It had been retitled"The Wallflower" under the pretence that it promoted a dance rather than sex. Etta was definitely one of the greats! While Etta wondered much about the true identity of her father, most of her issues of rejection and insecurity stemmed from her mother, Dorothy, a single teenage mother who traveled in and out of Ettas life like a bad storm. Perhaps Etta James (and Diana Ross) would have preferred to have a seasoned actress portray her on the big screen (or at least one that does not have a habit of trying to align her name with those of legends and/or icons in the hopes that she will then be viewed as one as well (Hardly great marketing - just obvious and calculated). Her mother was a sexually active,14-year-old black girl, Dorothy, who never revealed the identity of herfather. The Masked Singer is back for its sixth season, which means a whole new batch of celebrities in wild costumes whose true identity viewers must uncover. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. She's beautiful and scary at the same time. Their son, Donto, was born in 1968. "So, I'm not afraid, like you, to get in the ring and get a little bit dirty," she says. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. It is simply my hope to witness someone who will have the guts to really tell that story in the spirit Etta gave and deserves..the truth! Although some had predicted Titanic would tank just like its . I love this thing, but it made the most annoying sound ever [with the dial-up sound]. In 1968 James was produced by Paul Simon and they wrote some songs together, but the sessions have never been released. Etta James: I'm gonna whup Beyonc's ass - the Guardian He said Id gotten all my moral values from Mama Lu, but I never knew a normal life.And then when Mama Lu died and Dorothy snatched me away, everything went haywire., While there was a number of other omissions such as the exclusion of Leonard Chesss brother, co-founder and partner Phil Chess, the question still stands, why were these truths never told? Born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938, in the South-Central area of Los Angeles, Etta was the first "bad girl" of R&B. Learn how your comment data is processed. To protect her income (or so she thought), she named her lover of the moment, Billy Foster, as co-writer instead of herself. James lived with Otis's family and was paid $10 a performance. Beyonce Talks About Playing Etta James - HuffPost Who would they date? Speed Dating Clue: Do you kiss on the first date? How Did Billie Holiday Contribute To The Harlem Renaissance "I would pick Ken [Jeong]. She says food always makes her feel better, so why not dress up like a cupcake to cheer up that loved one? I was blind in my love life, and I was blind in my personal ways. However, there is more to the story. [/quote] Thanks for the share.. ), a tin man, a knight chess piece, a ghost, gold sparkles, a picture of Hilary Swank with "bff" on it, and a chess board all appear in the first package, Starts the second package explaining that people are often surprised to learn that she's shy, because she's not like that on stage, She's shown flipping through a dating app. He was dating Gwen Gordy, the sister of Berry Gordy, who started Tamla-Motown records. Pharrell Williams. The great, but troubled, Etta James was such a force of nature that it takes five madly skilled performers to portray her on the stage. He might be yours; he ain't my president. That is the stern virtue that I highly respect in the artistry and legend of Ms. Etta James. James cut the track during her 1967 sessions at Rick Hall's FAME Studios that yielded the great 'Tell Mama' LP. With the Pepper comes a lot of spice and hotness and energy," she says to start the third package, "Tonight, I'm going to really dig into my ability to tell a story", Says the hardest thing she's experienced was watching "the one I love and care for most face the unthinkable", First performance: Sang "Jealous" by Labrinth. "Well, I went to Costco with Ken," the banana says. It had a theme that was replayed in numerous James' records her boyfriend with another woman. Second performance: Sang "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" by Soggy Bottom Boys. Third performance: Sang "Play Something Country" by Brooks & Dunn, Fourth performance: Sang "Fly" by Sugar Ray, Trophy Clue: A plaque of "Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People". "Date, don't marry," she replies. "We would date Nicole [Scherzinger], because we have a ball together," the split explains. EXCLUSIVE: Leela James Talks New Album Honoring Etta James i think it this ion know buuuttt if you get a wrong answer i am sorry. Etta James: rebel with a cause - Our Weekly Thank you, Wayne. Does that ring a bell? Pufferfish's Locker Clue: The locker has a "Spelling Bee Champion" banner, bubbles, and a reminder for varsity tryouts in it. Sixth performance (with Nicole Scherzinger): "Dream On" by Aerosmith, Seventh performance: Sang "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, Eighth performance: "Firework" by Katy Perry, "I may be living the high life bestselling book, platinum album but that was not always the case", Says he was always hustling when he was young, as he's shown selling worms, "Then I found the human jukebox on a school bus", "Now here's the way the human jukebox works: You gotta put a quarter in my armpit and then I can sing", Says that girls really liked his "entertainer on the bus" act, A stagecoach, an old-timey boot, a teacup, a stag figurine, a sign that says "The Magnificent Mallard," a blimp, a spotlight, a saxophone, a picture of Chris Pratt with "bff" on it, and a quarter all appear in the first package, To start the second package, he says he does believe in love at first sight because he met his wife in fourth grade, She had curly hair and he thought she looked like a "big ole glass of iced tea", Says he asked her "on a moonlight hike" to be his