After a successful stint on Broadway in Chicago, Ashlee Simpson and son Bronx took to the skies this morning as they jetted back to Los Angeles.

No doubt Ashlee will take a well-earned rest once back in LaLa Land and might even be planning a relaxing vacation somewhere hot with the fam.

Whatever she decided to do, the critics seem to think she did a great job in the show and maybe we'll see her back on stage in NY sometime soon.

      

Some celebrities will go to any lengths not to be photograghed by our intrepid lensmen.

But when we caught up with Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz this afternoon, we think they might have been taken things a little too far.

Ashlee was walking around in a crazy old woman mask and her hubby had his chimp face on.

It was all in good fun though and they later removed their disguises to reveal their true identities.

See more pictures below...

     

Enjoying a day off from her role in the Browadway show, Chicago, Ashlee Simpson enjoyed some downtime today with her family.

We caught up with the singer and her hubby Pete Wentz and son Bronx strolling around midtown Manhattan.

Despite the icy weather, Bronx was clearly having fun with his ma and pa at the playground.

And then they called in at a local cafe for coffee before heading off to the shops to buy groceries and check out the sales.

See more pictures in the gallery below...

      

Singer Ashlee Simpson touched down in New York today amid rumors her marriage to rocker Pete Wentz could be on the rocks.

Big sis Jessica has already blown one marriage off, but is Ash the next in line?

She and Pete always look the perfect couple and seem pretty chilled out and layed back.

We don't think the gossip is true...but watch this space just in case.

See more pictures of Ashlee in the gallery below...

    

Baby on board!  Having an infant on your tour bus doesn't quite scream "rock and roll" but that is how Pete Wentz and his wife Ashlee Simpson roll these days.  Check out the fam as they carry little Bronx Wentz around in NYC this afternoon.

Ashlee Simpson has returned to the world of tv melodrama.  After playing along side the goodie goodies of 7th Heaven, Ashlee will get a chance to show off her scandalous side as she takes up residence of Melrose Place.

We spotted Ash on set in Los Angeles yesterday as she got ready to play the role of Violet Foster; a new girl in town who's got a juicy past.  Doesn't everyone who lives in Melrose Place have a juicy past?!  The show is of course a spin off the original night time drama from the '90s that showcased the lives, loves, ghosts and alter egos of an edgy group of 20 and 30 somethings. 

   

New mom Ashlee Simpson is about to take another new role, that of Violet on the upcoming Melrose Place spin off. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, she will play a lead character named Violet, "a bright-eyed but shrewd small-town girl and recent L.A. transplant who has come to town with a secret."

Of course she has a secret, everyone at Melrose Place has a secret!  Ashlee will join the cast of the prime time soap opera that originally ran from 1992-1998 and launched the careers of Marcia Cross, Kristen Davis, Doug Savant and about a billion other people. 

I'm really interested in how they are going to update this show.  The Beverly Hills 90210 spin off works because plots about teens are timeless (no matter what year it is, they are doing stupid shit to get themselves in trouble) but Melrose was deliciously 90s with its crushed velvet body suits, rope chokers and plots to blow up the apartment complex.  I'd dare say it was bit cheesy, but hey, people love Dancing with the Stars so it could do really well!

We don't often get to see little Bronx Wentz but we captured a rare glimpse of him at LAX yesterday afternoon with his parents.

Check out Pete Wentz, Ashlee Simpson and Bronx as they make their way through the airport, Bronx looks like a cutie in his hood that has ears!  If only his parents had that same kind of charm, they're looking kind of douchey wearing their sunglasses inside.

Poor, Jessica Simpson.  Ever since her stylish took the day off and she wore high waisted jeans to a chili cook-off (as seen here), her figure has been the target of many fat comments.  Well Ashlee Simspon is not pleased and took to her MySpace blog to defend her sister.

Ashlee writes a post under the headline, "Since when did a woman's weight become newsworthy..." and continues on to say "A week after the inauguration and with such a feeling of hope in the air for our country, I find it completely embarrassing and belittling to all women to read about a woman's weight or figure."

Impassioned Ashlee adds, "All women come in different shapes, sizes, and forms and just because you're a celebrity, there shouldn't be a different standard...Is this something you would say to your wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, or even a friend? I seriously doubt it."

I happen to agree with Ashlee; sure those jeans are hideous but let's laugh about the fact that Jessica was singing at a chili cook-off, rather than her figure!  Homegirl is far from fat but her career is kind of dead.

Ashlee finishes up by saying, "How can we expect teenage girls to love and respect themselves in an environment where we criticize a size 2 figure? Now can we focus on the things that really matter." 
Well unfortunately that is the kind of world we live in and until film and tv producers to decide to cast women who are larger than a size 2 (you know, real women) then that's the kind of role model we're going to have for teen girls.  For now we're just going to have to be satisfied with those Dove commercials.

With the presidential inauguration less than a week away, celebrities are coming out welcome our new president to office.

Yesterday we spotted Diddy, Ashlee Simpson and Michelle Trachtenberg leaving Dream Bigger Studios in Los Angeles.  They were gathered together by Ashton Kutcher as part of a montage he's producing to celebrate President-Elect Obama. 

Apparently Ashlee and Michelle (who's coming back to Gossip Girl!!) were feeling frail as both of them were being lead by the hand!

Do y'all have any inauguration day plans?