Ashlee Simpson-Ross, younger sister to Jessica, and veteran of reality television will be making her return to your TV screens soon. The famous Reality TV channel and home to the Kardashians, E! News, announced yesterday that Simpson will be starring in a series surrounding her return to music with her husband, Evan Ross, as they venture into the recording studio to record a collaborative album. This creative endeavor might not be a surprise to fans of Simpson, as Ross' mother is the legendary Diana.
Simpson to come out of her 'shadow'
The news of Simpson's return to reality TV is a major source of excitement for me, because I'm hugely nostalgic for early 2000's reality television.
It was nearly impossible to tune in to MTV at the time without seeing the Simpson family on your screen. Ashlee's older sister, Jessica, starred in the memorable series "Newlyweds" with her then-husband, 98 Degrees member, Nick Lachey. As a result of the show's wild success, Ashlee was given the same opportunity to star in her own show. "The Ashlee Simpson Show" ran for two seasons and documented the recording of her first album.
As a self-proclaimed "super fan" of Simpson's previous show, the news of her return to reality TV leaves me with a lot of questions. Will Ashlee's new show detail any evolution in her personal life? Has she come into her own identity, after famously detailing her irritation with living in the shadow of her more famous sister on a track from her debut album, "Autobiography."
Pieces of me to become pieces of them
I'm sure I speak for other Simpson fans in expressing my long-time curiosity over Ashlee's evolution since the infamous "Saturday Night Live" scandal.
One of the most famous lip-synching scandals in history occurred on the show in 2004 while Ashlee was promoting her MTV show. After preforming her hit "Pieces of Me," the track accidentally restarted, revealing that Simpson had been lip-synching. Not knowing what to do after the expose, Ashlee did an awkward dance she later proclaimed to be a "hoedown." The event nearly ended her career for good, and her MTV show ended soon after.
I'm thrilled Simpson has found happiness in her personal life, and I'm pretty excited to see how Evan Ross will contribute to the show. The show will document Ross' transition from acting to singing, as we go behind the scenes of their collaborative recording. I am especially curious to see if Evan inherited his mother's classic dancing abilities.
Will there be any surprise dance numbers similar to the famous hoedown? If so, will Diana make an appearance to mentor the couple?
On a more serious note, Simpson's (and possibly the rest of her famous family) return to reality TV is especially interesting to followers of reality TV. In the last decade, reality TV has evolved and become more and more part of modern culture. In a Kardashian world, will viewers who are expecting to see material similar to Jessica Simpson's famous "is this chicken or fish" line from "Newlyweds" be satisfied?
In a world where reality television seems more sophisticated as it is so much more ingrained in our culture, will Ashlee and company have to dial down the hijinks that made watching "Newlyweds" and "The Ashlee Simpson Show" interesting?
The anticipation is sure to make the show's premiere one of the most exciting events in the recent history of reality TV. In the meantime, I'm going to tide myself over by secretly rocking out to "Autobiography." Welcome back, Ashlee!
