Jessica Still Has That Star Quality

A country album that sold fewer than 200,000 copies, a movie that grossed a whopping $1,771 opening weekend and another that went straight to DVD, not to mention those widely discussed “mom jeans” pictures—it has not been a good year for Jessica Simpson. But Rich Cohen still finds a certain fascinating quality—and a return to thinness—in Simpson during his wide-ranging interview for Vanity Fair.

“When it comes to media criticism, that’s just something I have had to train myself—literally train myself—to ignore,” said Simpson while discussing her recent gaffe-ridden tour. “I know that every day the media’s going to challenge me.” She also talked her fashion line (her most lucrative business), her dad (he gets a bad rap), Nick Lachey (filming Newlyweds did not affect their marriage), and her cowboy, Tony Romo. (More Jessica Simpson stories.)