When creepy daddy Joe Simpson, hoping to cash in on daughter Jessica's popularity, began marketing Ashlee as a performing "artist", it became immediately evident that he had an uphill battle. Blessed with neither looks nor the tiniest speck of talent or ability, Ashlee instantly became the butt of jokes and a big thorn in the ear of music lovers nationwide. With great zeal Ashlee inflicted her cracking off-key voice on victims in shopping malls and other small venues across the country. She managed to gain a following consisting of those who care little about details like singing ability and talent (teen and pre-teen girls and their effeminate male friends).  The Simpsons managed to con their way into bigger venues and recording deals, overcoming the obstacle of Ashlee's complete lack of ability by overproducing her recordings to hide her horrible singing and lip-syncing at live performances. The ride didn't last long.  In the Fall of 2004, Ashlee was busted for lipsyncing on Saturday Night Live when she took to the stage for her second performance and the music for her FIRST set began playing. As her own recorded voice began droning "Pieces of Me" (title ripped off from a Jewel album by the way) Ashlee looked confused for a moment and, professional entertainer that she is, danced a silly jig and ran off the stage leaving her red-faced band playing for several minutes until SNL cut to a commercial. Again the consumate professional, Ashlee sold her stage partners down the river. She blamed the band at the end of the show, later blamed the drummer for "pushing the wrong button" and then came out with a story about having to lipsync because she had "acid reflux" which was later widely debunked. The icing on the cake was her halftime show at the Orange Bowl in Miami Jan. 5, 2005. Unable to lip-sync this one, Ashlee stomped and croaked and honked her way through a horrible off-key rendition of her BRILLIANT (sarcasm) single "La La". 70,000-plus people booed loudly. The cameras quickly cut away from Ashlee's embarassed, confused face (We're guessing she danced a jig here) while loud boos and screams of "You suck!" rang out. Signatures on the "Stop Ashlee" online petition surged, anti-Ashlee websites sprang up, TV commedians had a field day and Ashlee fand wailed and gnashed their baby teeth. Now, two-plus years later this no-talent has all but faded from the limelight. Maybe there is a God.