JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Okay. What an assignment. The guys around the newsroom all wanted to go. We were joking that we'd have to have a lottery to see which two male photographers were chosen.
Of course, there are people who say, "Who's Jessica Simpson?" That included my Mom when I told her. But pop stars do come and go so you can't blame those folks.
I met Jessica after she rehearsed at Metro Park for the big Super Bowl kickoff to air on ABC nationwide. Everyone was making the same comment about Jessica. "Why did she wear a sweater?"
Even Jessica kept saying she was hot. But I'll be honest and say she never got crabby or snotty, even though you might expect a beautiful mega star to do that.
She was born in 1980 in Dallas but grew up in a small town in Texas. She started out in Christian music then switched to pop. Her latest CD is called, "In This Skin." Some say she's tried to keep a cleaner image than some of the other stars. Her Dad was a youth minister at a Baptist church and now manages his daughter's career.
Here are some highlights from our conversation:
--I asked her about her marriage to Nick Lachey, the star who makes women stop in their tracks.
They were married in October 2002. She says, "We try to stay unaffected by the other things in our life." She made a strong point that they "never let the sun go down on their anger." Yes, they have spats. What bugs her is when Nick tries to be a decorator and moves the couch around.
--She was wearing big diamond earings. "From Nick?" No, she said. "They're from me. He would never buy five carats." Certainly her stardom has launched her into that world most of us only read about.
--Her mother, Tina, was right with her the entire time. She says Jessica is "the same little girl I chased around and changed her diapers." She says, "God has truly blessed her with talents. And Jessica has always used those talents wisely." And, yes, they pray together still as a family.
--The relationship with her Mom? Well, right before we started our interview she spit out her gum and handed it to her Mom. Tina told me that's just the typical kid she is.
--Jessica also says she grew up trying to balance the line between a minister's daughter and a teenager wanting to look sexy. Her mother, she says, picks out her wardrobe. "I think she does a good job dressing me classy and sexy." Wardrobe malfunctions? Sometimes when she bends over to hit the low notes her leather pants rip. She chuckled, as always, not seeming embarrassed a bit.
--I asked her what she would tell other women who wish they looked like her. She had a quick answer for that. "Well, I wish I looked like Halle Berry." She says all women wish they looked like somebody else. "I'm 5'4" and I wish I had long legs and I was tall and skinny like a model." But she describes herself as "curvey" and that's obviously taken her a long way.
--Does she work out constantly? She says she does about 1 hour 3-4 times a week. She loves chocolate cake and so she hits the treadmill.
Her beauty product she never goes without? Her eyelash curlers.
--Jessicca says she and her husband just recorded a Christmas CD. It only took her 5 days because, she says, she knew the songs so well. "My favorite is 'Oh, Holy Night.'"
--And the fun question, "What is the sexiest thing a man can do that you can talk about on TV?" She answered that in a flash. "It's wearing blue jeans with no shirt."
--Jessica has a little dog named Daisy. She says
she's practicing to be a mother and doing "very good with the wee wee pads." She and Nick plan a big family.
So some notes from our interview... It's never fair to judge someone on just a few minutes. But it's human nature to pick up on certain feelings, just the same. I found this pop star anything but full of herself. The funny part is that every guy I've told that to just looks at me like, "Are you out of your mind? Who's even noticing if she's nice or not?"
Whatever your focus is...Jessica Simpson is the star of the moment in Jacksonville. For some, she's a nice break from all the worry about hurricanes. And her concert was free and open to everyone in Metro Park Thursday night.
She is so beautiful and it's great that she still has her faith in tact and her relationship with her mum is so strong. I think Jessica Simpson is one of the very few people in the world who can truly claim to have everything.
I'm so happy I saved my virginity for my soul mate and didn't waste it on just some guy. Nick and I have been together since I was 18, but we split for about five months in 2001. During that time, I went through a period where I thought I needed to see what else was out there. So I dated guys who didn't mean anything to me, and some who didn't respect my boundaries. It was a selfish phase. I was being a little girl again. Then after 9/11 I put my life in perspective. I realized I was searching for someone who was right in front of my face-- waiting on me, madly in love with me. I was madly inlove with him too, so I thought, what am I doing? We got back together and got engaged soon afterward. It was heavy --- and hard because I really wanted to [have sex]. But Nick was like, "No. You're really going to regret this." He knew how important it was. He was perfect in my eyes because of that. Not many men are like Nick.
The Big Night
After the wedding, we were very tired but really excited too. I wouldn't let myself dring any alcohol because I wanted to experience the whole thing-- I didn't want to numb anything! We left the reception early and went right to our room. My mom and my stylist had decorated it so it was like this romantic scene out of Romeo and Juliet. There were rose petals and candles all over the floor, leading up to the bed...and, well, we made love and made up for lost time! It's been almost a year now, and let's just say we've gotten really good at it! Afterward, we feasted on all our appetizers and even our cake, which my mom had placed next to the bathtub. We'd been so busy at the reception trying to talk to all 350 guests that we didn't get to eat, so we just jumped in the tub and ate up!
Life as a Wife
Since we've been married, Nick has taught me to be a woman who stands on her own, had confidence, cleans up after herself, looks at her bills and schedules her own dentist appointments. Nick inspires me to do these things because he's so darn good at taking care of himself. I love that about our relationship. I love the way he's changed me. Hopefully I've done some good for him, too. My maturity definitely shows. I sing about making love in my first single "Sweetest Sin". I'd never [sung about] that. It's what my new album, In This Skin, is about : being confident for the first time. Through the eyes of Nick, I found that.
Jessica Simpson was on the Fox News Channel's 'Fox & Friends' this morning to promote her new line of tasty Dessert Treats cosmetics. She addressed all the talk about marital troubles with hubby Nick Lachey and how it bugs her. Jessica wrapped up by defending her much-maligned sister Ashlee Simpson.
