When I think of Ashlee Simpson and Vincent Piazza’s relationship, I will forever remember her at the SAG Awards earlier this year as his guest, trying to pull focus during the red carpet interviews with that baby voice of hers. (I looked forever for that E! interview but couldn’t find a video of it, which just goes to show how important either of them are.) Vincent is of course on Boardwalk Empire, and Ashlee is a singer of some note, known more for getting caught lip syncing and being Jessica Simpson’s less famous sister. So their relationship ran its course after about a year and a half, which seems to be the expiration date on a lot of relationships, doesn’t it? The NY Post has the official news, couched in the context of Vincent being away “working” a lot, which is guy code for “I want out.” Here’s more:

Ashlee Simpson and her boyfriend, “Boardwalk Empire” star Vincent Piazza, have split after nearly 1 1/2 years of dating, Page Six has exclusively learned. The singer and Piazza broke up over the Thanksgiving holiday, sources tell us, after his burgeoning career kept them apart. One source told us, “Vincent has been working a lot, so he hasn’t been able to spend as much time with Ashlee, which has caused some problems. It was a mutual agreement to split, but things have been bumpy for a little while, so perhaps they might reconcile.” Simpson began dating Piazza in June 2011, following her split with Pete Wentz, the father of her 3-year-old son, Bronx.

[From The NY Post]

Well it’s sad for Ashlee, especially given the fact that her dad is a closeted cheater who is in the process of divorcing her mom. Who would have thought that Jessica Simpson would have the healthiest relationship among her family members? That’s probably just a testament to how dysfunctional this family is.

On a side note, are you guys still watching Boardwalk Empire? I don’t remember many scenes with Piazza this season, but maybe he’s just skilled at blending in. Honestly I haven’t been paying full attention to it and gave up after a handful of episodes this year. When this happened (mouse over for spoiler for past show) Gillian killed that young guy who somewhat resembled her missing, dead son with whom she had an incestuous relationship I got upset and quit watching. Maybe those kind of shock scenes are what make the show so good, but it’s really taking some creepy turns lately.

Ashlee and Vincent are shown in the header on 2-14-12 and at the SAG awards on 1-29-12. Credit: WENN.com They’re shown in candids on 7-25-12 (with her son, Bronx) and on 5-24-12. Credit: FameFlynet

I’ve always suspected there was a lot of behind-the-scenes sister-drama with the Simpson sisters, Jessica and Ashlee. My take: Papa Joe Simpson began playing favorites with his daughters when they were just kids, and that favoritism carried into adulthood, with Joe always being closer to and more focused on Jessica, and he never really cared about what Ashlee was doing. To her credit, I think Jessica – in her own way – has always felt that Ashlee gets excluded and Jessica reaches out to her and talks her up, which Ashlee might feel is patronizing. Basically, Ashlee has a grudge, some of it old family history and some of which are slights that still occur. Ashlee is tagged as “the difficult little sister” and “the screw-up” to Jessica’s “perfection” and the storyline just keeps on going and going. I actually feel bad for Ashlee – I think she’s got some issues, and I think she’s got some legitimate complaints for how she’s treated within her own family. Unfortunately, when Jessica gave birth to Maxwell, the sister-drama went nuclear. According to Star, Jessica is so “over” her sister’s BS that Jessica chose CaCee Cobb to be Maxwell’s godmother instead of Ashlee.

When Ashlee Simpson gave birth to her son, Bronx, three and a half years ago, her sister, Jessica, was a doting aunt.

“Jessica also sent gifts,” a family friend says. But when Jessica became a mom on May 1, Ashlee didn’t return the affection.

“Ashlee is jealous of the attention and the money Jessica is getting for losing her baby weight,” the friend reports. The source says Ashlee, 27, has always had a chip on her shoulder about growing up in Jessica’s shadow. When Bronx was born, Ashlee felt like she had a leg up, because all eyes were on her – but now, thanks to Maxi, Jessica has stolen the spotlight again. Ashlee’s responded by checking out of her sister’s life.

