Celebrity News & Gossip

Pete Wentz may blame a slippery NYC for the nasty bruise he’s sporting on his face—”the mean streets of New York got to him,” joked his manager—but his stumble hasn’t kept him from taking Bronx on daily walks around the city, with mom Ashlee Simpson-Wentz joining them at the park for some swing time yesterday. Pete’s kicking around town while Ashlee charms Broadway in Chicago, but he’ll be jetting off to Vegas to host a New Year’s Eve party at the Mirage’s Jet nightclub. Judging by how well the cuts have healed since he first gave us a look last week on his blog, Pete shouldn’t need too much make-up to look presentable.

[Photo: Splash News Online]

The Great White Way welcomed Ashlee Simpson-Wentz to its ranks last night, with the “Pieces Of Me” star making her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago (she previously performed the role on London’s West End three years ago). Naturally, sister Jessica, husband Pete and father Joe were there to cheer her on.

“Roxie was all Heart!” wrote Jessica on her Twitter. “Watching her up on that grandiose stage made me the proudest sister in the world. I love ya honey, I love ya!” Added Joe, “Papa is soooo proud…” Pete was a little more coy. “There’s an afterparty for everything. Sorry you can’t get in. Don’t worry they suck. You’re not missing out.” Maybe he didn’t want to gush in public.

Watch Ash’s warm reception in the gallery below. Warning: if you hate Ashlee Simpson-Wentz already, her on-stage preening is not going to change anything.

[Photos: Getty Images/WENN]

Baby fever! There must be something in the water at Victoria’s Secret because three of their top models (Adriana Lima, Gisele Bundchen and Karolina Kurkova) are currently pregnant and their poster girl, Heidi Klum just had her fourth child in October. But models aren’t the only celebs with buns in the oven - celebrities Kourtney Kardashian and Kendra Wilkinson are both expecting their first wee ones later this year.

From Jennifer Hudson to Nicole Richie to Halle Berry, stars are constantly popping out adorable tots. Check out 70 serious celebrity baby bumps from recent history.  If you hunt you’ll find baby-bellied Madonna, Angelina Jolie’s massive There’s-Twins-In-Here!-belly and Demi Moore seven months pregnant and baring it all!

1234►

While Melrose Place has been renewed for next season despite middling ratings, not everyone will be coming back: Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield’s characters will be dropped from the CW drama in January. Though the show producer Todd Slavkin tells Entertainment Weekly that Ashlee’s character was always meant to have a limited run, it sounds like no one knew her time would be this brief. “[Simpson-Wentz and Egglesfield] are total professionals and they took [the firing] like professionals.  When you go into a show you never know what’s going to evolve and what the possibilities are. But because they knew ahead of time [they could be dropped], it wasn’t a complete shock.”

Ashlee certainly has her game face on about it. “Having the chance to play Violet on Melrose Place has been a thrill,” she said in a statement. “Although I always knew her story would come to a final, insanely unpredictable end, playing a creepy, unstable character was something I always wanted to do, so I jumped at the chance. Thanks to the CW and the entire cast and crew of Melrose Place for allowing me this opportunity.” Look at it this way, Ashlee. Even if ratings are low, they wouldn’t announce your departure unless they thought people would want to tune in to watch you…leave.

[Photo: Getty Images]

Ashlee and Jessica Simpson took enough time off from their busy filming schedules to pose next to a precariously balanced cupcake tree at Ash’s 25th birthday in Vegas this weekend. While Jessica chose to hide her bikini behind flowing, see-through fabric, happily-married-to-a-toadstool Ashlee showed no such modesty.

Check out some snaps of the festivities in the gallery below.

[Photo: Getty Images]

Bronx Mowgli Simpson-Wentz is ten months old now, but his momma, Ashlee Simpson, is over-sharing the details of her pregnancy on the talk show rounds this week. While doing press for her new role on Melrose Place, Simpson taped an appearance for “The Rachel Ray Show” (the interview will air September 15), where she said that pregnancy didn’t affect her physical prowess.

