How come Ashlee Simpson was never able to make a comeback?

She's not the first and won't be the last "singer" to lip sync.

Her songs were actually enjoyable.

No, they weren't

She's an untalented bimbo who was only ever famous for being Jessica Simpson's sister. Good riddance

[quote]No, they weren't

Honestly I see no difference between Ashlee and other pop stars who made it big, and she actually wrote her own songs, unlike her sister.

She's itching to get back on the stage.

She’s busy perfecting her little hoe down.

No redemption arc for Asslee. She was never talented or pretty enough to warrant one so she married Diana Ross' son and her only claim to fame.

And yet we have Katy Perry.

[quote]She's an untalented bimbo who was only ever famous for being Jessica Simpson's sister. Good riddance

Before that SNL thing, she was actually getting more attention than her sister.

It does seem sad and harsh. Many "artist" lip sinc on TV shows.

R7, that's saying one marginally talented bimbo was actually getting more attention than the other marginally talented bimbo.

It really doesn't matter. Really. We should simply rejoice in the reality that we rarely see or hear from either of these bimbos now.

I'd take 10 Ashlees over 1 Kardashian anyday.

[quote]I'd take 10 Ashlees over 1 Kardashian anyday.

Yeah, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd miss Paris Hilton, as well.

People saw in real-time that she was a nepo-fraud who had no business being on a stage.

Then she tried to blame the whole thing on her band.

At least she wasn't showing her tits and ass like today's rap stars.

Jeez, for once a celebrity retires quietly and doesn't make a drunken/drugged-out ass of herself on a regular basis, and you bitches still tear her apart. I think she's just happy and doesn't give a shit anymore. Hell, if I were married to Evan Ross and had a few cute kids and more money than God, I'd be happy, too. Good for her.

OP Are you enjoying replying to yourself over and over?

Here in Chicago, they played "Pieces of Me" three times this week on 100.3 FM. WTF!?

One review that makes me laugh is Robert Christgau's review of Ashlee Simpson's debut. It was one sentence calling her "the real Avril Lavigne". That aged so well!

[quote] Honestly I see no difference between Ashlee and other pop stars who made it big, and she actually wrote her own songs, unlike her sister.

She did not, under any circumstances, write her own songs. There was a small team of musicians/song writers who did that and they also told her how to exactly sing each line.

She's the ugly younger sister of a famously pretty older sister. She is not talented, nor is she charismatic. She is not intelligent or funny she is just nothing. She doesn't write music and evidently she doesn't perform it either.

She married Diana Ross' son and had a baby, presumably she'll get a good settlement when they divorce. Until then, she'll glom on to whatever minimal fame and attention she can get until she eventually fades into complete obscurity.

[quote] She did not, under any circumstances, write her own songs. There was a small team of musicians/song writers who did that and they also told her how to exactly sing each line.

What's wrong with that?

Are you, R15?

[quote]She's the ugly younger sister of a famously pretty older sister. She is not talented, nor is she charismatic. She is not intelligent or funny she is just nothing. She doesn't write music and evidently she doesn't perform it either.

We live in a world where KPop, Camila Cabello and something called Doja Kat are popular. What's the big deal with what you just described?

Wow, 4 posts on DL, r15? Congratulations! One of them offended because someone disrespected Janet Jackson, who BTW, has no talent whatsoever.

[quote] We live in a world where KPop, Camila Cabello and something called Doja Kat are popular. What's the big deal with what you just described?

Do you imagine that I'd describe KPop, Camila Cabelo and something called Doja Kat any more favorably?

I wouldn't. I hate them all, dear, and I hate the talent-free Simpson sisters too. I don't know what your problem is but do you have ay other questions? Possibly something more interesting?

No questions, r23! You have stated your boundaries!

Her problem wasn't so much the lipsyncing as it was her reaction to it as it happened live. If she had just pressed on with the show most people would never have noticed a damn thing, at least not the television audience.

What are you talking about r25? She already lip synced pieces of me and her playback malfunctioned. Were the audience not going to notice that she was singing the same song again?

The nail in her coffin was the 2005 orange bowl where 78000 people booed her at the end of her set.

It was the beginning of the Millennial purity test/shame/cancel/ghost/punch/delete generation. They were just getting started.

If that happened to me out of pure shame I'd stay drunk for a year.

Her second album was actually a hit. It was releaesd at the end of 2005 and it went to number one and went platinum. Spawned two top 25 hits too.

Her second album was considered a commercial disappointment and ended up being in the red.

God the aughts were shit.

Doja Cat has some bangers though.

The 00s gave us Xtina. That's all you need to know about music in the 00s.

You don’t lip sing on SNL.

She was the ugly sister and basically a nepo baby that nobody took seriously. She handled the whole thing badly by walking off stage and then blaming her band and acid reflux.

At least she had some success and didn't get knocked up at 16 like Jamie Lynn and has Diana Ross as a MIL, so I guess she wins in the end

Let's pick someone better to shit on.

I'm with you, R34, but I feel bad for Jamie Lynn. Didn't her vile mother give her to that disgusting, fat fuck at Nickelodeon who knocked her up? (I may be confusing him with another disgusting fuck at Nickelodeon who may or may not be fat.) A producer fuck, he's been fucking the teenage girls there for years. I think they finally put him out to pasture. He was on a kid's show himself, huge fat fuck, I totally forget his name.

Whoever the daddy is, he's been paying her bills and the bills for the kid all these years back in Backwater Alabama or wherever they live. I suppose Momma Spears got her cut too. Anyway, Jamie Lynn was a dumb teenager at the time. She wasn't a child but she was dumb and her rotten mother and the rotten producer took advantage.

I thought Ashlee was an asshole on that stupid reality show she did. When she drunkenly crawled up onto the counter at a McDonalds to make fun of the employees for not having millions in the bank like she did I was not remotely surprised.

