I heard Jessica Simpson is on the cover of Vanity Fair's June issue. Do you think this will help the public shake those unflattering images of her chubby self that were circulating a few months ago? Kathy in P'burg Dear Kathy, You're right, Jessica Simpson is on the cover of "Vanity Fair's" June edition. She looks pretty and deliciously curvalicious.

The only problem is that the cover line -- "You call this fat? Jessica Simpson pulls off the 'mom jeans' and fights back" -- reminds us of her poorly-styled, slightly heavier past. I skimmed the article, and author Rich Cohen is looking to do anything but skewer the "country singer," whose career, he says, is at a crossroads. I'm more apt to say that Simpson's career is on a downward trajectory that began when she and Nick Lachey, divorced.

Most folks blamed her and Papa Joe Simpson -- myself included -- for the breakup, a fact which hurt her image. Hooking up with Tony Romo would have been OK had the Cowboys won all of their games early in the couple's relationship, but that didn't happen.

So when Jessica, a Texas native, made the transition to country music, Lonestar Staters and others who prefer their singin' with a twang already had their lips pursed. It doesn't help that Jessica and Joe Simpson always seem like their on the make; they could learn a little something about faking authenticity from Ashlee.

What I'm saying is that the ruckus over Simpson's weight is just a small part of her ongoing image problem. The elder Simpson sister has got to convince people to like her again. Looking hot on a magazine cover will help, but it's no silver bullet. So in answer to your question, maybe, but it really depends on what Simpson does after this, then after that, and so on.