Nick Lachey has been busy since breaking up with Vanessa Minnillo back in June. Most of the stories had Vanessa pushing for some bigger commitment, considering she couldn’t shut up about weddings, while Nick just seemed happy with the way things were. Just a few weeks after Nick and Vanessa split, Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo broke up, and the tabloids spent a few months trying to enable “Nick and Jessica are getting back together” stories. They kind of fell flat though - Nick didn’t seem interested, and he was spotted out with random chicas all over the place. Meanwhile, Vanessa kept quiet except for the odd report of a Topher Grace makeout session.

After their summer apart, Radar is reporting that Nick and Vanessa might be back together. They were spotted hanging out and making out over the weekend, and spectators claim they were looking very couple-y.

Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo are giving love a second chance (at least for a night), RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.

The pair broke off their three-year relationship in June, but you would have never known it with the way they were together at the hip Dime bar in Los Angeles. Hot ‘n heavy only begins to describe it!

A spywitness at the tiny hotspot on Fairfax Avenue told RadarOnline.com: “They were making-out in one of the booths and seemed totally into one another. They were having a great time and definitely appear to be back ‘ on.’ They didn’t care who saw them.”

Another source told RadarOnline.com that Nick and Vanessa came in with friends around 11:30 p.m. and stayed approximately two hours. They were drinking and about 20 minutes after arriving started making out. At one point she sat on his lap as they kissed.

In between PDA’s with Nick, Vanessa took to dancing with a couple of girlfriends while beaming Nick watched.

[From Radar]

Meh. I know a lot of people really like Nick - and so do I - but I kind of think he could do better than Vanessa. I also think he might be kind of a jerk to Vanessa, because he so obviously does not want to get remarried. Which is fine (once burned, twice shy, et cetera) - it’s just that Vanessa really, really seems to want that, and I kind of feel like Nick is leading her on. Maybe they’re not really getting back together though - perhaps it was just a fun night between two exes who remained friendly. I could buy that.

Nick and Vanessa are shown on 4/22/09. Credit: Fame Pictures

Page Six is reporting that Jessica Simpson is being pushed by her father, Joe Simpson, as Paula Abdul’s replacement on American Idol. We’ve already heard rumors that Victoria Beckham wants to be more than just a one-time judge - so is this a battle royale between Posh and Jess? Which one knows more about the music industry? Which one would give better advice? Actually, putting Jessica on to replace Paula might be sort of brilliant. Instead of Paula’s cracked-out comments and slurred speech, we could have Jessica’s epic malapropisms and ditzy/drunk comments. It might work!

USA Today got ahold of Redskins quarterback Colt Brennan to ask him if last week’s report that he and Jessica were dating was true. Colt says no way - but he’s sort of charming about it, telling the newspaper, “My life coach, (Redskins TE) Chris Cooley, said that I should neither confirm nor deny it. But me being an honest guy, I have no idea what that’s about.” He actually sounds half-way interested. Jessica should go for it!

In one last piece of Jessica Simpson news, Nick Lachey’s brother Drew told Us Weekly that a Nick and Jess “Newleyweds Part Deux” reunion was not in the cards:

Sorry, Newlyweds fans: Nick and Jessica won’t ever get back together. Asked at Saturday’s Los Angeles Lakers 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament if they’ll ever reunite, Drew Lachey told Usmagazine.com: “On the record or off the record? No on both.”

Nick and Jessica - who split in 2006 - recently ended relationships around the same time. Nick and Vanessa Minnillo called it quits this summer, shortly before Tony Romo dumped Jessica before her 29th birthday in July.

When told that people want to see Nick and Jessica back together, Drew told Us, “I think everybody who was a fan of The Newlyweds wants the same thing.”

Jessica recently told Vanity Fair she hadn’t spoken to Nick “in years.” But she said their MTV reality show helped her realize the importance of good relationships.

“It made me understand what marriage is, what love is, what commitment is,” she said. “In all honesty, I believe it did not affect our marriage. Because we enjoyed watching those episodes, and that will always be a time I cherish.”

[From Us Weekly]

Yeah, I really don’t think Nick wants to go there again, and he’s probably been very vocal about it to friends and family. Thankfully, Nick has been pretty gracious in public - although I would love to hear his take on Papa Joe. You know Nick has a ton of Papa Joe stories, and they’re probably all disgusting.

Update: Jessica Simpson’s rep has denied this report, saying “There is absolutely no truth to this.”

