Etta James and Beyonce (file)
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images

Although she said Beyoncé deserved to be "whipped" during a show in Seattle last month, "At Last" singer Etta James now says she was just trying to be funny.

The firestorm that greeted a recording of James dissing Beyoncé and saying unkind things about president Obama subsided somewhat on Friday (February 6), when the New York Daily News reported that James — seemingly upset that B had sung her signature song, "At Last," at Obama's inauguration last month — said she was joking around when she claimed she "can't stand" the "Single Ladies" singer.

"I didn't really mean anything," the notoriously cantankerous James told the tabloid about her January 28 screed, noting that she was a bit upset about not being asked to sing her signature song at the inauguration. "Even as a little child, I've always had that comedian kind of attitude. ... That's probably what went into it.

"Nobody was getting mad at me in Seattle," she added. "They were all laughing, and it was funny."

In fact, on a tape of the rant that surfaced online, the audience does appear to be egging James on, clapping and hooting at her salty monologue. She said she was feeling "left out of something that was basically mine, that I had done every time you look around." The song, written in 1941, was first recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and then by Nat King Cole in 1957, but is best known for James' 1961 cover.

On Friday, a spokesperson for Beyoncé had no comment on the situation.

James reportedly told the paper that her broadside did not come from a "vicious place," but when asked if she thought she could outsing Beyoncé — who portrayed James in "Cadillac Records" — the 71-year-old legend offered, "I think so. That's a shame to say that."

She also hoped that Obama would not take her jibes about his "big ears" and him not being "my president," personally, explaining, "He's got other stuff [to worry about] besides Etta James."

She noted that she "always thought he was handsome and he was cool," and that her joke "might be horrible. The president might not ever like me in life."

An anonymous White House insider reportedly told Chicago Sun-Times gossip columnist Bill Zwecker, "It never crossed anyone's mind that there was anything inappropriate about Beyoncé singing that song. ... First of all, the message of the song was so perfect. Beyoncé sang it in the ['Cadillac Records'] film, and I don't think the people organizing that event even knew Etta was still performing. ... I'm sure some of the younger people involved didn't even know she is still alive!"

James had previously been supportive of Beyoncé, who earned praise for her warts-and-all portrayal of the singer in "Records." At the rehearsals for his annual Pre-Grammy Gala on Thursday, legendary music mogul Clive Davis told MTV News said he had not heard James' remarks, but that he didn't take the alleged rift too seriously.

"I know that last year when I introduced Leona Lewis to Whitney Houston there was a sense of visible awe," Davis said of the relationship between new stars and veterans. "It was not, 'I'm gonna show a past generation [up].' I'm not saying it was a lovefest, but back in the day ... they could all be great, but they competed with each other. But I don't think it's indigenous to artists. I don't view it as a problem."

• Etta James
• Beyoncé

Etta James and Beyoncé
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images

Remember a few months ago when Etta James had some nice things to say about Beyoncé's portrayal of her in "Cadillac Records"? Well, apparently the good vibes have dissipated. James unleashed a verbal beat-down on B last week during a concert in which she, believe it or not, threatened to whip the "Single Ladies" singer's butt.

Though she wasn't the first singer to perform it, the 71-year-old James has made the smoldering ballad "At Last" her signature song since it became a hit for her in 1961. Beyoncé sang for President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama's first dance at the Neighborhood Ball two weeks ago. For some reason, that seems to have angered James, who put Beyoncé, and the president, for that matter, on blast during a show at Seattle's Paramount Theatre on January 28.

During the gig, she criticized the singer's performance at the inauguration. "You guys know your president, right? You know the one with the big ears?" began her rant, a recording of which was obtained by TMZ. "Wait a minute, he ain't my president. He might be yours; he ain't my president. But I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song — she's going to get her a-- whipped.

"The great Beyoncé," James went on. "Like I said, she ain't mine. ... I can't stand Beyoncé. She has no business up there, singing up there on a big ol' president day, gonna be singing my song that I've been singing forever."

A review of the show in the Seattle Times noted James' reputation as a bawdy performer, adding that she made "lewd facial and hand gestures" during her opening song, "Come to Mama."

Beyoncé won critical acclaim for portraying James in "Cadillac Records," and has performed "At Last" several times since the movie was released, including in front of James, who has not made this kind of public fuss over it previously. A spokesperson for Beyoncé could not be reached for comment at press time. Beyoncé got in hot water with another icon last year at the Grammys, when soul legend Aretha Franklin ripped into B for introducing Tina Turner as "the queen," a title Franklin has claimed as her own.

