She Said What? Why We Need to Love Etta James

[J Hill]

(fr. the stone show 2/5/09 1035 fm sodus,ny)

Stone presents a special edition of everybody’s favorite grumpy host’s (that's me) collection of the most cute and cantankerous, snarky, swarmy and adorable old timers around…It’s “Seniors Say The Darndest Things†on the Big Dog…..

You know getting a little older is not easy or fun, and there’s not a lot of positives to recommend the aging process really, but one good thing that seems to happen when we reach a certain age is a certain loosening of the screws at the back of the tongue. I mean seniors will tell you the plain un-adulterated truth, no matter how uncomfortable or painfull (both for them and for us) it may be..Today on “Seniors Say the Darndest Things†we hear from music living legend Etta James and she’s tired of singing sweetly and not holding back…

**compiled from reports on msn entertainment and msn.com**

If you were wondering why Beyoncé and not Etta James was asked to serenade the president and first lady with "At Last" during their first dance at an inauguration ball on Jan. 20, you're not alone.

Etta, who at 71 still looks and sounds real, real good, and whoom Beyoncé went blonde to portray in the movie "Cadillac Records," is wondering the same thing, and she candidly expressed her displeasure during a concert stop in Seattle last week.

Here’s the audio/video courtesy utube:

Funny because in a post-inauguration chat with the New York Daily News, Etta's son, Donto James, had insisted his Mother was delighted by Beyoncé's performance. Maybe he’s still miffed at being named “Donto†Anyway, and that’s why, if she’s a senior, you should always check with Mom before telling anyone how she feels…because as we all know ‘Seniors Say the Darndest Thingsâ€

By the way, Beyoncé's rep has yet to comment on the kerfuffle. Oooh and that’s another new word today (meaning it’s a new word to me not really a “new†word )

The word KERFUFFLE is originally from the Scots, meaning disturbance, commotion, or fuss.

Tune in next time for more adorable rants from old timers when we feature Joe Biden on “Seniors Say the Darndest Thingsâ€

[Carl]

Wow, Etta didn't hold back. I wonder if there was something she didn't like in Beyonce's portrayal of her in Cadillac Records.

Old people are so refreshing in their honesty, and Etta has every right to be grumpy - there was clearly a boatload of campaign cash coming from Beyonce and her main man.

It reminds me of when Larry Bird was on pace to break Calvin Murphy's record for consecutive free throws. Murphy said: "Larry Bird is not going to break my record. He's going to choke." And he was right.

[Lucky]

You go Etta I've loved Miss James for 25 years, and as talented as Beyonce may be ... nobody sings Etta like Etta sings Etta.

I've heard there was quite a bit of creative license (a nice way of saying they just flat got it wrong) to Beyonce's film portrayal of James. Some of the bitterness may stem from that.