Nick Lachey Goes Public With Questions About Public Attention Paid to Him and Jessica Simpson

It's been nine months since Nick Lachey was a married man. And for the life of him, the former boy band crooner can't understand why tirelessly talking about his split from Jessica Simpson in a public forum is causing constant public attention.

Nick must also wonder what Mel Gibson and Saddam Hussein have in common.

"It is bizarre," Lachey said to Australia's Sydney Morning Herald while Down Under promoting his album, "What's Left Of Me." "We get so used to it in the States, but, yeah, to think that it's become like that in a lot of other places in the world, yeah, it is strange. People kind of think they know you before they have a chance to talk to you. It is a surreal thing, but I guess it's kind of what we signed up for."

At least Lachey can acknowledge that starring in an MTV reality show will spark such an interest. Nevertheless, he says fans don't truly understand what happened between himself and Simpson.

"No one really understands this side of it, but she and I decided to use the show as a promotional vehicle for our albums, you know with MTV, who we'd worked with for years. It was supposed to be six episodes to promote our records, then it turned into this whole other thing."

That's because Jessica is frickin hot! Although Lachey has rebounded like only a man with those arms can, bagging VJ Vanessa Minnillo.

Ignoring the scrutiny of his personal life is "easier said than done," Nick complains. "My sister-in-law and I were photographed together and she was my new 'mystery blonde.' It's a joke. It gets to be laughable at some point, that's why it becomes so frustrating because it's just ridiculous."

Still, there is hope. "I can already hopefully feel it starting to go away," he says of the attention. "I think there's some closure there for (Jessica) and I; hopefully the rest of the world will find some closure along with us."

Amen. And nothing says closure like giving an inteview to a widely read newspaper.