Quote of the Day: Etta James

Sandra Rose February 25, 2008

According to Project Scoop blog, legendary singer Etta James is at odds with the actress who is cast to play her in a new biopic. I have no clue who the actress is, but according to Scoop, Etta says:

“I wasn’t as bourgie as she is, she’s bourgeois. She knows how to be a lady, she’s like a model. I wasn’t like that… I smoked in the bathroom in school, I was kinda arrogant, so those are some of the things I would want to tell her.”

And here is Scoop’s translation:

TRANSLATION: I don’t see it. I’m real and that b*tch is a robot/ a machine run broad/ a calculating chick/ too controlled/ no mind of her own/ no real sense of self/ didn’t go through anything real/ a sheltered tool. Jill Scott wasn’t available? (Source)

Wow, that’s deep! Holla at Scoop if you have any questions.

teecee

most of the kids now days do not know who Etta James is or anything about her or her music. they only know the song “at last” because its played at most weddings. if you ever go to one of her concerts you will know what she is talking about. lol
IDT

I heard on concreteloop that Beyonce is supposed to be portraying her in this new movie…Hmmmmmm, interesting!!
http://www.myspace.com/bettathaniwasb4 2bme

ummmm…if Bee can pull this off i’ll give her the Oscar my dayum self
Elizabeth

Hahaha…C’mon Sandra, stop being cheeky! U know Beyonce is slotted to play Etta James..LOL. Nice one tho.. Whatever happened to the old Sandra who wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to express her disdain for Beyonce..we miss her and want her back! She guaranteed us laughs..LOL. I hear Alicia Keys is slotted to play alongside Beyonce as her arch rival (Etta James’s)…should be a good one to watch. At least it’ll bring us more drama at the Oscars in 2009…LOL.
candy

@Elizabeth

She didn’t have to she put it all on SCOOP lol
alana

LMAO..I cant wait to see Beyonce attempt this role though…
J Gats Juice

Unlike some of Standra’s favorites, Beyonce’s acting has come a long way. I remember when she was on Smart Guy (yeah, I know, i went back!!) and the poor thing was awful…. Not to mention Gold Member…. But Dreamgirls was decent…. Standra u know good and well that Beyonce is playing Etta James. Stop the dumb act, its outta ur character
Black Bauer

Here’s the real translation: “That young girl done made a ton of money. When she’s my age, she probably will be sittin on her ass countin her paper, and not touring trying to make a livin. Hell, she can get pregnant by that big lip boy and never work again!!!”
MUNCHOSGIRL

NO, THE TRANSLATION IS WHAT ETTA SAID. BEYONCE IS VERY LADY-LIKE, UNLIKE WHAT SHE WAS WHEN SHE WAS COMING UP. COMMON KNOWLEDGE ETTA WAS A HERION ADDICT, BEYONCE IS AMERICA’S SWEETHEART. THEIR CHARACTERS ARE NOTHING ALIKE.
http://notenoughrealmen.blogspot.com 2thick4u

Congrats to the Actress that got this role.

I hope that she puts her all into it and shock the haters of the world!!

Oh yeah…Congrats B!!!
MZN

I don’t think Beyonce should play Etta James either. When I found out, I was mad! I am not trying to hate either-it’s just that alot of these singers aren’t on the same level as our older counterparts. They just don’t have enough talent to pull off these types of roles. I am only 23 and I know who Etta James is-I listen to all her songs. Etta James has real soul and she moves your heart and soul when she sings. She has substance. She is a true legend and can sing! Beyonce can’t. I can’t see her moving anyone’s heart when she sings. BUT Bey can put on a good show! And she is a business woman (I guess). Now that I think about it, why didn’t they cast Jill Scott? Jill Scott may be more on her level with Etta James, than Beyonce.

