This Week's Shining & Falling Stars: Jessica & Ashlee Simpson and Rihanna

Shining Star - Jessica & Ashlee Simpson

The Simpson gals sure know how to keep the moolah all in the family.

While Jessica Simpson can't seem to get a hit song on the charts (anyone remember "A Public Affair?"), the 30-year-old entertainer does have the ability to create a cash cow of a clothing line. Now, she's sharing the wealth with her little sis, Ashlee.

Perhaps taking a page out of the Olsen twins' book, the elder Simpson announced this week that Ashlee, 26, will aid her in designing a tween fashion line for her self-named clothing label.

Simpson told Women's Wear Daily that her younger sibling "brings a savvy rocker edge" to the brand. Jessica, who's engaged to former NFL player Eric Johnson, has made a bundle from her clothing empire - the line is reportedly worth a billion bucks.

Maybe the Simpson ladies' next attempt at a single should be a remake of "Sisters Are Doin' it For Themselves." It's gotta do better than that "A Public Affair" junk.

Falling Star - Rihanna

A memo to Rihanna: murder doesn't necessarily make for a good music video.

The Barbados native ditched her S&M gear this week to don the guise of a merry murderess in her latest music video. But one of the reigning princesses of pop lost some fans after they were horrified by the violent imagery depicted in "Man Down."

In the vid that premiered on BET on Monday, Rihanna is shown shooting and killing a man who had sexually assaulted her as he walks through a crowded train station.

While the red-haired singer, 23, defended the clip on Twitter, writing, "Very strong underlying message 4 girls like me!" and retweeting messages of support from fans, some organizations fumed at the fatal tale. Industry Ears wrote in a press release: "If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop. Rihanna should not get a pass and BET should know better. The video is far from broadcast worthy."

Relationship coach Marc Radov told FOX News, "Rihanna gets to have it both ways - accuse Chris Brown of domestic violence and be violent herself - because she's a woman." Hip-hop star Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna back in 2009.

What happened to the Rihanna of yesteryear? The bubbly, teen belting out "Pon de Replay?" Somehow she got replaced by a vengeful killer. Someone should put whoever's behind this new Rihanna in lockdown - along with her "Man Down" character.

Originally appeared on Starpulse.

 

Follow Judy Kurtz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JudyKurtz

Comments

[Ohsherri]

07:55 AM on 06/04/2011

Ashlee Simpson has got to get her own gig.
Gimmee a break....as if this is her passion....she's just mooching off her sister.
Its not like Ashlee would have this "sudden urge" to sell tween fashion had it
not been for her sisters outstanding success already perfectly in place.
She's lazy. No wonder the marriage never worked.

[CAMBEL]

12:40 PM on 06/03/2011

So lets see, your "Shinning" star was somebody who hasn't done anything in 5 years, and is giving her even less talented sister a job. Is this a joke or were you just paid to promte their clothing line with a mention?

[Jesse Wright]

12:21 PM on 06/03/2011

Judy Kurtz - first of all, Rihanna should take offense that you put her as a falling star and the Simpson sisters as a shining star when the two haven't done anything to make them worthy of a shining star in years (as you mentioned, their music careers are not special and having a clothing line does not make you a star). Second, I'm not surprised that you jumped on this bandwagon against Rihanna because you're from Fox. Rihanna is playing a character in the music video where the person was fake shot. She didn't actually kills someone, let's get this straight. And it's a music video. Lady Gaga had a music video not that long ago in which she killed the entire clientelle of a restaurant and then danced around them. Furthermore, connecting this to the Chris Brown incident does not compute. Sure a couple years ago she was abused by him, but in which way does this relate to the music video she released years later. Stop jumping on bandwagons and give it a rest.

[wizkid14]

06:25 PM on 06/03/2011

I agree with almost everything you stated but the "she was abused" lie! Rihanna and Chris had 1 fight 2 yrs ago. Abuse is a repeated act like Charlie Sheen and his many DV episodes with his wives

[onceler]

10:43 AM on 06/07/2011

what?!? he beat her face to a pulp, and you have no idea whether that was the only time it happened or not. people who get that violent with their mates rarely 'only do it once'.

[craftycrow]

11:05 AM on 06/03/2011

It's the safest way for her to take out her anger about the situation. Better than her actually hurting Chris Brown. She's ACTING in a music video.

[N133]

10:54 AM on 06/03/2011

Portraying violence and committing acts of violence are massively different. That's like claiming that any actor on The Wire *is* violent. It's art, not life.

[the grange gorman]

10:54 AM on 06/03/2011

Twitter is rubbish.

[intellifran]

07:47 AM on 06/03/2011

Jessica Simpson shoes are hot. She's done very well for herself. She's pretty business savvy despite the "chicken of the sea" stupidity she has displayed in the past.

[The Mighty Pathos]

12:10 PM on 06/03/2011

Is she business savvy or does she have business savvy people around her who promote her name?

Big difference.