Blago Gets His "Celebrity" Wish--for a Day

He may have been impeached for corruption in Chicago, but that isn't preventing him from having his Hollywood dreams come true. For 24 hours, that is.

According to Daily Variety, the former Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, appeared at a press conference at NBC Studios in Pasadena, Calif. to answer questions about his future with the creators of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

When asked if he would honor a federal judge's decision to bar him from flying to Costa Rica to appear on the reality show, the former governor deferred to the magistrate.

"The judge's decision is one I will follow and abide by," he said. "With respect to what the judge said, I appreciate the points he made."

Yet he wasn't completely humble. During the long ranging Q-and-A format, Blagojevich compared himself to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Teddy Roosevelt, and reiterated his desire to appear on Celebrity.

"I'm pursuing a reverse career path from Arnold's," he said, referring to the California governor's acting career.

Explaining his desire to join Celebrity, he invoked another buff politician-the 26th president of the United States.

"Trying to survive in a jungle somewhere would have been my first choice," Blagojevich said. "I told myself that this was my way to be a modern day Teddy Roosevelt. I'd be in a jungle, but would have had the advantage of being with interesting celebrities, while he didn't."

Since his impeachment and subsequent indictment following his attempt to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat, the Peacock network has been struggling to figure out a way to feature Blagojevich in its reality programming, even as criminal charges are pending against him.

Judge James Zagel's decision to bar Blagojevich from international travel has ironically attracted publicity to the former governor.