I can’t believe how good Etta James looks! She looks alot better today than her earlier years!
Imalover

Am I missing something here? Since when did an actor have to be “like” the character they’re depicting in order to successfully play the role? That’s ridiculous! Is Jamie Foxx anything like Ray Charles? How about Halle Berry as Dorothy Dandridge? In my opinion, the art of acting can truly be appreciated when the actor is faced with the challenge of portraying a character who’s life is polar opposite their own. Oh, and arrogance is not a good look on anyone – obviously EJ is still feeling herself. Humility is a beautiful quality to possess.
mimi08

I agree…it sounds like she’s not confident that beyonce can play this part. I’m not confident beyonce can play any role…i mean she couldn’t even play the simplest role and be convincing, and that’s of being a singer. Point blank, beyonce is not a good actress, period. I would be completely shocked if she pulls this off…tina and matthew will probably have her hypnotized to play the role…trust, they gone do something extreme. LOL And to answer the question above, no jamie foxx wasn’t ray, neither was halle dorothy dandridge; but they played the hell outta those roles. I think what Etta was saying is, beyonce seems too controlled to leave her persona and play her. And i agree…beyonce is too fake neither can she act. Let’s be real about. There needs to be some similance of a character, the basic traits there to play a character in a biopic, and beyonce just don’t have it….cry and scream if you like, but it’s the truth and you know it.
pinkvirgo

If they would have casted Jill Scott to play Etta James I woulda quit life.No j/k but she doesn’t look jack in the crack like Etta.
pinkvirgo

Beyonce is not a naturally good actress and I openly stan for ce ce. But I don’t think that there has to be character similarities (except some sort of physical for it to be believable)in order to play a character thats why its called acting.I really think if she needs to stop taking roles as singers if she wants to be taken seriously as an actress though.She should step out the box and maybe play a prostitute or something lol
J Gats Juice

i’ll say it before BSoul comes and kills it…. Rihanna should have gotten this part…. We know how talented she is!!
AreUForReal

J Gats Juice Says:

i’ll say it before BSoul comes and kills it…. Rihanna should have gotten this part…. We know how talented she is!!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You play too d@mn much!!! LOL ;O)

And, Bey can play this part. If you don’t want to see her in it then don’t watch the movie. What’s happening with her career is no different than Diana Ross’s. People could not stand Diana, but did that stop her from being a legend. NOPE. And, it’s not going to stop Bey either!!!

However, I do agree that it is time to branch out and take on some different roles. Maybe she should try a scary movie or a comedy.
http://www.myspace.com/birdshu Bird

The translation was a bit much. What she is basically saying is that she’s no B and if the character in the movie is more like B than her then it will be fake. My problem is B is not a great actress so how is she going to pull off playing a part that is so differant from who she really is?
Imalover

mimi08

I’m not Hillary Clinton, so no need to cry and scream – it’s really not that serious(lol). I do agree, Bey isn’t the best actress in the world, but my argument remains the same; sharing similar life experiences or possessing the same “basic traits” isn’t a prerequisite for an actor to fully capture the essence of the character they’re playing. So tell me, which ‘kinda arrogant’ actress who’s life has been plagued with drug addiction would you suggest play the role of Etta James?
http://www.myspace.com/birdshu Bird

Imalover

Ah, your point was so eloquently stated. The problem is we are not talking about an actor. We are talking about Beyonce. While she may continue to act, the fact is she is no powerhouse when it comes to acting.
http://www.myspace.com/aaronmichaelofatm AaronMichael

People that is why this stuff is called acting…I’m pretty sure they will try to be as accurate as possible in portraying the life and character of Etta. You don’t have to be like her in real life to play her in a movie, for if that was the case, most of the movies made would have never been made.

She’s just trying to get more attention cause there’s actually something interesting with her going on these days. These attempts for attention by these older celebs is becoming extremely sad, the funny thing is, they’re all going against Beyonce and why? Cause clearly she is the only one doing anything worthy of their mention.
http://www.myspace.com/birdshu Bird

Imalover Says:

So tell me, which ‘kinda arrogant’ actress who’s life has been plagued with drug addiction would you suggest play the role of Etta James?

