Jessica Simpson news! On Jan 15, 2013, the New York Post reported that NBC might be filming a comedy pilot about the life of Jessica Simpson, a Gen Y star. Contact Music confirmed the new television show rumor while trying to be supportive of the starlet they call a, “vapid” celebrity. They even suggested that a sitcom about her life even be funnier that watching MTV’s “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica” star make a fool of herself back in the day week after week on reality TV. Kind words? No — but their argument may (in part) be correct.
What they got wrong in their story is the claim Simpson seems to be without conscience. A well-known green celebrity, she appeared on the highly acclaimed VH1 series “The Price Of Beauty.” Over the years, Jessica Simpson has unwaveringly used her star power wisely to support non-profit organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Skin Cancer Foundation, and Operation Smile.
What they got right is being willing to entertain the thought that while the “Dukes of Hazard” star might not be the brightest crayon in the box, that her Gen Y coming of age life experiences might be funny to hear about.
Calling her new show (essentially) the “Fashion Star” version of the Lucille Ball show, executive producer Ben Silverman claims, “Jessica Simpson is truly a modern-day Lucy.” He’s banking on the star appeal of the pet-friendly, perky, humanitarian to all generations — not simply her own — and hoping the pilot will get picked up as a regular series. Naming her in the same league with the WWII generation’s funniest female celebrity, in that sense, was nothing short of marketing brilliance.
Regarding his promotion of the new TV series, Contact Music further added:
[Silverman] went on to reveal the types of story lines the episodes will follow, saying, “From running a fashion empire to wrangling her public image as a new mom, we see Jessica’s character approach a variety of everyday circumstances that will get audiences laughing out loud.”
Working as an actress on television set filming weekly would be nothing new for the pretty blonde. She and ex-husband Nick Lachey starred on their own reality show. She has also acted as a celebrity judge on the reality TV competition “Fashion Star” for quite some time now and appears to be very comfortable in front of the camera in a wide variety of settings.
[Fans of the fashionista might remember that at one point, she and Lachey even tried to be this generation’s version of the famous celebrity couple Sonny and Cher — trying their hand at the medium of variety show hosting. The Disney princess and 98 Degree boy band member’s show flopped resoundingly with American viewers despite their best efforts to keep the show interesting but neither lost their respective music career fan base.]
For that reason, Simpson starring in her own TV show that is a fictionalized account of her daily life drama may prove to be more funny and entertaining than any past reality television project she has participated in with Lachey. After all, lots of things have changed for the celeb — including a new fiance boyfriend, a new baby, and a second unplanned pregnancy.
To that end, while Jess might not be the best candidate to take down ratings for shows like “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” or any new episode of “Real Housewives” that may air about any major U. S. city, she does have a broad reaching appeal as a former Disney kid. That makes her a likely choice to recruit to be the star of her own sitcom for a major network like NBC — a company hoping to up its ratings quotients by churning out shows that are actually funny.
As Contact Music says, “After years of making herself look stupid by accident, Jessica Simpson is set to do it on purpose.” Needless to say, that particular media source does not seem to think highly of her for achieving celebrity status already — but at least they were willing to admit that someday she might even be considered likable by anybody.
But for the record, part of the reason so many Hollywood insiders remember actress Lucille Ball so fondly after all these years was because she herself was a charitable celebrity. Over the years, she volunteered tirelessly on behalf of organizations like the March of Dimes foundation, to help find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes, and helping lift people’s spirits at the Shriner’s Hospital.
Comparing celebrities, it is easy to see why NBC producers think Jessica Simpson makes a better Lucille Ball than trying to mold her into some weird shape like Honey Boo-Boo or Kim Kardashian. She might be a little slow on the uptake, but the “Price of Beauty” star is simply more of a classic role model — a Hollywood icon who herself can and should be admired justifiably as a real-life celebrity.