One of the things I do like about Jessica and Ashlee Simpson is the way they always stand by each other in the press. The tabloids are often trying to paint Jessica as jealous of Ashlee, but I think that’s based more on their assumptions rather than anything that’s actually been reported by “sources.” Younger Ashlee is married with a baby. Jessica supposedly wants those same things, but that doesn’t mean she’s jealous of her sister. I think she’s happy for her and desires the same, which doesn’t inherently equate to jealousy.

Anyhoo… a few weeks ago Ashlee was fired from “Melrose Place,” supposedly for sucking at acting in a big, big way. Jessica tweeted that the show was “crap” without her sister on it. I don’t really agree – it’s (somewhat entertaining) crap with or without Ashlee, but Ashlee definitely didn’t make it good. But it’s sweet that Jessica probably genuinely sees it that way because she’s biased towards her sister and sees this talent that the rest of us don’t. Now Ashlee has returned the favor, and done so in the traditional Simpson family creepy way: by talking about how sexy Jessica is.

The Simpson ladies have been through their fair share of ups and downs this past year, but one thing they can always rely on? Each other. In fact, Ashlee, who’s reportedly set to make her Broadway debut as Chicago’s Roxy this December following the wrap of her role on Melrose Place, is defending her big sis in the December issue of Women’s Health. “My sister has an incredible body. I feel sorry for anyone who would judge her, because she’s one sexy lady,” the actress, 25, says of Jessica, who’s made headlines for her weight fluctuation. “It’s disgusting that people would say those things.”

Jessica, 29, meanwhile, already returned the favor earlier this month, when she bashed the writers on her sister’s former show. “CW catching up on MP. Who writes this crap? i have had bad scripts to work with, but this? thank God my sister is amazing and got you some press,” she Tweeted.

Simpson-Wentz tells the magazine that even sudden career shifts don’t get her down anymore, especially now that her family is priority. “[Being married] made me able to share more,” she says. “Now Pete and Bronx come first. It has humbled me.”

And, as for her own body image, Simpson-Wentz adds the only person she wants to look good for is herself – and her husband, of course. “Pete isn’t worried about stretch marks,” the mother of 1-year-old Bronx says. “He always makes me feel sexy… There’s gonna be a time when I’m way curvier, and that’ll be sexy too. What defines sexy is not someone’s weight. Personally I like curves.

[From People]

I gotta tell you, while I’d appreciate the support, if my family members were constantly talking about how sexy I am (undeniably true) and how hot my body is, I’d be super skeeved out by this point. I realize it’s the Simpson way to make someone feel like they have value, but damn. In Jessica’s case it’s probably the right route – what else are they going to say, “You’re brilliant!”? And regardless of who it’s coming from, Ashlee’s right – Jessica does have a beautiful body, at any weight. Sometimes she picks some bad outfits that don’t flatter her. But even when she’s heavier, she’s still better looking than 9/10ths of the people you see walking down the street.

As People mentioned, Ashlee is definitely on as Roxy Hart in the Broadway version of “Chicago.” She’s done the role before, in London’s West End version. I’ve got to give her credit – she just keeps plugging away, and doesn’t let the “Melrose” firing become a debacle.

Here’s Ashlee on her way to the doctor on November 11th. Header of Jessica and Ashlee in Vegas on October 2nd. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

Ashlee Simpson is marching forward with her career after getting fired from Melrose Place for her bad acting. Actually, you could also say she’s taking a big step backwards. Not because her upcoming plans are a step down. But because she’s returning to her old role in the musical “Chicago.” Simpson played Roxie Hart in the London stage version, and now she’s taking it to Broadway.

Where does a crazy Melrose Place character go after she dies? Apparently, the Windy City by way of the Great White Way.

According to reports, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, 25, isn’t taking a break after getting axed from the prime-time soap. Instead, she’s set to play Roxie Hart in the Broadway production of Chicago, starting in December for six weeks, Gossip Cop reports.

It’s not an unfamiliar role. Simpson-Wentz played the role in the London run of the musical. It would, however, be her Broadway debut.

