‘Melrose Place’ to ‘Chicago’: A Promising Move for Ashlee Simpson

As a rule of thumb, the words "promising" and "Ashlee Simpson" should never be situated within close proximity to one another. Unless it's to form a sentence like "Ashlee Simpson is promising to leave showbiz and entering a convent." That said, getting ejected off-screen could possibly be the lift that Simpson's career requires. Especially if it means she'll be tap dancing back to Murderess Row to reprise her role as Roxie Hart on Broadway's Chicago. In fact, for a popstrel who has branded herself with tepid tunes and an unimpressive bit parts on-screen, the relative ease with which Simpson shines as the firecracker is surprising. Somewhere within her is a performer who could always easily transcend poor showmanship. But she was weighed down with substandard material. Sounds like another former pop star-turned-primo performer we all know and hold dear to our hearts.

This is all to say that Simpson probably needs to be choosier with roles that come her way. And considering the promotional material Melrose Place had to offer, the red flags couldn’t have been any clearer for her. Still, Simpson is uniquely charmed. Getting pink-slipped from that particular dungeon was the universe’s snarly way of saying, “Yo! Big Nose, shape up and know your worth.” And the universe couldn’t be more eloquent. Especially if it means Simpson may approach a proper performer at some point. But one day at a time.