Didn't Ashlee make fun of Aguilera and/or Britney on the show? Maybe you shouldn't publicly make fun of people far more successful than you if you want to make it in the entertainment industry?

[quote]she is just nothing.

^^This

She wasn’t more talented. She was making money and getting attention by being anti-Jessica like Avril did being the anti-Britney. And in the end they all had the same people writing and producing their songs.

R26 this is one of the funniest performances ever. Off-key, off-rhythm, off the rails. She has the charisma of a paper plate.

She married a Ross and had a child. She's set

Her nose job came too late. They should've did it before tossing her out to the public. I never seen a person look so good after one. Changed her whole face.

Her husband is gay and nobody will convince me otherwise.

[quote]She has the charisma of a paper plate.

lol Why is this so apt?

Not only did she get excellent plastic surgery, but she (I am assuming) has always had a great stylist. (After her singing career went to shit anyway. During those years her style was pretty awful.) But after that, whenever I saw pics of her, she looked (and continues to look) amazing. Unlike her sister and her mother who are tacky beyond belief, Ashlee embraced a more hip LA aesthetic.

[quote]Here in Chicago, they played "Pieces of Me" three times this week on 100.3 FM. WTF!?

I want to add: where I lived too. Where I am we only get the music that has become definitive hits and then they are played to death. “Pieces of Me” was THE song of the summer.

Ugh I misread your post r16. I thought you were talking about how overplayed that song was back in the day.

[quote]She has the charisma of a paper plate.

Well, it didn't keep Billie Eyelash from becoming famous.

I never understood the uproar over this back in the day, all those young poptart hoes lip-synched

If you want to feel old her son is about to be 14

[quote]If you want to feel old her son is about to be 14

Oh, I already feel old! Her SNL performance will turn 20 next year.

[quote]I never understood the uproar over this back in the day, all those young poptart hoes lip-synched

Because she was being marketed as a “real” artist, an anti-poptart. And she was exposed as a fraud on live TV.

No one cared about the lip syncing thing, we all knew pop performers did it. She was forced on the public due to her sisters fame and none of it was ever genuine, she didn't have a real audience or real fans.

[quote] No one cared about the lip syncing thing

Other than that is what destroyed her career, sure, no one cared.

[quote]No one cared about the lip syncing thing, we all knew pop performers did it. She was forced on the public due to her sisters fame and none of it was ever genuine, she didn't have a real audience or real fans.

"Autobiography is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Ashlee Simpson. Released in the United States by Geffen Records on July 20, 2004, the album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)."

One first needs to be a success to then have a comeback...

It was a big deal because it was a huge fuck up. I mean on SNL weird things happen all the time, but it just looked so amateurish. She did a little jig and then shlumped off stage like it was a rehearsal instead of live TV. Marci Klein losing her shit as Ashlee casually walked by her without a care in the world was pretty funny. Plus, back then I think it was still tradition to sing live on SNL. It was expected. Or at least it was understood that only the untalented performers would choose to lip sync. Hell, I think even Britney Spears sang live! It was a standard and she revealed she was in the "untalented/ needs to lip sync" category.

She made the situation so much worse and exposed her lack of talent.

She did nothing to save herself, she just walked off like a loser.

Anyone with a lick of talent or skill as a performer would have saved it.

Even Mariah went through the show with the New Years Eve situation, as devastated as she was.

[quote]Even Mariah went through the show with the New Years Eve situation, as devastated as she was.

Come on, Mariah has been in the business for decades. Not a fair comparison.

R46/R47--regardless, it's too much lol.

R55, I'm shocked it went triple platinum. I thought it was platinum, at most.

R26, I just randomly swiped to the 1:54 mark of your video and boy did she SUCK!

Play from 1:54 if you want a good laugh!

🙉🙉🙉

I liked when Michael K called her Asshole Simpson.

What made that situation worse I think was Lesley Stahl was on set at SNL when the lipsync fiasco happened, she was doing a profile on Lorne Michaels for 60 Minutes. Because of that, a significant chunk of his interview segment became about Ashlee Simpson and artists not performing live.

Knowing how powerful and cunty Lorne Michaels is, I always assumed he had her blackballed.

You don’t disrespect SNL by lip singing. If you cannot sing live then don’t take the gig. Even Britney sung live. I always thought that song sounded like the Disney version of an Avril cut. It’s lyrics are so trite and it’s melody easy to singalong but also annoying as fuck.

The Madtv parody of her was on-point, especially at the 3 minutes and 35 seconds mark.

Not sure why some of you are so miffed that her album went 3X platinum. This was peak white gurl pop era, even Hillary Duff was charting

R68 Agreed. This was the era anyone with a hit song and strong MTV presence could go triple platinum.

Like others have said, Diana Ross is her MIL. In the end, she wins. Good for her.

She was a vessel for pop punk and girl power rock. Avril Lavigne made it mainstream, so Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff and even Lindsay Lohan rode that wave. By 2007, all of them were over. As rock (and R&B) music was dead and rap, synth pop revival and EDM took hold.

R13, at least today's rap stars got famous on their own without the benefit of nepotism

Racist

[quote][R13], at least today's rap stars got famous on their own without the benefit of nepotism

On their on tits and ass.

Sorry, not racist.

The pop of this mid-2000s bubblegum rock/urban era aged much better than the late 90s/early 2000s Max Martin era. Songs like b"Come Clean", "Promiscuous" and "Pieces of Me" still sound fresh.

Oh, r72, you're one of those.

[quote][R13], at least today's rap stars got famous on their own without the benefit of nepotism

[quote]Racist

Just sucking some cock here and there.

Wokester.

When did the word Racist become so popular?

Criticize a black performer = racist.

Welcome to 2023.

Fefe Dobson deserved better.

I swear Rihanna copied her style.

The short answer: she just wasn’t attractive enough. Combine that with the fact she always had a direct comparison point who was much hotter and already successful (ie her sister).