Here’s Jessica performing in Texas on May 9th. Images thanks to Pacific Coast News.

OK! Magazine has been pretty much floundering since they canned their editor, hired a bunch of consultants, and tried to become more youth and lifestyle-focused earlier this year. They ran that obnoxious cover photo of dead intubated Michael Jackson (link does not lead to photo) in the ambulance, for which they received a lot of well-deserved flack. Their latest cover seems old and like a rehash of the much-denied US Weekly cover from three weeks ago about how Jessica and Nick had another chance now that they’re both single. Nick denied that he was reconciling with Jessica, and said that he wished her well but hadn’t spoken to her in a couple of years.

Star Magazine claimed a couple of weeks ago that Jessica was reaching out to Nick and that he was being supportive but firm in letting her know he wasn’t interested in giving their long-over relationship another chance. It could have been a completely fabricated story, considering the source.

Now OK! is stretching it to claim that Jessica’s more than coincidental meetup with John Mayer was planned to make Nick Lachey jealous because Jess would like nothing more than to have her ex husband back. Oh really?

While Jessica Simpson is going out and having fun with her sister Ashlee Simpson and ex-boyfriend John Mayer, showing off how happy she is might be serving another purpose — to make her ex-husband Nick Lachey just a little bit jealous.

Although John may be the perfect Mr. Right Now — the two recently hung out at Katsuya — she knows her Mr. Right was, is and always will be Nick. As every woman knows, having a public affair with a sexy rocker would make any man jealous. And Jess’ night with John, who has a habit of broadcasting his affairs to the press and on Twitter (hello, Jennifer Aniston!), just might make Nick — who has been spotted with Jess look-alike Holly Letchworth — take notice.

“Nick is the guy Jess knew she should be with, but they were too young and their lives catapulted so quickly into fame that they never seemed to be able to catch up,” a pal says of the Newlyweds co-stars, who ended their three marriage in 2005. “She’s changed so much since they split and found out a lot about herself.”

That includes realizing she still has feelings for Nick.

“He’ll always hold a special place in her heart. It was her first love,” the pal says of their marriage. “Jess isn’t sure if Nick would give her a chance at this point, but she’d love to be friends. She says a part of her will always love him.”

[From OK! Magazine]

Jessica seems like an untethered boat when she’s without a man, like she’s just drifting around hoping for someone to take over and help her out. She’s so effusive about her relationships and has a tendency to overshare to the press to the point of embarrassment. I buy that she wouldn’t mind getting back with Nick and she’s probably idealizing her failed marriage now that she’s fresh out of another relationship. She told Glamour that she “loved everything about marriage.” It’s doubtful that OK! has much to go on other than tabloid reports and interviews, though.

Nick would be much better for Jessica than John Mayer, but it seems like only Mayer is willing to sleep with her and string her along. Nick got burned badly in his marriage and he’s not about to consider taking Jessica back. He’ll find another longterm girlfriend probably soon - he’s already dating, but it will be someone new. Jessica needs to focus on herself and work on being single for a while. So much for that story that she’s sworn off men. All she wants is another boyfriend to take away the pain, and that strategy hasn’t worked out for her at all in the past. You would hope she knows better than to get involved with Mayer again, but we all know that she doesn’t.

Nick Lachey out with an unknown woman yesterday

We’re prefacing this article with the fact that it’s from Star, because as many of you know that means it’s just as likely to be creative fiction. It’s plausible at least. Star reports that recently dumped Jessica Simpson went crying to her ex husband, Nick Lachey. Lachey was said to have been supportive and kind, but to have told Jessica in no uncertain terms that there’s no chance that they’re going to reconcile. Last week Lachey told People that he wished Jessica “the best, as I’ve always done,” but added that “I haven’t talked to her in probably two years.” That story might nullify this report, or maybe Jessica reached out to Nick after he wished her well through the press.

Since Jessica and Tony split, the Dallas Cowboy’s quarterback has been on a tear, kliving it up like a bachelor and partying with a bevy of beauties. His behavior has been so upsetting to Jessica, she’s turned to Nick, 35 - who’s also newly single after splitting with Vanessa Minnillo in late June - to boost her bruised ego, insiders tell Star. “He was trying to reassure her that things would get better,” says one. “Nick even made a joke about how he never really liked the Cowboys anyway. It made Jessica laugh and definitely cheered her up.”