[From People]

“Chicago” was really good to Ashlee. She’d previously had a bit of acting under her belt (“Malcolm in the Middle,” and her own “reality” show) and had that infamous SNL lip-syncing debacle. She got decent reviews for “Chicago,” and it was right around that time that she got her nose job and was starting to be referred to as “hot” instead of “Jessica Simpson’s ugly duckling sister.” Not that she ever was an ugly duckling, but she was never competition until right around that time. She started becoming more of a gossip fixture, and now she gets almost as much coverage as Jessica.

Frankly, it sounds like a smart move. Broadway demands a different type of acting from something like “Melrose Place.” Certainly not worse acting, so it’s not like Ashlee found the perfect solution. But you can be a bit hammier and it can still work. I tend to think Ashlee couldn’t do the Melrose style, but that doesn’t mean she’s lost as an actress altogether. I think something that’s literally more theatric could work. And she’ll have a change of scenery and all that, which’ll be nice. Hey, maybe Pete Wentz will even have to babysit and stay in some nights while Ashley goes out. Naw. Though People didn’t mention it, something tells me Pete won’t be joining Ashley in NYC. I’m sure the divorce rumors will start by tomorrow afternoon.

Here’s Ashley (with big sis Jessica) at her West End debut in “Chicago” on September 25th, 2006. Images thanks to WENN.com .

How many of you knew that Dolly Parton was on Twitter? I didn’t know before today! I could have been following Dolly for months! Damn. Anyway, Dolly’s Twitter feed is pretty f-cking cool, just like the lady herself. Classic tweets, just from the past few days, include such musings as: “Support the Cure. My friends are bowling for boobs tonight in atlanta, strike!” and “Storms make trees take deeper roots.” Unfortunately, most of the tweets seem to be written by her assistant or something, and they revolve around contests and promotional things. Ah, Dolly. Always a businesswoman. So awesome.

So Dolly tweeted yesterday: “Aahhh chiropractor… Hurts so good you lug these around and see if your back don’t hurt!” To which I can only say, “God bless you, Dolly.” I’m not alone, either. Jessica Simpson reads Dolly’s Twitter too, and she responded with and “Amen, sister!” Aw… Dolly should take Jessica under her wing.

Funny enough, Us Weekly described this Twitter situation, and then used the article to remind us once again why so many of us call Jessica’s dad “Pervert Joe”:

Jessica Simpson’s breasts have long been the center of attention.

Her father Joe raised eyebrows when he praised her assets in a 2004 GQ interview.

“Jessica never tries to be sexy. She just is sexy. If you put her in a T-shirt or you put her in a bustier, she’s sexy in both,” he said. “She’s got double D’s! You can’t cover those suckers up!”

[From Us Weekly]

That goddamn quote gets me every time. Every time I grimace. Every time I wince. It’s just so disgusting. That quote might get put on Pervert Joe’s gravestone.

And since we’re talking about the Simpson family now, I thought I’d include this little piece about Ashlee. It’s from Fox News 411, and it’s in the same vein as yesterday’s stories about the “real reasons” Ashlee was dumped from Melrose Place. Yesterday’s theories included the “Heather Locklear pushed her off” theory and the “Ashlee sucks at everything” theory. Fox News’ theory is that Ashlee was fired because she was a diva. And because she sucked.

Ashlee Simpson’s diva behavior got her booted from the CW hit ‘Melrose Place’, a source close to one cast member tells Fox411.

“Ashlee was kicked off ‘Melrose Place’ because she was a total diva on set, late all the time, and deeply disliked by fellow cast members,” the insider spills. “It created a lot of discord among the cast.”

Another big problem, says the snitch? “She could barely act.”

(If you saw her episodes, you know this to be true.)

But not being able to act and being a diva hardly set Simpson apart from many of the venerable primetime soap’s stars, both current and past. The insider tells Fox411 it was the producer’s need to bring in one of those past stars that also hastened Simpson’s swan song.

The source says producers desperately wanted Heather Locklear to reprise her role, but couldn’t afford her salary demands without cutting someone.

“They basically trimmed the fat and made it possible for Heather to join the show,” says the snitch. “Heather is a much bigger name than Ashlee.”

[From Fox News 411]

Interesting… I could see it. Ashlee seems like a “everybody treat me like I’m the most special” kind of person. Probably because no one in her family treated her like she was special. Because her pervert father was too busy studying Jessica’s boobs. Cringe.