“She doesn’t call, and she certainly doesn’t help Jessica,” the friend says. Jessica was so hurt that she chose her pal CaCee Cobb to be her daughter’s godmother, instead of her sister. “She misses Ashlee,’ says the friend. “But she’s really angry that she doesn’t give a sh-t about her niece.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition]

While I think it’s awful that Ashlee doesn’t seem to “give a sh-t about her niece,” I also think it’s interesting how these old, childhood storylines get carried into adulthood. Jessica is always the good sister, Ashlee is always the disappointing sister. It’s got to be rough on Ashlee.

By the way, Jessica’s weight is still being discussed and dissected in the tabloids. For her part, Jessica tweeted yesterday, “Just bought all the girls in my @weightwatchers group pedometers to track their steps. 10,000 steps a day = 5 miles! Let’s step it up!” I know I’m an idiot about these things (go ahead and yell), but is the goal to do 5 miles overall, like throughout the day when you’re just walking around your house and running errands? Or is the “five miles” supposed to be for what you do in the gym? Because if you’re walking (not running) five miles at the gym, that will take forever.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Jessica’s Twitter.

First things first: seriously, is Ashlee Simpson’s old nose growing back? I think it is. There were reports in 2010 about her old nose “growing back” and since then, I think her nose has gotten even bigger. Second thing: I can’t help it, I think Ashlee’s boyfriend is super-cute. Vincent Piazza may or may not be on the road to Hollywood stardom, but I find him adorable, and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him.

Anyway, In Touch Weekly claims that Ashlee is “determined” to marry Vincent, her boyfriend of… 10 months? If that. Not only does Ashlee want to marry him, she wants to have his babies. Unfortunately for Ashlee, Papa Joe says NO.

Ashlee Simpson is being forced to stay single! After 27-year-old Ashlee announced her plans to become engaged to boyfriend Vincent Piazza, her parents ordered the star to hold off.

“They told her that this is Jessica’s time to shine,” the insider says. But that hasn’t stopped Ashlee and her actor beau from shopping for rings. As the insider adds, “She’s determined to marry Vincent and have his baby.”

[From In Touch Weekly, print edition]

Yes. This time is all about Jessica. It’s always all about Jessica for Papa Joe. I’m not sure if Papa Joe even realizes that he has a second daughter. Poor Ashlee. I mean, I kind of get both sides. What kind of sister tries to steal her nine-months-pregnant sister’s thunder by announcing an engagement? On the other side, it shouldn’t matter, I guess. Whatever – it won’t hurt Ashlee and Vincent to wait a while longer and (gasp!) actually get to know each other.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I can’t believe that Ashlee Simpson is one of the people we have to talk about from last night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. But she and her Boardwalk Empire boyfriend Vincent Piazza were two of the first people on the red carpet for interviews, and there are some other notable subjects to cover. First, Ashlee has a boyfriend! And he’s an up-and-comer, considering he’s on a critically acclaimed and award-winning show that just won big last night. So Ashlee hitched herself to someone with potential, I guess. I think her boyfriend is cute, but he was peeved that Ashlee was getting so much attention, right? Guiliana Rancic just put the mic on Ashlee and kind of ignored poor Vincent, and he was the one nominated. So, that might be a problem in the months to come.

Next, let’s talk about how Ashlee looked – really good, right? Her dress was Jenny Packham (like Angelina!), and it was really pretty, and she looked very elegant and “I’m with a nominated actor, y’all!” But… there’s something weird about her face. She’s gotten more “work” done, right? At first, I barely recognized her, and while I can’t put my finger on exactly what all she’s had done, I know there are several differences. Eyes? Another nose job? And her hair style really changes her face too – but I love her hair this way.

Last thing – how annoying was her interview with Guiliana? She seemed drunk or stoned. And that baby voice is SO affected. Gross.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

It looks like there’s some “professional” rivalry between Jessica and Ashlee Simpson. The National Enquirer reports that they’re so at odds over some tween clothing line they’re working on launching together that they’re screaming at each other. Things are said to be so tense between them that Ashlee might not even go to Jessica’s wedding, whenever she’s having it. This whole story is pretty ripe considering how terribly they individually dress. Apparently Jessica’s tastes tend toward girly while Ashlee wants something closer to Avril Lavigne’s punk style. So ugly-frilly vs. ugly distressed look. Take your pick.

Jessica Simpson and her sister Ashlee… announced in June that they’re launching a joint tween clothing line, but sources say they’re now fighting like cats and dogs over it.