Lisa Nicole Carson!
http://www.myspace.com/birdshu Bird

AaronMichael

I have to disagree with you. I don’t know that Etta is starving for attention. This movie is about HER life and if she is not happy with Beyonce playing that role, she has every right to voice that without us calling her out for it. I am like Samuel Jackson used to be. I believe that acting should be left to actors and singing left to singers. We are mixing it up nowadays. If a recording artist has proven talent as an actor then go for it, but Beyonce has been in several movies now and her acting ability has not improved. They are using her for the box office draw only.
http://www.myspace.com/aaronmichaelofatm AaronMichael

If that were the case then how come she’s not in talks directly with the people who are working on this instead of having a internet debate about it? It’s all publicity and marketing…just like Sandra does. I didn’t say she was starving for attention but it is a perfect time for her to step out of the wood works and throw her name out there just because. Same thing Aretha did. It’s a tried and true marketing scheme
jsquare

Bird said:

AaronMichael

I have to disagree with you. I don’t know that Etta is starving for attention. This movie is about HER life and if she is not happy with Beyonce playing that role, she has every right to voice that without us calling her out for it. I am like Samuel Jackson used to be. I believe that acting should be left to actors and singing left to singers. We are mixing it up nowadays. If a recording artist has proven talent as an actor then go for it, but Beyonce has been in several movies now and her acting ability has not improved. They are using her for the box office draw only.

———————————————————
Actually the movie is not about Etta James. Its about her record label. We don’t even know how big of a part she will have in the movie.
jsquare

I meant to say the record label she was on.
Maxdan

I love Beyonce’ but Etta James is right. I’ve seen her perform on PBS where they showcase artist live from Austin, TX. The way she’s so raw and performs in a quirky jazzy/blues way is too much for pretty little Bee. Not a lot of music artist transfer the art over to film well. So far I’ve only been convinced by Queen Latifah, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith and a couple LL Cool J films.
But actors do transfer well to play musical artist, for example think Angela Bassett as Tina Turner.

I feel that although Beyonce’ is very talented she doesn’t need to be on every song and in every picture. Let’s spread some of the wealth and give newer artist and beautiful women a chance to shine.
pinkvirgo

LMAO @ Lisa Nicole Carson!
U know she took the one way trip ticket to crazyland years ago.
http://www.myspace.com/aaronmichaelofatm AaronMichael

I feel that although Beyonce’ is very talented she doesn’t need to be on every song and in every picture. Let’s spread some of the wealth and give newer artist and beautiful women a chance to shine.

———————————————

Why can’t people just be happy with the fact that the woman is on her grind and gettin it while the gettin is good. Let them newer artist grind just as hard so they will obtain the same status one day. I don’t think anyone should step to the side and just let someone else come in. They need to work hard for it and it will pay off eventually. One person in the industry doesn’t stop anyone else from being able to come into it. Beyonce is not taking someone else’s position, she’s doing what she loves to do and what she’s good at doing. There’s room for everyone else that wants to as well.
http://www.myspace.com/birdshu Bird

pinkvirgo Says:

LMAO @ Lisa Nicole Carson!
U know she took the one way trip ticket to crazyland years ago.
***********************************************************

Yeah, I know, but can’t they give her some meds so she can come back? I miss her man.
http://www.myspace.com/birdshu Bird

AaronMichael,

Needless to say Miss Etta didn’t make that comment to a blog. The blogs got a hold of the statement and ran with it. For all we know she may not have even said that. Blogs make up more stories than National Enquirer.

jsquare Says:

Actually the movie is not about Etta James. Its about her record label. We don’t even know how big of a part she will have in the movie.

