Celebrities and education: two words you rarely get in the same sentence, especially when you consider the vacuous Paris Hilton, Jade Goody and Lorraine Kelly. Point made? I think so. Mind you, I suppose it depends on what you mean by celebrities. When you consider entrepreneurs like Richard Branson of Virgin fame and numerous intelligent actors (as opposed to movie stars) then sometimes pearls of wisdom do appear in the oysters of life.

Naturally you can still be intelligent and make ill-thought out remarks such as those founded in recent press coverage suggesting the decriminalisation of all drug possession should adopted by Parliament. With the facile view that ‘we should treat people with addiction problems like patients, not criminals’, you instantly lose credibility in my eyes and is it seems part of the disturbing trend that people are no longer responsible for their own actions. I may be right wing in my opinions but a mandatory life gaol sentence for dealers would surely end the problem of possession too in months. The prison population can become more self sustaining by creating much of their own power requirements through harnessing electricity they produce through exercise bikes for example.

Getting away from the embarrassingly lenient British justice system, celebrities have taken advantage of the latest public arena of self promotion and taken to releasing iPhone apps. Some of these are what I’d class as academically educational and some are more for those of a practical nature.

Alex Albrecht

The guy from the Totally Rad Show has got an app to train your reflexes in a fun and amusing way. It’s the ‘Duel – Quick Draw App’.

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Anne-Sophie Franck

This clever app, ‘Daphnee Paris’ is hosted by Franck and will teach you real urban French as you progress from the basic pleasantries to exploring culture and the nightlife. The interactive videos will captivate you and there is even a feedback form that will get you a quick reply if you’re needing clarification on anything.

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Samuel L Jackson

With his ‘IamSamJackson’ app, you can learn a different language altogether, that of the smoothly delivered repartee and expletives the Jackson is famed for. With over 150 specially recorded sound clips and the option to download more you will surely have something to say for every tricky occasion.

Samuel L. Jackson has his own iPhone app soundboard, with more than 150 exclusive, studio-recorded quotes and the option to download more. If you want the clean version then that is available too (although it’s slightly lighter on content). The only downside is that none of the clips are from the movies.

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Pope Benedict XVI

Hot from the Pope and the Vatican comes ‘H2onews’, the official news app from the Vatican TV centre. It focuses on the Catholicism and is available in eight languages, the very same number that the present incumbent speaks. Odd, that.

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Steve Forbes

Download a copy of a Daily Steve in the ‘Forbes Intelligent Investing’ app and as well as getting the latest news hot from the site you’ll also get tips and advice straight from the business guru himself. Invaluable.

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Jamie Oliver

Whether you like him or not, Oliver has done well raising awareness of the school dinners issue and he does cook some great tasting food. Here, in the ‘20 Minute Meals’ app, I’d like to put you mind at rest: it’s minute as in time, not in size, obviously. Jamie takes you through a variety of quick recipes. He also provides tips such as solving the perennial problem of keep chillies out of your eyes. A handy shopping list function rounds of this helpful app.

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And finally…

Probably the worst ‘educational’ app available is this one from the egregious presenter of the trashiest TV in England.

Keith Lemon

Transform your face to the moustachioed buffoon using the ‘Mouthboard’ app and have him utter his famously unfunny one-liners that are sure to get your friends running in embarrassment.

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Guest blogger, Greg Coltman, has little time for celebrities who give uninformed opinions on matters and expect to be taken seriously. Leave it to the professionals.