CHICAGO IS HER KINDA TOWN

The musical Chicago seems to act as a kind of welfare service for people whose musical career has gone tits skyward - Jennifer Ellison, Marti Pellow. Claire Sweeney hoofed around doing it for a bit, and we hear that Usher is about to do what he must keep telling himself is "the Richard Gere role."

So who's the latest person to be means-tested to see if they qualify for the entertainment industry's income support scheme?

Step forward, Ashlee Simpson.

She's been given the option of appearing either on Broadway or London, and showbiz insiders (oh, how do they talk, eh?) reckon she'll go with London. As American audiences know who she is.

music chicago ashlee simpson