• Beyoncé
• Etta James

Beyoncé
Photo: Gustavo Caballero/ Getty Images

Two new singles by Beyoncé premiered on the radio Wednesday (October 8) in advance of the November 18 release of her upcoming album, I Am ... . One is the dance track "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and the other is a more introspective ballad called "If I Were a Boy" — two songs that represent two different sides of the singer, as she suggested in a letter to fans last week.

The singer recently opened up to Essence magazine about some of the influences on the album, which include hubby Jay-Z and playing Etta James in the movie "Cadillac Records."

B recorded 60 to 70 songs for the album (only 10 made the cut), but 40 of them turned out to be about love, she said. "There's a balance," she told the magazine. Meaning the love is reciprocated? "Yeah," she giggled. "Definitely."

While "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" acts sonically as a sequel to "Get Me Bodied," "If I Were a Boy" is unlike anything Beyoncé has done before. "It's broad," she told Essence. "But I had to try it, because I remember Aretha Franklin said a great singer can sing anything and make it her own."

B also decided to follow the example of Etta James and broaden her horizons. "Etta expressed herself; she was bold," Beyoncé said. "That inspired me to do a lot of things musically that no one else is doing."

Etta also inspired her to do a lot of things in her acting career that she's never done before. To prep for "Cadillac Records," B took a trip to a Brooklyn rehab to visit drug addicts. The work paid off, she said. "This is the first time I felt that naked and vulnerable acting," she told Essence. "After I finished the scene, me, my mom, my acting coach, [my cousin and executive assistant] Angie, we were all just jumping up and down, like, 'Oh my God, that was it!' "

And she stretches beyond playing singers (as she's also done in "Fighting Temptations" and "Dreamgirls") for her first thriller, "Obsessed," in which she brawls with "Heroes" star Ali Larter.

"At first it was choreographed as more of a catfight," B said, "but we were like, 'This is not how a woman would fight if she's protecting her family.' Now it's very intense."

• Beyoncé
• Jay-Z
• Etta James

Beyoncé Knowles in "Dreamgirls"
Photo: Paramount

Beyoncé is bound for the big screen once again.

The "Irreplaceable" singer will star as legendary blues singer Etta James in Darnell Martin's "Cadillac Records," according to The Hollywood Reporter. She will also serve as one of the movie's executive producers.

"Cadillac Records" will follow the life of influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess — who ran the legendary record company with his brother, Phil, through the 1950s and '60s — and the label's lineup of musical icons, including James, Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer) and Little Walter (Columbus Short). Oscar winner Adrien Brody is scheduled to play Chess.

The role is the first for Beyoncé since her turn as Deena Jones in the musical "Dreamgirls." As Jones, the singer earned two Golden Globe nominations, for Best Actress in a Motion Picture and Best Original Song.

While her "Dreamgirls" character was loosely based on Diana Ross, Beyoncé will have some big shoes to fill as the real-life James. The gutsy and full-figured legend belted out many standout blues and jazz tracks, including "At Last," which she was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for in 1999.

James has long been a revered figure among female singers. Christina Aguilera has called James her idol and doted on her in interviews. In 2006, as part of InStyle magazine's pairing of singers and their musical mentors, James and Aguilera met and were photographed together.

"Etta is my all-time favorite singer," Aguilera told MTV News at the time. "I've said it for the last seven years — since I had my first debut record out — in every interview, in every story, in every on- and off-camera question. I mean, all of Etta's old songs, countless songs I could name, I grew up listening to. That music was always such a huge escape for me, even from a young age."

As of press time, no release date had been scheduled for the film.

• Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, More At The New York Premiere Of "Dreamgirls"
• "Dreamgirls"

• Beyoncé
• Etta James
• Diana Ross
• Christina Aguilera

Etta James and Christina Aguilera
Photo: InStyle

Christina Aguilera says she can die happy now — because she's met her idol, legendary R&B singer Etta James.

The two posed together for a photo spread in the July issue of InStyle, which matched up singers with their musical mentors. The pairings include Mary J. Blige with Chaka Khan, John Legend with Quincy Jones, Fergie with Rita Marley, and Faith Hill with Aretha Franklin.

But Aguilera's coupling with James nearly brought the singer to tears because James seemed to idolize her too.

"Etta is my all-time favorite singer," Aguilera explained. "I've said it for the last seven years — since I had my first debut record out — in every interview, in every story, in every on- and off-camera question. I mean, all of Etta's old songs, countless songs I could name, I grew up listening to. That music was always such a huge escape for me, even from a young age."

