Entertainer Quickie: Etta James is Not Dead, ‘Jersey Shores’ Airs in Italy

Contrary to the false statements flying around about the singer’s death, Etta Jame is not dead and is alive and well. According to KTLA News, James’s son, Donto James, said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, “She’s fine. I just saw her last night and she was fine.”

Although she is not dead, she is far from healthy. The 73-year-old was diagnosed with dementia in 2009 as well as Leukemia this year. Since her diagnosis, her health has been on a steady decline and she has been through many hospitalizations.

Her son has stated that his mother has not been in her right mindset in light of her actions in 2009. The singer was made famous for clouting Beyonce and President Obama during the President’s inaugural ball. Donto says that if she were herself she would not have acted in such a violent way.

So with Etta being alive, despite her health problems, how is that there were reports of her death? According to International Business Times, the rumors of the singer’s death “began circulating via a fake TMZ page that announced James had died on August 3.” The flames of the rumor were spread even further when the website Geeks.co.uk recived an email, that had no contact information, reporting the 73-year-old’s death. The announcement includes detailed descriptions about the singer’s past music career and her recent health problems. Donto denied the rumors earlier today.

This means the court battle over her finances will continue. In February 2008, Donto, his wife Christy, and his brother Sametto James, were given power of attorney by his mother. Etta’s husband of 41 years, Artis Mills, has filed for control over her finances and has requested that he be her power of attorney over her estates.

This has resulted the family members having to quarrel over James’s $1 million dollar savings through a “locked court battle.” Both sides say getting James’s medical care is their main concern.

Speaking of surprises, MTV has announced that the location of the fourth season of “Jersey Shore” is in Italy. The season will open up in Florence tonight.

During the six weeks of filming in Italy in May, the cast has bonded. The cast includes Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Paul “Pauly D” DelVecchio, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Sammi Giancola, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Deena Cortese, Jennifer “JWoww” Farley, and Vinny Guadagnino.

The group will be taking jobs in a pizzeria and performing their “fist pumping” on Italian soil. They admitted to the press that most of the time that was spent in Italy they were either in their apartment, working at the pizzeria, or going to the gym. They also did the usual tourist sightseeing, shopping and partying.

According to the Long Island Press, Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi had “banned the cast from filming at any historic landmarks or local nightclubs, bars or any place that promotes the consumption of alcohol.” This is to be expected considering you don’t want any permanent damage done to a famous historic city.

In addition to the city’s wonderful sights and the cast’s explorations, there will also be some drama to the season. Snooki and Deena will be in a car crash that involves their car hitting  a police car. While the girls were taken to fill out a report, the two officers in the car were rushed to the hospital for whiplash, cuts and bruises.

According to Sun Times, the ladies complained about how “the Italian men were too skinny and wore tight pants, and that manicure appointments needed to be made one month in advance,” while the men admitted that they mostly dated “the female American tourists, not the local gals.”

The cast missed the comforts of home and their families. The Italian food in Italy was not what they were used to. Used to eating American style Italian food, they came up empty when trying to find a restaurant that served Chicken Parmesan. One person even had their mom send them Crystal Light and Pringles via Fed-Ex.

Photos courtesy of Chris Drumm and Louis Ramirez via Flickr, and Sailko and Amy Nicole Waltney via WikiCommons.