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The Franklin Avenue blog clued us into a press release touting an exclusive interview on tonight's Access Hollywood with Lionel Richie, who will directly address the disquieting fact that daughter Nicole appears to be one hanging roller stand away from becoming a biology class visual aid:

"Dad is on the case," when asked about his daughter's widely reported weight loss.


The R&B legend added that he believes the stress of Nicole's expanding career is most likely the reason for her smaller frame. "I know what's happening with her right now, she's a nervous wreck," he said. "She's like her father, you can either blow up or you can shrink away and right now, she's just feeling a little bit of the pressures of her new business. So in this case... she will be alright."

It's difficult to completely follow Mr. Richie's words when reading them off a press release, stripped of their infectious synthesized calypso backing beats, but from best we can make out, Nicole's dramatic, success-related weight loss is soon to be a thing of the past. Once she realizes there will be no "and Nicole Richie as herself" reprisals in Kids in America 2, and that the Simple Life train has left the station forever, we imagine the greasy solace of a lard-covered bacon Velveeta cheesedog can't be far behind.