[quote]She was a vessel for pop punk and girl power rock. Avril Lavigne made it mainstream, so Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff and even Lindsay Lohan rode that wave. By 2007, all of them were over.

The only one of the “pop punk girl power” artists of that era who had staying power was Pink.

You don't need to be attractive to make it.

Lizzo weights 400 lbs.

[quote]Or at least it was understood that only the untalented performers would choose to lip sync. Hell, I think even Britney Spears sang live! It was a standard and she revealed she was in the "untalented/ needs to lip sync" category.

Lip-syncing wasn’t as totally accepted back then as it is now. Mariah and Britney didn’t start lipsyncing EVERY performance until later in the decade around 2007/2008.

R83 But she is a beautiful BBW. Don’t get me wrong her I’m not saying her size kosher but Lizzo is pretty to be obese. I even heard straight guys say this.

^ not a good comparison. Lizzo embodies a completely different persona as a female PoC in a very different era.

r83 you do realize Ashlee Simpson's brief solo career predates Lizzo by 20 years? Totally different eras of beauty standards for pop artists and women in general.

Lizzo’s a black woman— in entertainment, heavy black women are embraced. They’re seen as more maternal/less threatening.

If Lizzo were white, she would not have been very successful without succumbing to the pressure to lose a ton of weight.

We are in the woke era, if you're fat and black, you made it!

R88 I see what you're saying. The tired old "Mammy" trope. And white women are held as the beauty standard, so expected to thin and look beautiful and ironically judged much harsher for aging (since paler skin gets more easily damaged and wrinkled). A lot of black women actually don't like Lizzo because of the fact they feel she fulfills an old stereotype. A lot of black women would rather a beautiful, darker-skinned girl like Kelly Rowland, Normani, Justine Skye, Coco Jones, Victoria Monet and Teyena Taylor have the same level of fame that Lizzo is enjoying right now. Megan thee Stallion is pretty and is popular but she's a rapper rather than a pop girl.

And if either hypothetical white Lizzo OR real black Lizzo lost the weight, the same fan base that thought she was too pretty to be fat would be angry and stop listening— look at… what was her name? Adele.

2 words: Diana Ross.

Go, Ashlee!

BTW, what happened to your gay dad?

What about Meghan Trainir. Though not as big as Lizzo she still big and was bigger when she broke big.

The music industry is geared towards teenagers. She had a few hits and aged out. The music industry also saves its money (hottest songs from top writer/producers) for its earners and the talent they are looking to break. Simpson didn't have access to guaranteed pop hits after her first unsuccessful album.

I loved this pop gem she released that failed to get airplay/attention.

This reminds me: remember when everyone said that disastrous performance of "Video Games" on SNL would destroy Lana Del Rey's career before it even started? There was such a strong backlash against her at first, because Born to Die was much poppier than expected. Pretty impressive that she's still so successful over a decade later.

[quote]in entertainment, heavy black women are embraced. They’re seen as more maternal/less threatening.

Not all black women wanted to be whales…

I love that Whitney interview with Diane Sawyer. High as a kit I’m sure but so fkin confident. I just want to hug her and save her.

The other thing is pop artists like Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce and Britney were able to evolve musically and market themselves to adults. Ashlee was very Disney/Nickelodeon, lacked charisma and the sound she selected was at its peak, she was pigeonholed herself. She wasn't taken seriously anyway, she was known as "Jessica's sister" and mocked regularly. The SNL fiasco was the final nail in the coffin.

[quote]Lip-syncing wasn’t as totally accepted back then as it is now.

That’s for sure. I guess part of that may be because, from what I understand, plenty of artists can and do lip sync to recordings that were intentionally produced to sound live. Like you’d have no way of knowing if it’s live or memorex anyway so you might as well go with the flow at this point.

Record label contracts and media play were brutal in the mid-late 00s. So many acts from that era faded away in D list status after their labels shelved their music or didn't put any extra time and effort into their budget.

Simpson was a mediocre pop/rock artist trying to be the next Avril or Kelly C at a time when that was the popular thing. Big sis Jess could barely make a dent in her own music career, so why should the public give a shit about someone who can't work well under pressure?

Lip syncing is very old and many times it wasn't the artists' decision but the venues, sponsors and management decision in order to prevent any mistakes from happening. Audiences wanted the songs to sound exactly like the recordings. If you watch old talk shows and Soul Train, you can see the acts lip syncing. Many bands were very pissed about having to lip and mime

SNL is still filmed lived in real time, that's why they're very strict. Many shows are pre-recorded now.

R61 I don’t think it was shocking. She released the album a month after her reality show (about making the album) premiered on MTV at the height of her sister’s reality show success.

She was also dating Ryan Cabrera, who had a hit single and managed to go Platinum based off being on that show too.

And she worked with the guy who produced Kelly Clarkson title track from “Breakaway”.

So the album was selling cause that show was always on MTV. I didn’t even like her and I watched it and some of the songs grew on me.

My favorite song was her poppy rip off of Hole’s “Celebrity Skin”.

Did her father fuck Ryan Cabrera?

Shit I think I forgot to post my message and lost it!

Basically it wasn’t a shock the album went 3x Platinum. They released the album a month after her reality TV show premiered at the height of her sister’s reality TV fame and they would run marathons of the TV show.

And unlike the Simpsons or the Osbournes, the show revolved around making the album.

Even her boyfriend Ryan Cabrera had a platinum album and a hit song from being on that show.

R101 I mean they didn’t even use microphones in the 60’s and 70’s to lip sync on some of the shows. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

And now we have people like Sabrina Carpinter. Give me Ashlee aniday.

It's not "lip singing." It's lip syncing or lip synching. (As in synchronized.)

R100 People forget hip-hop and R&B dominated the radio from 2001 - 2005. There were records being broken several times of the entire Top 10 on the Hot 100 being all black. And you had Gwen and Nelly and Fergie and Justin doing hip-hop and R&B.