Well thanks for clearing that up. I had no idea. In that case I have to agree with some random blog that I ran up on that said this is nothing but Dreamgirls all over again. I thought we were going to get deep into Etta. If it’s not about her than B can probably handle it.
http://www.myspace.com/aaronmichaelofatm AaronMichael

Oh who am I kidding, we all know Rihanna could pull off this part much better than Beyonce…lol
Pingback: Necole Bitchie.com » Bitchie Linx()
J Gats Juice

Actually, MaxDan,
Jamie Foxx started out as a stand up comedian… How he made the transition? I dont know but he’s a phenomenal actor…

Standra, can we talk about J-Hud’s dress from last night???
pinkvirgo

I liked Lisa Nicole too.Didn’t she play a sexy bitch to the fullest.
pinkvirgo

J gats J Hud’s dress was nice. She looked better than she normally does.Her stylists don’t know how to dress her body and she doesn’t have a natural fashion sense(remember the space suit and that har form AI) I should be her stylist I would have her looking fly daily.Sandra get me in the door?lol
ms.peaches

Sandra you get funnier by the minute!!!lets cut the BS you knew Beyonce is suppose to play Etta James & futhermore that translation probably came from ur ass!! I think Beyonce is ok she isn’t in my top 5 but I give her props when they are due as far as this movie can we please find someone else cause to be honest like everyone said she is doing to many singing roles I mean enough already!! I mean even Kelly did a horror flick, branch out play a single mother(oops) Fighting Temptations but she was still singing I would love to see her pull a Halle & be a crackhead or something like that or even a action adventure it’s not like the options aren’t out there!! Get an acting coach girl cause soon we will be running out of people for you to portray!!!
Elizabeth

U guys are tooooo funny… So to summarise, i think we can all agree that
1) Beyonce isn’t as adequate an actor as she thinks (or would like us to think)
2) She has had the opportunity to play different roles other than singing and that didnt work. She moved back to singing roles – that didnt work either. So where does she go from here? I don’t think any director in their right minds would cast Beyonce in a serious movie..do you?
3) People don;t want her to sing, and others don;t want her to act. I think that says it all…
J Gats Juice

So what elizabeth is trying to discreetly say is… “Beyonce needs to sit her ass down and sing!!!!” I kinda agree…. I think she could be a successful actress if she would find a different angle. Like Ms. Peaches said, maybe a crackhead or somethin cuz there are only so many singers that she can play
Bsoul

It can be hard to interpret a comment when we don’t know what question was asked for the response. If they asked: “What advice do you have for Beyonce, who’s slated to play you?”, and Etta answered the way she did, it’s justifiable.

Newer actors tend to bring a lot of their own idiosyncracies to roles, Etta might be making sure her life isn’t sugarcoated.
mimi08

@Imalover

First off, who the heck was crying and screaming? Please save the drama for your damn mama. It’s obvious you were offended by what i said, so you should just simply state that and keep it moving.

But you did ask a question, so i’ll answer it. First there are plenty of ACTORS who can play this part, but even if i were to dip and dabble in the bowl that is entertainers, Jill Scott would be a good choice. She’s a good actress. But i would also consider unknowns who might be perfect for the role.

At the end of the day, with all things considered, beyonce does not fit the bill, aside from bringing empty headed people who simply want to look at her to the theatre, cause for sure, her acting is not the damn draw.

Next.
mimi08

Okay, did i just over react? I think so, it’s way past my lunch time, i need to go eat. My iron must be low.
Imalover

I guess I’ve been sleeping on Lisa Nicole Carson’s career because I had no idea she fell off like that… dang. Anyway, I enjoyed the discussion but it’s become too repetitious. I’m bored now… guess I’ll do some work (lol).
Imalover

mimi08, if you refer to the last sentence of your original comment (“cry and scream if you like, but it’s the truth and you know it”),you’ll notice I mentioned crying and screaming in response to your comment. I don’t know if I should advise you to slow down or catch up. Either way, you need to just relax, like I said it’s not that serious. No, I’m not offended, and yes you did overreact. Don’t forget to include some fiber in your lunch – it may help loosen you up…you sound a bit tight.
ms.peaches

damn what did I miss?? Mimi its gonna be ok girl!! Back to the subject at hand if we could have our pics of who could play Etta James who would it be (Excluding Beyonce)!!!!
I would have to go with Queen Latifah, Marsha(Floetry) as far as trying to get someone close to her features the Queen may be pushing it but at least she can act!! the more I look at her Pic Im trying to see who see resembles, Does it really matter anyway since someone said the movie isn’t soley based on her so whoever does the part may not have that big of a role so go ahead & give it Beyonce, hell my head is starting to hurt!!
toosexy

beyonce is a singer not actress that’s the point hiring actor and actresses for movies and singers for concerts, and especially singers who can’t act
pinkvirgo