It also gave her the wrong impression. Nick, thinking they were just friends, invited Jessica over for a late lunch at his place a few days after her July 10 birthday, says an insider. “Nick made BLTs. It was great for them to reconnect and catch up on all that has happened in their lives over the past few years.” But the time spent together got Jessica thinking about starting something with Nick again. “Part of her has always regretted leaving him,” reveals the insider.

An emotional Jessica got so wrapped up in the moment, she hinted that maybe she and Nick could spend some more time together and “see what happens,” says another insider. But she didn’t get the answer she was hoping for. “Although it had been nice to see Jess, Nick still hasn’t forgotten how badly she broke his heart. He told her he just couldn’t go through all that again.”

“Nick’s willing to be friends,” says an insider. “But that’s all. She’s upset and confused. Only days after being dumped by Tony, she’s rejected again. It’s been a rough week.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, August 3, 2009]

Is Jessica turning to her exes, including John Mayer, for support, or are the tabloids making up crap in the wake of her high profile breakup? She strikes me as the type who needs a lot of support and who is probably hurting badly at this point. I can see her calling up Nick and John Mayer and wanting to talk and maybe get some intimate solace. We heard from People last week that her family was really worried about her and that she wasn’t handling things well. Simpson would do well to just accept Nick’s friendship and advice and not hit the sheets with Mayer, if that’s even a possibility. There are plenty of guys who would be thrilled to date her, but she needs to get her bearings first and reach a place where she doesn’t need a man in her life in order to feel normal.

It looks like Nick has moved on anyway. He was spotted out with a lovely blonde on what looked like a date in Sherman Oaks, CA yesterday. Only one agency has the photos so maybe the one photographer got lucky and found him and he wasn’t looking for publicity.

Credit: Fame Pictures

Just when I’ve grown to expect the worst, the most immature, the most gratuitous behavior from celebrities, I get a surprise. It was a nice little interview with Nick Lachey in People Magazine. Remember, for much of last week, the tabloids were playing a little back-and-forth game about whether Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey would or could get back together, now that they’re both single at the same time. It was even US Weekly’s cover story last week, that’s how crazy it had gotten. Nick took himself over to People to give his first quote about the whole juicy story. Instead of saying something like, “Dude, I tried to warn Tony,” Nick was very gracious. All he says about Jessica is that he wishes her “the best, as I’ve always done.” Aw… nice.

Although Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, former spouses and stars of the reality show Newlyweds, now find themselves suddenly single at the same time, Lachey insists there is no reunion planned.

“I think it’s fun storytelling, but there’s very little truth to any of it,” the singer told PEOPLE at a party at Dusk at the Caesars Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City Saturday night. “I certainly have heard about her breakup and I wish her the best, as I’ve always done. Aside from that, there really is nothing to say.”

So has he reached out to his ex-wife since her sudden split with Tony Romo? “I haven’t talked to her in probably two years,” Lachey says. “I wish her happiness. That’s where it pretty much ends.”

As for his own recent breakup with girlfriend of three years, Vanessa Minnillo, Lachey doesn’t seem to be too torn up over it. “I’m in a good place,” he says. “I’ve learned, through years of not only being in this business, but being in relationships, that you have to take it as it goes. With every experience, you learn something about your life, and you try to take that and move on and be a better person because of it. We’ll see what happens.”

Lachey has been focusing on his music lately. His new album, Coming up for Air, will be released this October, and the first single will come out next month. “It’s reflective of a lot of different sides of me. It’s still pop but it’s a little more produced. It’s weird because music has changed so much, and as you get older, you have to see where the music scene is going but at the same time be true to who you are. I can’t really go out and do what I used to do, it’s just a different game.”

While he has no plans for a return to reality television, he doesn’t rule it out. “I would never do it the way it was done with us – with people living in your house, essentially, and having 24-hour access to your life, in your home. That, to me, was not a healthy way to go about it. But I think that anyone that kinda denies the success of reality TV is kidding themselves.”

[From People]

Alright, Nick sort of used that interview as a way to promote his new album, but that doesn’t negate his general kindness. He could have been really rude to or about Jessica, and I’m glad he didn’t go down that road.

Meanwhile, People Magazine is still all over the Jessica/Tony split story. They were the first to break the news of the split, and I think that People is pretty much the official mouthpiece for the Simpson family. I’m judging that solely on last week’s People piece that told Jessica’s side of the story, without actually doing an interview with her. Most of the quotes sound like they came from Papa Joe Simpson, honestly. However, late Friday, People put up a story about how Jessica has been laying low post-split. The fact that it’s People Magazine pointing out that Jessica is laying low… well, it’s a nice little public relations conundrum. In any case, they’re really painting Jessica as utterly devastated, with quotes like “She is still with her family. She is surrounding herself with a network of support.” Meanwhile, Tony Romo is banging anything with two legs and a pulse. Sigh. Poor Jessica.

Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson are shown out together in August, 2005. He is shown alone in the header on 7/18/09. Credit: WENN.com

People Magazine has a story up about how Jessica Simpson is “sad, mad and confused” following her split with Tony Romo. It’s not an interview with Jessica, the quotes are only from a “Simpson family friend” and a “source”. Considering it’s People, I’d say this is the sanctioned version of how Jessica is feeling. The “family friend” is probably Joe Simpson, for all I know.

Anyway, it turns out that Jessica was really “blindsided” by Tony, and she is now just laying low with her family. They also make a big deal about this whole idea that Jessica was just trying to be what she thought Tony wanted her to be - “the perfect mold of the perfect football girlfriend”. Yuck. This whole idea of girlfriend-perfection supposedly played on Jessica’s insecurities, which I tend to believe. People makes her sound just utterly devastated, so I do feel for my poor little dumb kitten. However, the “source” does get in a juicy body slam against Nick Lachey, saying that there is too much “bad blood” between Nick and Joe for Jessica and Nick to ever try to reconcile, which totally shoots US Weekly’s cover out of the water. And now I’m thinking People’s source really is Joe Simpson.

While Tony Romo is reveling in his renewed membership to the Singles-R-Us Club, Jessica Simpson is having a hard time coming to grips with being dumped a day before her 29th birthday.

“Jessica was really blindsided,” says a Simpson family friend. “She’s sad, mad, and confused. Her emotions are all over the place.”

Another source close to Simpson tells PEOPLE that “it’s been difficult lately” for the pair, who first started dating in November, 2007.

“Dating her comes along with her celebrity and press – that’s not easy for anyone,” says Simpson’s family friend. “But she and Tony seemingly had it figured out. They rolled with the punches and focused on each other. They just lost sight of that at the end.”

Since the sudden split, Simpson has been laying low. “She is holding up okay,” says the Simpson source. “She is with her family. They are – as always – very supportive of her.”

The one thing the family will not support: The thought of Simpson reconciling with her ex-husband Nick Lachey, who recently split from his girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo. “It won’t happen,” says a source. “They have no respect for him. Jessica has no respect for him. There is way too much bad blood between Nick and Joe for Jessica to even think about it.”

The Simpson clan, however, was upset to see Romo go. “Everyone really liked him,” says the Simpson family friend. Adds another source close to the Simpsons: “He wanted this perfect mold of the perfect football girlfriend. People don’t realize that Jessica has been worn down by Hollywood. She has insecurities and inner demons that she struggles with. She’s not some upbeat blond cheerleader that people want her to be.”

But Simpson is, if nothing else, strong. “She’s gone through heartache before,” says a source. “She wants someone who is on the same page that she is. If she has to move on for that, she will.”

[From People]

Don’t they make Jessica just sound miserable? If it was someone else, someone a bit smarter, I would think that this version was being put out to garner some sympathy, play the victim. But I totally by that Jessica is probably more devastated than this sanctioned version. Maybe Jessica, for her next dating escapade, should go for someone totally outside of the trappings of celebrity. No singers, no actors, no athletes. Just a nice church-going businessman or someone like that. You know who might be nice for her? Some young, upstart Texas politician. I could totally see Jessica as a political wife.

Jessica Simpson is shown performing on 3/8/09. Credit: WENN.com

Is it possible for Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson to get back together, all over again? If you’re going by US Weekly, then of course it’s possible! While the world is still shivering from the epic douchery of Tony Romo to dump Jessica the night before her birthday, most people have been solely focused on the “what went wrong” aspect of the split. Did Tony just want a way out? Did John Mayer send some naughty texts to Jessica, and Tony saw them? Did Pervert Papa Joe Simpson meddle too much? All good questions.

But it was only the brave editors at US Weekly who realized, as if by magic, that now that Tony dumped Jessica, both Jessica and her ex-husband Nick Lachey are single. Oh. My. God. Cover! We’ll call it “Newlyweds: Redux”. No, no. Us Weekly instead calls their cover story “Second Chance”. If you read the smaller print, it seems that Jessica and Nick aren’t even speaking to each other again, they are only “Newlyweds are haunted by secret feelings”. Yes, I like Jessica, but this is making me a little barfy. Here’s the basic rundown, via Jezebel:

After five pages of speculation about how since Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey are both single now they MIGHT get back together since they are “haunted by the ghost of their relationship past.”

