Poor, poor Ashlee

After Ashlee Simpson's lip-synch snafu last year on "Saturday Night Live"- complete with an improvised hoedown for good measure - I never thought her dad would allow his youngest moneymaker (er, daughter) to be subjected to that sort of scrutiny again. So, as you can imagine, I was surprised (and aghast) to hear that Miss Ashlee would make another appearance this season.

In a valiant effort to save face, Ashlee donned her best black dress, a fresh application of platinum blonde hair dye, painted black eyeliner around her eyes and sang her little heart out last night in front of millions of people who were just waiting for her crack under the pressure.

I admit, I was one of them.

When she mournfully introduced her first song by saying, "I wrote this song after my last 'Saturday Night Live' experience," I knew it was going to be both entertaining and nauseating to watch. The pitiful ballad, "Catch Me When I Fall," made me cringe more than someone scraping their fingernails across a chalk board.

"Who will be the one to save me from myself?
Who's going to catch me when I fall?"

Throughout the 'woe is me' song, her voice strained as she held her stomach. Damned acid reflux disease. It's good to have a backup excuse in case anything were to have gone wrong, I guess.

But, no, she pressed on.

When the singing was done and the music had stopped (all on cue this time), it was all Ashlee could do to hold herself back from doing a jig again - this time not in embarassment, but out of utter relief she hadn't choked. Unable to contain herself, she hopped in a circle as the crowd gave a bit of an applause.

What a professional. Bravo, Ashlee. Bravo.

I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to catch Ashlee's return to the stage for her second song. Darn it. But I'm anxiously waiting for her latest album, "I Am Me" to be released later this month. Should be an instant classic.