ELTON'S GONNA GO BALLISTIC

Can Ashlee Simpson's career be saved? That's the big question after Jessica's kid sis was apparently caught pulling a Milli Vanilli on this weekend's Saturday Night Live. In case you missed it, here's what went down: During the second musical set, Simpson could be heard singing the lyrics to "Pieces of Me" — even though her lips weren't moving and her microphone was at her waist. The vocal track was quickly silenced, but the damage was already done. An embarrassed Simpson did a little jig and then walked off stage, forcing NBC to cut to a commercial. She returned at the end of the show and did the only honorable thing — she blamed her band. "My band started playing the wrong song," she said. "I didn't know what to do, so I thought I'd do a hoedown." (Somewhere, Fabrice Morvan is thinking, "Dang it — why didn't I think of that?") In a statement, Simpson's record company chalked the whole thing up to a "computer glitch." Let's hope they get said "glitch" fixed before Ash's live performance on tonight's 2004 Radio Music Awards (9 pm/ET on NBC).