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October 16, 2005
The resurrection of Simpson
Ashlee got a big video spanking on her first appearance on SNL. Everyone knows the story of her sore throat and botched lip sync. Blah blah blah.
Apparently now is the time to come back - with a recent "live" appearance on SNL with no lip, and an album. Oh yes, let's talk album.
First, nothing says serious artist like a noir take. Black and white, more shadow than light. You got the shadow tear running down from the punched black eye staring dazed out into space. Yeah, she's sad, or confused, or introspective, or stunned, or somebody slipped something into her Pepsi Lime. (Yeah, it also looks like a still frame from that Paris Hilton video.)
Oh, the text of her name is in a spotty Gothic font. Wow. What a departure from the bouncy little flake she's been. All done with a font change, eh? (Hey, keep your eyes up from there, we'll get down there eventually.)
Now check out the text. "I AM ME" in a straight line white crayon scrawl. Yeah, this is the kind of questions that serious artists ask (it's also the same kind of question folks in the closed community of the hospital are asking after their third Thorazine.) Am I really me, or something that the media produced? Am I me or am I doing this to please someone else? Am I me, can I stop the collagen now? The self-absorption can go on for hours.
OK, you've already been there a couple of times by now. Yup, nothing sets off a a singer's major assets like carefully crafted noir lighting. You could sink an 8-ball in that cleavage. What's the message here? Heh, like you need help with that. Yeah, there are two basic forms of distraction: Look over There, and Look over Here. This is definitely look over here.
Hey, better album name? ARE THESE ME
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