Jessica Simpson
Background information
Birth name Jessica Ann Simpson
Born July 10, 1980 (1980-07-10) (age 26)
Origin Flag of United States Abilene, Texas, United States
Genre(s) Pop, Dance Pop, Adult Contemporary Music
Occupation(s) Singer-Songwriter, Actress
Years active 1999–present
Label(s) Columbia, Epic
Website JessicaSimpson.com
Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980) is an American pop singer and
actress who rose to fame in the late 1990s. She has achieved seven Billboard
Top 40 hits, and has three gold and two multi-platinum RIAA-certified
albums. Simpson starred with her then-husband Nick Lachey in the MTV reality
show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. She has also begun working as an actress,
and is the older sister of Ashlee Simpson, a pop rock singer.
Career
1999-2001: Rise to fame
1999 saw the arrival of pop princesses Britney Spears and Christina
Aguilera, who each received multi-platinum certificates. Simpson's label
hoped for the same with her. As 1999 came to a close, Simpson released her
first single, "I Wanna Love You Forever," which peaked at #3 on the
Billboard Hot 100. Soon afterward her album Sweet Kisses was released.
Simpson toured with boy band 98 Degrees to promote her new album. She was
given a role in the music video for 98 Degrees' hit song "My Everything,"
playing Nick Lachey's love interest. At that time she and Lachey began
dating. After dating for two years the couple cooled their relationship,
stating that the "break" allowed them to concentrate on their music careers.
Then on September 11, 2001, Lachey was supposed to be flying out of New York
City with his group 98 Degrees. When Simpson heard of the attacks on the
nation coming from the airport she immediately phoned Lachey to learn his
whereabouts. After this scare the couple rekindled the relationship.
Meanwhile, Simpson's album Sweet Kisses had gone double platinum thanks to
the success of her follow-up singles "Where You Are", 1999, and "I Think I'm
In Love With You, 2001." The latter became Simpson's biggest radio hit at
that point and was her first release of an uptempo single. But although her
debut album sold 2 million copies, sales fell far short of those achieved by
Spears and Aguilera, and unlike the two pop princesses, Simpson was not a
worldwide household name. Columbia Records officials reportedly decided
Simpson needed a change for her second album.
In 2001, Simpson recorded a follow-up album with what Columbia considered
more radio-friendly, up-tempo tracks; the studio also encouraged her to lose
weight in order to fit in with her competitors. The result in that was
Irresistible, released in mid-2001 on the heels of the title-track first
single. The new sound and image helped make "Irresistible" one of the
biggest hits of her career; it peaked at # 15 on the Hot 100. "Irresistible"
debuted at # 6 in June 2001 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart, and has sold
825,000 copies to date.
2002: Marriage to Nick Lachey and TV success
During the summer of 2003, the reality show, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica,
starring Simpson and her new husband Nick Lachey began airing on MTV.
Simpson's third album, In This Skin, was released in August of 2003 to
coincide with the series premiere of Newlyweds.
The show quickly became a pop culture phenomenon and is credited with making
her a household name, even among those who did not follow pop music or MTV.
“I never knew that just doing the show would give me that pedestal to step
on,” Simpson told Blender magazine in a March 2004 feature.[1]
On May 30, 2004, Simpson was chosen to sing the National Anthem at the
Indianapolis 500.
Later that summer, Simpson won three Teen Choice Awards: Female Fashion
Icon, Choice Hottie Female, and Female Reality/Variety TV Star for
Newlyweds.
Throughout the run of four seasons, Simpson epitomized the stereotypical
dumb blonde, most notably when she asked Lachey whether the Chicken of the
Sea tuna she was eating was in fact chicken or fish. She also indicated that
she believed that buffalo wings were made from actual buffalo. Her Hollywood
brat behavior helping turn the show into a huge hit, with an average rating
of roughly 1.4 million viewers, while reaching a series peak of
approximately 4 million viewers.
