Celebrity? Get her outta here!

At least I'm not alone ... according to a Sunday Mail poll, only 27 per cent of Queenslanders support Anna Bligh's extraordinary decision to appear in Celebrity MasterChef. Her excuse -- that it would highlight the use of Queensland produce -- is utter nonsense. How many of the four million people who watched the original MasterChef would know, or care, where the produce used by the cooks came from? In fact, research shows that the vast majority of people who watch TV cooking shows never try out the recipes (many of them don't even cook, they just like to watch). I'd have a lot more respect for Anna Bligh if she said she's doing the TV show simply because she wants to -- and I can't blame her for wanting to have her 15 minutes of national fame; I'd do it too, if asked -- and because her advisers (wrongly, it would appear) thought it might improve her image and distract attention from what's going on in state politics.