Apr 23, 2009 12:19 pm US/Central
Blagojevich Still Wants Role In Reality Show
Judge Denied Opportunity For Blagojevich To Be Contestant
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
-
-
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich when he hosted a show on WLS-AM radio for two hours on March 25, 2009.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich was denied the opportunity to eat bugs in Costa Rica before cameras, but he hopes that he still might play some role in the reality TV program "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!"
Earlier this week,
U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel denied a motion by Blagojevich asking if the former governor could travel to Costa Rica to appear on the NBC reality program "I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here," in which he had been invited to be a contestant.
Zagel said he thought Blagojevich was a flight risk and denied the motion. Blagojevich was hoping to reap the at least $320,000 promised by NBC for his participation, as he struggles with finances following the criminal charges.
The show is known for putting contestants through outrageous competitions, such as bug eating. If Blagojevich had been allowed to accept the slot, he would have competed with figure skater Nancy Kerrigan and eight others.
During an interview on the "Today" show Thursday, Blagojevich said he's heading to Los Angeles where he might play some role in the program. He says he isn't giving up on pursuing other opportunities because he needs a job to pay his mortgage and support his daughters.
"I have two little girls, and we have a mortgage to pay, and I'm obviously looking for a new line of work, as I work through the process of proving my innocence, which I firmly assert is, in fact, the case," Blagojevich said on the "Today" show, "and, you know, it seemed like an exciting opportunity. The idea of being in the jungle, toughening it out, and sort of creating a little civil society with other people and seeing how you can govern that little society, is not that unlike what it was like when I was governor of the fifth largest state in America."
Blagojevich faces a wide range of accusations, among them that he attempted to sell President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat in exchange for campaign contributions, and that he threatened to withhold state assistance to the Tribune Company in selling Wrigley Field if the Chicago Tribune did not fire certain editorial writers. The other defendants face a variety of accusations stemming from the alleged corruption in the Blagojevich administration.
Read the full Blagojevich indictment here
Breakdown of charges, possible prison time
Meanwhile, a key former Blagojevich deupty pleaded not guilty Thursday to a corruption charge stemming from the ex-governor's troubles.
Alonzo Monk, 50, of Park Ridge, is a lobbyist doing business as AM3 Consulting, Ltd. He is a long-time Blagojevich associate who managed his 2002 and 2006 gubernatorial campaigns, was his first gubernatorial chief of staff from 2003 through 2005, and later chairman of his campaign fund.
Monk is one of six defendants named in the Blagojevich indictment, along with the ex-governor himself, his brother Robert Blagojevich, former Blagojevich Chief of Staff John Harris, former campaign fundraiser Chris Kelly, and downstate businessman William Cellini Sr.
Monk was silent for most of the five-minute arraignment Thursday before Judge James B. Zagel. The 50-year-old did acknowledge he was pleading not guilty.
Prosecutors have said publicly, though, that they expect Monk to make a deal and take the stand as a government witness if the case goes to trial.
All the other Blagojevich defendants have also pleaded not guilty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Jewish Celebrities
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
