Here are some photos of Ashlee and Jessica Simpson making a joint appearance at the Macy’s in Costa Mesa, California. They were promoting Jessica’s clothing line, for which Ashlee has some kind of role or something…? I think Jessica lets Ashlee design the “tween” part of the Jessica Simpson Collection.

I don’t really want to talk about Jessica’s weight at this point. I think she looks fine at this point. We don’t have any full-body shots of her at this event, but you can see some here. She looks… the same. She’s top-heavy and Weight Watchers isn’t going to change that. What I really want to talk about is how awful Jessica’s hair looks in these photos. Jessica used to have good hair for a (bottle) blonde, didn’t she? I don’t know much about blondes and blonde-maintenance, but I do know when hair LOOKS healthy and when it looks like overprocessed straw. I swear, Jessica’s hair used to look a lot healthier than this. She used to have a really nice, sunny blonde shade that looked healthy. I think she’s gone lighter (blonder?) and she’s not taking care of it. And just know this: THIS has happened post-Ken Paves. Ken Paves used to be her BFF/hair guru. They were inseparable. Then they had a falling out. And now Jessica’s hair looks like crap. I wonder if Paves is the don of the gay hair-stylist mafia?

Also: here’s a photo of Jessica and Eric on Friday in Beverly Hills. Her body looks fine to me. I swear, I think she’s basically back to where she was before she got pregnant.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

There have been photos of Ashlee Simpson and her new boyfriend, Vincent Piazza, before, but they’ve always been candids. Last night was their big red carpet debut as a couple, at the Season 2 premiere of Boardwalk Empire. Vincent plays Lucky Luciano in the show, and for a while he posed solo on the carpet, and then Ashlee came over and they did photos together. I like that! I like that Ashlee’s not “Oh, I can’t pose with my boyfriend at his premiere! We’re too cool for that.” They’re a relatively new couple, and seeing them together makes me wish them well. I even like her dress and her hair!

Ashlee has been all over New York this week, going to NYFW events and generally keeping her nose clean. Maybe it’s because no one cares about Ashlee, or maybe it’s because she’s not quite the same drunken mess she was, but there have been no reports (that I’ve seen) of Ashlee being crazy or anything. I think she’s just loved up with her boyfriend, and Vincent has come to some NYFW events with her too.

I’ve added some photos of Ashlee at the Herve Leger event two days ago – she was wearing a bandage dress, of course, and The Fug Girls were wondering aloud if Ashlee had gotten her boobs done: “…a boobalicious blonde Ashlee Simpson (are those new, or was her bra just that good?)”. In these photos, I would say no. Ashlee has never been particularly well-endowed, right? In these pics she looks small and natural, and she’s just wearing a dress that hoists her girls up and makes them look cute.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Yesterday, I had an interesting little piece from OK! Magazine that included a few choice quotes from Joe Simpson. Papa Joe was discussing Ashlee Simpson’s marriage problems, and how he’ll “never let his daughters be alone” whenever they’re in crisis. Well, PopEater had an interesting pro-Pete Wentz story about Papa Joe too. According to a pro-Pete insider, “Just like when Jessica split from Nick, Joe is doing nothing to encourage Ashlee to give the marriage another try, if only for the sake of her son. Joe likes being the only man in his daughters’ lives and is happy that Ashlee has moved back into his home [in Encino, Calif.], just like Jessica did after she announced she was leaving Nick…Joe got rid of Nick, and now he is saying goodbye to Pete. Let’s hope Ashlee finds more happiness than Jessica did when she finds herself officially single again.” Ouch.

Now, Even though the idea of Papa Joe forcing out his daughters’ significant others is particularly juicy, I have to admit, I don’t completely buy it. I think Joe stage-manages Jessica’s relationships, sure, but Jessica is now and has always been his blatant favorite. I just don’t see him as super-involved with Ashlee. And maybe Ashlee is the one who needs his help, even more than Jessica. Us Weekly has another pro-Pete story too – and this one is all about Ashlee’s alleged late-night problems:

When the going gets tough, the tough go partying — at least Ashlee Simpson does. Although their Feb. 9 divorce announcement took many by surprise, pals close to Simpson and husband Pete Wentz tell the new Us Weekly that the spouses of nearly three years “have been talking about splitting up forever.”

