Jodie Marsh has a clear, fall-back defence when it comes to answering her critics.  She attacks not the criticism but the critic, a classic ad hominem strategy that, I have no doubt, will be directed at me eventually.  It seems therefore sensible to say a little about myself, hopefully without straying into Jodie's 'me-me-me' territory.

Jodie's usual attack goes something like 'critic X is jealous of me and my amazing life.  He/she is probably fat, ugly, lonely, bitter and desperate for a shag.  He/she has a sad and empty life and is trying to make money/get famous off my back'.  She would then probably conclude with that awful, twee proverb about how 'only God can create a flower, but any foolish child can pull it apart yadda, yadda, yadda...'

As I say, I'm not about to launch myself into a Jodie-esque 'look at how fabulous I am' rant and, ultimately, it makes no difference - my personal circumstances don't change the inherent truth of what I'm saying.  I will though, go as far as to say that I am happily married, professionally successful, financially secure and that I have absolutely no desire to be famous.  I have many famous friends (some of whom are very famous indeed), have seen fame close up and, honestly, it really doesn't appeal.  I am writing about Jodie, not because I am bitter and lonely, but because she fascinates me - as does the phenomenon of 'empty fame' and our ever-increasing supply of pointless and disposable celebrities.

So, that's me.  I launched the site because I wanted to comment in the kind of depth that regular journalistic publishing would not afford me.  The words here are largely mine, along with my 2 co-writers.  But, while the actual words are from just the 3 of us, many of the ideas and perspectives have been born in the community of anti-fans at Jodie Mush.  The Mushers have provided research support, as well as an arena for discussion and, despite the humorous nature of much of the chatter, it has also been a place to discuss broader ideas about fame, feminism, the media, sexuality, society...  Always accessible, the Mush site has nevertheless been a place for intelligent, in-depth discussion and I am profoundly grateful to the community, and particularly to Dawn who gave it birth.  I wanted to credit those most involved by name, but a fog of modesty seems to have descended, and I was met with a flurry of 'oh but I didn't do much' denials.  I will therefore, simply say that some people went above and beyond, that this would never have happened without their input, and that they know who they are.

We welcome your contributions and thoughts.  Get in touch, share your own 'Jodie-gems' or tell us why we're 'sad internet freaks' and 'jellus h8ers.'

There will be more to come here.  An examination of Jodie's 'charity work' and a general look at the relationship between celebrity and charity is a work in progress.  If you have an urge to contribute your own articles (all claims must be fully backed up) do get in touch.