Quotes refuting this theory appear at the end of the story: “He would never ever go back with her. He’s a different person now,” a source says. “All Nick wants now is a non-famous girl he can settle down and have kids with.”

Then the magazine writes: “Ironically, though Simpson now wants to settle down and have a family, a source close to her tells Us she isn’t pursuing her ex-hubby.” “They don’t talk and haven’t seen each other in years,” the insider says. “That’s the last thing on her mind.” Okay then!

[From US via Jezebel]

Yeah, I don’t see it happening. I could totally see Nick being a nice guy and calling Jessica to offer his sympathies, and maybe offering her some rebound sex. In general, though, I suspect Nick is totally over Jessica. I think he’s totally over the whole Simpson family - his dealing with Pervert Joe must have really soured the whole situation. I really believe that Jessica still has that “Newlywed” stuff in her head - she wants to identify herself as someone’s wife, and I do think she wants to be a mother. Tony wasn’t her guy, and she wasn’t mature enough to appreciate Nick when she had him. Sigh.

I am thisclose to playing matchmaker for Jessica. Who would be good for her? Pattz? God no. Mayer again? Uh, no. John Stamos? No, he’s for Aniston. Daniel Radcliffe? He likes cougars, but his atheism would be a problem. George Clooney? He would like her boobs and her ditziness, but I think he prefers brunettes. Oh my God, I’ve got it! Prince Harry! He and Jessica would be perfect together. Neither one of them is very bright, he likes blondes, she likes athletes, and you know the sex would be pretty awesome. Perfect match!

Header via CoverAwards.

In a move that will surprise no one, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo have decided to break up. Back in April, there were a lot of rumors that their relationship was on the rocks, partially substantiated by Vanessa spending some very cuddly time with Matt Lanter from the new 90210. That one night also wasn’t the first time that there had been rumors of cheating and a breakup - ever since they began dating in 2006, there were consistent reports that they were no longer together. In April, Vanessa said that she and Nick were “very much still on,” but obviously that didn’t last long:

Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo have called it quits, reps for each confirm to PEOPLE.

“They have amicably split but remain good friends who still greatly care for one another,” Minnillo’s rep tells PEOPLE of the couple, who began dating in 2006.

The split comes after a rash of breakup rumors and reports, which were shot down. Earlier this month Minnillo told PEOPLE that she and Lachey were “very much still on.”

Though they have split, a source says Minnillo, 28, and Lachey, 35, are “still friends. It was the right thing for both of them to do.”

[from People]

There’s no telling what exactly it was that caused the breakup; it’s possible that her supposed cheating had nothing to do with it. But an interview in June, after the cheating incident, hinted at some trouble. Vanessa made several comments about marriage, including the size of her future hypothetical wedding ring (10 carats) as well as backing up her claims about the stability of their relationship by commenting that “Maybe this will be the one time I wind up the bride instead of the bridesmaid!” Sounds like someone was ready to walk down the aisle - and maybe Nick wasn’t.

When his show Newlyweds with Jessica Simpson was still on television, I watched it just to see Nick. I’ve never been a fan of his music or anything, but he’s a genuinely sweet, funny, patient guy, and entertaining in a very quiet way. So I don’t think that they broke up solely because he thinks she is the reason his career is nonexistent. In fact, I think the opposite is true - I always got the impression that he was like a deer in the headlights when it came to the cameras in his house, and being married to a star like Jessica. Vanessa, on the other hand, seems to love the spotlight. Maybe Nick just decided he needed someone a little more settled than Vanessa - or maybe Vanessa got tired of waiting for Nick. Either way, they clearly weren’t headed in the same direction.

Nick and Vanessa are shown on 6/7/09 and 4/22/09. Credit: WENN.com

Vanessa Minnillo gave an interview to Robin Leach (The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous guy) while she was in Las Vegas, and she talked non-stop about marriage, brides and engagement rings. People Magazine is making it seem like “Oh my God, Vanessa is pressuring Nick Lachey to get married” - which might really be the case, because that seems to be Vanessa’s consistent modus operandi. Nick and Vanessa have been together about three years, and they’ve been living together for two. See, Vanessa has put three whole years into this relationship - as opposed to another celebrity woman (hint: Jennifer Love Hewitt) who just yesterday was pressuring her boyfriend of three months to get engaged. I kind of feel bad for Vanessa - Nick doesn’t seem to be making her any kind of priority in his life:

Memo to Nick Lachey: Vanessa Minnillo has marriage on the mind – and hand.

