* Some were wondering why Jimmy Breslin showed up at Rod Blagojevich’s arraignment this week. Now we know. From a press release…

Hyperion editor-in-chief Will Balliett has acquired a new book by Jimmy Breslin, to be an account of the Rod Blagojevich scandal; David Black sold North American rights. In the satirical spirit of Breslin’s 1969 The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight (but nonfiction), the book will work backwards to conjure a world of Chicago politics in which being Illinois governor gives one a higher chance of going to jail than does robbing a liquor store, and will feature a cast of characters that “only Jimmy Breslin could have invented,” said Balliett.

* I have no idea who these people are, but they’ll be with Rod Blagojevich in the jungle on some goofy reality TV show if his judge is silly enough to give him back his passport and allow him to travel. More likely, the Blagojevich invite is just a clever PR ploy by NBC to keep this show in the headlines. It’s certainly working…

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, known affectionately to “Hills” fans as “Speidi,” have signed on to join the cast of “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!” a rep for the reality stars confirmed to Access Hollywood on Friday.

The two will travel to the jungles of Costa Rica alongside a host of celebrities of various backgrounds to battle it out for jungle supremacy.

* Possible shenanigans in Lyons?

A special meeting called to accept the resignation of a Lyons village trustee who with the village president had been recorded using racist and sexist language—and apparently replace him with the president, who last week lost his re-election bid—was abruptly canceled Thursday.

After notice of the meeting was posted Wednesday, Trustee Richard Schuppe said he had no intention of resigning.

* Smoking ban blamed again for falling casino attendance…

“Statewide for the year, we had almost a 21 percent drop from 2008 to 2009, and in the northern area it was even high than that,” said Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association. “We believe that a majority of it is because of the smoking ban.”

Gaming statewide in Indiana shows only single-digit declines according to Swoik, this despite increased competition from two new horse-racing tracks with slots. The new Horseshoe Casino in Hammond and Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa in Michigan City, which recently unveiled a new hotel tower and entertainment facilities, actually show March increases year over year. Horseshoe soared from adjusted gross revenue of $40.5 million in March 2008 to $49.2 million in March of this year.

* New York’s Lincoln Memorial.

* A follow-up from earlier this week. The Obamalac is now “just” a Cadillac…

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