When she was about 7 years old, Aguilera's grandmother used to take her to look for vintage records, which was how she got introduced to soul, jazz and blues. "There was such soul, emotion and raw heart in it," Aguilera said. "So much real heart and emotion that's lacking in music today. You used to have to sing and convey emotion, and now, well, technically you can do anything with technology. It sucks for music today, but that's why that old music feels so good to me."

Aguilera said she was a "bundle of nerves" before meeting James. Little did she know, James had already been won over.

"When I first heard her stuff, and I heard her say on TV, [in response to the question] where she got her style, 'I grew up on Etta James,' that made me feel so good," James said. "The last person who said that was Janis Joplin, but Christina can sing. Janis was good, but there's a difference in the quality of voice. I couldn't believe that big sound, that big voice was coming out of her. Tell me who you've seen that sings like her, because we don't have anybody.

"It's like you were here many years ago," she told Aguilera. "You don't look exactly like them, but there's something about you that's like Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, those kinds of chicks. I've never seen a girl sing as tough as you sing, as little as you are. It's like you're an old soul."

"I'm going to cry now," Aguilera gasped, and James put her head on her shoulder adoringly.

During the photo shoot, James sat at a piano and sang R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" while Aguilera looked on in awe. Even though it wasn't one of Aguilera's favorite songs that Etta sings — those would be "At Last," "Fool That I Am," "I Prefer You," "Trust in Me" and "Something's Got a Hold on Me" — she joined in for an impromptu gospel number.

Perhaps it was a warm-up for Aguilera's upcoming tour of blues and jazz clubs to promote her Back to Basics LP, due August 15 (see "Christina Aguilera's New LP: Some Jazz, Some Hip-Hop Soul ... And Some Burlesque"). Aguilera said she plans to be "sitting on a stool, doing bluesy versions of my old hits, like 'What a Girl Wants,' with just a piano."

And that dream doesn't end with this album or tour — it's what Aguilera hopes she's doing until she's as old as James. "I'll still be as raunchy as I wanna be, and I'll have the memory of Etta James to back me up. ... She's what I want to be someday."

James says Aguilera is already well on her way. "She reminds me of myself when I was young," she said. "I've always been a complainer, too, that's what I liked about her. The bad-girl syndrome was a controversy then, but that was always the hip thing. Everybody wanted to be the bad girl!"

"It's funny," Aguilera said. "Etta had told me she had heard I was 'a little hotheaded,' and you know what she said? 'Just like me — a girl after my own heart!' "

• Christina Aguilera, Terrence Howard, Nelly Furtado, More At 'EW' 's Must List Party
• Behind The Scenes At Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" Video Set

• Christina Aguilera
• Etta James

Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell's wife, Leighanne, gave birth to Baylee Thomas Wylee Littrell on November 26 in Atlanta, Georgia. The 6 lbs., 7 oz. baby boy is the couple's first child. ...

Afeni Shakur, mother of late rapper Tupac Shakur, donated $15,000 to W.H. Knuckles Elementary School in Lumberton, North Carolina, which she attended as a child, according to the Associated Press. Shakur also plans to donate proceeds from Better Dayz, the just-released double album she produced featuring unreleased Tupac songs, to the Tupac Shakur Foundation, which provides training to aspiring artists. ...

Slipknot's DJ Sid Wilson is manning the wheels of steel for rapper Marz while he opens for Korn and Trust Company. Dates with the Slipknot scratcher began Sunday and will run through the end of the tour, December 12 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Marz's next album will be released through Korn's Elementree label. ... The Murderdolls were forced to cancel dates in Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin this week due to a serious illness in guitarist Joey Jordison's family. Jordison, who also drums in Slipknot, flew home to Des Moines, Iowa, earlier this week, according the Murderdolls Web site. ...

Giving all new meaning to the term "supergroup," 2,500 musicians culled from 12 Atlanta school bands will attempt to set the record for the largest marching band when they perform the song "Been Away," a track from the "Drumline" soundtrack, at the premiere of the film at the Atlanta Civic Center on December 5. Producer Dallas Austin, on whose life the film is loosely based, will conduct the massive procession. ...

Simon & Garfunkel, Etta James, Johnny Mathis, Glenn Miller and Tito Puente will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 45th annual Grammys on February 23 in New York, the Recording Academy announced on Wednesday (November 27). Folk music archivist Alan Lomax and the New York Philharmonic will be honored with Trustees Awards. ...

