August 2001
- Elvis fan happy, Tupa low
By RANDY LANGE
(Bergen Record, August 29, 2001)
Tommy Parks could be the Jets' opening-day punter against Indianapolis. That's not definite yet, but coach Herman Edwards confirmed Tuesday that Tom Tupa, who can't get his strained hip flexor well enough to punt in his unlucky 13th NFL season, will sit out his fourth pre-season game Thursday at Philadelphia. Tupa's sore hip came from overworking after he finally recovered from his off-season sports hernia surgery. Parks has an interesting bio. For one thing, he is a walking Elvis Presley anecdote. He hails from Elvis' birthplace of Tupelo, Miss., has visited Presley's grave, has a cousin who is an Elvis impersonator, and does his own Presley tributes at karaoke bars.
- Dave Edmunds, Rock Solid as Ever at the Birchmere
By Dave McKenna
(Washington Post, August 28, 2001)
Dave Edmunds, possessor of the consummate rockabilly voice, is content to let his guitar do most of the talking at this stage of his career. Appearing Sunday night at the Birchmere as part of his first-ever solo tour, the former Rockpile lead singer and guitarist opened with jazzy instrumental versions of 1960s pop standards. ... But as rare a picker as Edmunds surely is, he's a rarer singer. His voice falls somewhere between the high lonesome sound of Bill Monroe and a young Elvis Presley; everything he sings sounds like it's coming out of an old AM radio. He showed how perfectly suited his voice is for first-generation rock-and-roll material when performing "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and "Mystery Train." Other latter-day rockabilly nuggets that Edmunds made famous, including "Crawling From the Wreckage," "Queen of Hearts," "I Hear You Knocking" and "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)" were equally well rendered and received.
- Making a mess of things at the end
By Tom Maurstad
(Edmonton Journal, August 27, 2001)
The end of summer is near -- the season that Hollywood forgot how to end a movie. Pearl Harbor waded through 90 minutes of half-baked romance before the bombs rained down. But its makers dropped a final bomb on us: a futile third hour spent trying to conjure a gung-ho finale. Next came A.I., another two-hour movie with an extra hour tacked on, this time for a sweet-dreams conclusion that was less uplift than insult. Finally, Planet of the Apes delivered a trick ending that was no trick at all, just a sloppy, senseless stunt that makes the original's Statue of Liberty sequence seem a masterstroke of understatement. Death, of course, is the ultimate ending. And as with any other ending, a celebrity's demise can be bad or good. Elvis Presley changed music, he changed pop culture, he changed the world. But he died, bloated and bleary, sitting on the toilet -- the king falling off his throne. Two decades earlier, when James Dean died in a fiery car crash, his myth was born. And his forever-young-cool-and-beautiful image lives on.
- Passaic County briefs: Clifton concert marks milestone in the series (2nd item)
By TARA KANE
(Bergen Record, August 26, 2001)
Before the music begins, tonight's concert at Main Memorial Park, Clifton, will be recognized as the 50th performance since the series began. At 7:15 p.m., city officials will briefly thank the residents and organizations that have contributed to the success of the concert series, which started in 1997. The performance will be the last one held this summer. The Boisterous Banjos, a dixieland band will play today. They encourage the crowd to sing-along. Past performances have included an Elvis tribute band, as well as country, polka, and jazz groups. Additionally, crowds have numbered in the hundreds, according to an organizer of the program.
- Blues and roots: the spirit of 78 - Marshall Wyatt's love of the fiddle sticks
By Jonathan Perry
(Boston Globe Online, August 26, 2001)
Most people are lucky if they experience one epiphany that changes life forever. Marshall Wyatt, founder of the Old Hat Enterprises record label in Raleigh, N.C., had two. As a kid growing up there during the 1960s, Wyatt was like any other teenager with an ear constantly tuned to rock 'n' roll. Early on, he liked Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley, and subsequently became enamored of British Invasion groups such as the Yardbirds and the Kinks. But in 1967, Wyatt heard an album that changed everything: an LP collection of pre-World War II blues artists simply titled ''The Country Blues.'' He says the record was an ''awakening.''