The associated album, In This Skin, debuted at # 10 on The Billboard 200
album chart, with sales of 64,000 in its first week. It rebounded after a
special collectors' edition was released in April 2004 and subsequently
reached a peak of # 2. It was eventually certified quadruple platinum. It
contained the hits "With You" (# 14, 2004) and a cover of the Berlin song
"Take My Breath Away" (# 20, 2004), and a lesser hit, a cover of the Robbie
Williams song "Angels", which charted just outside the Billboard Hot 100.
The couple starred in the television special The Nick and Jessica Variety
Hour, which aired in 2004 and was compared to the Sonny and Cher show.
Simpson released ReJoyce: The Christmas Album in late 2004, which peaked at
# 14 on the album chart and was later certified gold.
In 2005, Newlyweds won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Reality Show
before wrapping shortly after.
Move to film
In the summer of 2005, at age 25, Simpson made her first appearance in a
motion picture as Daisy Duke in the movie remake of The Dukes of Hazzard.The
film was #1 at the box office its opening weekend, although it had little or
no competition (the only other new film opening that weekend was a
low-budget independent film), and grossed $30.7 million on 3,785 screens. It
also had an adjusted-dollar rank of #14 all-time for August releases. The
film eventually collected $110.5 million world-wide, although it was much
less financially successful outside the U.S.
Simpson also appeared on the film's soundtrack, releasing "These Boots Are
Made for Walkin'", a cover of the 1966 Nancy Sinatra hit. The song peaked at
# 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a People's Choice Award for Favorite
Song from a Movie in 2006. The song's video featured Simpson as Daisy Duke.
It contains scenes of her flirting and singing in a bar and then later
washing her car in a pink string bikini. In some countries the video was
banned for its overtly sexual content.[2]
Simpson's second film, Employee of the Month, was released October 6, 2006.
Despite poor reviews, the film took in nearly $12 million in its opening
weekend, debuting at #4 just behind "Open Season." The movie was made on a
$12 million budget, and it finished with a little over $28 million in the
United States.
Simpson's third film, Blonde Ambition, is set to be released July (2007).
Filming is scheduled to begin in June, 2007 on a fourth movie starring
Simpson, "Major Movie Star." Filming for the movie "The Witness", a spy
comedy, had been scheduled for the same time but has been postponed.[3]
2006-2007: Music and movies
November 2005 brought confirmation of rumors that Simpson and Lachey were
breaking up. On June 30, 2006, their divorce was finalized. Simpson hosted
the Teen Choice Awards in August 2006, and appeared on The View in September
2006 as the first choice of new co-host Rosie O'Donnell.
Simpson then returned to the recording studio, switching labels from
Columbia to Epic Records. Her fourth album, A Public Affair, was released on
August 29, 2006 via Epic Records. The album debuted at # 5 on the Billboard
200 with 101,000 copies sold in its first week. The first single, "A Public
Affair" (# 14, 2006), reached the Top 20 of the Hot 100 but quickly fell off
the charts. The music video for "A Public Affair" featured Eva Longoria,
Christina Applegate, Christina Milian, Maria Menounos, Andy Dick and Ryan
Seacrest. A second single, "I Belong To Me," was also released through her
website and is now included on the CD itself. The single's video appeared on
TRL countdowns, but quickly fell off.
In December 2006, while performing a tribute to Dolly Parton at the Kennedy
Center Awards, she botched the lyrics, getting flustered in front of a crowd
that included prominent persons such as Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and
President George W. Bush). Afterward, during the final tribute to Parton,
Parton's "biggest fan" Reese Witherspoon and her second cousin Jessica
Savelli gave a tearful Simpson a comforting hug. Though Simpson was given
the chance to redo the song for cameras, ultimately her portion was editied
out of the CBS broadcast.
Luke Wilson co-starred with Simpson in her third film, Blonde Ambition, due
out in late 2007. In April she released her rendition of the Dead or Alive
hit "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)", which is also the third single from
A Public Affair. The song was revamped for the movie and will be part of the
soundtrack.