girlfriend, and he says she gave him a kiss on the cheek but she doesn't remember it, They're shown walking away holding hands as he does a fist pump in the air, Says his wife is so supportive, she's even here with him tonight, which is making him more nervous, Iced tea, an eaten apple, cattails, and a rusty bench all appear in the second package, To start the third package, he says he rose to fame as part of a pretty famous family, Says that families have their challenges: "I've had scrutiny over stuff my family members said", "Always remember that there's probably more things about each other that are alike than are different", Tonight he's singing a song by someone he basically considers family, Luke Bryan, who once pulled him up on stage to sing this song with him but he didn't know the words, A picture of Abraham Lincoln, white bread, an orca in a soup bowl, and a plate of cheese and fruit all appear in the third package, "I'm 100 percent the underduck," he says to start the fourth package, But, he says you never know because "Mallard loves eating Banana Splits" and Caterpillars make "great bait for fishing", Says he's the ultimate heartbreaker, just ask his wife (then he apologizes for the "dad joke"), First performance: Sang "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" by Big & Rich. I want to spice things up," she says to start the first package, Says she's always had her own flavor and is constantly thinking of ways to not be bland, She's shown with many duplicates of herself, "This last year has been the craziest. Love Ms. Etta James!! We both got double trouble," she explains. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. What is also in question is why writer/director, Darnell Martin would write the role of Etta James with Beyonce in mind as stated in the New York Times. At 12, she moved north to San Francisco, formed a trio and was soon working for band leader Johnny Otis. What's it like inside the Mallard costume? But, best because there I was on the other side of it, stronger than I ever imagined I could be", Says she thinks what's kept her here is trusting herself and her heart, "My entire life I wanted to have a sense of community, and I found it in some really unusual and unexpected places," she says to start the fifth package, Says there was a time in her life when she was living "like an animal", She says she's experienced life as someone who was poor and really wealthy, and it's "the poorest people who are the most generous", A theater, a raccoon, a deer, a stoplight, a sign with a red devil on it, a rainbow, a life raft, and a tea set all appear in the fifth package, To start the sixth package, she says in her teens she wrote a letter to her grandma telling her she quit her job and moved out to pursue her music career, The truth? An appreciation of singer Etta James - Workers World Party "If someone sent me these three digits, it would make me feel like a complete dream girl," she says. The At Last album (1960) included a sultry "Sunday Kind Of Love", arguably the best-version of this much covered song. Shes a living legend and I want her to love the movie, and I hope she does., Its not the first time Beyonce has had a run-in with a soul icon. Hope West isamusic enthusiast and music photographer who has captured artists like B.B. I agree, the Etta James story needs no embellishment. Between this internal tug of war and growing up in a business that didnt cater much to a growing teenager, Ettas life journey was surrounded by upheaval and survival. ", A bottle of hot sauce, "Chiliwood" sign (spoof on the Hollywood sign), emojis, a tic-tac-toe board, a "keep dreaming" sign, and lots of flames appear in the first package, Starts the second package saying if she could go back in time, she'd go to the moment when she first hit it big, Says she was suddenly pulled "in a million directions" between interviews, red carpets and award shows, "Sometimes you can get so caught up in 'what's next,' that you're not really living in the 'what's now.' Billie Holiday was born on April 7, 1915 as Eleanora Fagan and began singing in local clubs and renamed herself "Billie" after the film star Billie Dove ("Billie Holiday Biography"). She realised that something was sadly wrong with her life when she was asked to give oral sex to an 80-year-old man in exchange for heroin. "Uh, probably." I think that's the only time she's ever been impressed with anything I've ever done in my career", There's nothing more romantic than a song in Spanish he says, but his Spanish is "terrible", Nevertheless, he wants to dedicate his song to his wife, A calendar with Nov. 30 (a Saturday) circled on it, pictures of the aforementioned celebrities, crazed fans with neon beachwear, and a plastic water bottle all appear in the third package, First performance: Sang "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison. We talked about what it felt like being abandoned by a mother. ", She says this guy is her collaborator that sticks with her through the "sweet and sour" and shares her dreams, An ice cream booth, a silver medal, balloons, hay barrels, a grey stuffed rabbit, hula hoops, and a strongman game all appear in the first package, Their second package kicks off in a doll house, Three ingredients to a perfect love song: "Fantasy," "pain," and "reality" (the woman argues it should be "heart" instead), The woman is shown trying to mash the stuffed red heart, she also smacks his globe away, "Well, it took us a lot of time and consideration to pick the perfect song for date night, but we think that tonight we have nailed it," he says, as the two of them high five, A book called Song Recipe Cookbook, a first aid kit with a red cross on it, a yellow stand mixer, a jar with confetti in it, a plate with the word "nothing" on it, a stuffed red heart, a potato masher, a small globe, and a banana split all appear in the second package, "We are so thankful to be doing this together, genuinely.