Simpson, 26, had coped in part with the impending split by having some late, late-night fun. “Ashlee has been out late partying for the past few months,” says one insider.

Specifically, the singer-actress — and mom to son Bronx, 2 — hangs with a crew of pro skateboarders in San Clemente, Calif., and returns home at sunrise.

“She would lose track of time,” the insider says. A source says a part-time nanny helps look after Bronx, and in her divorce filing, Ashlee asked for physical custody of Bronx and child support.

A Simpson source says the skateboarder thing is all innocent, however. The skaters are from Joe Simpson’s new show, The X-Life. “She went to the wrap party for the shoot, and Pete deejayed. They went and came back together.

Fall Out Boy rocker Wentz, 31, “started getting burnt out” by those antics, another source says. On the road with his band, he “would constantly check in on Ashlee, and he’d have his friends call the house and her cell to make sure she said she was where she said she was going to be,” an insider explains. “He felt like he couldn’t trust her.”

Even when Wentz was at home, Simpson didn’t put on the brakes. At a December 14 dinner party at the LA restaurant Eveleigh, Ashlee, “had a good amount of Belevedere cocktails… she wasn’t being loud, but you could tell she was drunk.” Wentz left a full hour and a half before his wife, who chainsmoked outside with Nicki Hilton.

Add to that, Ashlee’s career problems, like getting fired from Melrose Place halfway through the season. “She’s frustrated and insecure,” says on source, saying that the anxiety has caused her to lose weight. “She’s so skinny… I worry.”

[From Us Weekly, print and online editions]

I’ve read the print edition of Us Weekly too, and there’s even more in there. Here are a few tidbits: Ashlee has decided to go back to her maiden name. Ashlee and Pete’s marriage fell apart a few months into their marriage, and Ashlee only got married because her parents basically forced her to (through guilt, I think). “Everything changed” after she got pregnant. Sources also say that she’s left the home she shared with Pete, and she’s moved back in with her parents.

Oh, and here’s another gem: Us Weekly’s sources say that Joe Simpson is going to try to use Ashlee’s divorce to re-launch her career. Once source predicts, “In a few weeks, she’ll have an album annoucement… Then he’ll announce she’ll go back on Saturday Night Live to promote it.” Ooooh… that should be good!

Photos courtesy of Fame.

We heard last week that Nicole Richie would produce and star in a new sitcom for ABC. That’s fair enough, we’ve already seen that Richie can be funny, albeit by being rude and mean, on her scripted reality show with Paris Hilton, “The Simple Life.” Maybe Richie has changed since becoming a mother and is ready to show that she’s a gentler person who can find humor in everyday life. We have yet to see if she can act, though.

There’s a new report in the National Enquirer that suggests that Richie might be sinking her big chance at sitcom stardom before it’s begun. She’s said to be besties with Ashlee Simpson and to be offering Simpson a major role on the show. Ashlee can’t act her way out of a paper bag and this is a huge mistake on Richie’s part. I have a hard time sitting through Ashlee’s scenes on Melrose Place and I love that trashy soap opera.

Nicole Richie has a generous Christmas gift for BFF Ashlee Simpson-Wentz – a co-starring role on her ABC sitcom…

“Nicole promised Ashlee that writers would craft a central role for her,” revealed the source. The two women and their children spend a lot of time socializing together, and Nicole decided she’d like to work with her close friend.

Nicole’s generous offer could not have come at a better time for Ashlee.

The 25 year-old former pop star is still being devastated over being uncermoniously axed from “Melrose Place” just two months into the season. She made her Broadway debut on Nov. 30, taking on the role of Roxie Hart in a revival of “Chicago,” but her planned 10-week-run ends in February.

