In work yesterday, my boss gave me a bit of a ticking off because I stapled something incorrectly. I don't mean that I stapled the wrong item or erroneously filed it in the out tray...she didn't like my actual METHOD of stapling two pieces of paper together.

So what's the pettiest thing you've ever been pulled up for? Not just in work but life in general? Did you use the Wednesday napkins on a Thursday? Did you eat a chip left-handed on a Sunday? Did you walk in an inappropriate fashion when you left the office?

As I flicked through my CD collection at the weekend, I came across a copy of Poses by Rufus Wainwright. On the strength of some excellent reviews, I bought it the week it came out, but the one thing that stood out, as I gazed uopn the cover, was the HMV price tag of £16.99. I know that CDS aren't as expensive anymore, but this stills seems like a hell of a lot to pay.

In a similar vein, when in the fading embers of a comedy relationship, I took a young lady to see the Corrs. It was 2001, and the programme I bought for her cost 11 quid. 11 quid for a pamphlet of adverts and gushing praise for a rotten group. I didn't notice when the concert was over, as my mind was firmly fixed on my overdraft.

So I want to know: what have you overpaid for and how do you feel about it now?

For anyone who hasn't seen Ian Holloway's opinion on the Wayne Rooney saga, have a look at this. Stick with it until the end, as it could be the funniest thing you see all year

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/blackpool/9115962.stm

For me, Rod Stewart didn't finally lose it when he started recording bad disco music, nor was it the dreadful American songbook nonsense that highlighted his fall from grace. It was actually when he was pictured, on holiday, wearing a sort of thong and a Hawaiian shirt.

George Best didn't lose it when he started drinking heavily and left Man Utd - it was when he started a column in the Mail on Sunday that my admiration nipped off.

With Paul McCartney, it wasn't the mullet or the bad 80s records that saddened me. It was when, as an Everton fan, he started supporting Liverpool in the 80s.

So...what was the REAL tipping point for your heroes?

According to today's news stories, Eamonn Holmes has contacted the BBC to complain about John Culshaw's impressions of him.

The main issue seems to be the repeated jibes about Holmes' weight - to the extent that he has his lawyers involved.

I'd be interested to hear what people think of this: is he being humourless, or is he making a stand?

I really like Tom Waits, but I must confess to disliking the song 'Jersey Girl', simply because the first time I heard it, I thought he sang: "I'm in love with a Jersey cow." It's a ridiculous reason, as the song has all the hallmarks of a Waitsian classic, but I'm condemned to have a rather unpleasant image leap into my mind whenever I chance upon it.

Are there any great songs that you don't like, simply because of a ridiculous reason?

My dad insists that he once dated Rick Astley's aunty. It's not wildly far-fetched, as he worked in Newton-Le-Willows, where young Rick honed his craft in the local pubs (no blue plaques, strangely).

Do you have a claim to fame even more feeble than this? Did you teach Bono's cousin the Heimlich manoeuvre? Did you once sell a tea cake to Clare Grogan's ex-boyfriend?

Steven Gerrard has been cleared of affray today, following a trial at Liverpool crown court. As he's been found innocent, I'll stick strictly with the facts.

After Gerrard was initially questioned by police, his solicitor said: "He understands his obligations and responsibilities and this is completely out of character and out of the blue...he is extremely remorseful for what actually happened and certainly there wasn’t any intention for events to turn out that way."

CCTV footage clearly shows one of Gerrard's friends throwing the first punch at Marcus McGee. Then, Gerrard is seen to throw three punches - something he referred to in court as: .."very difficult [at the time] to explain to police why I did throw that first punch." Gerrard was then shown on CCTV being physically restrained by his friends. He's always maintained that he was acting in self-defence. 6 of his friends have already pleaded guilty to affray.

The judge, in clearing Gerrard, said: "The verdict is a credible verdict on the full facts of this case, and you walk away from this court with your reputation intact."