Here’s Dolly at the Tonys in June. Images thanks to WENN.com . Header is an older photo of Dolly and Jessica together.

Now that Ashlee Simpson-Wentz has been fired from “Melrose Place” (quite possibly due to Heather Locklear taking her reprised role as scheming Amanda Woodward to heart) big sister Jessica is feeling more than free to slam the show. While she used to be its biggest fan (at least according to her Twitter), now she’s got nothing but two thumbs down for the revamped drama.

Now that her sister Ashlee Simpson-Wentz has been canned on Melrose Place, Jessica Simpson says she isn’t a fan of the CW soap. The singer, 29, used to promote her sister’s former show regularly on her Twitter (“Everyone watch my sis on melrose place tonight,” she wrote Oct. 20).

But on Sunday, she changed her tune drastically. Jessica wrote: “CW catching up on MP.who writes this crap?i have had bad scripts to work with,but this?thank God my sister is amazing and got you some press.”

According to the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now), Ashlee, a veteran of TV’s 7th Heaven, was canned because producers thought she couldn’t act. “They hired her because they needed a good name to help create buzz,” a set insider told Us Weekly. “But she was embarrassingly bad. Producers cut her down as much as possible.”

Seconds another source: “She’s the worst actress, but nobody will tell her.”

[From Us Weekly]

I could go off about how dumb and naïve Jessica is, but frankly I like that she’s unconditionally supportive of her sister. It’s nice when your family loves you so much that you can do no wrong. Well, to an extent. But Ashlee’s bad acting definitely falls under the family umbrella. They all probably think she’s amazing and super talented, and I think that’s sweet.

All that said, getting kicked off “Melrose” supposedly hasn’t taught Ashlee any lessons about her acting skills. Us Weekly mentioned that she doesn’t want to return to singing, that she’s been spending most of her time going over scripts, and that “‘acting is her focus now.’” God save us all. I was only able to sit through the show a time or two, but watching Ashlee’s scenes was excruciating. She was so bad it actually made me feel awkward and uncomfortable, and I had to stop watching. If she’s really got her little heart set on acting, I’d say she should probably set her feet in motion towards a good acting class. Or seven.

In case you’re interested, here are some priceless pics of Jess at Halloween. Maybe it’s me, but it looks like her left boob is trying to go drastically different places from her right one.

Here’s Jessica Simpson with a bindi design on her forehead in Mumbai, India on October 27th. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

Less than two weeks ago, Ashlee Simpson and Colin Egglesfield were rather cruelly dumped from Melrose Place by producers. I don’t watch the show, but I’ve heard from multiple sources that Ashlee sucked big time, and was the weakest character and actress. In a report that seemed to originate in last week’s Star Magazine, it might seem that Ashlee was thrown off the show at the behest of Heather Locklear, who Star claimed: “For a sunshiny California girl, she sure has ice running through her veins.” Oh, yes. Because no one can deny a good catfight:

Heather Locklear doesn’t just play a bitch on TV! We hear the seasoned actress, who starred in the original Melrose Place, got into the mother of all catfights with actress-singer Ashlee Simpson on the set of the of The CW’s Melrose revival, as a rivalry ensued over who would be the show’s official “Queen Bee”. When the dust settled, Heather was the last the woman standing, Star Magazine claims in its Nov. 9 issue.

While producers insist Ashlee’s departure is storyline-dictated, production insiders tell Star the 25-year-old wife and mother was railroaded by an envious Heather, who was gunning for Ashlee from the moment she arrived on set for an “Amanda Returns” guest arc airing next month.

“Heather was jealous of Ashlee immediately,” says an insider. “She knew Ashlee was one of the bigger names on set, and she wanted her gone so she could make it her show. Heather is very political and calculating…”

On Oct. 22, The CW abruptly announced that Ashlee along with co-star Colin Egglesfield had been booted from the show. Producers are hoping Heather’s familiar face will be a show-saving draw for the critically-panned and ratings-challenged Melrose 2.0. Informants say that’s precisely why bosses had no problem ditching Ashlee — who will exit her role as Violet Foster — after 48-year-old Heather complained she’d been poking fun of her age to other members of the cast and crew.

