NEW YORK —  In the eyes of Jessica Simpson (search), Daisy Duke is an "iconish" figure. During her co-hosting gig Friday on the syndicated TV show "Live With Regis and Kelly," Simpson said she had to "step into those shorts and the red bikinis and I had to do Catherine Bach (search) proud" for her role in "The Dukes of Hazzard" (search) movie.

Bach played Daisy Duke on the '70s TV series.

"To play Daisy Duke, I mean, that's like an iconish ... is that a word ... iconic figure," she said.

Simpson said she hired a trainer to get in shape for the film, which stars Johnny Knoxville (search) as Luke Duke and Seann William Scott (search) as Bo Duke.

"I was running sprints and doing all kinds of stuff. All I was thinking was bikini, bikini, bikini," the 25-year-old singer-actress said. "It was strange to actually be in the shorts. By the way, I tried on over a hundred pair."

Simpson also appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" (search) summer concert series in Bryant Park singing "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," the Nancy Sinatra song she rerecorded for "Dukes."

"The Dukes of Hazzard" opened in theaters on Friday.