The Ashlee Simpson Show - Season 2, Episode 2: The Morning After, or, Reality Check

Reality TV is, essentially, a sham.

For every "unscripted" moment that streams through our collective TV consciousness, there's a mammoth group of people who have made it happen. Scenes are set, environments are created and participants are carefully selected to maximize drama. It's all about as "real" as a soap opera.

That's why Ashlee Simpson's SNL slip-up was so fascinating for so long. For one brief, albeit unfortunate, moment, this was reality TV at its most real. The look on Ashlee's face, the dumbfounded reaction of her band, the fall-out afterwards and the attempt to cover it up. Ironic that it happened on an impeccably scripted sketch-comedy show.

Let's not get into details of what happened, why it happened or what it all means. There's enough of that already, and Ashlee's barn-dance is easily downloadable just about anywhere on the Web.

But let's not forget folks, this is a teenage girl. Teenage. Less than 20. Just out of high school. Sure, she opted for the spotlight herself, and hard knocks come with it. But some of the reactions and jokes were downright cruel.

I digress... when we see Ashlee the next day, she admits she's no ready for the reaction. But there's little time to dwell on it. She is scheduled to perform - live - at the Radio Music Awards in Las Vegas. Make or break time. Between soundchecks, Ashlee calls in to MTV's TRL and tries to explain it all away by citing acid-reflux disease.

If it were only so easy.

The evening of the awards show, Ashlee is visibly concerned. And rightfully so. It's bad enough to be embarrassed in front of a few strangers at a party, but how about in front of millions of TV viewers?

Redneck superstar Gretchen Wilson pops into Ashlee's bus to offer moral support, and it's an unexpected, sweet moment. Soon enough, Ashlee takes the stage and rips into "Autobiography." but not before an intentional malfunction that finds "Pieces of Me" playing during her intro. We're meant to think Ashlee can joke about herself, but it doesn't go over completely well. Too much, too soon, maybe.

"I felt like I was at a boxing match," is how Ashlee describes the event. In her corner, though, are her parents and boyfriend Ryan Cabrera, who makes a charming straight man to Ashlee's goofiness. Her resilience is commendable.

We also see the adolescent couple join forces for a high-school tour, which goes over well with the screaming teens in attendance. It does, though, seem like a camera-ready ploy to prove Ashlee does indeed sing live.

On a lighter note, Ashlee and her pals visit a costume shop to get ready for Halloween. Ashlee, ever the anti-Britney, complains about the overabundance of "sexy" costumes. She opts for sideburns and a Fat Bastard (of Austin Powers fame) costume, complete with oversized caboose. Her crew ends up skipping the party scene for a night of trick-or-treating, and it's a hoot.

It's all capped off by a Best Buy in-store appearance and some requisite goodwill from screaming, crying and downright delirious fans. If only they were all this kind.

Still, this episode of Ashlee was a good example of reality TV at its best. It was interesting and dramatic without resorting to tired, staged antics or relying too much on superstar trappings. It also made me, at least, root for Ashlee just a little bit harder.

There's a glittering pop star inside of that girl. Now if only we'd let her shine a light on it instead of tearing her down.

Joey Guerra is a freelance music and entertainment writer in Texas. He writes for the Houston Chronicle, amazon.com and has also written for Vibe magazine. He has interviewed everyone from Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey, Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson, and the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes to Cher, Faith Hill, Bette Midler, Maya Angelou and Gael Garcia Bernal. You can reach him at joeyguerra@sbcglobal.net.

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