Simpson recently said she is due back in front of the cameras filming her
next movie role in "The Witness." She also said she will be publishing a
book containing selections from her personal journal and photographs, titled
"Look Up To the Sky." Simpson has also been confirmed to be in studio
recording with Eddie Galan and Drew Lane.
Other projects
Following in the footsteps of other female musicians, such as Cher and Patti
LaBelle, Simpson launched a line of hair and beauty products on the Home
Shopping Network. Teaming with celebrity stylist Ken Paves and trained by
HSN's first-ever home shopping host Bob Circosta, Simpson sells clip-in hair
extensions over the air. Hairdo-brand Salon Clip-In Hair from Simpson and
Ken Paves
Simpson has had many commercials, mainly with Pizza Hut and Proactiv
Solution. She also has a commercial with Ice Breakers, along with her sister
Ashlee. She has had up to three Pizza Hut commercials, the first in 2004,
advertising the new Buffalo Wing Pizza (costarring The Muppets). In 2005,
she started advertising Proactiv Solution, an over-the-counter acne
medicine. In 2006, she premiered another Pizza Hut commercial for the Super
Bowl broadcast. She sang "These Bites Are Made For Poppin'," in reference to
the song "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," to advertise the new Cheesy
Bites Pizza. In 2007, the Super Bowl featured her third Pizza Hut
commercial, which again promoted the Cheesy Bites Pizza. She has also
advertised HDTV in character as Daisy Duke.
Management
Jessica is managed by her father, Joe Truett Simpson, whose fee is reported
to be between 10 percent and 20 percent of her income. He has distanced
himself from his daughters' finances, however, and has no access to their
bank accounts, which are under the supervision of their shared and longtime
business manager, David Levin. Mr. Simpson said he wanted his children to
see that "Daddy never touched their stuff. I wanted them to always look at
me with respect."[4]
Controversy
Simpson received criticism from a Christian group calling itself "The
Resistance", for the sexualized image she used in the music video for "These
Boots are Made for Walking".[5] In response, Simpson stated, "It didn't
really surprise me because I grew up with a lot of that backlash. That's why
I didn't end up going into the Christian music industry. I think that if
they're really good Christians the judgment wouldn't be there."[6]
Personal life
On October 26, 2002, at age 22, Simpson married Nick Lachey, and confirmed
that she had remained a virgin until her wedding night. Simpson was always
vocal since she came into the spotlight that she was saving her virginity
until marriage. In November 2005, after months of tabloid speculation,
Simpson and Lachey announced they were separating. Simpson filed for divorce
on December 16, 2005, citing "irreconcilable differences." The couple's
divorce was publicized worldwide and was reportedly finalized on June 30.
Simpson reportedly told Jane magazine in October 2006 that she knew her
marriage to Lachey was over when he refused to join her on a charity trip to
Africa, even though it was on their third wedding anniversary.[7] Questions
remain over whether the trip was to celebrate the anniversary, or a PR
junket guided by her father/manager, who accompanied her on that day.
The couple reportedly sold their Calabasas mansion in which Newlyweds was
filmed to Malcolm in the Middle star Justin Berfield for $3.75 million.
Simpson received increased publicity following her divorce, reportedly
having romances with her Employee of the Month co-star Dane Cook and Maroon
5 frontman Adam Levine. On February 6, 2007, the Associated Press reported
that Simpson said she was stung when her ex-husband jumped back into dating
after their high-profile breakup. "Oh, it hurt me," the 26-year-old
singer-actress says in an interview in the March issue of Elle magazine.
"Two or three weeks later? Yeah, I'd say it kind of hurt me."[8][9]
Magazines have also speculated that she was jealous of her ex-husband's
growing stardom and relationship with television personality Vanessa
Minnillo, though she has publicly denied this.