Again, have these writers not seen the Melrose Place reboot? Ashlee’s character is being killed off for a good reason. The girl thinks that acting involves widening her eyes and scrunching up her mouth. I hope that someone tells Richie that she’ll have to have a real actress as co-star instead of a friend. If not, this series is surely doomed. Why doesn’t Ashlee go back to making mediocre pop music? I thought she was trying to pass herself off as a singer, not an actress. Musical theater is also a decent route for her, but not acting.

Here’s Ashlee outside a performance of Chicago in NY on 12/6/09. Nicole Richie is shown outside a Jay-Z concert with Samantha Ronson on 11/8/09. Credit: Fame Pictures.

I’ve been keeping up with the new “Melrose Place” on The CW since the premiere, and while it can be kind of cheesy I do enjoy the glamor and the intrigue. My favorite character is bitchy but vulnerable Ella Simms, played to a T by Katie Cassidy. Cassidy is a talented actress and she really makes you root for Ella despite her character’s opportunistic personality.

Ashley Simpson’s character is the obvious weak point of the show, because she just can’t act. Her character Violet is emerging as the prime murder suspect and she’s supposed to be conniving, but all she does is over-emote and I’ve found myself rolling my eyes during her scenes. It’s hard to see Ashlee as anything but a mediocre singer trying too hard to act.

Yesterday it was reported that “Melrose Place” had been half renewed by The CW, which ordered another five episodes for next season. The show is just treading water in the ratings, as opposed to the blockbuster “Vampire Diaries,” which has been renewed for a full season with 10 episodes.

Spoilers for future episodes start here, do not read on if you want to be surprised
EW’s Michael Ausiello has a new interview with producers of the show, who reveal that both Ashlee Simpson and Colin Egglesfield (who plays hot chef Auggie) are off the show next year starting in January. He also reports that the mystery of Sydney’s murder will be solved in December. (I suspect that Auggie was involved, because he was shown burning bloody clothes at the end of the first episode, but it’s hard to tell.) Heather Locklear is coming back in November as we’ve already heard, and more new characters will be introduced.

I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with the show and am kind of relieved that Ashlee’s character will be leaving. Auggie is such delectable eye candy but I’m not that attached to that character either. The producers claim that it was planned all along that Violet and Auggie would leave this season, but Colin Egglesfield tells E! it was a complete surprise and that he had a multi-year contract. You can kind of tell it wasn’t set it stone by the way the producers phrase their answers too.

Two months into its run, The CW’s ratings-challenged (but creatively-smokin’) Melrose Place reboot is about to undergo a major renovation. For starters, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield have been let go (they’ll last air in January), and the “Who Killed Sydney?” mystery is being wrapped up in December. Then, in addition to Heather Locklear’s Amanda, several new characters will be introduced and the show will take on a lighter, more fun vibe. Here, in an exclusive interview, exec producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer explain why they’re fixing a series that many (myself included) felt wasn’t broken and tease what’s ahead for Melrose 2.0 3.0.

What was behind the decision to let Ashlee and Colin go?
TODD SLAVKIN: Well, we always knew that this murder mystery would end in episode 12. And we always knew that [Ashlee's] character of Violet would be instrumental in that as a suspect, and [Colin's character of] Augie as well. And once that murder mystery was solved, she would go on her way. That was the original plan going into the development of the show.

So it was always the plan for Ashlee to leave after episode 12?
SLAVKIN: Yes. Because we felt that once the murder mystery was resolved, the tone of the show was going to shift into a much more fun, romantic, sexy upbeat kind of show, and [her] character would move on.

Same thing with Colin?
SLAVKIN: Colin was always meant to be the ultimate suspect. And his brooding alcoholic [character] tonally didn’t fit the paradigm moving into post-murder mystery Melrose Place.

Is it fair to say that if either of those characters clicked you would’ve found a way to keep them?
SLAVKIN: Well, you never know when you go along. But in the end, we felt like it was right [decision].
DARREN SWIMMER: The nature of soaps is that as things progress along, the story takes on a life of its own and the characters come and go in relation to that.

How did Ashlee and Colin take the news?
SLAVKIN: They’re total professionals and they took it like professionals. When you go into a show you never know what’s going to evolve and what the possibilities are. But because they knew ahead of time [that leaving was a possibility], it wasn’t a complete shock.

