The TV was on in the lunch room just now and they were saying that Bill Clinton was talking to one of the networks about hosting a talk show. For $50 million a year.
Would you watch?
Would he be worth $50 mil/yr?
How much do Oprah, Rosie, Ricci Lake make anyway?
At least if anybody tried to throw a chair, they’d get wrestled to the floor by 20 secret service agents. That might be fun to watch.
I’d watch if I didn’t have anything else to do at the time. Whether you liked him or not, he’s a smart, articulate guy. I think it could be interesting.
“They” were probably CNN. The lunch-hour show (well, it comes on during the lunch hour on the West Coast) is CNN’s “Talkback Live”, and they were discussing this topic.
IIRC, they said on the show that Oprah makes $125 million a year. Don’t know if they mentioned what Rosie, Rikki Lake, and others make, but it probably isn’t as much as Oprah.
Even though I’m not the biggest Clinton fan in the world, I’d rather not see him do it…it just seems beneath a former president to do this kind of thing. However, if he did a Charlie Rose style show that focused primarily on politics and world events, I think it could be worth it.
So much for trying to rebuild his reputation by going the John Quincy Adams route or following in the footsteps of Jimmy Carter by becoming a mediator in world affairs.
Nooo. He’d rather host a talk show for a while and hook up with the hoochies who can’t get on Ricki Lake’s show.
Is he worth the money? I don’t think so, but let’s see if his publishers gets their money’s worth out of the books he’s supposed to write.
I agree this seems beneath the office, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be beneath the man.
It seems that some people can barely stand the fact that Clinton’s still alive, let alone thinking about taking a high-paying job that would put him back in the eye of the public that still, despite all the efforts to slander and demonize him, loves him.
What the hell is he doing up in Harlem? Does anyone really take him seriously as an “elder statesman?”
I see entertainment as a natural for him personally, and as a logical development of the trend of politics/policy/government as entertainment. The line between entertainment, news, and politics has become increasingly blurred.
Whatever the man’s shortcomings, I think anyone would have to admit he was tremendously skilled in certain areas. And I can imagine hosting a talk show might be the best way to use those abilities.
I envision a cross between The Tonight Show, and Tom Snyder’s old Tomorrow show, with maybe a little Dick Cavett and Meet the Press thrown in. A mix of issues and entertainment.
NBC is the network.
No, I wouldn’t watch.
But I understand why these talks are going on. NBC is getting buzz. Clinton needs to be in the spotlight and the Statesman job just isn’t very glamorous for him. And I do think some people would watch at least once. It’s easier to launch a show with a known personality. . . and there would be promotion for this show in every corner of the media. That being said. . .
I just don’t think Clinton is a tv kind of a guy. He is amazingly charismatic in person, but I think he just comes across as a pudgy, pink-faced bozo on the tube. (And Watch Out, female production assistants!) Remember, Jerry Springer was once the mayor of Cincinnati!