11.26.2002

R. Kelly is still a man of the people. On Monday, while hosting an album-release party for Selena Johnson at the Biology Bar in Chicago, Kells shunned the VIP section to mingle amongst the partygoers and exchange pleasantries. The crowd showed it still had love for the embattled singer by applauding as he went into a surprise performance of "Fiesta" with his former protégés Boo and Gotti. ...

3LW have announced the first location for new-member auditions. On Saturday, girls wanting to be down should report to the 16th floor of the Ripley Grier Studios, 520 8th Avenue in New York City, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. For more information call (212) 799-5441. ... As the official spokesperson for M&M's, Ashanti will perform on the "melts in your mouth, not in your hand" candy company's float at the 76th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In June, Ashanti made the announcement that purple would be the new M&M color. ...

A Georgia judge denied a motion Monday to drop misdemeanor charges against singer/ Whitney Houston hubby Bobby Brown stemming from a 1996 traffic stop, according to the Associated Press. The charges included driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to maintain a lane, speeding and no proof of insurance. A January 21 court date has been set. ... Wrestling star Stone Cold Steve Austin pleaded no contest on Monday to beating his wife. The wrestler, whose real name is Steve Williams, faced up to a year in jail but instead received a year-long probation and a fine of $1,000. Austin was also ordered to perform 80 hours of community service and to attend a family violence counseling course. ... Prince has settled his copyright infringement complaint against a Seattle webmaster out of court. In exchange for Prince dropping the $7.5 million lawsuit, Matthew Lankford of FreeMyHeart.com admitted to posting downloads to unauthorized songs and agreed to never do it again. ...

Coldplay have added a month of dates to their 2003 tour, which will now end March 13 in Minneapolis. A spokesperson for the British rockers, who will perform on "The Late Show With David Letterman" on December 16, said the group may also return to the States in May and June. ... 3 Doors Down will kick off a headlining tour January 9 in Biloxi, Mississippi, in support of their new album, Away From the Sun, which was released November 12. Saliva and Theory of a Dead Man have been tapped to open the trek, which is expected to run through late February or early March. ...

Supergrass will release their fourth album, Life on Other Planets, in North America on February 11. The record debuted at # 9 on the U.K. album chart in October on the strength of the singles "Never Done Nothing Like That Before" and "Grace." ... Ex-Megadeth axeman Marty Friedman will reunite with a couple of his former bandmates for a tour next year in support of his forthcoming solo album, Music for Speeding. Bassist David Ellefson, drummer Jimmy DeGrasso and an as-yet-unnamed second guitarist will join the curly-locked guitar slinger on the road "around March," according to his Web site. ...

• Backstreet Boys
• Tupac
• Slipknot
• Korn
• Etta James

Celine Dion
Photo: Sony

Celine Dion's first studio album since 1997's multiplatinum Let's Talk About Love will finally hit stores on March 26.

A New Day Has Come, which will mark the end of the pop singer's two-year hiatus (see "Celine Dion's Next Delivery Will Be New Album In March"), will feature 16 songs, including covers of Etta James' "At Last" and Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy," according to Epic Records.

The album's title track will be the first single and will arrive at radio stations this week. On April 7, Dion will perform that song and others on a one-hour CBS special, also titled "A New Day Has Come" (MTV's parent company, Viacom, also owns CBS).

A New Day Has Come features songs written and produced by many of Dion's longtime collaborators, including Shania Twain producer/husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange ("Goodbye's [The Saddest Word]") and Walter Afanasieff (the Corey Hart-penned "Prayer").

Dion left the music industry two years ago to start a family with her manager/husband, Rene Angelil. She gave birth last January (see "It's A Boy For Celine Dion") and then in May announced she would end her hiatus in 2003 with a three-year residency at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas (see "Celine Dion Plans Colossal Return From Hiatus").

"The last two years have been among the best of my life, as my husband and I have started a family and enjoyed our time together," Dion said in a statement. "This has made going back into the studio a vehicle to express my growth both personally and artistically."

A New Day Has Come track list, according to Epic:

• "I'm Alive"

• "Right in Front of You"

• "Have You Ever Been in Love"

• "Rain, Tax (It's Inevitable)"

• "A New Day Has Come" (radio remix)

• "Ten Days"

• "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)"

• "Prayer"

• "I Surrender"

• "At Last"

• "Sorry for Love"

• "Aun Existe Amor"

• "The Greatest Reward"

• "When the Wrong One Loves You Right"

• "A New Day Has Come"

• "Nature Boy"

• Celine Dion
• Nat King Cole
• Etta James