Even though she barely looks like herself these days, even though she allegedly sought the assistance of the Hollywood Diet Doctors for rapid thinnification, even though she"s the daughter of a creepy Papa Pimp, I have to tell you… I"m impressed. Ashlee Simpson has engineered herself an outstanding comeback from the SNL debacle, not to mention the drastic image makeover for which she"s been found guilty in the court of public opinion. For that, she deserves a few snaps. In fact, Ashlee"s triumphant debut on the London stage, playing Roxie Hart in Chicago, is even more remarkable considering the Simpsons can"t seem to get it right, especially when it comes to Jessica"s disastrous post-divorce career management, with a weave/wig cockamamie business plan that"s done nothing to enhance her profile and a horribly conceived faux romance that threw up all over her album release. And then there"s Ashlee. Instead of stripping off her clothes and dry-humping a muscle car full of bubbles, instead of shoving her candy pink lips all over an ice cream cone on rollerskates, she chose to face the West End, committing to a stage performance for five weeks without the cushion of studio mixing, without the forgiveness of the electronic warble liberally used by Paris Hilton, confronting not only a live audience but also the unyielding criticism of the British media famous for pulling no punches. Thank Goddess she"s also gained a healthier physical perspective. That, my fellow gossips, takes some courage. And in my books, courage always deserves credit. Strangely enough, it also feels good to compliment a Simpson for once, though for the life of me, I can"t find anything nice to say about Jessica. What’s with the assy makeup? Photo source