I could have seen Akeys playing her not that shes that great either.
ggouch

It is amazing…We complain, if we don’t see enough black women obtaining roles that don’t show us as ghetto, baby producing, welfare setteling, crack addidicted, non english talkin, dancing only whores. Boy do we complain. Now we have a woman who is (guessing) 27 years of age, who did her first movie, with no experience under her belt, at the age of 20. Her first album at the age of 16 or 17. I don’t have an opinion about who good she did in the roles, but I celebrate that fact that we have watched Ms. Knowles, grow up and take a leap into becoming (AND BEING is some people’s opinion) a double threat in music and film. You don’t read any of the white bloggs or magazines dog her in a way that this blog does. All of this and by all appearences she maintains a since of class, good up bringing, and humblemness.

What did she do to Sandra Rose. Between Sandra and Ms. Jones from Hot97. “You guys seem to have a personal issue with this woman” What happened? Why can’t she be watched w/pride continue to grow and polish up her crafts, with out putting her down, calling her names. It’s mind blowing to read so much of it.
hellava10

Damn, I missed out on this. B is NO actor. Period. I think it takes away from those who have spent their entire lives taking classes, studying, learning their craft. Etta is old school, she is going to speak it just like Aretha did and won’t care about who hears it. I miss the good old days where singers sung and actors acted. Do what you do and do it right. B could make extra change by giving vocal lessons to the LHG.
claire

IM WITH YOU ON EVERY SINGLE WORD HELLUVA, YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!
honeycoated

@ hellava10:

It does not take away from those who have spent their entire lives taking classes, studying and learning their craft. If you caint act, you caint act, no matter how many classes you take. Alot of people are out there being “starvong artists” because all they want to do is act or sing and they cant. Or maybe they can sing, but dont have “star quality”. You mean to tell me if you could be put on a top-ranking position at your job (whatever is it you do for a living) passingup all the people who have studied and got degrees in your field, you wouldnt take it.
You mean to tell me you’d say “Naw, I’ll step aside, I’ve made enough money” or “No, I’m not that good at this position you’re giving me, I’ll pass up the six figue salary.”Hell no! You’d take that position if it was given to you. I agree with whoever it was that said Beyonce should NOT step aside and give someone else the spotlight. For what. Hater are always like “Why dont she sit down somewhere! Give someone else a chance!” Why should she? I think some people are sick of seeing her because she’s a constant reminder of what they lack.
tina12

Etta James is prepping Beyonce for the role and will be personally working with her. Beyonce is also the Executive Producer of the movie and will write 4 songs! Congrats Bee on extending your resume in Hollywood! This is not the whole interview. Etta James actually says she is excited to be working with Beyonce.
ms.peaches

I got I got it remember that chick from ANTM a few seasons back I think her name was Jade she looks just like Ms. James the mole & everything now she was a model Im sure she can pull off acting, just like Rihanna can pull off singing!! It was just a thought!!
http://www.myspace.com/aaronmichaelofatm AaronMichael

OMG…Rihanna stans yall better act quickly or Beyonce is gonna steal her reign back!
MZN

I agree with Ms. Peaches,

Jade from ANTM does look like Etta James! As far as weight wise, Etta was heavier back in the day, so Jade would need to gain more weight for that role. If she could even act.
Bsoul

Jade gain enough weight to play Etta, ha! Never going to happen.
funkyfinger54

That was really funny Sandra. Again like I said before that role should go to Tisha Campbell.

B

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