“She was a thorn in Heather’s side from the beginning. Ashlee came off as insincere and a wannabe diva….Her lack of talent didn’t help her…She feels like a fool.”

Heather Locklear reprises her role as Amanda on The CW’s Melrose Place Nov. 17.

[From PopCrunch via Oh No They Didn’t]

I might believe this, but I’ve actually seen Heather interviewed many times, and she seems like a total professional – maybe not the nicest person ever, but not the kind of person to burn bridges or disrespect coworkers. GossipCop claims the report is bullsh-t too, but I’ve been wary of Gossip Cop since they seem stuck up Lindsay Lohan’s cracked-out ass. But one story I do believe is this one from the National Enquirer - they claim that Ashlee is “devastated” with her firing, and that her whole life is sort of falling apart:

Pals fear Ashlee Simpson-Wentz is teetering on the edge of an emotional breakdown after Melrose Place eviction. The rail-thin 25-year-old singer/actress is devastated after being axed from the cast of Melrose just two months into the season.

“Ashlee didn’t see it coming, and now she’s crushed,” divulged an insider. “She invested her heart and soul into the job. She feels like the rug has been pulled out from under her.”

The CW network abruptly announced on Oct. 22 that Ashlee’s character Violet was being booted – along with co-star Colin Egglesfield, who plays Auggie. At the same time, the network said it would order a full season of the show. Even before getting dropped by the show, Ashlee was going through a tough time.

“She is struggling to hold her marriage together, dealing with motherhood and practically starving herself to look good,” said the insider.

As The ENQUIRER previously reported Ashlee had been crash dieting and stressing about how she measures up to her gorgeous co-stars. The 5-foot-6 performer, who gave birth to son Bronx Mowgli in November 2008, is extremely thin, and she’s been substituting Red Bull energy drinks and nuts for meals, say those close to her.

“Ashlee’s friends are concerned that she’s headed for an emotional meltdown,” said the insider. “She was desperate to establish herself as a serious actress, but now she’s worried that she’s failing.”

The situation isn’t much better on the home front – Ashlee and rocker husband Pete Wentz, who married in May 2008, have hit a rough patch. The day Ashlee learned she was getting canned, Pete was partying at a charity event while his wife stayed at home, caring for their sick baby.

“Ashlee is jealous of the groupies who throw themselves at Pete, and Pete is frustrated with Ashlee’s obsession with her looks and her career,” added the insider.

[From The National Enquirer]

Don’t you see how this could be true? All of it? Ashlee thinks she’s the second coming of Josie Bissett (sigh… I miss Jane from the original Melrose Place), Ashlee diets herself into oblivion, her husband is too busy getting tattoos of dudes, and everything seems to be falling apart. It totally sucks for her, and yet… I feel nothing, really. I mean, I don’t hate Ashlee, but it is sort of funny. I guess it’s cracking me up a little because this Melrose Place gig wasn’t really that big of a deal, you know? But I could see how Ashlee would be totally devastated. Poor girl.

Photos below are courtesy of The CW

Ashlee Simpson makes a kind of bitchy comment about her sister, Jessica, in an interview in the new issue of Redbook Magazine. Ashlee, 24, reveals that her older sister Jessica, 29, is “always saying ‘oh, I want a baby!’” Given how much of an oversharing, open book Jessica usually is I would think that Ashlee would realize that if her sister is so eager to have a kid she should be the one to tell the press, not her. Maybe Ashlee knows this and is trying to get her digs in at Jessica somehow. It just doesn’t sound like a friendly comment to me, especially when Ashlee says she doesn’t envy Jessica’s freedom at all, but it’s hard to tell from this excerpt I guess:

Ashlee Simpson may only be 24, but she’s got one thing older sis Jess wants: a baby.

“She’s always saying, ‘Oh, I want a baby!’ ” Simpson tells October’s Redbook, on sale Sept. 22. “Being a mom’s so empowering and incredible. I’m one of those people who believes that life brings things to you at a certain time for a certain reason, and if you just go with it, that’s where the best moments come from.”

Having her son, Bronx, not only calmed down the once wild singer-turned-actress, it also helped her mature as a person, she says.