Don't get me wrong, I never thought Gerrard would be convicted, nor was I particularly rooting for him to be, but anyone living in the North-West cannot fail to be amused by the news coverage
that basically gives the impression that it was Gerrard who'd been badly wronged. Hilarious.

As I write this, I'm watching the last in the series of Question Time, and Clive James and George Galloway are on the panel. I've a certain fondness for Clive and a certain loathing for George, but they've both been excellent panellists.

Any thoughts?

Once again, it's Summer holiday time for many of us, and I've just returned from a trip to Paris.

Prior to the trip - and being something of a seasoned campaigner when it comes to the French capital - I was determined not to pay over the odds in any of the 'charming' cafes. Did my plan work? No. I still somehow ended up paying 18 euros for 2 badly poured pints of beer, despite having passable French-speaking skills and a Paddington Bear-esque hard stare.

I'm always respectful when I go abroad - I attempt to speak the language and am careful to remember local customs, etc, yet I've had my fair share of being ripped off at various points.

Does anyone have any horror stories of paying well over the odds in some foreign climb?

Last week, I had the misfortune to catch the new Saturday evening show, hosted by Graham Norton. This new low in TV crapness is called Totally Saturday; anyone who sat through it would consider Totally Bxxxxcks a more fitting title.

BBC1 on Saturday evenings has long been the playground of the vasty untalented, but this show simply made me want to move to a remote island, where I can spend my days attempting to sculpt some Bono shades from bamboo shoots.

What, in your opinion, is the worst TV show to grace primetime TV? I don't mean those awful channel five documentaries that nobody watches, such as "My 15 stone verruca", as I'm talking about shows that someone, somewhere, thought would make good primetime TV?

With the recent scandal over MPs' expenses, coupled with the inevitable 24hr news overload (someone's claimed for a bathplug - eek!), does anyone think that there's almost too much 'news'?

I know the expenses situation has been discussed here already, and I'm in agreement that it's good thing that it's gone into the public domain, but, to parahprase Chesterton, when there's no news to discuss, anything seems to become news. Susan Boyle pops off for a lie-down and it's on the News at Ten; David Beckham has his hair cut and the six o' clock news sends a reporter to a hairdressers.

However, on the specific point of political news, it does seem to be presented in a wearyingly downbeat way. Not a day skips by without a politician being metaphorically spanked over some indiscretion. Whilst these indiscretions certainly exist, do we not play into the hands of the likes of the BNP when we so savagely hunt down and denigrate politicians who uphold the democratic process? Have we gone from Beyond the Fringe - where politicians were satirised because they were aloof and perhaps thought themselves infallable - to a situation where nobody respects them? Are politicians really 'morally bankrupt', compared to say, Robert Mugabe? Is there a balance of good/bad political reporting? When did the term 'news' start to mean specifically 'bad news'? Do we celebrate democracy enough?

Apologies for so obviously borrowing a similar idea from jon_jump, but are there any film stars who you'll watch in anything, even if it's complete rubbish?

Donald Sutherland (even made The Eagle has Landed good)
Humphrey Bogart (always seemed to play one character - but what a character)

Any thoughts?

As I wandered around WH Smith's yesterday, I glanced at the major music publications available, and it became apparent that the same bunch of bands who were dominating the mainstream 10-15 years ago still seem to be.

NME cover - The Stone Roses last week, Green Day this week
Q- Noel Gallagher / Manics / Jarvis
Word - Island Records feature
Mojo - Nick Drake (yes, it's a heritage mag so we can let it go)
Classic Guitar mag thingy - Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
Clash - Stone Roses

I couldn't find a music mag with anyone under 35 on the cover. I know that, to a certain extent, kids no longer actually buy music the way they did, therefore mags will target an older audience, but I'd like to discuss the idea that the mainstream is much older than it once was. I have my own - extremely longwinded - theories on this, but I'd be interested in what others have to say.