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Former Illinois governor sentenced for corruption

(AP) - Rod Blagojevich, the ousted Illinois governor whose three-year battle against criminal charges became a national spectacle, was sentenced to 14 years in prison today, one of the stiffest penalties imposed for corruption in a state with a history of crooked politics. "When it is the governor who goes bad the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured and not easily repaired," said Judge James Zagel. Blagojevich's 18 convictions included trying to leverage his power to appoint someone to President Obama's vacated Senate seat in exchange for campaign cash or a high-paying job. More»

O'Brien-NBC deal said to be $45 million; tomorrow's his last Tonight Show

(NEWSER) - NBC and Conan O’Brien reached a pricey divorce early today, but that didn’t slow the Tonight Show host's relentless tirade against the network last night. A constant stream of monologue disses wasn’t enough, so O’Brien unveiled his latest revenge scheme: Waste as much of the network’s money as possible (watch full episode here ). Guest Adam Sandler then offered up his own story of being fired by NBC (watch in the gallery, along with other clips including Jay Leno bashing David Letterman’s married life and Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's two cents). Updates on the Conan deal: More»

And he might move to New York, where no one has told him to 'F off' yet

(NEWSER) - When it comes to political memoirs, Rod Blagojevich’s The Governor: Finally, the Truth Behind the Political Scandal That Continues to Rock the Nation “is surely unsurpassed” in the areas of “febrile self-defensiveness and look-over-there deflections and deceptions,” writes David Remnick for the New Yorker. “No sun can melt Blago’s coif, which descends like a silken espresso curtain and then swerves suddenly to the side, revealing a gaze most innocent.” More»

Former Illinois gov admits only 'routine' backroom dealing

(NEWSER) - Rod Blagojevich’s memoir makes the case for his innocence with a lot of help from Shakespeare, the Chicago Tribune reports. While blaming his woes specifically on five enemies, he likens his plight to that of Othello and Lear. “You might as well throw in a little Richard the Third," he writes, noting that “I was left with neither a kingdom nor a horse. Or for that matter, even a car.” The Governor, due out next week, contains no real bombshells, notes the Tribune, largely repeating much of Blagojevich's previous public stances. More»

(NEWSER) - FBI recordings of a conversation between Sen. Roland Burris and the brother of disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich can be released to the Senate Ethics Committee, a judge ruled today. The committee is investigating Burris’ appointment by the now-impeached governor, made after Blagojevich was indicted, the Hill reports. The taped conversation occurred before the impeachment and the appointment. More»