White pop really didn’t come back until “How to Save A Life” and “You’re Beautiful” in 2005/2006.

[quote] Her nose job came too late. They should've did it before tossing her out to the public. I never seen a person look so good after one.

Oh, dear.

The other thing too (forget if I said this) but Ashlee couldn’t keep up with the Paris / Nicole / Lindsay era.

Ashlee started dating Wilmer and there was some drama and she released “Boyfriend” and lost the battle against Lohan because Lohan was way more popular.

R94 The problem was, that’s a really cute album but it was an “indie dance” MySpace inspired album and no one who was listening to that music was going to listen to Ashlee Simpson.

Upon reflection, Ashlee always thought she was the “indie girl” and never embraced admitting she was a pop star so she tried to be edgy with “Bittersweet World”.

She could have probably gotten another hit had she switched to EDM / Lady Gaga pop instead of trying to be Santigold and Ladyhawke.

At this point, Ashlee probably looks better and has a better life than Jessica Simpson (sister). Jessica is wealthy due to her shoes, etc., that she sells. However, she is constantly battling alcoholism and her weight. The last time I saw a clip of her was in this Pottery Barn commercial. Her eyes looks hollowed-out and she's speaking really slowly & deliberately like she's at a field sobriety checkpoint.

Rock fans never considered Avril or Ashlee real rock music. They were brutal towards them online. Ashlee, Hilary and Avril's music were soundtracks to Bratz, Olsen twins and Disney movies. Not exactly edgy.

Gen Z though associate 2000s pop rock with "rock music" though. That's why Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Harry Styles were able to make pop albums and marketed them as "rock."

Not bashing pop rock or pop punk (a lot of great songs) but it was considered it's own thing and not in the same field as what was considered traditional rock music. People complain about "gatekeeping" but it was legitimate and completely accept back in the 2000s

r88 the Lizzo assessment when talking about Ashlee Simpson in 2003-2004 is still pretty irrelevant. Lizzo and Meghan Trainor would not have careers if they were out in the early 2000s.

This was fresh off the barely legal white gurl popslut era of Britney & Xtina, labels wanted the women to look a certain way. Beyonce crossed over because she was light-skinned, sexually appealing, and her music didn't sound like anything else on the radio. The emo-pop thing was just the next iteration of white girls.

r109 what about Vanessa Carlton? Huge pop song that dominated the charts forever

R89 is such a moron and knows nothing about the industry. 99% of artists don't "make it" regardless of their race or their weight. You must have a low IQ to think every fat black woman is successful

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

[quote][R89] is such a moron and knows nothing about the industry. 99% of artists don't "make it" regardless of their race or their weight. You must have a low IQ to think every fat black woman is successful

Ok, Lizzo.

Britney added a heavily sexual image to bubblegum pop. Before her, teen pop stars were wholesome and clean (think Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and early Janet) with some suggestive lyrics but nothing explicit. Boy bands had some suggestive lyrics like Backstreet Boys with the "am I sexual?" line but even still they had a clean-cut look. Britney's videos on the other hand were softcore porn and Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Willa Ford and Destiny's Child (they got more sexual in later videos) followed. Britney had to lie and pretend to be a Godfearing Christian "virgin" girl to get away with her provocative image and perform on Disney and Nickelodeon in skimpy outfits and sell CDs to little girls.

This where Avril Lavigne, Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff and Michelle Branch and groups like The Cheetah Girls became appealing because they weren't heavily sexualized and spoke about teen girl topics but not doing the slutty softcore stripper routine that Britney, Xtina and Beyonce were doing. Parents were relieved.

R118 knows a lot about the industry. Listen to it/him/her.

Attempted to start a career becaiuse her sister was successful. Talentless, with one of the most unattractive faces (pre and post rhinoplasty) I've ever seen. Genuinely borderline hideous. And I don't say that about many.

[quote]Native West Virginian

Are you proud of that?

She looks happy. Good for her!

[quote] "Are you proud of that?"

Is there a reason I shouldn't be, Ashlee @ R127?

[quote] . Britney had to lie and pretend to be a Godfearing Christian "virgin" girl to get away with her provocative image and perform on Disney and Nickelodeon in skimpy outfits and sell CDs to little girls.

I remember it was a big deal in the late 90s when Britney Spears performed "Baby One More Time" at the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards.

*the big deal was that she wasn't wearing a bra.

I have nothing to add - other than that a friend bumped into Ashlee + Evan a few months ago at a mutual friend’s causal get together in the Hollywood Hills. Said friend owns a popular clothing company so celebrity sightings aren’t noteworthy, but this was an exception as she said Ashlee was sitting on the sofa, racking lines of blow out in the open, in front of everybody at the party. At 4pm on a weekday. Make of that what you will.

What would Miss Ross say if she knew her hard earned $$ was going right up Ashlee’s (renovated) nose.

I remember she was dating Ryan Cabrera or something and he was featured in her documentary. He didn't seem interested in her at all! She tried to kiss him and he was like no, we'll mess up our makeups.

He was probably dow low with her dad

The nose job killed her relatability.

Ryan Cabrera, Pete Wentz, the Ross guy... they all seem gay. Does she think she's Liza?

R138 Also, plastic surgery wasn’t nearly as acceptable or mainstream as it is today. This was still the era of lie + deny. The nose job was immaculately done but also incredibly obvious, which garnered her a ton of bad press, as she was supposed to be the “relatable” and “authentic” Simpson sister. She’s a bit like Jennifer Grey in that even now, the nose job is still the first thing people remember about her (that or SNL). Poster upthread was correct in stating that they should have had her go under the knife prior to her making a big splash with the debut album.

She fucking sucked, BUT, as the mother of Diana Ross’s grandchildren she’s done quite well for herself.

I thought it was transparently obvious her manager dad was trying to make his second daughter into another pop star.

