Yes, that Jessica Simpson, the one who many critics love to lambaste for her portrayal of an empty headed, hedonistic material girl on the reality show about her and hubby Nick Lachey. Seems she has more substance to her than many (myself included) thought possible:
JESSICA SIMPSON wants to know where missing footage of her and husband NICK LACHEY’s harrowing trip to Iraq got to – because she thinks Americans would like to see just how bad conditions are there.
The pop singers-turned-reality TV couple travelled to the war-torn nation to visit US troops as part of a recent ABC TV variety special, and they were both left shellshocked by what they saw.
But all the controversial moments and harrowing footage of the trip didn’t appear in the fun-filled TV show.
Simpson says, “It was unbelievable. They didn’t show a lot of what really went on with the enemy attacks and the shelling. There was so much stuff that went on and somehow the tapes got mysteriously misplaced.
“It put everything in perspective for me. It really did teach me the definition of sacrifice. I can’t even fathom being out there right now. I was ready to come home.”
Now it isn’t surprising to me that ABC, part of the Disney megaplex of infotainment companies, decided not to run footage of the actual war that just happened to intrude on Nick and Jessica’s reality while the cameras were rolling.
Remember, this is the same American media that chickened out on running an expose on Bush’s wmd lies because the CBS brass didn’t want to appear too political. The same media that sat complacently for months rather than pursue the Plame scandal until 2 of their “colleagues” were threatened with jail time. They are the stoutest hearts, our media. At every turn when offered the choice of investigating the abuses of power going on right under their noses, or bowing down to Karl Rove — well, we know which choice they’ve usually made now, don’t we?
No what I find surprising, and heartening, is that a media created celebrity such as Simpson, whose career literally rests (in my opinion) on continuing to be the 21st Century’s first “It Girl” has chosen to speak out about the censorship. She was in Iraq, saw the violence and risk our troops are being exposed to on a daily basis, and believes that’s the type of thing Americans would want (and ought) to see. I don’t know about you, but Jessica just won over a new fan.
I hope this story gets a little play. It certainly ought to, don’t you think?
