He's back!!! Yes, the ex president you love to hate! Mr. Bill Clinton!!
And just when you conservative types thought it was safe to turn on the tube. You best be keeping with FOX where you can catch Ally McBeal reruns in between the news, and stay away from NBC 'cause that's where the evil Clinton is thinking of landing!!
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Bill Clinton: "The Next Oprah"?
by Mark Armstrong
May 2, 2002, 10:00 AM PT
Break out the saxophone, Bubba: Former President Bill Clinton is talking to TV executives about hosting his own talk show.
Despite previously brushing off talk of a new career on the tube, Clinton met Wednesday with NBC execs in Los Angeles about a possible show, the Los Angeles Times reports. The paper quotes television sources who say Clinton is serious about the idea--so serious, in fact, that he dreams "of becoming the next Oprah Winfrey."
His asking price? A whopping $50 million a year.
A Clinton spokeswoman told the Associated Press Thursday that the former president has met with several people about projects, but "President Clinton did not demand a talk show," she said. "He went to listen. The president is gratified by the range of opportunities that have been presented to him."
There's no telling just how serious Clinton is about jumping into television. The Times reports that Wednesday's talks were only preliminary (Clinton was in town for a Democratic fundraiser), and some sources expressed skepticism Clinton would commit to a full-time hosting gig once he finds out how much time is involved.
According to the paper, Clinton is not interested in a political talk show. After all, there could be too many conflict-of-interest issues involving his wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Whatever he decides, a $50 million paycheck would be enough make even Katie Couric blush. But it wouldn't be out of line with what Clinton has been making since leaving the White House.
The former president is reportedly earning $15 million a year doing speeches (at $125,000 to $300,000 a pop), and he also recently scored a $12-million book deal with Alfred A. Knopf, one of the largest in history.
A talk show would certainly be unprecedented for a former president. Maybe it was his legendary sax-playing appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show, but talk of a TV career has followed Clinton since even before he left office.
Thursday's Times report follows recent rumors that CBS was also courting Clinton, possibly even for a role on The Early Show. But network honcho Les Moonves quickly dismissed the talk. "Why would he do it?" Moonves said.
If this all sounds eerily familiar, it should. Back in December 2000, the Drudge Report spawned a media frenzy when it claimed Clinton pals and former Designing Women producers Harry Thomason and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason pitched a Clinton show to NBC, an interview program "in the great tradition of David Frost."
The network later claimed it was the other way around--that NBC presented the idea to Clinton.
"Neither Linda nor I have ever held a pitch meeting with NBC or anybody else about the services of the president," Harry Thomason told the Washington Post. "We're too busy concentrating on our pilot with [chef] Emeril Lagasse to worry about the president's next job."
Thursday's Times once again reports that, if a Clinton talk show does happen, the Thomasons would likely be involved in producing it.
Either way, Clinton can only hope he'll fare better than Emeril. |
