Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe BILL CLINTON ... TALK SHOW HOST? The rumors have been circulating for some time that former President Bill Clinton was about to re-emerge as a TV talk show host. Now, the Los Angeles Times says Clinton is in negotiations with no less than NBC to get his own nationally distributed show. Advertisement There are additional indications that the former president does not want the tone of his show to be political, feeling that he might overstep his bounds were he to get into areas that would cause problems for the current GOP administration, particularly at a time when national unity is important. If the show gets off the ground and it becomes popular, it could be a lucrative venture for Clinton. Just look at what happened to Oprah's bank account. BIG DRUG MAKER BUILDING NEW ENGLAND PLANT People around Cambridge, Mass., are about to see some new construction. The Novartis AG company, one of Europe's largest pharmaceutical companies, says it's building a new, state-of-the-art center in that city. Advertisement Novartis AG says it will spend about a quarter-billion dollars in putting the research facility together. Eventually more than 900 people will work in the labs in the new complex. Meanwhile, The Boston Globe says a medical rival, Merck, is building its own high-tech labs in conjunction with Harvard Medical School. Even though Norvatis AG may be an unknown name for many Americans, it owns such venerable brands as X-Lax, Maalox and Gerber. NEW UPS CHIEF JUST A 'COMMON SORT OF GUY' For years Mike Eskew was a fixture around his hometown, Vincennes, Ind., where he often ran the scoreboard at the local Catholic high school. Now, according to the Indianapolis Star newspaper, Eskew is the CEO of UPS, but he hasn't forgotten his roots. In a major profile of the new shipping chief, the publication says he returned to Vincennes to give a major speech, talking about his life and his travels with the enthusiasm of a small child. By the way, Eskew still washes his own car and cuts his own lawn, in spite of bitter memories of a tangle with a mower during childhood that cost him two toes. There's no doubt that he remembers he's from Indiana, though. He told those in attendance at this speech that when he first saw the Pentagon in Washington, he thought it was sad to have a building that big, without being able to play basketball in it. Advertisement YES, MATT DAMON CAN REALLY ACT He's not just a pretty boy who learned to act in movies because you can do take after take until you get it right. Matt Damon is now wowing some of the toughest audiences in the world ... London's theater-goers. The New York Post says that when Damon stepped into the cast of "This Is Our Youth," London media were skeptical. But they were also skeptical of MacCauley Caulkin before he proved that he could really act. In Damon's case, the skepticism has turned to raves as he has proved himself adept at tredding the boards. Now Damon is entrenched in the production, playing an Upper West Side of New York drug addict. He replaced Hayden Christensen, recently of "Star Wars" fame. By the way, longtime friend Casey Affleck (brother of Ben) is also in the cast of the London production. So is Summer Phoenix (sister of Joaquin).
