Is Clinton talking TV again?

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By MICHAEL STARR

January 3, 2003 -- DOES Barbara Walters know something about Bill Clinton's TV future that we don't?

Walters - in a nudge-nudge, wink-wink kind of way on yesterday's "The View" - added fuel to persistent rumors that the ex-president will, eventually, host a TV talk show .

"Do you think that this year Bill Clinton will get a television show?" Walters asked her "View" co-hosts in a roundtable discussion of 2003 predictions.

"No, Bill is not going to do a television show," answered Star Jones.

"Ahhh . . . don't be so sure," Walters responded.

"You know something," said Meredith Vieira.

"I don't know anything," Walters said. "I only know how to swim with the dolphins," she said, referring to an earlier video clip showing her on vacation swimming with dolphins.

Since leaving office, Clinton has reportedly spoken with NBC and CBS' syndication arm, King World, about hosting a talk show in one form or another. The salary that's been reported ranges as high as a staggering $50 million a year.

Clinton, however, told CNN's Larry King last September that he wasn't interested in a daily TV gig - at least not now.

"I think, you know, [doing a TV show] you have to be here every day. And there's - a lot of the work I do requires me to travel . . . and I really believe I should always spend more than half my time on public service," Clinton said.

"So I just don't see how I can do it."

Conversely, Clinton didn't completely slam the door shut on the idea of hosting a talk show - one day.

"I'm interested in a lot of different things and I like to discuss things," he told King.

"One of the reasons I like what you [King] do is you have all different kinds of people on and you give them a chance to have their say and have honest discussions."

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2003


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