Not that anyone would know it, but she actually did attempt a comeback a few years ago (if a tree falls in the woods, etc etc). The song was so bad and amateurish that she came and went almost overnight. As I recall she couldn’t even get a label to sign her and self-funded it.

You be the judge if she was deserving of a longer career:

R134, I'm guessing Ashlee wasn't the only one at the get-together who was doing coke. I did coke and I wouldn't have sat there in someone else's house, doing lines, unless I knew it was that type of crowd. There are so many other ways of doing coke - at someone else's house - a little more discreetly.

R143 OMG this is hilarious. Samantha James levels of bad.

R134, she seemed reallllly high on her WWHL appearance. She just seemed so unnatural.

Remember how she was in the remake of Melrose Place? This was back in 2008 before the whole remaking of tv shows was as popular as it is now.

R147, it get's worse every time I rewatch it.

R147 it’s so unprofessional as a musician to just leave your band on stage to clean up your mess, while you take off. They probably fucking hated her and were relieved when her career hid the skids.

R150 The look of bemusement the two guitar players give each other towards the end fucking kills me.

[quote]Ryan Cabrera, Pete Wentz, the Ross guy... they all seem gay. Does she think she's Liza?

r139 well she's lightyears ahead of her peers in that she already fast-forwarded to her black gay husband phase, and she also hit the jackpot in that it's Diana Ross' only gay child, AND her sister-in-law is the fabulous Tracee Ross as a bonus. Like no circumstances could be better

It's the deranged skipping that does it for me.

Ashlee Ross-Naess (born October 3, 1984) known professionally as Ashlee Simpson, is an American singer and actress.

She worked fairly steadily releasing three studio albums, appearing on Broadway and in London's West End.

SNL played the wrong song. It wasn't her fault.

She's awful. She has no talent. When she was booed at the football game not after her SNL hoedown it was rather awesome.

Try to endure the entirety of her singing in this track. I dare ya.

I don’t think that performance at R156 was worse than anything else of its time. It was a pile-on (the booing) after the SNL debacle. I think she was singing live there.

I watched that SNL episode live. In the goodnights, she blamed her band. "My band started playing the wrong song!"

Nonsensical and stupid.

If she had come out on Monday and said, "I had a sore throat from acid reflux and got permission to use playback to make a good appearance, just like the Supremes and Shangri-Las did all the time on '60s TV shows," she might have preserved a career.

But blaming her band for playing the wrong track for her to lipsync to? Dumb dick move.

[quote] "The only one of the “pop punk girl power” artists of that era who had staying power was Pink."

The evolution! The artistry, R82! 🫶🏻🔥🎶

R115 Oh I’m not saying Ashlee was ever truly rock. She was a pop singer marketed as rock and that’s why a reason why artists like her and Avril fell off because they’d have been better off making dance music and followed their fans instead of being “too rock” to do it.

R132 That’s because she wasn’t wearing a bra and you could see her nipples through her shirt.

That was her first controversy. Her tits were huge and the rumor was she got breast implants as a 17 year-old.

I remember the parody song on Napster “Make My Boobies Bigger This Time”!

I looked it up. It was “Make My Boobies One More Size”. I remember me and my friends died laughing over this. Waited probably 2 hours to download on Napster.

R148 Yes! She was secretly Sydney's daughter, I think. Even though it had Michael Rady and Colin Egglesfield AND hot daddy Thomas Calabro I didn't make it past the first few episodes. Still can't believe how much it totally missed the point of what made Melrose fun.

[quote]I remember she was dating Ryan Cabrera or something and he was featured in her documentary. He didn't seem interested in her at all! She tried to kiss him and he was like no, we'll mess up our makeups.

Papa Joe was responsible for Ryan's career, they were probably fucking.

[quote]I have nothing to add - other than that a friend bumped into Ashlee + Evan a few months ago at a mutual friend’s causal get together in the Hollywood Hills. Said friend owns a popular clothing company so celebrity sightings aren’t noteworthy, but this was an exception as she said Ashlee was sitting on the sofa, racking lines of blow out in the open, in front of everybody at the party. At 4pm on a weekday. Make of that what you will.

What I make of that is that it sounds like a bullshit story. I find it a little hard to believe that she would do blow in front of a bunch of people, she would definitely search for a more discrete place, specially if she was the only one doing it.

Not if she was already off her face, r165.

I can't believe SNL had her on as the musical guest to begin with. How did that happen? She was always a dork.

The reason her nosejob seems so effective is because she had a shit-tonne of other work done, too.

[quote] vThat’s because she wasn’t wearing a bra and you could see her nipples through her shirt.

Yes, I remember. TBH, that is really dumb to do at a Kids Choice Awards event. But that's Britney!

She was a product if her gay father's ambition and MTV produced two seasons of her "reality" show before her Autobiography came out. They played her up as the rebellious sister of cutesy pop star Jessica Simpson. She had a string of "not gay" boyfriends including Josh Henderson and Ryan Cabrera. Cabrera would end up a reality show host on MTV's Score and as well as dating on camera Ceiling eyes Audrina Patridge on the Hills. He married a professional wrestler (a woman).

LOL a rebel who happened to be managed by her father. People really believed anything back then!

Joe Simpson did better with Ashlee because she at least got a hit album and a huge song, he took advantage of the Newlyweds hype by getting Ashlee a reality show and record deal and it paid off with Ashlee. Jessica's entire music career was a joke. The girl just wanted to sing Jesus music but was told her boobs were too big. She had no solid identity. First a Mariah clone and then a Britney clone but lacked Mariah's vocal talent and Britney's charisma. She could not dance for shit either. People wonder why Jessica is so messed up, her whole life was being exploited by her evil queen of a father who was too busy chasing after Nick Lachey's ass that he didn't consider to actual develop Jessica's musical identity. Then the whole "is it tuna or is it chicken?" and decline of her heavily publicized marriage. Ashlee was a one-trick pony and fell off in an embarrassing way. But Jessica's whole life in the spotlight was embarrassment after embarrassment, she's rich with that shoe line at least. Ashlee isn't too bad, she keeps a low profile. Jessica is starved for attention because like Britney, she was trained her whole to be an attention whore.

