Entertainment
Al Green tells how his married ex-girlfriend threw a hot pot of grits at his back before shooting herself in the head over a rejected marriage proposal in a broadcast interview
One of the most famous legends in the history of soul music revolves around singer Al Green, an obsessive lover and a pot of grits. Although the tale has been incorporated into the routines of countless stand-up comedians and has grow to be a popular cultural reference for ladies searching for revenge on their cheating partners (à la Lorena Bobbitt and her the infamous carving knife incident), the true history of the event stays relatively unknown.
By the mid-Seventies, Green was one of the most successful artists in the world. Between 1971 and 1974, he sold over 20 million albums and recorded five more hits: “Tired of Being Alone”, “Call Me”, “Let’s Stay Together”, “You Ought to Be With Me”, and “I’m Still in You” in love.” He was also an undeniable sex symbol, with fans flocking to him in every state.
Recently a the video reappeared from the 1984 documentary “The Gospel According to Al Green,” in which the “Love and Happiness” singer details what happened that day at his Memphis home in 1974.
According to the singer, he dated a 29-year-old woman named Mary Woodson, who confessed that she was in love with him. Unbeknownst to Green, when he met Woodson, she had just left her husband and three children in New Jersey to attend his concert events in New York.
After returning home to Memphis from a performance in San Francisco, Woodson unexpectedly began talking to the star about her feelings. Unfortunately, Green didn’t feel the same way about her, he explained. When he admitted that he liked Woodson and was comfortable with their casual situation, her tone appeared to change from amorous to obsessive.
“She says, ‘Well, I love you and I don’t want to live without you,’” Green recalled. She told him she didn’t wish to “get involved in anything other than a relationship with the star.”
Green replied, “Well, please don’t take a ‘do or die’ attitude about this,” then added, “Man, you know there’s something to live for.”
Green admits he didn’t take her desperation seriously and kept emphasizing that they each had “freedom” to do as they pleased. But Woodson didn’t see it that way. She desired to marry him, regardless that she was already married and had a family in New Jersey.
“She asked me if I’d marry her. I say, “Well, no. I do not think I’m able to get married. It’s 1974. I mean, I’ve been in this music business for 2 or three years, you recognize,” Green recalled.
According to the soul singer, he went upstairs to his house and closed the door to rest. After a while, he got up, went downstairs and saw Woodson boiling water. Despite asking why Woodson was boiling water, she dismissed him.
Green then went to his bathroom to take a bath. While attempting to get out of the bathtub, Woodson forced his way in and poured a pot of hot grits down his back.
“I was wearing this little thin robe. … I am in complete pain and shock,” Green said.
The 11-time Grammy winner said Woodson added grit to boiling water to make it stick together and “stick together.”
“Suddenly I’m full of it. It hurts a lot, I reach back and two fingers are full of skin. I went there, full of cereal, jumped in the shower because every thing hurts, and I called this girl round the corner to assist me because I’m mainly, you recognize, and man, I even have these big boils on my skin. And I’m in total pain. I can not consider the pain,” he explained.
Shortly after dousing the singer with hot porridge, Woodson retreated to the bedroom and shot herself with Green’s .38-caliber pistol.
He added: “Suddenly you hear (makes a gunshot sound). Then it was over. You hear something hit the floor… boom!”
The then 27-year-old, still in pain from his burns, said he asked what the noise was and was told it was gunshots and that his girlfriend was dead. After the shooting, he instructed someone to call police.
“It looks like a suicide,” Inspector Dan Jones said in 1974 in the New York Times. Jones also revealed that three-page farewell letter Words on motel stationery were found in Woodson’s purse. Green suffered second-degree burns on his back, arms and abdomen and required a skin graft.
The publication tells a barely different story than Green.
Police Capt. William Maley said the Arkansas man told police he returned home around 4 a.m. after recording the soundtrack for a recent movie. He was accompanied by one other woman, Carlotta Beth Williams, 21, of Denver.
Green said that shortly after going inside, he went upstairs to take a bath and was getting out of the bathtub when Woodson rushed in, threw a pot of “hot boiling grits” at him, then ran out of the room and shot himself. firearm.
Shortly after this incident, Green later abandoned his secular profession and devoted himself to spreading the gospel.
According to Davin Seay, who collaborated with Green on his 2000 autobiography “Take Me To The River,” the singer doesn’t immediately connect his acceptance of faith with the traumatic events of October 18, 1974.
“He likes to distance the facts about his (religious) conversion from the terrible events of that night,” he added. says Seay, “but I think the incident with Woodson kind of highlighted his need to continue, to close one part of his life and open another.”
Entertainment
An attempt to save the image of Jeff Bezos’ future wife backfired after weeks of outrage and ridicule over her skimpy outfit
Lauren Sánchez has apparently gained a popularity for her fashion hits and misses as social media users began following her every move.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos’ current fiancée stepped into the highlight long before she met the Amazon co-founder, after years spent as co-host of “Good Day LA,” a reporter for “Extra” and host of “So You Think You Can Dance,” and he even starred in a number of movies like “Ted 2.”
She faced criticism for posting a sultry selfie in November in a negligee-inspired gown by designer Laura Basca. In October, the 54-year-old again faced backlash when she showed off her latex Halloween costume as Catwoman.
Now, weeks after being deemed “cheap” and tasteless, the founder of Black Ops Aviation has turn out to be a subject of discussion.
On December 5, Sánchez and the business mogul attended The New York Times’ DealBook event in New York City. For the occasion, she wore a white Alexander McQueen suit and a white lace corset. The beaming bride-to-be sent two mirror selfies of her outfit, which she signed: “winter white.”
One follower particularly was stunned by the whole look he ejaculated that she was “very attractive and beautiful, gorgeous and stunning, charming and fantastic young lady, sexy, charming, charming and elegant” in the photos that Sánchez took.
Two other people swooned over the photos and wrote: “So chic and elegant!” and “You look great.” But as you would possibly expect from online viewers, not everyone was impressed.
Jeff Bezos’ fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, cropped a photograph of him in a jumpsuit and then set Instagram on fire with her look.https://t.co/n7YNGctQFE pic.twitter.com/DNKP2i9o9C
— Sean Joseph (@sjoseph_sports) December 2, 2024
When Page six published paparazzi photos from the trip, the critic commented: “It’s 30 degrees in New York and she gets out of the limo in a white Miami smock, her bra visible to everyone. No taste. Nothing. A cashmere turtleneck, flannel trousers and a wool jacket can be classy.
Someone else sharply asked: “Who can be the first to tell her that she looks tacky and not elegant and refined? Does she even know what sophistication means? A 3rd person noted: “She looks more like she’s wearing a bathrobe.”
Lauren Sanchez 2003 vs. Lauren Sanchez 2024
Nothing to see here, people, move on#LaurenSanchez pic.twitter.com/mgr4vj6mFq
— Occam was right (@OccamWasRight) November 21, 2024
Another person wrote in a comment from a licensed pilot: “White means…” possibly referring to rumors that Sánchez and Bezos are scheduled to exchange vows over Christmas. At least one person doubted the couple would have the opportunity to say “I do.” This person said: “This will be the longest engagement ever. They will NEVER get married and we all know why!!!!”
Sánchez told the “Today” show hosts that she was in the process of planning the big day last month. She didn’t comment on speculation about exchanging Christmas vows.
Renewed interest and scrutiny of Sánchez has increased as the pair have been spotted in various locations in recent months. The couple reportedly began dating in 2018. Their engagement was announced five years later, in May 2023. Their upcoming wedding can be a second journey for each of them.
Sánchez was previously married to celebrity agent Patric Whitesell, with whom she has two children. She can be the mother of a son, whom she shares with Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. Bezos was married to the mother of his three children, Mackenzie Scott, for 25 years once they divorced in 2019.
Entertainment
Apart from the song with singer-songwriter India Shawn – Andscape
India Shawn is a contemporary muse with a chilled nature, crafting love stories and heartfelt tales in smooth, charming songs. With over a decade of experience in the music industry as a singer-songwriter, Shawn has incredible strength. She was born in Los Angeles, and her musical roots reach throughout the country. Beginning her profession in her hometown, Shawn eventually found herself in Atlanta, where she immersed herself in the city’s deep-rooted R&B scene, further shaping her artistry.
“I transferred to ATL, I was in 10th grade, and that’s when my music journey really started,” Shawn told Andscape. “I met people who were trying to get by, so I ended up recording and learned what songwriting was really early on.”
