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.

Did I know this was coming? Not really. What I expected from Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz’s divorce proceedings was maybe a fight over money, considering they didn’t have any kind of prenup. But I did not expect a fight over their son, Bronx. But it looks like a custody battle is a’brewin’. Please, please, please, let’s not go all Oksana and Mel on this one:

Pete Wentz does NOT want his soon-to-be-ex wife Ashlee Simpson to get primary physical custody of their 2-year-old son Bronx — as she’s requested — and now he’s taking her on in court … TMZ has learned.

Wentz just filed legal papers in response to Ashlee’s divorce petition … asking the judge for JOINT physical and legal custody of their son. In her divorce petition, Ashlee checked the box that indicated she wanted primary physical custody.

According to the docs, filed in L.A. County Superior Court and obtained by TMZ, Wentz also wants each party to pay their own legal fees … even though Ashlee asked the court to make Pete foot the bill for both sides.

And while Ashlee didn’t specify the official break-up date in her papers — Pete says the two called it quits on Feb. 9 … just days after Pete came home from a wife-less trip to Dallas for the Super Bowl.

[From TMZ]

A source close to Pete tells People Magazine, “There’s no fire. It’s a very straightforward response asking for joint custody and fair distribution of attorney’s fees. He’s not gearing up for a custody war.” Meanwhile, tabloidy sources have Ashlee as quite aggrieved over everything – Star Magazine still has Ashlee allegedly hooking up with Travis Barker, and a source tells Star: “This is her ‘f*** you’ to Pete. Ashlee thinks it was all Pete’s fault that their marriage failed. She’d never take any blame, and she wants to hurt him.” As if boning random skater boyz at dawn isn’t hurtful enough!

Photos courtesy of Fame.

This week’s Star Magazine has a quick blurb about Ashlee Simpson and Travis Barker hooking up now that Ashlee is single, having abruptly dumped her husband of nearly three years, Pete Wentz. For Ashlee’s sake I hope this isn’t true, but she’s no prize either:

After splitting from Pete Wentz, Ashlee Simpson, 26, is spending time with another tattooed rocker: Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, 35, who is Pete’s pal. Says an insider: “She’s keeping it quiet because she’s afraid Pete will be p*ssed.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, March 14, 2011]

I could have sworn Travis Barker was in his 40s, but that’s just due to how rough he looks. Ashlee has horrible taste in men. Travis makes Pete Wentz seem like a decent choice for a husband.

Ashlee hasn’t tweeted much since she filed for divorce. She only only posted once in the past four weeks and and it was an obvious promotional tweet. Whatever is going on with her, I hope that she didn’t leave Pete for Travis Barker. Reports varied after Pete and Ashlee broke up, with some outlets claiming Ashlee wanted to be single and party and others saying that Pete was a pill addict who spent a lot of time away from home. Both of those accounts are probably true.

Last Fall, Ashlee confirmed that she’s working on a new album and plans to put out a fashion line. She should ask her sister Jessica to help her with that. Jessica might not be the brightest bulb, but she knows how to stick her name on stuff and make money.

Ashlee Simpson is shown on 11/2/10. Travis Barker is shown on 2/15/11. Credit: WENN.com

Here’s Travis Barker at work on a music video (with The Game, Rick Ross and Swizz Beatz) on 2/19/11. Ashlee is shown out with Bronx on 2/25/11. credit: Fame

Just about every tabloid has some account of the reasons behind the seemingly sudden split of Emo poster couple Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz. There seem to be a lot of leaked stories from both sides, and as Kaiser reported previously US Weekly blamed Ashlee for the split, saying she’s been partying and hanging out with other guys. OK! Magazine, which we also covered, basically claimed that Pete was never around since he was touring with his band and that stressed Ashlee out. Well In Touch, The National Enquirer and Star all have their own takes too and I’ll start with The National Enquirer since their claims are the most explosive. I would guess this first report comes from team Ashlee.

Enquirer: Pete is hooked on pills and booze, has “wandering eye”
Fed up with the rocker’s abuse of prescription drugs, his wandering eye and because she feared for the safety of the couple’s 2 year-old son, the singer-actress filed for divorce on Feb. 9 after less than three years of marriage.

Although Ashlee had been pressuring Pete to go to rehab for a while – and had even threatened to leave him – insiders say the troubled musician didn’t take her demands seriously until it was too late.

“Ashlee realized that Pete had become a functioning addict and that he wasn’t making any effort to quit,” revealed an insider.

He’d been taking the sleeping pill Ambien, the sedative Xanax and painkiller Oxycontin, said the source, and Ashlee had concerns about Pete’s behavior around their son Bronx…

“When Pete drinks and takes pills, he goes wild. Ashlee doesn’t trust him to be faithful.”

In Touch: They haven’t had sex since summer, Ashlee gave up, they both partied
“The passion between them had died,” [Ashlee's] friend says. “They haven’t been intimate since last summer, and were sleeping in separate beds.”

Star: It was complicated, they were both attracted to other people
[A] source tells Star that whispers about the nature of Pete’s relationship with Bebe Rexha, the sexy new singer for Black Cards, “definitely helped push Ashlee over the edge. And with Pete and Bebe about to go on tour together, I think it was eating away Ashlee to the point of no return.”

Ashlee… found [a shoulder to lean on] in her ex-boyfriend Ray Brady, former guitarist for her band. On Jan. 26… Ashlee posted a new photo to her Twitter account showing her and Ray having a cozy dinner together.

Star: Ashlee broke up with Pete over the phone and he missed Superbowl
Despite the mounting problems in their marriage, friends say that Pete was genuinely blindsided by Ashlee’s decision. And that seem clear on Saturday, Feb. 5, when Pete received a sudden phone call from Ashlee while he wsa partying in Dallas the day before the Superbowl…

“He was supposed to stay in town to see the game on Sunday, then return to L.A. the day after. But he suddenly got a phone call about a ‘family emergency’ and ended up rushing out of Dallas that night. He never got to see the game.”

That phone call was Ashlee killing two birds with one stone, a source tells Star. “She broke the news that she was going to divorce him and ruined his big Superbowl weekend at the same time!”

[Print editions, sources quoted in text]

Both The Enquirer and Star have that story about how Ashlee called Pete during his trip to Dallas before the Super Bowl to break the news that she was divorcing him. And by most all accounts Pete was shocked and begged her not to do it. The Enquirer story makes the most sense to me. If Pete was taking all those prescription drugs that would explain why he wasn’t interested in sex at all. Being hooked on pills like that can really change a person and make them irresponsible and unreliable. Meanwhile Ashlee was drinking and partying toward the end because she knew it was over and was blowing off steam. They were too young to get married, and Pete needs to get off the pills. Hopefully little Bronx will be ok throughout this mess.

Pete is shown in the header on 12/31/10. He’s shown with Bronx below on 11/27/10 and with Bronx and Ashlee in October and November of last year. Credit: Fame