- Viva Lord Vegas
By Christopher Reed
(The Bulletin, August 21, 2001, pp. 38-9)
The cult that surrounds the King may be developing into a bone fide religion. Call it Elvism, the Preslytarian Church, Presleyanity, or a term yet to be coined, but it bears unmistakable sings of a cult changing into a recognisable faith. It has already passed one major hurdle, acceptance by a new generation: large numbers of the 30,000 worshippers at the aptly name Graceland are young, many born after Presley's death.
- SA town hosts Elvis show anniversary of death
(ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News Online, August 19, 2001)
It seems "the king" really is alive, at least in South Australia's Victor Harbour. Elvis fever has gripped the town this weekend, with fans arriving from all over the state, and even from Victoria, to participate in the Festival of the King, commemorating the 24th anniversary of Elvis' death. Tourism Victor Harbor's John Koutsikas, says the main events today are attracting a lot of interest. "We believe it'll be the largest Elvis impersonator competition held in South Australia. "We've got over 20 Elvis impersonators vying for a $1,000 first prize cheque," Mr Koutsikas said. "We have a rock and roll garage with classic American cars and rock and roll dancing, we've got a very large memorabilia show."
- Side' Byrnes keys Elvis Night
By Jim Van Vliet
(Sacramento Bee, August 17, 2001, p. 1)
Eric "Side" Byrnes was King on Elvis Night. While the River Cats were honoring the 24th anniversary of Elvis Presley's passing on a gorgeous Raley Field evening, Byrnes played a little "Heartbreak Hotel" for the New Orleans Zephyrs. Byrnes displayed his whole game Thursday night. He went 4 for 4, reaching base five times. He belted his 16th homer, scored three runs and knocked in two as the red-hot Cats clubbed New Orleans 8-1.
- 24 years on and Elvis still pulls a crowd
By Nick Gentle and Daniel Landon
(Canberra Times, August 17, 2001, p. 1)
Photograph by Peter Wells
Reproduced here with permission from the Canberra Times
A front page article on Elvis centered around a Candlelight Tribute memorial service to Elvis held in Belconnen, Canberra, on August 16th 2001. Interviews are reported with Susan, Karin and Mandy, all members of Elvis First, in which they discuss why Elvis is still so popular today.
- Koizumi and the King
(BBC News, August 16, 2001)
Japanese fans are marking the day Elvis died. Many people make compilations of favourite songs but it takes a prime minister to get a nationwide audience for them - which is exactly what is about to happen in Japan. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's personal selection of favourite Elvis Presley songs is to be launched by a record company on Wednesday as a CD. The BMG Funhouse, Inc record label makes no secret of wanting to cash in on the PM's popularity with "Junichiro Koizumi Presents: My Favourite Elvis Songs". And if the CD does not add to the King of Rock and Roll's already huge popularity in Japan, it may do wonders for his number one fan after a tricky week in politics. Anniversary tribute: "The CD wouldn't have been released if Mr Koizumi wasn't the prime minister," BMG Funhouse spokesman Katsumi Miyata admitted. BMG seems to hope that having the prime minister's blessing - the front cover shows a photo of his smiling face - will do wonders for sales. "We are expecting that this Elvis CD would also attract fans of Mr Koizumi," Mr Miyata said. According to one report, Mr Koizumi even found time to write the sleeve-notes for the album, which, the record company said, commemorates the 24th anniversary of Presley's death. The initial run for the 25-track CD, which is to be released only in Japan and will sell for just over $20, is 50,000 units.
- Japan's PM picks favourite Elvis songs for compilation
(canoe, August 16, 2001)
Elvis Presley fans in Japan will soon get to hear a collection of standards picked by the country's wildly popular prime minister. The disc, Junichiro Koizumi Presents: My Favorite Elvis Songs, will hit Japanese record shops Aug. 22, said Katsumi Miyata, a spokesman for BMG Funhouse Inc., a subsidiary for international music company BMG. The 25-song CD, commemorating the 24th anniversary of Presley's death in August 1977, will only be released in Japan and the record company plans an initial shipment of 50,000 discs. Prime Minister Koizumi's birthday is on the same day as Elvis' - January 8th.