“Jessica and Ashlee are butting heads over the direction of the clothes,” an insider divulged.

“Jess prefers girly frills like lace and flowers. She leans more toward sexy dresses and low-cut tops. But Ashlee wants a more punk-rock look. She’s pushing for ripped jeans and neon t-shirts.

“Their disagreements have set off a virtual [war] with them screaming at each other in front of underlings…

“Jessica constantly throws her fashion success in Ashlee’s face,” the insider revealed.

“Ashlee also feels Jess wasn’t supportive after she split from husband Pete Wentz… She needed a shoulder to lean on and Jess was nowhere in sight.

“Now Ashlee is so angry with Jessica’s bossy ways that she’s threatening to boycott her wedding to Eric later this year,” said the source.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, September 5, 2011]

I always thought Ashlee and Jessica were tight, so this is surprising to me. Still, if you look at how they dress it’s easy to see that there’s no way they would be able to agree on styles for a joint fashion line. The photo above doesn’t really capture how stark their fashion differences are, so here are a few candids of them out separately recently. I think the common denominator here is “fug,” though. They definitely have that in common. Oh and animal prints.

Ashlee is friends with Nicky Hilton I guess. Who knew? Who cared?

Photo credit: WENN, Fame, Pacific Coast News

Ashlee, Pete and their son Bronx Mowgli, two and a half, on 6/10/11

I had only a passing interest in the Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz breakup earlier this year, but since it’s my job to pay attention to these relatively nobodies, I’ve gleaned that Ashlee may have cheated on Pete. It’s hard to verify, but it seems like that’s what went down. Maybe his people were leaking stories about her, though, because there were cheating rumors about him too, and one story in the Enquirer claimed he was addicted to prescription painkillers. Whatever happened, Ashlee has been spotted out with several other potential hookups since their split and so has Pete. They’ve also been photographed together, suggesting they’re still friendly or at least want to give the impression that they are.

This latest story makes me think that Pete probably wants Ashlee to look like a drunken sad sap who wants him back though. US Weekly claims she’s been drunk-dialing him and begging him to come back to her. I would think it would be the other way around, but who knows. The last we heard of Ashlee she was dating Boardwalk Empire star Vincent Piazza, but they could be over now even though US says they’re still together. I did find paparazzi photos of them together on July 10th, those are below. Here’s US’ story:

A source says [Ashlee Simpson], 26, recently placed an inebriated call to Pete Wentz, whom she’s divorcing. “Ashlee was telling Pete how much she misses him and wants him back,” says a pal of the bassist, 32. A rep for Simpson denies the call. And though the singer is dating Boardwalk Empire’s Vincent Piazza, the source says she’s so desperate to win Wentz back, she even asked his sis for help – with no luck. Says the pal, “He will never go back to her. He’s in a good place.”

[From US Weekly, print edition, September 5, 2011]

This is Pete trying to save face by acting like Ashlee wants him back. She probably did drunk dial him, we’ve heard she loves her cocktails. The extent of her wanting him back is probably a few mumbled regrets that she doesn’t even remember, though.

Ashlee and Vincent in NY on 7/10/11:

Pete and a “female friend” (update: it’s his sister, sorry! The photo agency didn’t identify her) in LA on 7/11/11.

Here’s Ashlee at an event on 6/21. Her styling is awful! What was she thinking?

Header photo credit: Fame. Other photos credit: Pacific Coast News and WENN.com

Both of the Simpson sisters love their booze. Over the years, Jessica Simpson has had many high-profile nights where she got blitzed and had to be poured into a car by a boyfriend or gay dude (poor Ken Paves). Jessica has tried to make excuses for her boozehound ways, and for the most part, the tabloids don’t really make a thing about it. However, when Jessica’s sister Ashlee split up with Pete Wentz, suddenly there were lots and lots of stories about Ashlee being a raging alcoholic. This is one of those stories - Star Magazine claims that Jessica is “on a mission” to end Ashlee’s booze-athon which involves Ashlee guzzling 8 to 10 bottles of wine a week.

Jessica Simpson has staged an intervention for her troubled 26-year-old sister, Ashlee. Ashlee is in the middle of a painful split from Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, 32, with whom she has a 2-year-old son, Bronx. And reportedly, she’s not handling it well.