[From EW.com]

The interview then covers the new fun direction that show will take. Although the producers deny that they’ve been influenced by the ratings, you can bet that was a large part of it. The trashy and superficial parts of the show are much more appealing than the murder mystery and I’m glad they’ll be switching gears. We’ll have to see how Heather Locklear mixes things up as Amanda too. She’s going to be a large part of the new show, and you can bet there will be a mini-war between Amanda and Ella. Bring it on!

Photo below from Patrick Wymore/The CW via E! Online. Other photo are promotional photos thanks to The CW

After battling fly nets and enormous spiders in Uganda in the name of beauty (or The Price of Beauty), Jessica Simpson has returned to America. She commenced with making up for lost time by doing two big appearances over the weekend. The first was as the headliner for the annual Operation Smile Gala, held in Beverly Hills. Her outfit was a little sketchy for a gala – but I suspect Jessica was aiming for conservative and classic rather than her normal style, a buffet of T & A. Jessica gained some weight back, hasn’t she? It doesn’t really matter, I think she still looks great. Good gala hair, good gala makeup.

At the gala, Papa Joe talked up Jessica to Us Weekly - and as always, he probably did more harm than good. You know how Jessica looks a little heavier? Papa Joe says that’s because Jess went into a “fattening hut” in Uganda, because in Uganda, “fat is beautiful.” He also talks about Jessica’s valuable lessons learned about inner beauty:

As she travels around the world filming her upcoming reality show The Price of Beauty, Jessica Simpson – who underwent criticism for her weight earlier this year – is learning that “beauty starts within,” her father Joe tells Usmagazine.com.

“She’s always scrutinized by the world and [it's great] to watch her go to other countries and see women talk about what is beautiful there,” he told Us Friday at a gala in Beverly Hills for the international charity Operation Smile. “We were just in Uganda, and a beauty ambassador [there] knew Jessica’s total story about her weight and blah, blah, blah. [She said] to Jessica that it’s about who you are inside, which is the message of our show.”

Asked if he has given his daughter, 29, any advice on how to handle the weight issue, Joe told Us, “I don’t have to tell her anything anymore. She’s wise.”

He said he also brushes off any criticism aimed at Jessica or his other daughter Ashlee.

“The girls are wonderful kids who have so much to offer, and as a father, the greatest frustration in the world is that people are told who they are instead of knowing who they are,” he said. “So the hardest thing for me as a parent is to say that’s not who my child is; you don’t know the girl because she’s the same girl she’s always been. She’s with children in Uganda or children in Japan or Thailand — she has an open heart and loves these people. I think you’ll see that on our show. I think it’s the greatest show that women can experience because it’s all women all around the world talking about beauty and the message is always the same: It starts inside.”

What can viewers expect?

Jessica “becomes a Geisha in Japan,” Joe told Us. “In Uganda, we sat in a fattening hut because, in Uganda … fat is beautiful. So the bigger you are, the more beautiful you are. She was with a girl who had been in a hut preparing for her wedding for two months and 25 days on a 5,000 calorie-a-day diet.”

Next stop: Morocco.

“It’s going to be beautiful,” he said.

Jessica agreed, telling Us, “It’s going to be amazing … we’re leaving the day after tomorrow I think.”

[From Us Weekly]

Notice that even when Papa Joe is trying to make a larger point about both of his daughters, he always has to bring the conversation around to just Jessica? Yeah. Sometimes I really feel for Ashlee – it must suck for her in that family. Oh, and it was her 25th birthday on Saturday – she had a big party in Vegas. I can’t find any pictures of her dad at Ashlee’s birthday – but he was all over the Operation Smile gala.

Operation Smile has been one of Jessica’s causes for several years – I’m proud of her for sticking with it, even if she’s (maybe) not the most coherent advocate. I think her heart’s in it, though, and the organization does great work. According to its website, “Operation Smile volunteers have treated more than 130,000 children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities and the organization has a presence in 51 countries. In addition to contributing free medical treatment, Operation Smile trains local medical professionals in its partner countries and leaves behind crucial equipment to lay the groundwork for long-term self-sufficiency.” Good for Jessica!