Simpson dated John Mayer for over 9 months.[10] Dating rumors started in
August 2006 with a People magazine article, but kicked into high gear when
Simpson and Mayer spent New Year's holiday together in New York City, both
attending Christina Aguilera's New Years Eve 2006 party.[11] Reports
indicated that the two were publicly very affectionate. In the March 2007
issue of Elle, Simpson said that in her private life she is "begging and
pleading for privacy," but the interviewer did notice emails, videos, and
photos of Mayer on Simpson's laptop.[9] The two were spotted kissing and
hugging at a 2007 Grammy after-party, and posed for photos.[12] Simpson also
accompanied Mayer for several dates of his 2007 winter tour, before the two
departed for Rome.[13][14][15] Mayer and Simpson split in May of 2007.
Philanthrophy
In March 2007 Simpson donated a new Chrysler minivan to the Elim orphanage
in Nuevo Laredo. Simpson had won a Chrysler Crossfire sports car at the 2006
MTV awards, but exchanged the $50,000 luxury car for a minivan so she could
help the orphanage.[16] She had first visited the orphanage as a child as
part of her youth group mission. She has also mentioned that she has plans
to adopt.[17][18]
Discography
* 1999: Sweet Kisses
* 2001: Irresistible
* 2002: This Is the Remix
* 2003: In This Skin
* 2004: Rejoyce: The Christmas Album
* 2006: A Public Affair
Tours
* Heat It Up Tour (2000)
* MTV TRL Tour - selected dates prior to her headlining tour (2001)
* DreamChaser Tour (2001)
* Reality Tour Live (2004)
* Tour of Duty (2005)
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes World Wide Gross
2005 The Dukes of Hazzard Daisy Duke Major Supporting Role $111,069,515[19]
2006 Employee of The Month Amy Renfroe Major Supporting Role $37,328,629[20]
2007 Blonde Ambition Katie Gregorstage Lead Role TBR
2008 Major Movie Star TBA Lead Role (To begin filming June '07) TBR
2008 The Witness TBA (Announced) TBR
Notes
1. ^ Levy, Ariel (2004). "Queen of the Boob Tube" Blender.com (accessed
January 30, 2007)
2. ^ http://www.jessicasimpsonmusic.net/videos/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin.php
3. ^ http://www.jessicasimpsonmusic.net/the-witness-movie.php
4. ^ Jeff Leeds, October 3, 2004. Who Wants to Be a Simpson?. New York
Times.
5. ^ http://www.theresistancemanifesto.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=39
6. ^ http://news.softpedia.com/news/Jessica-Simpson-Slams-Christian-s-Accusations-561
5.shtml
7. ^ No byline (2006). "Jessica Simpson had a divorce premonition" South
Asian Women's Forum (accessed March 19, 2007)
8. ^ "Jessica Simpson: Nick Lachey's Dating 'Hurt Me'". Associated Press,
February 6, 2007.
9. ^ a b Goldman, Andrew (2007). "The Unnewlywed" Elle.com (accessed March
15, 2007)
10. ^ (no byline)"John Mayer: Not Denying Jessica Romance" TeenPeople.com
(accessed March 1, 2007)
11. ^ "Simpson, Mayer Ring In New Year Together"
12. ^ Carter, Kelley (2007)."Blige gives big thanks, Shakira shakes it and
John Mayer speaks Japanese" Detroit Free Press.
13. ^ Warech, Jon (2007). "Jessica Simpson & John Mayer Hit Miami"
People.com (accessed January 23, 007)
14. ^ Splash News correspondent (2007). "Jessica Simpson will tour with John
Mayer for next two and a half weeks" SAWF.org (accessed January 26, 2007)
15. ^ Norman, Pete, et al (2007) "Jessica and John's Roman Romance"
TeenPeople.com (accessed March 15, 2007)
16. ^ Jessica Simpson Donates Van to Mexican Orphanage. March 28, 2007.
17. ^ Silverman, Stephen (2006). "Jessica Simpson: I Want to Adopt a Child"
People.com (accessed March 19, 2007)
18. ^ Fugs N Jugs Do Canadialand 2007 Perezhilton.com Retrieved on 04-25-07
19. ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=dukesofhazzard_search_dictionary.htm
20. ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=employeeofthemonth_search_dictionary.htm
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