- King still rockin': Fans of Elvis Presley all shook up over their hero
(canoe / Toronto Sun, August 16, 2001)
Elvis lives. At least he does today, in the hearts of tens of thousands showing their tender love for the King on the 24th anniversary of his death. Refusing to let the memory go, fans again flocked to Graceland, the white-columned mansion in Memphis, for the annual "Dead Elvis Week" pilgrimage that marks the anniversary of Presley's death on Aug. 16, 1977. The highlight event is tonight's Candle Vigil. For the second consecutive year, a global audience will be able to go online beginning at 9:45 p.m. and tune in to the annual vigil on the Presley estate's Web page at www.elvis.com.
- THE WONDER OF YOU (AT 66)
By JASON BOTCHFORD
(nme.com, August 16, 2001)
University of St Andrews (Scotland) staff have done a computer-based facial construction of Elvis and produced an unflattering image of how he would look if alive today. They say: "Elvis would have been 66 today." [!!!!]
- The King is dead, long live the King's selling power
By Julian Lewis
(The Australian, August 15, 2001, p. 11)
Outlines, in a somewhat sneering manner, Elvis-related events over the past year and how Elvis is still big business. He mentions the cancelled Australian tour of Elvis The Concert, but seems to have missed Elvis: That's The Way It Is, which also has Elvis on a big screen. But then, Elvis was thin in 1970, which would spoil Lewis' angle.
Picture caption to a 1973 picture of a thin Elvis: "The fat guy in the jumpsuit: Presley"
- Och, mon, we were wrong (2nd item)
(Belconnen Chronicle, p. 2, August 14, 2001)
A candlelight memorial service to mark the 24th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley will be held at Tobin Brothers, Belconnen on Thursday 16th August. ... We don't expect the jumpsuited one will be there, although he will apparently be the MC at an Elvis Karaoke Night at the Canberra Irish Club, Weston, Saturday, August 18, at 7 pm.
- I'll be next Elvis: Skase
By FIONA HUDSON
(news.com.au, August 14, 2001)
IN a final, death-bed interview, Christopher Skase predicted he would become the next Elvis Presley. "I can see what will happen already, though," he said. "People don't believe I'm ill, so they'll hardly believe I'm dead, will they? ... There'll be more sightings of me than Elvis." The dying fugitive also revealed he had made peace with God. "Lately, I have felt the need to talk to God and make peace and deal with som basic issues," he told New Idea only days before he died.
- Provocative 'Cooking With Elvis' lights up Wellfleet
By Ed Siegel
(Boston Globe, August 9, 2001)
Americans aren't the only species for whom Elvis Presley is a transcendent figure. Take the northern English family of Lee Hall's biting comedy ''Cooking With Elvis'' at the Wellfleet Theatre. Dad was an Elvis impersonator until a traffic accident left him paralyzed and his only escape from near-vegetation is to live on as Elvis in his mind. For Hall, who wrote the film ''Billy Elliot,'' Presley is also a messianic figure. ... For all the quotes from the British press - ''a work of wonderful bad taste''; ''a searingly, filthily funny play'' - ''Cooking With Elvis'' feels awfully tame for too long. ... There is some talk about transferring this play to a commercial venue in Boston. Similar attempts to move ''Killer Joe'' and ''Beauty Queen'' fell through because of unfortunate circumstances. ''Cooking With Elvis'' isn't as gourmet a meal as those two productions, but it might be sufficiently tasty if it's brought to a quicker boil.
- Elvis leaves the building and hits the streets
(Kansas City Star, August 8, 2001)
The annual downtown Elvis Parade, presented by KYYS-FM, starts at noon Friday. The parade started as a joke 14 years ago, with maybe eight people in attendance. Here it is, 2001, and the crowd has grown to nearly 20,000. The parade includes a two-block march around the Barney Allis Plaza complete with Elvis floats, a post-parade party, Benny "Boom-Boom" Koske, a
human cannonball, blowing himself up in an Elvis-style coffin and Jennifer, the Watson's "Hot Tub" girl, as the grand marshal.
- Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll: VH1 special in a nutshell
By KEVIN D. THOMPSON
(Philadelphia Daily News, August 7, 2001)
FROM THE WAIST DOWN: MEN, WOMEN & MUSIC, 10 p.m., VH1.
From Elvis Presley gyrating on the "Ed Sullivan Show" to Jennifer Lopez shaking her rear in a steamy video. Music and sex. Sex and music. It's been that way for five decades. In fact, rock 'n' roll has often been called the mating call of the 20th century. The five-part series, which began last night and continues through Friday, is basically "Behind the Music" minus the heart-tugging tragedies, drug overdoses and sappy music. Essentially, the series gives VH1 an excuse to show hot video clips while getting engaging talking heads to wax poetic.
