While a new year has begun, Ashlee Simpson hasn't exactly put the old one behind her. Last night at Miami's Orange Bowl, the singer -- who was widely mocked after a technical problem revealed she was using pre-recorded vocals during her October Saturday Night Live performance -- was booed on national television as she took the field to perform her latest single "La La." The song ended to an even stronger chorus of boos, with the camera quickly cutting away from the pop star.

After the SNL performance, Simpson said that acid reflux disease had necessitated use of a backing track, and expressed confidence that the incident would blow over. "I couldn't control what happened that day," she posted on her Web site. "People always say things that are hurtful, and I encourage my fans to do what I do and not read what people are saying on the Internet . . . In a couple of days everyone's attention will be on someone else."

Simpson's prediction, however, has not come true, as she continues to struggle to recover from the debacle. "La La" failed to crack the Total Request Live countdown in late November, and her December appearance at the Billboard Music Awards was greeted with a mixture of cheers and jeers.

Simpson begins a tour in support of her debut CD, Autobiography, which topped the nation's album chart upon its release last July, on February 18th at Los Angeles' Universal Amphitheatre.