Blago: Schwarzenegger is My Favorite Governor
By JONATHAN LLOYD
Updated 5:19 AM PDT, Sat, Apr 25, 2009
Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich has a new favorite governor.
"You know when I was governor of Illinois my second-favorite governor in American was Arnold Schwarzenegger," Blagojevich said at a promotional event Friday in Pasadena. "Now that I'm not governor, he's my favorite governor."
Blagojevich is in Los Angeles this week, where he filmed a promo suspended by wires in front of a green screen, pretending to fly while a huge fan blew his famous hair.
Blagojevich joined the cast of NBC's "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here" Friday for a promotional event in Pasadena. Most of the questions were directed at him.
He describes his career as similar to Schwarzenegger's -- minus the Mr. Universe title.
"You could say that doing something like this would be the reverse career path of Arnold's, in that he began in weightlifting and then entertainment and then went into politics," said Blagojevich, who was seated next to actor Stephen Baldwin. "I'm not ruling out staying active on the causes and issues I fought for as a governor. At this point, I'm looking for a new line of work."
Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering and extortion.
The reality show places 10 celebrities -- including Baldwin, pro wrestler Torrie Wilson, former NBAer John Salley, "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar and model Janice Dickinson -- in challenging situations that test their survival skills.
"I had sold myself on this being a way for me to be a modern-day Teddy Roosevelt," Blagojevich said. "I basically deluded myself into being that, and then the judge made his decision."
Blagojevich's dreams of reality TV faded when a judge ruled he cannot go to Costa Rica for the show's taping. He said he does not consider himself a celebrity -- just a guy looking for a job.
"What's really appealing about this opportunity is that it's a chance to do something that's really fun and entertaining, compared to some of those other things I've got to deal with, which frankly sucks," he added.
"If I can't go to Costa Rica, I'm not ruling out participating in some capacity."
A show producer said Blagojevich still might be able to participate.
"We're looking at ways we might possibly be able to include him," Chris Brogden said. "We've got lots of things we're thinking about, but I can't confirm anything."
Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 by FBI agents on federal corruption charges after he was heard on wiretaps allegedly trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by then President-elect Barack Obama. He was impeached Jan. 8 by a 114-1 vote of the Illinois House of Representatives for corruption and misconduct in office.The Illinois Senate voted 59-0 Jan. 29 to convict Blagojevich, remove him from office and ban him from ever holding office again.
Blagojevich was indicted April 2, along with his brother, chief of staff and three other defendants on corruption charges. Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty and has fervently expressed his innocence, including several times during the roughly half-hour news conference.
First Published: Apr 24, 2009 1:05 PM PDT
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