Did someone mention buns?

As that fine author Danielle Steel once said: "A bad review is like baking a cake with all the best ingredients and having someone sit on it". The poor Diva's buns must be feeling a little flat after his recent performance as a political "expert".

Even before the big night, poor reviews were to be found, like this from Ana Samways in the Herald:

Tauranga's electorate scrap has left a trail of confusion in its wake. On Campbell Live on Wednesday night know-it-all political commentator Michael Laws was asked about Winston Peters' chances. He said Bob Clarkson and Peters had probably both been damaged by the debacle and then offered his expert opinion on who might benefit. "It's going to hurt them and I think Mr Nash would probably be the repository of that dismay." John Campbell asked: "Can he [Nash] win?" To which Laws replied: "Yes, he can, but he's actually going to have to say what I've done for Tauranga and what I'm going to do and I haven't heard that yet." Could that be because Stuart Nash is standing in Epsom? Small but important point that obviously passed Laws and Campbell by.

And after the event, the reviews aren't much better. Kerre Woodham, again in the Herald:

John Campbell and his four experts were stuck behind desks on a dull beige set. Therese Arsenau was a wonderful commentator - the find of the night - and Deborah Coddington offered interesting insights, pointing out that Act had often voted with the Greens on issues of personal responsibility. Andrew Little was competent and Michael Laws was revelling in being able to use words like testicle, but I missed a lot of what he said as I was appalled by his bizarre eye make-up. (I know it's bourgeois to mention it, and Ma'a Nonu wears his unashamedly, but Ma'a is cool and Michael is not.)

Early days yet, of course. No doubt other reviewers will ponder the performance in due course. If we find any, we'll update you. In the meantime, Isaac Asimov said "From my close observation of writers... they fall into two groups: 1) those who bleed copiously and visibly at any bad review, and 2) those who bleed copiously and secretly at any bad review." We hope for the sake of his drycleaners, the Diva is in the latter category.

Update (11.30pm): A commenter says "Sadly you guys missed Jane Bowron's complimentary review of the mayor in today's Dom-Post", presumably referring to this piece in which Bowron indeed says "TV3's results might have been way behind TV One's and the graphics of the numbers trailing along the bottom of the screen hard to read, but at least Campbell and his panel of four put out personality". Just what "personality" the Diva brought to the evening is elucidated upon a little later, however:

There were heated exchanges between Canterbury University political scientist Therese Arseneau and Laws, with Campbell at one stage adjudicating between a pro crotch-grabbing lobby (made up of Laws and retiring ACT MP Deborah Coddington) and the antis (Arseneau and union official Andrew Little).

And, in more than 1,000 words, that's the only mention the Diva gets. We're sure being portrayed as "pro crotch-grabbing" is considered complimentary somewhere. Michael Jackson's ranch, for instance.

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