 18 months and several operations to recover. But he refused to press charges, insisting the gun went off accidentally.

On 9/11: "Had I been President in September 2001 ... I would have demanded a conference call with every Arab leader ... [and told them] we have the firepower to end this, and we're willing to use it. ... I'm warning you folks right now, I'm willing to end it all. I will incinerate this rock starting with Afghanistan, and I mean it."

On the press: "I do believe ... a large majority of people in the media have a liberal bias."

On political parties: "I've always voted Republican, but I'm fed up with the Republican Party. ... If there were a viable third party, I'd seriously consider joining it."

On conversations: "Don't say nothin' you can't take back."

proura@nydailynews.com