As much media flak as Jessica Simpson has gotten for her appearance, it only seems fair to give credit where credit is due.

She performed at SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas, over the weekend. And boy howdy, she's looking great.

I'm not saying I noticed she's wearing the Daisy Duke shorts again, but ... OK, I noticed.

By Cara Alwill

She's taken a stab at singing, reality television, movies ... and now, swimwear? After taking quite a bit of heat over her size, Jessica Simpson is now designing bikinis — and they're a far cry from her much-criticized "mom jeans."

According to the New York Daily News, contestants in the Miss USA pageant will don the singer's latest creations this Sunday as they take the stage. The $104 white-and-gold string bikinis were created specifically for the pageant, as were the $88 bright-green string bikinis modeled by the crown-chasers during a pre-pageant photo shoot in Vegas. While Jess has been dressing herself in more flattering outfits as of late (fine, she's draping herself in muumuus, but I'm trying to be nice), her swimsuit collection leaves little to the imagination. Read more...

In a pre-Super Bowl interview with President Obama, Matt Lauer pointed out that the new president was "[taken] out of Us Weekly's cover shot of his wife and daughters in order to make room for last week's hot topic, which was Jessica Simpson's weight.

In reaction, Obama dryly commented on Jessica being "in a weight battle, apparently." As a result, blogs and magazines and talk shows are asking if the president is making fun of Jessica's weight. Really, guys? From watching the video, it seems clear that Obama's dryness is poking fun at media coverage, rather than Jessica's weight.
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By Emily Donahue

Dear Jessica,

I want to start this letter off by saying that despite the past few years, I remain a fan of yours. I buy the rare magazines you grace the covers of, I can disappear for days watching "Newlyweds" marathons and, yes, I even have a copy of "Jessica Simpson I Do: Achieving Your Dream Wedding" — although I have to admit, it has been gathering dust since you announced your split from Nick. It goes without saying that I root for your comeback with the same intensity as a Britney fan, but I have to ask: What were you wearing yesterday?

I admire anyone that boldly embraces new fashion trends, but as you demonstrated, high-waisted denim just isn't for all body types, so I have been thinking about why you might not have noticed this too. Maybe Tony Romo is the kind of boyfriend that says everything looks good on you? Maybe it is stressful being a new aunt to Ashlee and Pete's new baby, Bronx Mowgli? Maybe your personal trainer has been too busy helping Jessica Alba lose her baby weight? Maybe it just doesn't really matter what you wear to a local-radio-sponsored chili cook off, even if you are performing and being photographed?
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Jessica Simpson's no stranger to the perfume counter. With all the products she's put out over the years, including the Dessert line, you'd think she'd be an expert on fragrances by now — well, at least when it comes to kids' stuff. Her first foray into an adult line — called Fancy — launches in department stories August 15.

"With Fancy, I wanted to create a pretty fragrance, one that I could be just as comfortable wearing on the red carpet or every day with my favorite jeans," the singer said in a statement. (Jessica already has a jeans line, but she recently announced she's branching out with contemporary dresses and lingerie to launch next spring.)

Fancy includes notes of pear, apricot nectar, red berries, night blooming jasmine, gardenia, toasted almonds, caramel, amber crystal, sandlewood and vanilla crème.

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