Media Orchard has heard that Dallas' Jessica Simpson, dumped by publicist Brad Cafarelli last week, has signed with sister Ashlee's publicist, Rob Shuter of Dan Klores Communications. It's only a rumor at this point, however.

(Update: Shuter confirmed with Jossip today that he's taken on Jessica as a client.)

Speaking of Shuter: Don't envy him. If you want a glimpse of what celebrity publicists have to do in their jobs, read this May 2005 interview with former Shuter client Paris Hilton. Excerpt:

AP: Do you read what's written about you? Do you pick up the tabloids?

Paris Hilton: I don't read any of it. I just look at the pictures to see what I was wearing last week and if it was cute.

AP: Do you read blogs?

Hilton: What's that?

AP: Um, they're these things on the Internet where people write about news and stuff.

Hilton: No, I don't really read anything on the Internet except my AOL mail. I don't like people who sit on computers all day long and write about people they don't know anything about.

AP: Paris, you just described my job.

(Her publicist, Rob Shuter, laughs.)

AP: What did you want to be when you were a little girl?

Hilton: A veterinarian, but then I realized I could just buy a bunch of animals.

Hoo-boy. Paris dumped Shuter's firm last month.

For more fun insights into the world of celebrity publicists, check out this article from the New Orleans Times-Picayune, in which Dan Klores Communications and the rep from Ashlee's music label are vivisected, Mark Cuban-style, after dropping the ball on an interview.

Technorati tags: Hollywood, Celebrities, Publicity, Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton