Catty singer Etta James recently had harsh words about Beyonce. (Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

Do not EVER cross a diva, because she will fight you with her (elbow-length) gloves off. That's what legendary singer Etta James proved this week, when she launched into a mean-spirited tirade about Beyonce Knowles, the woman who played James in last year's Cadillac Records film and crooned At Last (James's signature song) at Barack Obama's inaugural ball.

During a show in Seattle, the 71-year-old James unleashed her claws. She described Obama as "your president... with the big ears," then proclaimed that Beyonce ("that woman he had singing for him") was gonna "get her ass whipped." It's unclear whether James is a Republican, though she did insist that Obama wasn't her President. James also made it pretty darn clear that she's no fan of the Jenny-come-lately pop singer she sarcastically referred to as "the great Beyonce... I can't stand Beyonce."

After the fact, James halfassedly backpedaled in an interview with the New York Daily News, insisting that her Beyonce snubs were all in good fun. "Even as a little child, I've always had that comedian kind of attitude," she told a reporter. "That's probably what went into it." Nevertheless, the veteran singer was deeply hurt by the fact that the folks responsible for organizing inaugural entertainment opted for li'l B over Big E. James, who maintains she could've done a better job than Beyonce, says she's "feeling left out of something that was basically mine, that I had done every time you look around."

What do you think, readers? Compare the following two clips -- one features Etta doing At Last; the other's of Beyonce doing Etta doing At Last -- and decide for yourself.

At Last, Etta James:

At Last, Beyonce (as Etta James in Cadillac Records):

And in case you missed it the first time 'round, here's footage of a beaming Beyonce serenading the First Couple during their first dance at the Neighbourhood Ball:

--Sarah Liss