Simpson told Ray, “I could do the splits when I was nine months pregnant. I could put my leg over my head still. I used to be a ballerina.” We aren’t sure what would make a nine-months-pregnant woman attempt splits, but…good for her? After all, we thought the only dancing she did was a nervous jig to cover up lip-synching. [Photo: Splash News Online]

If Ashlee Simpson was already one jealous wife, wait until she sees her husband with his arm around another blonde potential CW star. Pete Wentz accepted a “Voice Of Mental Health Award” at the 8th annual Jed Foundation Gala, which promotes a non-profit working to reduce suicide and stress among college students. Actress Brittany Snow hosted the event and posed with the Fall Out Boy bassist. Harmless, right?

But don’t forget, Snow’s proposed Gossip Girl spin-off, Valley Girls, was bumped off the CW Fall schedule in part by Melrose Place, which happens to feature Ashlee—though it may wind up a mid-season replacement. We’re sure the network would love it if these guys could work up some more off-screen drama. We’d love it too!

Related Content: Ashlee Simpson Attacks Michelle Trachtenberg Over Pete

[Photo: Getty Images]

Looks like motherhood hasn’t matured Ashlee Simpson much. Perez Hilton says that the singer recently went off on Michelle Trachtenberg—husband Pete Wentz’s ex—worse than she did that McDonalds cashier a few years back. Seems the former lovers (and their current significant others) were coincidentally seated near each other at party in LA Monday. Things started friendly enough, with Simpson showing off baby pictures. And then…

As the evening went on and Ashlee started to get sloppier, things got out of control. She was staring directly at Michelle and starting hurling insults at her. She was grinding up on Pete like a stripper. It was actually pretty disgusting!

Simpson allegedly screamed “I hope you know, the whole time you were dating Pete, I was fucking him!” To which Trachtenberg classily responded, “I’ve never said bad things about you. I’m happy for you guys.” Simpson continued to get in the Gossip Girl star’s face until Skye Everly, wife of Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, escorted her out. Pete supposedly stood “mortified” throughout his wife’s rampage. Man up, dude!

Says Simpson’s rep, “It was just a misunderstanding. Ashlee has since apologized to Michelle and they remain on good terms.” We’re so sure.

[Photos: Getty Images]

It’s not easy stepping out of a big sister’s shadow, especially when it belongs to curvy bombshell Jessica Simpson. After a grungy wardrobe and an ever-changing head of hair failed to help her stand out in a sea of pop stars, Ashlee Simpson slipped under the knife in 2006 to slim down her nose. The rhinoplasty inspired an entire makeover (including a new wardrobe and some dropped pounds), and Ashlee went from little sister to big-time beauty over night.

The starlet remained mum on her decision for a while, but finally opened up to Us Magazine in 2008. When asked about her new nose, she coyly cooed, “I think as long as people have two eyes, then you probably know the answer.” Regarding her decision to slice up her skin for a new-and-improved face, Mrs. Wentz declared, “[Plastic surgery] is something that everybody should think about for a really long time. Once you know it’s something you really feel comfortable with, then to each their own.” Has Ashlee’s transformation from grunge to sculpted chic been a success?

Uh-oh. Is the marriage between Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz in trouble? A source told Page Six that “Ashlee and Pete are on the rocks. He is going out all the time and she’s stuck at home. It’s just not working.”  Sounds like a case of the here’s-what-happens-when-you-have-an-unexpected-kid-too-young-itis. Another symptom of that is naming your kid Bronx Mowgli.

Seems like being stuck at home with 4-month-old Bronx tethered to the boob isn’t fun anymore, especially while Pete gets to go hang with his friends — or maybe Ashlee has just grown tired of helping to brush Pete’s hair forward into that spiky asymmetrical look he’s honed all these years. Reps deny that there’s trouble in paradise, but the couple is currently vacationing, sans baby. Perhaps they’re trying to revive that dying spark. They were married last May. [Photo: WireImage]