“I’ve grown up so much,” she says. “Your body is changing, and it’s such an amazing time to feel that connection … Being pregnant was the healthiest I’ve ever been in my life. Except for the cupcakes.”

When asked about whether she envies sister Jessica, 29, for her freedom as a single gal, Ashlee responds: “I really don’t.”

[From People]

I don’t have a sister so I don’t have a lot of experience with this type of thing, but I’ve had similar experiences with girlfriends trying to one up me in a roundabout way. Earlier this week I heard an interview with linguist Deborah Tannen, author of the famous You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation. She has a new book out about sisters called You Were Always Mom’s Favorite!: Sisters in Conversation. Callers told some really jaw-dropping stories, both good and bad, about their relationships with their sisters. One woman revealed that her sister sniped “it’s been 21 years, get over it!” when she asked her if she remembered the anniversary of the death of their sister, the caller’s twin, who perished in a car accident. When compared to that incident, Ashlee gloating to the press that her sister wants a baby kind of pales in comparison. There’s probably some jealousy there and I would bet that Ashlee is having serious problems in her marriage with emo-fool Pete Wentz, as has been rumored. At least she has a baby and her sister doesn’t, right?

Kaiser and I were talking about this and she offered this piece of insight that sounds dead on. “Ashlee is totally being passive-aggressive in that interview. There’s a lot of stuff going on in that family, mostly because Papa Joe so clearly prefers Jess.”

Ashlee Simpson is shown out at Nobu on 9/3/09. Jessica Simpson is shown in that Bride of Frankenstein outfit on the catwalk in Paris on 9/4/09. Credit: WENN.com

Not all that surprisingly, there’s trouble in Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson’s marriage. It’s been rumored for a long time that they’ve been having issues, most of them having to do with the fact that Ashlee completely put her life on hold to take care of their son Bronx, whereas Pete has never even slowed down. He’s still out partying and living it up just as much as always, without any consideration for his wife or son.

Now Star says Ashlee’s found proof that Pete is cheating on her. But he’s being typical loser douchebag Pete and not giving a care. And now she’s consulting divorce lawyers.

It was Ashlee Simpson-Wentz’s worst nightmare come true. While rummaging around in a guest bedroom in her $4.7 million Beverly Hills home on Aug. 19, she discovered what she believed to be evidence of husband Pete Wentz cheating on her, a friend tells Star. Ashlee was so distraught that she dropped off their 9-month-old son, Bronx, at her parents’ house and checked into a hotel, even though Pete was performing with Fall Out Boy in St. Louis that night. “I can’t stand being at that house anymore,” Ashlee, 24. told her pal. “I need to clear my head. I have a lot on my plate, and my marriage is stressing me out.”

But when she called Pete to talk things out, he didn’t answer, which only enraged her. After repeatedly calling him (and getting his voicemail), Ashlee finally reached her husband – and snapped. An insider says she screamed, “Don’t even bother coming hoe! I don’t want to look at you!”

She must have struck a nerve, because that same night, Pete posted on Twitter, “Money doesn’t grow on trees. Neither does happiness,” before referring to himself as an “a–hole.” Four days later, he took a break in the band’s tour and traveled hoe to L.A. Pete Twittered about his excitement to see his son – but made no mention of his wife: “Can’t wait to see the little homie.”

As Star reported, Ashlee has long suspected her husband of getting too close to the young female musical acts he works with, Hey Monday and Millionaires and she can’t take the flirting anymore! “Ashlee doesn’t trust Pete at all,” says an insider. “They fight all the tie and sometimes don’t speak for days. Things have gotten bad. Pete doesn’t want to deal with Ashlee and her drama.”

Pete’s flirting sparked the latest public brawl between him and Ash at the one-year anniversary of his Chicago bar, Angels & Kings, on Aug. 15. Although he hadn’t seen his wife in almost a month and she’d come to town just for the day to support him, Pete, 30, quickly left Ash in the VIP area to hit the DJ booth and party with friends. After an hour and a half, she’d had enough and stormed over to her inebriated husband, says an eyewitness. “Ashlee was fumin. She yelled at Pete, ‘Enough! Let’s go!’”

[From Star, Sep. 14, 2009, print ed.]