“Ashlee is downing eight to 10 bottled of wine a week,” a source reveals to Star. “Jessica is on a mission to save Ashlee from self-destructing, and she told her to funnel her angst into songwriting.”

Knee-deep in wedding prep, Jessica has even enlisted her fiancé, Eric Johnson, who has been helping Ashlee craft songs.

“Jessica has also been writing with Ashlee, but refuses to take any professional songwriting credit,” adds another insider. “The biggest reward for Jess will be seeing her baby sister bounce back.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition]

First of all: that sounds like a lot to me, but I’m not a big wine drinker. Is it possible to consume 8 to 10 bottles a week and it’s perfectly reasonable? I doubt it, but I thought Angelina Jolie was probably hammered after five glasses. Second thing: Is Farty McDrunkFace the best person to conduct this kind of “intervention”? This is like Charlie Sheen going to his brother Emilio and saying, “I’m worried about you, man.” Third: While Ashlee may be depressed over her divorce, I think she’s mourning the death of that relationship by shoving her tongue down some dude’s throat.

Last thing: Ashlee going back to music. I wouldn’t hate it, actually. She gave the acting thing a go and she failed at that – why not go back to music?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I don’t watch Boardwalk Empire, so Vincent Piazza is, to me, just some cute dude. I tried looking him up, and I found that he’s an up-and-coming television actor with a decent resume. Odd thing, though: I can’t fine his age. Neither Wikipedia nor IMDB has a date of birth listed. Weird. Anyway, this cute dude of indiscriminate age (I’d say mid to late 20s) is dating Ashlee Simpson. If you remember, there was lots of talk about Ashlee’s boozy nights spent in the arms of randoms while she was still married, and after. I think Ashlee even dated a few friends of Pete Wentz’s too. But now she and Vincent are official – they’ve been pap’d together (you can see the photos here – they even made out for the paps).

New love in New York! Four months after filing for divorce from Pete Wentz, Ashlee Simpson stepped out with Boardwalk Empire actor Vincent Piazza for a romantic stroll June 15.

“They were laughing and chatting,” a witness tells Us Weekly. “She’d stop to kiss him; she couldn’t take her eyes off him.”

The next day, he even took Simpson, 26, to the airport for her flight back to L.A. (He’s currently shooting in NYC.)

“Vincent’s a chill guy, very artsy, the quiet type,” says a pal. “He likes her.”

A source says the two were set up by a friend, adding that the singer who was spotted on a friendly outing with Wentz and son Bronx, 2, in L.A. June 10 is taking the long-distance love slowly.

Says the source, “It’s all very new.”

Simpson’s rep could not be reached for comment.

[From Us Weekly]

Well, I think they seem pretty well-matched, honestly. I didn’t know who he was before today, but dating Ashlee will get him some tabloid and gossip attention, and probably help his career. Meanwhile, Ashlee gets the benefit of looking stable enough to have a functional relationship, and she gets to bone a cute a guy. Win-win.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

The past month has brought a lot of drama between Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz, although to be fair to them, most of the drama did seem to orignate from tabloids making mountains out of molehills. Some of the most notable stories have been about Ashlee’s boozy ass hooking up with Pete’s friends, like Travis Barker and Craig Owens, in addition to her (alleged) hookups with random skaters while still married. Then there was the appearance of Ashlee and Pete seeming like they were gearing up for a custody battle for their son Bronx. So… yeah, it’s been a mess. So Pete decided to do some damage control when he called into Ryan Seacrest’s radio show:

Despite his recent split and possible custody fight over son Bronx, 2, Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz appear to be amicable exes.

Two days after the former couple drove together to a Hollywood In-N-Out Burger, Wentz, 31, called into Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS-FM morning show to discuss his new band, Black Cards, and to praise Simpson, 26.

“It’s like Ashlee’s been my best friend for five years,” Wentz said Monday. “She’s the mother of my child. I have nothing but love and respect for her. Going through something like this isn’t easy, but we’re friends, and the most important thing is to put our son first.”

Wentz says keeping the details of his divorce private is tough, though, fortunately, the celebrity news cycle has been busy lately.

“It’s hard to … maintain your private life,” he says. “You want to do it, especially when there’s a kid involved. It’s like the one time on earth I’m like, ‘Thank god Charlie Sheen exists.’ ”

In spite of it all, the rocker says his son’s spirits are high.

