11-8 艾希莉·辛普森：我的全部（在线收听）

Ashlee Simpson: All Pieces of Me

Ashlee Nicole Simpson was born on October 3,1984, in Waco, Texas, and raised in Dallas. Ashlee's talent was apparent early on: at age 4 she started dancing, and by the time she was 11, she was admitted into the prestigious¹ School of American Ballet, the youngest person in that school's history.

When Ashlee was 14, she began to dance professionally, and the Simpson family moved to Los Angeles. Not long after, Ashlee went on the road, dancing as part of her sister's stage show. She supported her sister, Jessica's rise to fame from 1999 to 2001, all the while dreaming of acting and even pursuing her own music career.

In 2001, Ashlee made her first solo television appearance in a small role on Malcolm in the Middle, and during this time she appeared alongside her more famous sibling² on television shows and a Disney Christmas show and concert special. Ashlee also took a part in the comedy, The Hot Chick (2002).

But it was on TV that Ashlee first got the role that would catapult³ her to greater stardom. In 2002, she was cast as Cecilia Smith, girlfriend of Simon Camden on the popular WB drama 7th Heaven. While playing this role, Ashlee took lessons from renowned acting coach Janet Alhanti. All the same, Ashlee began to take small steps toward becoming a singer as well, and in between breaks in her shooting schedule she recorded songs such as Just Let Me Cry for the Freaky Friday soundtrack.

In late 2003, Ashlee signed a recording contract with Geffen Records to make her first album. At the same time, her father Joe asked Ashlee if she too wanted to have a show built around her. Ashlee declined⁴ at first, but agreed when Joe Simpson suggested it be about the making of Ashlee's upcoming album.

The Ashlee Simpson Show premiered⁵ on June 16, 2004, and the album, Autobiography, released on July 20, after the show finished its run. The debut single, Pieces of Me, is already enjoying heavy radio play.

But although Ashlee is now entering her sister Jessica's turf⁶, she takes pains⁷ to point out the differences between the two singing Simpsons. She says her style is more punk and less pop, and that just as she's broadening her profile, so is her sister. “It's funny 'cause Jess is doing acting for the first time,” observes Ashlee, “ and I'm doing music, so we sort of switched. It's really great.”

注释：

1. prestigious [7pres5ti:dVEs] a. 有威信的，有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

2. sibling [5sibliN] n. 兄弟（或姊妹），同胞

3. catapult [5kAtEpQlt] vt. （猛）投

4. decline [di5klain] vi. 拒绝，婉辞，谢绝

5. premiere [pri5miE(r)] vi. 首次上演，（名演员等）首次露面

6. turf [tE:f] n. （美俚）势力范围

7. take pains 努力，尽力，煞费苦心，下苦功

艾希莉·辛普森：我的全部

　　1984年10月3日，艾希莉·妮科尔·辛普森生于美国得州韦科，在达拉斯长大。她的才华很早就开始显现：4岁开始跳舞，11岁进入极负盛名的美国芭蕾舞学院，成为该校历史上最年轻的学生。

　　艾希莉14岁时成为职业舞蹈演员。在全家迁到洛杉矶后不久，她就开始登台，在姐姐的演出中表演舞蹈。从1999年到2001年，她支持着姐姐杰西卡成就了事业的辉煌，同时自己也一直梦想着表演，甚至梦想着开拓自己的歌唱生涯。

　　2001年，艾希莉在电视剧《左右难做人》中第一次单独出演一个小角色，在此期间，她还和已功成名就的姐姐一起出演了一系列电视节目、迪斯尼圣诞演出以及专场音乐会。2002年，她还在喜剧片《变身辣妹》中扮演了角色。

　　但最终艾希莉是通过出演电视剧中的人物而成就星路的。2002年，她在华纳颇受欢迎的电视剧《七重天》中扮演了西蒙·卡姆登的女朋友塞西莉亚·史密斯。为了演好这一个角色，艾希莉师从知名的表演指导珍妮特·阿兰蒂。同时，艾希莉在歌手之路上也开始迈出了脚步，在电视剧拍摄间隙，她为电影《辣妈辣妹》录制了《就让我哭吧》等歌曲。

　　2003年下半年，艾希莉同盖芬唱片公司签订了合同，制作她的第一张专辑。同时，她的父亲乔问她是否也需要（像她姐姐一样）找人为她策划一场演出。艾希莉开始没有答应，但当乔·辛普森建议说这有助于她的第一张专辑的制作时，她就同意了。

　　“艾希莉·辛普森专场演出”于2004年6月16日首演，而她专辑《就是艾》也在演出后于7月20日推出。她的第一首单曲《艾点滴》在广播中大受欢迎。

　　尽管艾希莉也同姐姐杰西卡一样在乐坛发展，但她极力表明两个歌手辛普森之间的差别。她说她的风格更接近朋克而非流行，她正在拓宽她的表演领域，她的姐姐也正在为此努力。艾希莉说：“想想看我的姐姐杰斯正在初次尝试演戏，而我却在做音乐，我们互换了角色。这真是太有趣、太妙了。”