Of course Pete, being the total wang that he is, all that matters is that he’s having the best possible time. From all the articles I’ve read about their marriage, he acts like a total douche and then tries to put it all on Ashlee for being a nag. A “nag” being someone who refuses to fully support his self-indulgent lifestyle at any point. While Pete and Ashley have admitted they didn’t plan on having Bronx, Ashlee has matured the requisite amount to be a parent. Pete has quite possibly become even less mature and more self-centered. According to Star, Ashlee’s consulting with divorce lawyers to try to figure out how custody would work and who’d get what. They don’t go into specifics about what makes her sure that Pete’s cheating, but I think she should leave him regardless. He isn’t being a husband or a partner. He’s just a guy that ambles home once in a while. He’s extreme childishness and self-centeredness is an embarrassment to all men. Ashlee can do better, and deserves someone decent enough to know what she’s worth.

Here’s Ashlee exhbibiting the famous Simpson demeanor on Late Night. Celebitchy pointed out she laughs like Fran Drescher. She also looks drunk, but again, I think that’s just ditzy Simpson mannerisms.

Here’s a super skinny looking Ashlee Simpson at Nobu 57 with her friends in NYC on Thursday night. Star also mentioned in their article that thanks to stress about Pete, 5’6 Ashlee has gone from 137 lbs to 105 lbs in just seven months. Images thanks to WENN.com and Fame Pictures .

Never let it be said that just because you’re married, life can’t be like high school. According to Perez Hilton, some major prom-style drama went down between Ashlee Simpson and her husband Pete Wentz last night. Of course Ashlee and Pete claim everything is fine, and they’re more annoyed with Perez than each other. In fact Ashlee thinks he should “get a life.” Ahhh, senior year memories.

The battle is on. Ashlee Simpson has lashed out at celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton via Twitter. PerezHilton.com ran a story about the singer and her husband, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, claiming that Ashlee’s drunken partying caused a loud spat between the two at an anniversary celebration for Wentz’s bar, Angels & Kings.

Perez reports that Wentz was enjoying his party when Simpson “came up completely wasted and yells at him to leave. They fought, she told him he was horrible in front of a whole group of people and made him leave his own party early. So they make a scene and leave the bar.”

Now Simpson has used her Twitter account to scold Perez for his damaging gossip.

“When all you do is make up untrue stories- look in the mirror. Do you even feel human?? Karma is a bitch.Your story is WAY off,” the ‘Pieces of Me’ singer responds.

Naturally, Perez responded right away, tweeting directly to Simpson: “There are a lot of good rehab facilities in Malibu!” He added, “I don’t wanna name names and get people fired but several of the people I spoke with work at Angels & Kings. I’m not wrong.”

He also wrote a Twitter message to Wentz: “Sorry to hear about what Ashlee put you through last night!” The rocker made no response, but romantic messages to his wife around the same time suggest that Wentz is feeling just fine about Simpson.

[From PopEater]

Ashlee also wrote on her Twitter to Perez: “WRONG.my husband is an amazing dj and was dedicating songs to me.We were just havin fun.Our love is amazing. Get ur own life.” And as PopEater pointed out, Ashlee and Pete exchanged several inside joke-ish Tweets that seemed very sweet and normal. And whatever, couples fight. Is that a story, in and of itself? Pete goes out partying all the time, while Ashlee stays home with their son a good deal – at least according to previous stories. She might have a little well-deserved drama pent up. I’m kind of medium with Ashlee and Pete – they’re not the best or the worst. But it’s like, Perez versus anyone, you always pick the other guy/girl. It could be Perez versus a sea sponge, and I’d be defending that asshole sponge to the bitter end.

Here are Ashlee and Pete at the Axe Instinct Fragrance Launch In NYC on June 24th. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

There are new reports that the night Ashlee Simpson got drunk and was “too thin,” she also had a showdown with Michelle Trachtenberg, Pete Wentz’s ex. Ashlee and Pete were seated near Michelle and her boyfriend, and the two couples had a nice conversation where Ashlee even showed Michelle pictures of her son Bronx. But when Ashlee got drunker, it turned into a not-so-nice, one-sided screaming match. Ashlee started grinding up on Pete and giving him a lapdance while screaming insults at Michelle and telling her that the whole time Michelle was dating Pete, Ashlee was boinking him.