[quote] LOL a rebel who happened to be managed by her father. People really believed anything back then!

She was on 7th Heaven (the most cleanest and wholesome show on TV) too before her whole reality TV show and album release. So I don't know how people bought her image. She's just as much of a blonde Southern bimbo as her sister.

R172, I REMEMBER THIS. The funniest part is that they had to include "Jessica's little sister" in the commerical because who the fuck would know or care who Ashlee Simpson was!? She's so dumb. I would argue even dumber than Jessica. I also remember that Ashlee was in Girls Gone Wild. They kept asking her to take her shirt off and she said no. I guess she gets points for that.

I resent the song Pieces of Me because the opening sounds like the intro to "Drive" by Incubus. I'm happy that I'm about to hear "Drive" until the point Ashlee starts singing.

[quote]So I don't know how people bought her image. She's just as much of a blonde Southern bimbo as her sister.

Nobody bought her image. Everybody knew she was a fake who was being forced on the world by her father.

R174 Sounds right. I remember someone made a thread about Hilary Duff ripping off Depeche Mode for one of her songs.

R55 fake numbers, i was in middle school when she was at her peak and no one was interested - I'm sure a million moms bought the CD during the initial mass marketing push. She would have faded FAST regardless of the lip syncing thing. Kid and teen girls loved Avril. They don't belong in the same sentence. And that demographic will buy ANYTHING that gets put in front of them at first.

R177 Yep. Ashlee had that one song but I don't remember anyone checking for her. Avril was definitely huge and so was Hilary Duff for a bit (Lizzie McGuire was a popular show). I remember tons of Avril and Hilary fans in middle school but never any Ashlee fans. I knew people also buying Lindsay Lohan CDs too. Kelly Clarkson was another big one and Jojo had her moment too. Beyonce and Ciara were also big with white girls. I remember people singing "Crazy in Love" and "1 2 Step." Ashlee was never on par with any of these girls

Guess she went the way of bands like fun., MAGIC!, and Hot Chelle Rae.

Ashlee was very popular with the midwestern protofraus I knew in college. What would be known today as "basic", I suppose.

Was she bigger than Debbie Gibson?

That feels like a lifetime ago now...

Honestly could not stand her. Her sister is actually talented, though.

R182 Her sister may be talented but not as an actress. I've been watching That '70s Show reruns on Peacock and she (guest-starring on some epsiodes as a girlfriend of Kelso) was barely adequate.

Jessica had a decent voice that was undeveloped. Unlike Britney, she had a strong voice and range. She should have gotten vocal training in order to control it but her father didn't care about that enough. She was pretty and blonde with a big rack, so they made her into a Britney clone with a baby voice and all. Awful singing techniques quickly destroyed her voice.

[quote]Her sister is actually talented, though.

Say what?

Meh, I've seen worse "making it."

Jessica always sounded like she was screaming.

R187 Yeah but those vocals could have been mended into something impressive if she was properly guided and given the discipline. If you can oversing that means you can properly learn to sing. She was wasted potential because of her awful father who wanted to sexualize her.

Jessica was all boobs, and then she became drunk boobs.

I believe the coke story about Ashlee and I thank you for the dirt r134. How can anyone doubt Ashlee is a coke head if you watched the video of her self-produced release at r143? She’d have to be high as a fucking kite to think that song was anything but cringeworthy.

At the performance where she got booed she is singing along to a backing track of herself. You can hear that at times when she sings along to the recording she is off-key for God’s sake. Like, Jesus, Ashlee! How much easier could they make it for you to sound good live? Towards the end she gets more confident (and on key). Then she gets the loud boos. Painful.

Her career was the stuff of nightmares. PTSD level. You’d have to really want to fight to restore your reputation and prove your talent (if she had any) after fuck ups like that. Of course she didn’t have the desire to do that because the whole thing was just handed to her. No real passion.

R176, wtf? Fuck Duff then. She should not be ripping off Depeche Mode.

Speaking of Lindsay--this is better than anything Ashlee released. No, it's not a classic, but at least we don't have to hear Ashlee's "voice".

R172 her face is so punchable--that smile!--but that ditzy speaking voice just makes it so much worse.

Dear Lindsay, at r192, NO!

It’s well known in LA that Ashlee and Evan love the powder. She was off her tits on WWHL, as someone else mentioned. Why do you think they’re always at parties on weeknights, sans children? Right now they’re swanning around the south of France for no discernible reason. She and Evan are both mental lightweights (and addicts) who have no business being parents.

They wanted Jessica to be like Mariah.

I don't like Pieces of Me. I don't like her nasal Ohhhhhhhhhhhh though maybe it sounds different now through her newer nose

Her music does sound more produced for today's sound. Parts of this song seem like new songs produced today.

Jessica followed a more 1995 blueprint.

R196 just yelling the entire time!

Seems like it would be hard to do cocaine, long-term. After a while, you're not even really high, anymore, just maintaining. The only thing that would get you high would be to bump up (no pun intended), significantly, the amount that you normally do. But then, you pay as you're coming down.

Also, it ain't free and cheap. If you have kids, then you've got to hide that from them.

Whew gurl you bitches still debating her popularity? AGAIN, she was part of the white gurl teen hussy golden era. I'm not mad at her, she worked it and at least she wasn't a teen mom like Jamie Lynn Spears. Her gay daddy Joe obviously wanted the best for her and made her Jessica add-on.

Can we talk about Evan and how he looks like vampire since he got with Ashlee? He needs some dick and some sun!

R196, I hated the original Jack and Diane song and I despised that Jessica Simpson sampled it for her warbling .