Pointing to a 5-carat ring on her middle finger, Minnillo, 28, tells Las Vegas columnist Robin Leach, “It will be 10 carats when it moves to the fourth finger!”

Leach says she was laughing when she said it. But in the course of a brief interview posted on his Vegas Deluxe blog Minnillo mentions marriage three times.

Noting that Lachey, 35, couldn’t make it to Vegas with her because he was at a friend’s birthday party, she pouted, “So once again it looks as if I’m always the bridesmaid but never the bride.”

Not that there’s a problem, she quickly adds. “This romance is still going strong,” she says. “There will always be rumblings and rumors that we’ve broken up, but in fact, it’s very much still on – and it keeps on getting better.”

So much so that, “Maybe this will be the one time I wind up the bride instead of the bridesmaid!”

[From People]

Not to butt into their relationship, but I think it’s totally reasonable for Nick and Vanessa to both do some soul-searching about the state of their arrangement. Vanessa seems to know what she wants - a ring, a white dress, and a wedding. I’m not so sure if she’s given any thought to actually being married to Nick, but I give her credit for knowing what her priorities are. What are Nick’s priorities? Having a girlfriend who doesn’t demand anything of him, spending time with his dude friends, and keeping everything low-key. I really think Vanessa is avoiding giving Nick an ultimatum about marriage because she thinks (knows) he’ll dump her. Poor Vanessa.

Vanessa and Nick are shown on 5/13/09. Credit: WENN.com

Wait, Nick Lachey still has a career? When did that happen? Apparently he and longtime girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo are on the rocks. Now to be fair, she probably doesn’t understand his career issues, because she’s never had one. Unless you count being an MTV veejay (and supposedly an entitled diva) a career. Technically she considers herself an actress (she even plans on winning an Oscar), but frankly she has nothing going for her except being Nick’s girlfriend. And by some reports, that’s going down the tubes too.

A source close to the ex-boybander says the two “are on the rocks big time. They argue all the time, and Nick is done with her. He feels like she’s holding him back, careerwise.” Sure enough, Lachey’s career isn’t as hot as it used to be. His latest single, “Patience,” hasn’t even cracked the pop charts, though a friend close to the singer is quick to note “it’s doing well on the adult contemporary.” (When we checked, it was No. 39 on Billboard’s Hot Adult Top 40 list after five weeks of airplay, and it topped out on the Pop 100 Airplay list at No. 75 back in March.)

… what the singer really needs is a mainstream breakthrough — and Lachey’s pals say that in order to launch a comeback, he needs to dump Minnillo. It was recently reported the end was near after Minnillo stormed out of an L.A. restaurant with an angry face — with Lachey chasing after her in embarrassment, doggy bag in hand. A source close to the couple told us, “After the pictures came out, Nick told friends they weren’t fighting about their relationship, that it was just Vanessa going through a tough time personally.”

But, says another source, “We’re just not sure if we believe that anymore. The relationship has been over for a while, but he’s too nice a guy to end things completely.” That may explain why the singer keeps making an effort. In town for a recent Lachey promotional tour, he and Minnillo — who’ve been together since March 2006 — dined at The Charles restaurant. “They sat in a corner table, exchanging kisses,” said one spy. “But something still wasn’t quite right.”

[From Gatecrasher]

Of course both of their reps denied that anything was wrong, because life is nothing but rainbows shooting out of unicorns’ asses in celebrity rep land. They’ve been together for three years. Lots of couples date that long without getting married, and I’m not saying there’s anything wrong about that. But, it’s long been rumored that Vanessa was eager for Nick to pop the question, and given that, it’s been a long time. If she wanted to get engaged, I’m surprised she hasn’t dumped him after all this time. I think she’s smart enough to know Nick is the only fame she’s got right now.

And while Lachey has always struck me as a reasonably smart guy (at least by celebrity standards), I don’t think Vanessa is the reason for his flagging CD sales. He’s just over. His young hot boyband time came and went – and he was never one of the biggest acts, even when he was on top of his game. Gatecrasher also noted that he’s producing shows for MTV, and that sounds like a smart plan for the long-term. If either of them is considering staying or leaving because of their career, it’s time to call it off.

Here’s Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo at the New Years Eve celebration at Fontainebleau’s LIV nightclub in Miami Beach. Images thanks to WENN.com .