Ashlee Simpson isn't worried about the past; she's looking forward to the future.

Forget the "Saturday Night Live" lip-sync incident and the booing at the Orange Bowl.

Simpson's debut album, "Autobiography," hit No. 1 and has sold more than 2.5 million copies; plus, she has her own MTV reality show.

The Mercury News caught up with the 20-year-old pop-rock star on the phone from her home in Los Angeles.

Anything you've learned from the SNL and Orange Bowl incidents?

It's something that happens in your life, and you move on and worry about all the great things to come.

Anything you would do differently in retrospect?

No, I wouldn't have done anything differently because I think that's a hard way of looking at things. So I now look at it as what do I get to do now. . . . It was really great having the TV show there because you got to see what really happened. All that matters to me is that my fans got to see what happened.

What do you think of criticism like the online petition (www.stopashlee.com) that asks you to stop singing?

They can do that and say that if they want to, and I'm not going to stop. . . . I have such amazing fans right by my side, and I have that support.

Whom do you see as your audience?

I get fans that listen to pop music that can listen to me and my sister, and I get fans that are more into rock music. It's cool because there's all different kinds of people that are my fans, college girls, or guys, or whatever.

You've been described as "fun and fearless." How does that apply?

I've definitely lived my life like that. I'm not really afraid of too many things. My outlook on life is just to have a good time with it, not to take everything so seriously.

How would you describe your music?

Pop-rock, but it comes from my heart and, when I was co-writing the record, all the experiences I was going through. It definitely has a lot of emotion in it. It's very real.

What is your live show like?

It's going to be a lot of fun. My band just gets out, sweats and plays good music. . . . We do a little segment where we do a few covers.

Which covers?

I wanted to do artists that I looked up to, so we're doing a Blondie song, the Pretenders and a Madonna song.

Which songs?

Madonna's "Burning Up," the Pretenders' "Brass in Pocket" and Blondie's "Call Me."

What are you really like?

I like to have fun, but at the same time, I have a side where I'm still a homebody. But I'm definitely a little off the wall.

What kind of things do you do for fun?

Yesterday, me and my band were on lunch, and we decided to go Marshalls to find the funniest outfits that we could find, like boys in dresses. So I like to do things that are really random.

What outfit did you find for yourself?

We just literally found things that didn't match, like sweatpants with a nice top. Then we went back and performed like that . . . in rehearsals.

What kinds of things do you do as a "homebody"?

At home, I like watching movies and hanging out with my friends. My best friends are my roommates. So we like to hang out and try to cook.

Cook things like?

Macaroni

You're painted as your big sister's, Jessica's, polar opposite, but are you really like that?

Jessica and I are not polar opposites, but we're definitely different. I kind of fly by the seat of my pants. She is a little bit more calm. . . . I like change. I like to try new things, but she's a fun-fun-fun person, but there's a lot of similarities as well.

Your reality series on MTV, "The Ashlee Simpson Show," is going into its second season -- how is that going?

My fans, they get to pick up and see more. It's not like I just made an album and that's it. You get to see what happens after that.

Is there a time when it's too public, a time you'd rather just turn off the cameras?

My dad, at the end of the day, has final say. He's one of the producers of the show. So there's nothing too, too public that bothers me. . . . I think it's real nice that people know I'm a real person, too.

What is it like having your dad manage your career?

It's actually great. He's such a smart business man, and he has the best interests for me. It's always fun working with him. Every now and then, we'll get into our little tiffs, but it's not father and daughter tiffs. It's like my manager and the artist tiffs.

How do you make up after these tiffs?

We'll get into a little argument, and me talking, or him talking like he wanted me to do this show, or whatever it may be. Then afterward, it's like, "Daddy, I love you. I'm sorry." And he's like, "I love you, too."

How do you balance the decision-making with your parents?

My parents tell me what they think I should do, but at the end of the day, like the hair incident -- they didn't want me to do it, but at the end of the day, I chopped my hair off.

Your father was a youth minister before. How much does Christianity now play a role in your life?

Yeah, it definitely is for me. . . . I got to find strength somewhere.

What was it like dating fellow singer Ryan Cabrera, who's also managed by your father?

It's good, actually. It's fun. I say that we are broken up, but I can always ask my dad what he's doing. I have the advantage on that.

Do you have any advice for females who want to be a singer, too?

I think the most important thing to get into this business is to take it seriously and learn your craft. I think the best advice is to keep at it and not give up on yourself.

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