Nick Lachey talks about that Chicken of the Sea moment. He thought he thought she was playing it for the camera. Then when he realized she was serious he thought "oh shit, what have I gotten into?" I also remember he was asked about what was the best part of being married to Vanessa and he said not having to avoid grabass at the family holiday table.

What’s “grabass”, precious? What’s “grabass”?

Just comfortably married to Diana Ross’s son.

It means that Papa Joe Simpson was drooling over then-young Nick and grabbing Nick's ass at any opportunity.

She’s really bad. Even worse than her retarded sister. I’m still stunned she had a career.

Wasn’t her entire face rebuilt?

She had a lot of work done and honestly, it was really well done.

What I thought was interesting about Jessica was “Forbidden Fruit”.

I always thought it was fascinating they were copying Madonna’s music with Mirwais on “American Life”. It was such a flop album, I thought it was interesting they copied the style of that album’s production and made Jessica Simpson album. It sounds like “Die Another Day” meets “Nobody Knows Me”.

If I were Asslee, I'd do a shit-tonne of coke and everything else to forget that SNL disaster.

And her dad going on about her sister's chest.

R101 Yeah I was gna say Soul Train was not a live show.

Jessica and Ashlee actually make Britney Spears seem like a genius. Young Britney was never dumb just uneducated and inarticulate but showed some depth before her mental and emotional regression to a childlike state. Jessica and Ashlee were always vapid, shallow and spoiled. Jessica is a bitter her career never took off but I'll give her props for at least admitting she didn't have the it factor and right guidance to persevere.

[quote] Young Britney was never dumb

You've ALWAYS been a dumbass, Britney!

[quote]Nobody bought her image. Everybody knew she was a fake who was being forced on the world by her father.

Right. It was the audacity of the record company to market her as an anti-Jessica rebel in the first place. That outfit she wore on SNL was hilarious. She dyed her hair black and wears Converse! What a little rockstar!

Jessica had a real voice even if she needed more training. But she was competing with Britney and Christina, and there was only room for one star in that lane.

To be fair, nobody believed Avril Lavigne was a rebel either. Ashlee was just even more manufactured than even Avril was.

Avril had talent and her songs are memorable. She may have originated as a CCM country artist but she knows how to play guitar and writes songs. I agree she was a total phony and her attitude stank too.

Abril Lavigne sucks almost as much

Now that I think about it. Isn't Pink the only one to have that 2000s pop rock sound and aesthetic alive? Her newer stuff is more pop but she still has those rocky type of vocals and grit.

R221, I think R82 would agree with you.

Yes, Pink was in this lane, although she tried to have some hip-hop crossover appeal too.

She successfully matured out of this era because she changed her style to find an older audience and is now mostly pop-rock / adult contemporary.

[quote]SNL played the wrong song. It wasn't her fault.

Bullshit. SNL played the wrong pre-recorded vocals. It's her fault for needing pre-recorded vocals.

I forgot that her reality tv show was running while the SNL fiasco happened. I always thought it was done before that. She's so punk, y'all!

Comebacks in pop music almost never, ever happen. An artist can continue to sell tickets but they rarely release singles that get attention or airplay. So they go on tour and sing their hits or join festivals where lots of artists get together and all do a few songs.

Looks like she didn't "grow" full lips until she got a nosejob.

What a coincidence!!

A bit off-topic: I wonder if any DLers would be interested in a thread on extreme plastic surgery that was successful? Not the botched stuff.

There are two LA scenesters/star fuckers who are infamous for the plastic surgery they got that dramatically improved their looks. They’re twins. One of them is the girlfriend of The Weeknd. They call themselves Simi and Haze.

Pop comebacks are hard because it's a youth-driven market. You can make a comeback in rock, R&B, jazz, gospel, country, showtunes and reggae, hell any genre but pop because those markets are more niche and have stronger fanbases. Ashlee's fans grew up and unlike Avril who had at least three successful albums and a string of hits. Ashlee just has one big song. I hesitate to say someone like Madonna, Mariah or Cher had comebacks because they never stopped being popular just had a few lower selling albums followed by a more successful one. But all of them aged out and only have their hardcore fans who keep them booked for tours. So yeah, Ashlee can't make a comeback.

What's amazing about Madonna is that she came back twice--once with Ray of Light and then again with Confessions.

Madonna, Cher, Janet and Mariah benefited due to the fact ageism wasn't a big thing then. They were able to comeback because they never stopped being popular but just had slump periods where album sales declined but never stopped being liked by the public. MTV still played their videos. Back then the industry was also more forgiving and didn't throw people away especially after ones who had multiple successes. Toni Braxton, Shania Twain and J Lo all started their pop careers in their late 20s/early 30s.

I think the rise of teen pop stars like Britney, Christina, Timberlake and Beyonce transitioning to the mainstream made the market shift to be very young driven. Taylor Swift is impressive because she manages to still be popular with youth despite being 34. She did this by also doing the PR route and her showmances, she kept herself relevant and relatable but also distant enough to create an air of mystery.

Ashlee only had one hit and was derided by the public. In fact I'd say if anyone could possibly make a comeback it be Avril Lavigne who is popular with Gen Z. Hell there was a ton of hype for the Lizzie McGuire reboot and a reunion for The Cheetah Girls, so even Hilary Duff and Raven are still popular. The Jonas Brothers had one recent hit. But the factor against Ashlee was she only peaked with one album and was a one hit wonder.

Who actually watched a reality show about her?