Before releasing her debut EP in 2012, Shawn wrote songs and collaborated with artists similar to Chris Brown, El DeBarge, Keri Hilson and Monica. In 2013, she gained much more notoriety when Solange Knowles published her song “I’m Alive” on the Saint Heron compilationmarking her as an artist value watching.
Following the release of the single “There Must Be a God” from the Andscape soundtrack, she caught up with Shawn to learn more about the muse behind the vibes.
Name:
India Shawn
Hometown:
Los Angeles
Artistic soundscape
Airy, soft, telling a story, multidimensional, soft, mysterious, atmospheric
The oldest musical memory
Shawn’s soulful sound is deeply rooted in her upbringing, with influences drawn from her childhood memories and the musical culture of her church. “I sing with my sister all the time, and I also grew up singing behind my mom in church. She was the leader of praise and worship. So I feel like most of us R&B kids have that experience,” Shawn said. “I had these little solos in church, and I believe what made me consider in it was that after the service people got here as much as me with tears of their eyes and said, ‘You really moved me while you sang.’ “These early moments of connection with music and audiences laid the foundation for conveying depth and sensitivity through her music.
Influences
For Shawn, music, especially R&B, has all the time held a special place in her life. “Me and my sister are harmonizing in the living room, just picking some of our favorite songs, including for me Mariah Carey, Babyface, Boyz II Men and (and) Brandy,” she said of her early music memories.
Creative process
Shawn often draws inspiration from real-life experiences and relationships that influence her music. She weaves this into the authenticity and atmosphere of her songs, but she didn’t immediately recognize where her inspiration got here from. “It’s funny that it took me so long to make that connection, but I realized that I was telling my whole story and presenting my business through my music,” she said. “It took me two albums to realize, wait a minute, I’m giving people a lot to understand here… these aren’t just songs. This is truly the life I live.”
Challenges and development
As Shawn’s profession grows, so do his moments of appreciation and reflection. “I literally just thought about a very gradual progression of my career. It’s like step by step, but there are more breakthrough moments. My first tour, which was so beautiful, I just knew I could pack a room and people knew my lyrics and sang my songs to me. Those moments that make the waiting not in vain.”
Shawn has plenty of recommendation for up-and-coming singer-songwriters. Her biggest sacrifice? Collaboration is essential. “I think (cooperation) is really why I’m still here. So find your people… you’ll know when it feels right, you’ll have that freedom and fluidity, and you’ll be able to really create things and create without having to think too much.” He also shares the importance of patience. “Just be patient during the journey. This has been a theme throughout my profession. Let it develop. I feel like more things come from being in that flow and being present reasonably than forcing all of it.
Current project
“There should be a God”, the lead single from Andscape , now streaming on Hulu, also serves as a teaser for Shawn’s solo album. “(This song) is such a manifestation of God’s love,” she said. “I think when you find yourself in a place of waiting, you can feel very hopeless. So when you see glimpses of God’s love again, or the fact that you know there is a higher power, there is a source that is thinking about you, has you in mind, has a perfect plan for you, it’s just like the clouds parting. And this is the moment, I understand. I understand that I had to go through all this to get here. And that’s exactly what I felt in the studio that day.”
Entertainment
ICYMI: Tessa Thompson’s Mocha Lip, Danielle Brooks’ Updo and More – Essence
With just a number of weeks left until the tip of 2024, the celebrities are setting the tone for the brand new 12 months this week. And although mocha mousse is anticipated to be fashionable in 2025, neutral shades in darker tones have gotten more and more popular. Paired with an array of beauty eras – from elegant Twenties updos to 2000s-style round pink, the brand new Hollywood showcases its best 12 months-end beauty moments.
Tessa Thompson and Issa Rae are the newest to debut mocha lips holiday shade near the season, and Coco Jones’ lipstick was cranberry red. Doechii’s perforated suggestions and signature face-lift tape made it probably the most avant-garde look of the week, and within the sweetest moment, Chloe and Halle Bailey’s round pink cheeks made pink cheeks a winter styling staple.
From makeup to hairstyles, Sabrina Elba and Alva Claire opted for light, coffee colours, and Jourdan Dunn’s short hairstyle proved relevant at any time of the 12 months. Meanwhile, Lupita N’yongo, Danielle Brooks and Venus Williams’ braided buns showed just how classic this style may be.
In case you missed it, take a take a look at 17 of the very best celebrity beauty moments from the week below.
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