Nickfanatic
06-15-04, 09:32 AM
Interesting!
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/con...a7e03900c5.html (http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/auto/epaper/editions/monday/local_news_04dca01bf6a7e03900c5.html)
Simpson's talent shines through packaging
By Leslie Gray Streeter, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 14, 2004
Jessica Simpson is perhaps the closest thing we have to a living, breathing Barbie doll. Emphatically blonde and curvy in a provocative but oddly safe way, the perky singer and reality show princess, like Mattel's stalwart vinyl fashion plate, is the larger-than-life stand-in for her young fans' pastel-perfect grown-up dreams.
She's got the fabulous wardrobe, the dream house, even the Ken doll husband. The Jessica Simpson Reality Tour, which rolled into Sound Advice Amphitheatre Saturday night, proved even more similarities between the legitimately vocally talented Simpson and Barbie -- some disturbing ones.
Like Barbie, Simpson treads an uncomfortable line between kid-friendly big sister and target of rude, leering comments from those who can't help but notice the ample bust, long legs and bombshell sexuality. In concert, Simpson did a couple of simulated hip grind/crotch grab moves that were startling, considering the m[arse] of 12-and-under girls in attendance. Ditto her exhorting those same little girls to sing along the last line of her song The Sweetest Sin, in which Simpson, who famously waited to have sex until she married husband Nick Lachey, imagines what lovemaking will be like.
Telling young girls that even sometimes beautiful people wait for marriage to have sex is fantastic. But encouraging 10-year-olds to sing the line "that would be the sweetest sin"... do I have to explain why this is not cool?
Even with Simpson's undisputed singing chops -- her live versions of hits like I Wanna Love You Forever and With You were much more confident and tuneful than on CD -- both she and Barbie are marketed with an emphasis on stuff over substance.
As opening singer Ryan Cabrera left the stage, Simpson's entire Liquid Ice mint commercial with her sister Ashley appeared. A commercial! Right in the middle of a concert. And the Jessica-crazed fans, some adorned in homemade T-shirts bearing her perfectly smiling mug, screamed at seeing their idol's face, no matter why it was being shown.
Lost in all the production values and product placement is the fact that this girl can sing. Her take on Robbie Williams' anthemic Angels was slightly schmaltzy but heartfelt and delightfully on-key, and her cover of Berlin's Take My Breath Away, inspired by her first hug from her husband-to-be, was more fleshed out and sweet than on the radio.
But even then, the marketing geniuses behind the tour found a way to screw that up -- showing painfully cheesy video images like fluffy clouds and candles on the screen behind Simpson's head as she sang.
Simpson's talent is being packaged, marketed and neatly sealed and sold -- just like a Barbie doll. The tragedy is, Barbie can't sing. Jessica Simpson can. But in the end, is anyone really going to care?
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/con...a7e03900c5.html (http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/auto/epaper/editions/monday/local_news_04dca01bf6a7e03900c5.html)
Simpson's talent shines through packaging
By Leslie Gray Streeter, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 14, 2004
Jessica Simpson is perhaps the closest thing we have to a living, breathing Barbie doll. Emphatically blonde and curvy in a provocative but oddly safe way, the perky singer and reality show princess, like Mattel's stalwart vinyl fashion plate, is the larger-than-life stand-in for her young fans' pastel-perfect grown-up dreams.
She's got the fabulous wardrobe, the dream house, even the Ken doll husband. The Jessica Simpson Reality Tour, which rolled into Sound Advice Amphitheatre Saturday night, proved even more similarities between the legitimately vocally talented Simpson and Barbie -- some disturbing ones.
Like Barbie, Simpson treads an uncomfortable line between kid-friendly big sister and target of rude, leering comments from those who can't help but notice the ample bust, long legs and bombshell sexuality. In concert, Simpson did a couple of simulated hip grind/crotch grab moves that were startling, considering the m[arse] of 12-and-under girls in attendance. Ditto her exhorting those same little girls to sing along the last line of her song The Sweetest Sin, in which Simpson, who famously waited to have sex until she married husband Nick Lachey, imagines what lovemaking will be like.
Telling young girls that even sometimes beautiful people wait for marriage to have sex is fantastic. But encouraging 10-year-olds to sing the line "that would be the sweetest sin"... do I have to explain why this is not cool?
Even with Simpson's undisputed singing chops -- her live versions of hits like I Wanna Love You Forever and With You were much more confident and tuneful than on CD -- both she and Barbie are marketed with an emphasis on stuff over substance.
As opening singer Ryan Cabrera left the stage, Simpson's entire Liquid Ice mint commercial with her sister Ashley appeared. A commercial! Right in the middle of a concert. And the Jessica-crazed fans, some adorned in homemade T-shirts bearing her perfectly smiling mug, screamed at seeing their idol's face, no matter why it was being shown.
Lost in all the production values and product placement is the fact that this girl can sing. Her take on Robbie Williams' anthemic Angels was slightly schmaltzy but heartfelt and delightfully on-key, and her cover of Berlin's Take My Breath Away, inspired by her first hug from her husband-to-be, was more fleshed out and sweet than on the radio.
But even then, the marketing geniuses behind the tour found a way to screw that up -- showing painfully cheesy video images like fluffy clouds and candles on the screen behind Simpson's head as she sang.
Simpson's talent is being packaged, marketed and neatly sealed and sold -- just like a Barbie doll. The tragedy is, Barbie can't sing. Jessica Simpson can. But in the end, is anyone really going to care?