She was repulsive to look at. 🤮

They gave everyone a reality show back then. Just like how they give everyone a talk show. Reality TV is another thing that will kill your future career. Unless it's a competition show like American Idol or America's Next Top Model where it's career focused. Reality TV is designed to make you look stupid for entrainment. It reveals too much of your flaws and insecurities to millions of people as well. You can ride that wave like Ashlee and Paris did (Paris also had a music "career") but that overexposure and lack of aura and mystery (which is needed for a celebrity) will hurt you. Most people do not want stars to be too relatable (it reminds them of their own flaws). That's why these social media celebs don't have staying power either.

r223 Pink was the hostage of LA Reid who wanted her to be a white R&B star - she had the chops and There you go, her first single was a Kandy Burris-penned hit but Pink was always her own person. It was Pink who first worked with Linda Perry, then Christina took her for Stripped. Pink has done pop, dance, punk, and ballads. She does not fit a mold.

Yep Pink is extremely versatile and also a great performer. She secured a niche with an older audience rather than pander to youth and trends. Her longevity in general is impressive.

I assume OP means a comeback like NKOTB - I.e. to go from laughingstock has-beens to having a career again and selling out concerts.

r236 the one thing you have to respect about Pink is she has never ever lipsynced.

Pink was frustrated by her falling to the wayside when the mid-2000s bimbo paparazzi era was in full force. Her "Stupid Girl" song had a good message but also came across as bitter and judgmental (though I think the video was criticizing misogyny and gender stereotypes through exaggerations like Mean Girls or Daria). The obvious shots at Britney, Jessica and Paris made their stans mad. Pink got the last laugh because she's still touring and selling out stadiums and keeps getting hits with high YouTube views.

R234 It didn’t kill Trump’s future career.

I'd rather see Pink than Taylor Swift. TS is the white girl, mug cradling, basic frau leader.

I don’t like her music but I have a lot of respect for Pink. She’s always done her own thing

Taylor Swift is repetitive but the main reason she appeals more than Pink is Taylor makes music for young girls and fems to relate to. Also Taylor looks like a girl next door who gets into relationships with different types of famous men and writes songs about them which feeds into her allure. She is sorta like early Britney in the "good girl" with a "not-so-innocent" side.

While Pink is too butch, bold, loud and confident and represents a strong mature woman who gets shit done which is why older women and lesbians love her. While very young girls and fem gays like a little escapism, vulnerability and insecurity in their idols. TS does have her middle-aged frau fans too who also like her escapist music to go back to their teen years (same reason Twilight is loved by older woman).

I was persuaded to go along to a Pink concert a few years ago. She's not my cup of tea really, but she put on a hell of a show. Aside from the screaming fraus, it was a lot of fun.

Pink has remained successful because she's actually talented. Ashlee never had a comeback because the SNL incident proved what a lot of people already suspected--that she couldn't sing. There's a reason Ashlee didn't do damage control by hitting the talk shows and singing acapella. Also, Ashlee's image was built on the idea that she was "real" and not a manufactured pop princess like Jessica. But SNL made it clear she was just as manufactured as her sister and her audience felt betrayed.

FWIW, I don't think Ashlee had any work done besides her nose. The nose job just made a really big difference in her appearance. She also started styling herself differently and ditched the shaggy hairdo and baggy clothes that she hid behind when she was trying to distract from her giant schnoz.

Talent and creativity will lead to long careers. Pink, Beyonce and Christina are the only early 2000s pop stars who managed to still get attention with each release and have successful tours.

R230 Those were not proper comebacks unless you mean the time between releases. Ray of Light the single came out less than 4 years after Bedtime Stories.

Confessions was indeed a comeback album. I had forgotten about the flop American Life album.

r245 Chirstina? Gurl not since Stripped.

Ray of Light was definitely a comeback and so was Confessions. Beditme Stories fell off the charts and it only stayed on because of Take a Bow. Erotica and Bedtime Stories both underperformed.

According to DL, Madonna almost destroyed her career with the Sex book fiasco and the public got tired of her gimmicks and shock value and embraced more vocal powerhouses like Mariah, R&B like Toni Braxton or female singers songwriters like Alanis. Madonna had to reinvent herself and effectively start from scratch. Ray of Light was part of that image makeover that hopped on the alternative female singer-songwriter trend and became her huge comeback album.

DL is right. Everybody was sick of Madonna after the Sex book, it’s true, though she didn’t go away for many years after. You couldn’t get away from hearing from her or about her. This was pre-internet too.

Ray of Light was such an unexpected turn for her, plus she kind of went on a Kabbalah inspired redemption tour. She worked hard to show people a softer side of herself. I became a fan again during this period. I loved the song Frozen, the video for it and her look in it. I still love it.

[Quote] When she drunkenly crawled up onto the counter at a McDonalds to make fun of the employees for not having millions in the bank like she did I was not remotely surprised.

I remember that! "Kiss my foot, motherfucker" 😂 I also love when she got in Michelle Trachtenberg's face, bragging about how she was fucking Pete the whole time they dated. Or when Pete went on Howard Stern talking about their sex life and fucking Ashlee in front of a mirror. Class acts!

[Quote] Her nose job came too late. They should've did it before tossing her out to the public. I never seen a person look so good after one. Changed her whole face.

Call me crazy but i think Ashlee looked better with her old nose.

[Quote] She had a string of "not gay" boyfriends including Josh Henderson and Ryan Cabrera. Cabrera would end up a reality show host on MTV's Score and as well as dating on camera Ceiling eyes Audrina Patridge on the Hills. He married a professional wrestler (a woman).

Ryan had it made it on reality shows. He dated one of The Veronicas for a time too. Always the same stupid hairstyle. I think Braxton and Tyler Hoechlin were her cutest bfs.

It’s pronounced “Heck-lin”.

[Quote] There are two LA scenesters/star fuckers who are infamous for the plastic surgery they got that dramatically improved their looks. They’re twins. One of them is the girlfriend of The Weeknd. They call themselves Simi and Haze.

It's not like they were fugly before all of the plastic surgery. Never heard of them until Selena Gomez took a photo with them and photoshopped the shit out of her arm.

They were ugly for the LA scene.

I tried to link to the pic directly but it didn’t work. You have to scroll down.

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