Photo credit: Apega/WENN.com

This story is from Star Magazine, so it’s just for sh*ts and giggles. Chances are high they’re making this whole story up, but it’s still fun to speculate on.

Star is claiming that Ashlee is involved in an on-set flirtation with her Melrose co-star, Colin Egglesfield. If this is true, it closely mirrors the plot of Melrose, in which Ashlee’s character, the not-so-innocent newcomer Violet, falls for hunky nice guy chef Auggie, played by Egglesfield. I can see her being attracted to the guy. She’s got a whiny eyeliner-wearing husband away on tour and a baby at home and along comes a former male model to make things interesting at work. Much like the plot of Melrose, I can’t see Colin fallings for Ashlee though. I don’t know the guy beyond Melrose but he seems like he has more sense than to get involved with a married woman. We’ve heard for some time that Ashlee and Pete are having trouble in their marriage, so this could be true. Star kind of ruins it with a bogus story that Pete caught Ashlee googling the guy, though. I think they’re basing this whole story on some pictures of these two working on a scene.

Ashlee, 25, got touchy-feely with Colin between scenes on Sept. 23 – while husband Pete Wentz was on tour in Dallas with Fall out Boy. Dressed only in a loosely tied robe, Ash kept grabbing Colin’s hand and hugging him repeatedly, says an eyewitness. “They hung out together for hours. She giggled nonstop and did the whole hair-flip thing. If I were her husband, I wouldn’t be happy with the way she was acting!”

According to multiple sources, he’s not. Pete is very jealous of his wife’s obvious crush on the 36 year-old former Versace mode. He recently caught Ashlee online Googling Colin and flipped, says an insider. “She claimed it was just research, but Pete wasn’t buying it. They got into a huge fight over it and didn’t speak for days, and then he went on tour.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, October 12, 2009]

I tend to think something is going on with Ashlee and Pete, but whether Ashlee is aggressively flirting with a co-worker on set is up to question. If she is, I wouldn’t blame her at all – the guy is hot! There’s a big difference between flirting and cheating, though. Star claimed last month that Ashlee suspected Pete of cheating on her while he was on tour. Maybe this is her payback, or maybe they made it all up. We’ll see.

As for the new Melrose – I’ve been watching it and it’s getting pretty good! Ashlee’s character is the weakest link by far and I don’t think she has enough acting ability to pull it off. She has three looks and they’re not that convincing: conniving, scared, and vacant. Now she’s emerging as the prime murder suspect (this doesn’t reveal any spoilers, and is just speculation on my part) but I think we’re going to be surprised by who actually offed Sydney.

The Melrose Place remake premiered on CW last night, and some critics loved it and some say it paled in comparison to the 90s original. I had the chance to watch it, and I thought it was fun and trashy in spots, but over the top. Of course that’s what people loved about the original version. The music was very heavy-handed and the characters seemed like stereotypes. The dialogue was forced at times and the ending of this first episode seemed contrived. Still, I would watch it again I have to admit. There’s plenty of eye candy and drama. Whether I would stick through the whole season depends on what happens in the next few episodes.

While most of these critics quoted in a recap by the LA Times are on one side of the fence or the other, I’m just a firm “maybe.” It was decent entertainment, I’ll give it that, but I don’t yet particularly care what happens to these characters and I doubt I ever will. Maybe that’s a plus for the show, because it sets up a kind of “anything goes” situation.

Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times admits, “I was a fan of the original ‘Melrose Place’ though I can’t for the life of me remember exactly why.” However, she was unimpressed with the new version noting, “Nothing is said that hasn’t been said, nothing is done that hasn’t been done and as the group of friends who share little save a shoe size and an address gather poolside, even the sunlight looks fake, as if the complex were in a dome, a captive ecosystem on another planet where scientists are attempting an experiment in social regeneration.”