“He’s doing awesome,” Wentz says. “He’s crazy. It’s like something new everyday. Everything’s like a new discovery for him. All of a sudden he’s opening doors and all of a sudden he wants to paint.”

“His new thing is hiding cell phones and credit cards and stuff,” Wentz continues. “I’m like, ‘So where’s dad’s cell phone?’ And he laughs. He thinks it’s a comedy bit.”

[From People]

Do you buy that everything is fine between Ashlee and Pete, and that we in the gossip industrial complex are just blowing things out of proportion? I’m not so sure. For me, my belief in various tabloid reports comes from what I know, from what I’ve seen time and time again, and from what has become evident over time. The Simpson family leaks to the tabloids. That’s a fact. Usually, it’s about Jessica and her farty stuff, but I think Papa Joe, as manager to both of his girls, approves of strategic leaks that (he hopes) will help his girls. Therefore, I tend to put some stock into various tabloid reports about Ashlee and Pete’s problems, then and now.

That being said, I do think they’re both trying to reel it in. Over the weekend, they were photographed together, and taken with this interview with Pete, I do think they’re aiming for maturity. This week. Let’s see how long it lasts.

Oh, and Pete cut his hair too. I think I’m the only one who liked his Bob Dylan ‘fro. Now he looks so average!

Photos courtesy of WENN & Fame.

Ashlee Simpson has been linked with a few guys since the news of her seemingly shocking split (to those who care) with Pete Wentz. She’s been rumored to be hooking up with heavy tatted drummer Travis Barker, which would be a dumb move considering Barker’s history of fighting and reuniting with his children’s mother, Shanna Moakler. Ashlee also tweeted a photo of herself out to dinner with the former guitarist for her band, Ray Brady, right before she filed for divorce. (They were there with Ashlee’s friend, stylist Natalie Saidi.) And she’s reportedly been hanging out and partying with some pro skaters. Now Ashlee has been linked with yet another guy, a rocker friend of Pete’s named Craig Owens who is signed to Pete’s record label. They were photographed together and Star Magazine claims that Ashlee somehow seduced this guy, as if guys need seducing usually. Here are two reports on this, from Star and In Touch via Jezebel’s tabloid roundup.

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz has been seeing Craig Owens from the band D.R.U.G.S., which just released its first album on — DUN DUN DUN — Pete Wentz’s record label. The mag has three pix of Ashlee and Craig hanging out together, and apparently they were seen holding hands at the Beverly Center Mall, and they even kissed on the lips. (There’s a lot of teenage behavior in the tabloids this week.) But Ash & Owen better watch out. A family “friend” says Ashlee’s dad Joe is “looking for a professional athlete for his little girl to date.” – In Touch as told by Jezebel

Ashlee Simpson is having a “revenge romance” with Craig Owens, a longtime friend of Pete Wentz. “She played the part of the temptress, getting Craig to ignore his friendship with Pete,” says a source. “She loves that it worked.” Craig has been Tweeting subtle messages like, “When you wake up to messages from someone special… knowing you’ll look at them over & over throughout the day… Smiling really big each time” and “the faith I have in us will keep you near.” There’s a chance that these are song lyrics, but whatever. “Ashlee’s determined to move on first,” the source says. “She won’t tolerate being seen as ‘the poor ex-wife who got dumped. It’s just not an option.” In Touch as told by Jezebel

[From Star and In Touch via Jezebel]

Star is really phoning it in lately. They have a nice twist on this by claiming that Ashlee somehow tempted the dude, but from most all accounts Ashlee is the one who dumped Pete, not the other way around. She’s not seen as “the poor ex wife who got dumped,” and Pete was supposedly begging her to reconsider. These two were 24 and 29 when they got married. Ashlee is just 26 now and she’s playing the field. She may be dating one of Pete’s friends, but it’s probably just because the guy is convenient and her type, and not necessarily because she wants to hurt her ex. Pete is probably pissed off about it though.

Photo of Ashlee and Pete is from 10/18/10, Credit: PRPhotos. Photo of Ashlee alone is from 11/2/10. Credit: WENN.com. Owen is shown performing (color photo) on 8/23/09. Credit: WENN.com. Other photos are from his Facebook page.