Report: Clinton Discussing Own TV Talk Show
May 2, 2002
LOS ANGELES - Former President Bill Clinton has met with NBC executives in Los Angeles to discuss hosting his own talk show, according to several television sources, The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday.
Although the talks are only preliminary, one source said Clinton's interest was serious and said he was demanding a fee of $50 million a year and had aspirations ``of becoming the next Oprah Winfrey,'' the paper said.
NBC officials would not comment on Wednesday, and Clinton's office in New York did not respond to an inquiry about the prospective talk show.
Television industry sources say chances are slim that Clinton would commit to such a plan once he understands the demands of the job, the Times said. The 55-year-old former president has told some Hollywood executives who have asked about a potential TV career that the rumors are untrue.
Television executives doubted that Clinton would sign up for a demanding regimen of daily tapings for 39 weeks that such a show would require.
There is no precedent for such a TV deal with a former president, the paper said, although Richard Nixon stirred controversy in 1975 when talk show host David Frost paid him $600,000 for a series of interviews.
The Times said there was also speculation in TV circles this week that Clinton was meeting with CBS. But Leslie Moonves, chief executive of CBS Television, said his company has had no meeting with the former president and called the idea of a Clinton talk show ridiculous.
Clinton has been making a handsome living since leaving the White House from speeches that pay $125,000 to $300,000 apiece. That is on top of his $12 million book deal.
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I feel a real need to start this thread so's we
can help Bill come up with some great guests.
Bill will desperately need folks that will make him look good.
My 1st guess is .......
Vince Fosters ghost..NO..we will need Whoopi Goldberg for that and she will be a guest later no doubt.
Bernie Ward ..nah way to fat.
George Stephanopoulos..nah contact problem (stuffy)
James Carville..maybe but does a bag over ones head to cover up the sock in his mouth make good T.V.....nah
I've got a couple good guesses left.
It will not be Hillary(but she will invade the set daily)
It will not be Rush Limbaugh or Paula Jones or
Jennifer Flowers or Marc Rich or Monica Lewinsky
or Al Gore or Ken Starr or Lanny Davis or Susan McDougal or the many hundreds of McDonalds employees he's played Uncle with.
Ya know,this list of guests would make Bill look good but it's not happening.
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My real guess for his first guest is Larry King.
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and Larry will be wearing a jacket.
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Oh and he only wants 50 Million per year.
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**http://arkansasbusiness.com/default.asp |