Linda Stasi of the New York Post had the opposite reaction: “The new ‘Melrose Place’ is as good and sometimes better than the old ‘Melrose Place.’ Think of it as a renovation, or in L.A. terms, a face-lift. In fact, the new tenants actually made me forget the old tenants rather quickly. Well, I didn’t forget all of them, because two of them are back but in a new format. Now the series is an ongoing whodunit.”

Said Matthew Gilbert of the Boston Globe, “I ‘like’ the new ‘Melrose Place’ in that I think it has the potential to be as addictive, and phony, as a can of Pringles potato crisps. The trashy CW series has none of the hokey moral quandaries of the show that precedes it, ’90210,’ no lesson-learning unless you’re a student of chicanery and double-dealing. The new ‘Melrose Place’ is just a mess of gossipy plotlines about adultery, murder, and secrets. If it has a moral compass, the arrow is stuck pointing down, to hell.”

In his mixed review David Hinckley of the New York Daily News wrote, “It does, however, wisely retain some of the elements that worked in the original, like characters who are interesting without being deep. We watch them because of what they do, not because we think there’s a lot there.”

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune said, “Given that I was never a big fan of the original ‘Melrose,’ which ran on Fox 1992-’99, I can’t say whether this one is better or worse. I just know that in a fall season that’s about to get very crowded indeed, this remake will have to work harder than this to keep my attention.”

And for James Poniewozik of Time, “The problem isn’t that the new version – which dives right into the pool (literally) with a murder mystery and re-introduces several characters from the original – is bad, exactly. It’s competent. It also seems a little familiar and unnecessary. The luridly lit nightclub scenes, for instance, by now seem familiar from the CW playbook of ‘Gossip Girl’ and ’90210.’ “

[From The LA Times]

Mild spoilers for first episode below
Ashlee Simpson plays the new arrival at Melrose Place, a sweet naive girl named Violet who seems even more one dimensional than the rest of the characters. Her main scene takes place with doctoral student Lauren, when Violet encounters Lauren after she comes back from a date. Lauren tells Violet that she had a great date but that her date propositioned her for money in exchange for sex. Violet kind of makes Lauren question why she turned down the offer, but then concedes that she wouldn’t do that, either, saying “You and me, we’re good girls. It’s just not as fun.” Ashlee isn’t that accomplished of an actress, but with lines like that she certainly doesn’t need to be.

So is it worth watching Melrose Place? I guess you’d have to judge for yourself. There were definitely some good moments, but I wasn’t hooked from the start.

[The CW and Melrose Place are one of our advertisers, but we were not contacted or encouraged to review this series.] Photos from CWtv.com

People Magazine doesn’t report conjecture like some of the other celebrity glossies. It’s pretty safe to assume that if People runs a story it’s from a solid source, usually directly from a celebrity’s camp even though they sometimes won’t admit it – like in the case of Shania Twain dishing on her husband’s infidelity. Over the weekend, People ran a story about how Jessica Simpson’s ex, Tony Romo, had a “wandering eye” during the last stage of their relationship, before he unceremoniously dumped Jessica. The breakup was a full three weeks ago and the news about these two was just starting to die down. People‘s source is probably Jessica’s daddy Joe, considering that it only serves Jessica’s interests to keep the breakup in the press while painting herself as the victim. What’s more is that the article claims that Jessica thought she was going to marry John Mayer back when she was with him. Mayer was Jessica’s last steady boyfriend, but it’s suspicious that they’re mentioning him and it makes you wonder if he’s somehow back in the picture skulking around like a hyena waiting to feast on the remains left by Romo. Once he gets whiff of the “marriage” claims he’ll be off again anyway:

Jessica Simpson is “bummed” about her split from quarterback Tony Romo, but “it’s the best thing for her,” according to a source close to the singer.

“[Tony] wanted her to be a house mom and be in Dallas, and he wants to go out and play – and not just football,” says the source.

Additionally, the source says Simpson and Romo’s relationship started to deteriorate toward the end of their time together. “It’s been tough for her. Tony had his eyes on everyone but her towards the end,” the source tells PEOPLE. “But let’s not forget they lasted for a long time and he stuck with her even though the fans didn’t like her.”

Although Romo has been linked to another woman – Natalie Smith – in reports, Smith’s father John, the associate athletic director at Eastern Illinois University, has denied rumors that the pair are an item.

Reps for Romo did not return calls for comment.

For Simpson, the breakup has meant letting go of her hopes for a future with the handsome football star. “I think when Jessica gets into a relationship, she thinks she is going to marry him and have babies,” the source says. “Every time she ends up with a boy, she is in the zone that it’s leading to marriage and babies. That’s how she’s programmed.”

And these feelings were not exclusive to Romo, says the source. “I guarantee when she was with John [Mayer] she thought she was going to marry John,” adds the source. “She’s in love with love.”

Another factor that makes relationships more tricky for Simpson is her family, says the source. “The closeness of her and her family – that takes a toll on the boys,” says source. “They are extremely close and when you date her, you date her family.”

For now the singer is hunkering down with her parents at their home in Encino. Calif., but the source says: “She will come back stronger. She’s working out and she’s focusing on herself.”

[From People]

That sounds like it’s directly from papa Joe, doesn’t it? Jessica went out for sushi with her sister, Ashlee, over the weekend and the paparazzi just happened to be there. It looks like she wanted some nice photos to go along with this story. I have only best wishes for Jess, but her dad needs to drop this and move on. The breakup was incredibly beneficial to Jessica PR-wise as it landed her on the covers of US and OK! this week. If her family keeps pushing this “poor Jess” angle the good will for her, along with the tabloid coverage, will start to dry up though.

Jessica Simpson is shown outside Katsuya with Ken Paves and her sister, Ashlee on 8/1/09. Credit: Fame Pictures and WENN.com

Oh, for goodness sake. The National Enquirer is reporting that Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz are locked in some kind of battle about if and when to have a second baby. Their son Bronx is only eight months old, and according to the Enquirer’s source, Pete is hellbent on having another kid right now, so that they’ll have two babies close in age. Meanwhile, Ashlee is all “hell, no” and “if you want a baby so badly, you get pregnant, genius” to Pete. She’s trying to establish herself as some kind of television actress, and she worries about her weight a lot, according to these sources. So basically, they’re saying she doesn’t want to have another baby because of her career and her figure. And Pete just keeps whining about having a big family:

Hold on to your Pampers! Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz are locked in a bitter baby battle. The career-minded performer is putting off her Fall Out Boy husband’s dream for baby No. 2 because she thinks a new pregnancy will interfere with new TV show, say insiders.

“Pete wants Ashlee pregnant NOW,” a family friend told The ENQUIRER. “He wants a big family. And he’s adamant that the children should be close in age.”

“But Ashlee is consumed with making it as a serious actress. Each time Pete brings up the idea of a new baby, Ashlee groans, ‘We just had one!’”

The two are thrilled with parenthood and Bronx Mowgli, their 8-month-old son, said the friend.

“While Ashlee does want more kids, she wants to wait a couple of years. It’s Pete who is getting antsy – and the baby issue is starting to create conflict.”

Ashlee’s new show, Melrose Place, debuts on the CW this fall, and the 24-year-old singer-turned-actress is hoping it will establish her as a TV name.

“Ashlee worked hard to slim down and lose the baby weight after Bronx was born in November,” said the friend. “She thinks another pregnancy now will slow her career momentum.”

At 5-foot-6 and 110 pounds, the performer feels she’s ready for the cameras.

“And the last thing she wants is to jeopardize this new television gig because of morning sickness and dealing with the physical toll of a pregnancy,” said the pal.

[From National Enquirer]

I’ve read interviews with Pete Wentz where he’s come across as very thoughtful and sweet. Of course, he’s also got his fair share of douchey famewhoring behavior. So who’s the real Pete? The nice guy who kept asking Ashlee out over the course of months until she said yes, or the douche nozzle who parties with strippers and orders his wife to get knocked up right now? If I can give these two crazy kids a bit of advice – having two kids close in age really isn’t that important. Not important enough to fight over. Just chill out and enjoy the healthy baby boy you have.

Here’s Pete and Bronx on July 10th in Los Angeles. Images thanks to INF Photo.