Gordon in the morning: Number one in some sort of poll

Thanks to Paul W for alerting me to the Press Gazette's Showbiz Journalist poll, which asked journalists and "members of the public" who their favourite showbiz writer is.

Yes, Gordon won the poll.

Mind you, Piers Morgan came in at number six, and although the Gazette tries to make sense of this by calling him "CNN chief interviewer", he isn't, yet - that's still Larry King for a few more weeks. And everyone's so horrified at the idea of Morgan taking over even Putin's begging King not to go.

So, given that a couple of weak sessions in the ITV fawnopticon is enough to secure Morgan a place in the top ten, there's a sense that - the public side of the poll at least - is more "can you think of someone who might be a showbiz journalist" rather than "who is the best showbiz journalist". Which means that what the Press Gazette has done is find out who writes the celeb column in the most widely-read newspaper.

It'd be interesting to see the list if they'd not thrown in the public's views. You wonder if Gordon would have been on top then.

But he is. How do you account for your success, Gordon?

[H]e insisted that his brand of showbiz journalism is a lot more sensitive than that of a previous Sun era: "I feel like I’ve become the respectable face of showbiz journalism. That’s something I’m trying to do."

Mmm. Outing teenage game show contestants, praising heavy drinking and calling Geri Halliwell old and ugly. That's exactly the sort of respectable approach you'd hope for - why, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between a Victorian mutual society and Bizarre, isn't it?

Some of Gordon's quality is on show today, with a splash about Cheryl Cole:

CHERYL Cole has asked close pal Derek Hough to find a way to get her dogs into Los Angeles without putting them in quarantine.

Really? Because the way to do that is, erm, by putting them on a plane and taking them off at the other end, what with America not quarantining healthy animals.

Also in Gordon's respectable column is something about Robbie Williams waggling his naked arse and Kim Kardashian having a spot.

Well done, Press Gazette, you've really backed a winner.