Ashlee, Jessica Simpson’s younger sister, had to be restrained at the event where Jay-Z and Eminem performed. The trouble started when Wentz and Simpson were seated near Trachtenberg, who dated Wentz before Simpson met the Fall Out Boy bassist.

According to PerezHilton: “The evening started off very civilly. Pete and Ashlee had a pleasant conversation with Michelle and her boyfriend for close to 20 minutes, and even showed [Trachtenberg] some baby pictures of [Ashlee's] little boy, Bronx.”

But then Simpson started drinking. “Things got out of control,” an insider was quoted. An increasingly loud Simpson began to give Wentz a lap dance while staring directly at Michelle and hurling insults at her. “She was grinding up on Pete like a stripper. It was actually pretty disgusting,” a witness told the Web site.

Things reached a climax when Simpson screamed at a confused Trachtenberg, “I hope you know, the whole time you were dating Pete, I was [bleep]ing him!”

A bystander dragged Simpson away from Trachtenberg, who once starred in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” while Wentz looked mortified.

Trachtenberg’s spokesperson didn’t return Page Six’s calls. But Simpson’s rep said, “It was just a misunderstanding. Ashlee has since apologized to Michelle and they remain on good terms.”

[from New York Post]

We’ve heard in the past that there was some tension between Michelle and Ashlee. After Ashlee and Pete’s wedding, Michelle was talking sh*t about the couple in an airport and was overheard by one of Pete’s friends. The two clearly have some issues with each other, though I’m sure Pete loves being fought over.

It’s just low-class to yell in a crowded party about how you helped your husband cheat on his ex. But since their conversation turned from “look at pictures of my infant son” to insults, you have to wonder if Michelle said something first.

Here’s Michelle out shopping in Beverley Hills on the day of the altercation . Here’s Ashlee eating dinner with a friend at Il Sole yesterday. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

More trouble in eyeliner paradise for Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz. Just as she showed off baby Bronx on Twitter, Pete was partying with strippers, Playboy bunnies and assorted fun-loving people in Las Vegas. He and the other partygoers were boozing it up and going crazy. At various points, “people were even drunkenly playing makeshift Slip ‘n’ Slide with a mat and lubricant” and Pete was “dancing on a pool table with the girls.” Jesus, that sounds like a really fun party.

Ashlee Simpson is a proud mama, sharing a new photo of son Bronx on Twitter. However, she may not be so proud of her husband’s recent antics in Las Vegas!

On Tuesday, Ashlee posted a photo of her four-month-old on the micro-blogging site, saying: “I present you my little man and his adorable cheeks!” Interesting timing as Star reports in our April 20 issue — on sale today — that Pete Wentz was getting wild in Sin City with scantily clad dancers and a boozy Slip ‘n’ Slide over the weekend.

The Fall Out Boy bassist — who was without his wife of nearly one year — partied hard with about 50 band members, dancers and pals (including Girls Next Door star Holly Madison) following a sold-out show at the Palms Casino and Resort on April 5.

“Everybody was going absolutely crazy,” an eyewitness tells Star. “People were even drunkenly playing makeshift Slip ‘n’ Slide with a mat and lubricant. And Pete was in great spirits. He was dancing and singing along to his band’s own songs, grinding up against the dancers.”

At one point he was “dancing on a pool table with the girls,” the partygoer adds.

However, earlier in the day, Ashlee — who headed back home after attending FOB’s April 4 concert in Irvine, Calif. — Twittered: “I am beyond sad to leave my love… My heart is breaking as we drive home.” And also:”I need my hubs.”

Clearly Pete wasn’t quite as upset.

[From Star Magazine]

That’s kind of a funny image, like a movie cutaway: Ashlee crying as she watches the rain fall, it’s dark and she’s alone, twittering sadly. Cutaway: Pete doing body shots with various strippers, then declaring he was “King of the Party” while wearing a jaunty tiara. I’d feel badly for Ashlee, but from what I’ve read about Pete and their relationship together, I don’t think she really has anything to worry about. He loves her, but he also loves the occasional bitchin’ party. Live and let live.

Here’s Pete and Ashlee at the MTV Australia Awards in Sydney on March 27th. Images thanks to WENN.com .