Los Angeles, December 3, 2005 – Having just this week revealed the disintegration of her marriage to Nick Lachey, Jessica Simpson didn’t have time to get a date for VH1’s Big in ’05 show on Saturday, so, like the nerdy kid, she was stuck bringing her mom, Tina. How embarrassing. Half of another troubled Hollywood couple, Bobby Brown, participated in the show, although Whitney Houston stayed home. Animal acts always divert attention, and those adorable tuxedoed penguins – up for a “Big Breakthrough” award against Jessica Alba, Steve Carell and Jeremy Piven - took the spotlight away from the tabloid obsessions.

Watch Big in '05 on Sunday, Dec. 4 on VH1