Ashlee Simpson at the Orange Bowl

Sounds like booing, all right. Sad...

Ashlee puts the "simp" in Simpson.

But, God love her, she manages to persevere even in the face of what would appear to be more than the requisite three strikes. Her older sister sings better (faint praise, to be sure) and apparently hogged all the comeliness genes; she's already been busted for faking it on stage and didn't handle it well; she's not attractive; and she doesn't appear to be able to dress herself. One can't even call her inexplicable success a result of lucky sperm, but rather lucky sibling dynamics. If Jessica wasn't getting famous by blathering about Chicken of the Sea on MTV, then Ashlee would be working at Hooter's and singing karaoke on Saturdays, in a venue where her unique vocal talents might actually be appreciated.

I don't really have anything against the girl, beyond the standard loathing/jealousy I feel for talentless millionaire dipshits, that is. Of course, talent has never been a prerequisite for success in America, though things have really gotten out of hand in this era of Paris Hilton, Ryan Seacrest, and George W. Bush.

I'm still trying to figure out if Ashlee Simpson is self-conscious enough to laugh about how lousy she is all the way to the bank, or if she's actually deluded enough to be hurt when the unwashed masses have the gall to boo or laugh at her.