- There's a chair up there (5th item)
(Belconnen Chronicle, page 2, August 7, 2001)
The death of Christopher Skase will no doubt throw up plenty of Elvis-type conspiracy theories as to whether he is actually dead. ... Although many Elvis fans cling desperately to the hope they say him at a 7-Eleven [ie, supermarket] last week, we can't imagine too many people hoping the same in relation to the failed businessman.
- New look at rock 'n' roll king (film review)
By Dougal MacDonald
(Canberra Times, page 12, August 7, 2001)
Elvis: Tha't The Way It Is - 4 star rating
The film swept away negative expectations. It concentrates on Presley's musicianship ... adding a generous dash of Presley showmanship and personality. While it is not great cinema in any intellectual or sociological sense, it is a triumph of film vault research and editing. ... Never having seen him [Elvis] on screen when he was alive, this was a[s] good a filmic introduction to him as I might have wished for.
- Celebrities stick with us
(USA Today / Marketing Evaluations August 5, 2001)
Not even death can end the career of some celebrities. Top 10 personalities of the past, based on their familiarity and appeal. 1. Lucille Ball; 2. Charles Schulz; 3. John Wayne; 4. Jimmy Stewart; 5. Red Skelton; 6. Jackie Gleason; 7. Alfred Hitchcock; 8. Elvis Presley; 9. The Three Stooges; 10. Walter Matthau.
- Cage turns into cubist to get inside character
By Josh Chetwynd and Andy Seiler
(USA Today, page 2E, August 3, 2001)
Nicolas Cage's secret to his success is to be "Master painter". ''I try to become a painting,'' Cage says. ''I learn from visuals, whether it be comic book art or Warhol or Botticelli, because film is a visual medium." ... Even Cage's infatuation with Elvis Presley, which has culminated with a romance with daughter Lisa Marie, fits this painterly pattern. ''I was trying to do an Andy Warhol-style performance in Wild at Heart,'' says Cage, whose Honeymoon in Vegas featured Presley wannabes. ''Andy would take these icons, like Elvis, and then color over them. I thought, 'How can you do that with acting?' I thought, 'Do what you're not supposed to do: imitate.' The first rule in (acting teacher) Stanislavsky is do not mimic. So I mimicked Elvis.''
- Elvis Presley Mural Painted Over
(Excite news, August 1, 2001)
A mural intended to preserve an old band shell in a city park has been painted over because it depicted Elvis Presley surrounded by religious symbols. The artwork, which a Baptist youth group put up, appeared over the stage of the city amphitheater where Presley made his first concert appearance. It showed a likeness of Presley surrounded by a cross, a menorah and the Star of David. The religious symbols raised questions about whether the painting was appropriate on public property. Carey Hoffman, Memphis administrator of museums, said the city had not authorized a change in the Overton Park Shell's appearance. "It was decided to return it to its original form," Hoffman said. The amphitheater is maintained and informally overseen by a civic group called Save Our Shell. Group spokesman Scott Banbury said the mural was painted over Monday after city leaders complained about it. Banbury said a Baptist youth group got permission to paint the mural as a community project earlier this month. It was not clear in advance that the art would contain religious symbols, he said. Presley appeared at the shell in 1954 in a show that Slim Whitman headlined. His name was listed on the concert bill as "Ellis Presley."
- Play that sexy music . . .
(USA Today, August 1, 2001)
Quotes the music magazine Blender, August/September issue, which ranks the 50 sexiest artists of all time. The top 10 are: 1. Britney Spears; 2. Jennifer Lopez; 3. Madonna; 4. Debbie ''Blondie'' Harry; 5. Robert Plant; 6. Mariah Carey; 7. Beyonce Knowles; 8. Elvis Presley; 9. Prince; 10. Tina Turner.
- Elvis aids burn victims
(Belconnen Chronicle, August 1, 2001, p. 15)
Announces the charity premiere of the film That's The Way It Is on August 2nd 2001 at the Centre Cinema, Canberra. The premiere will raise funds to buy equipment to treat children with serious scalds and burns at Canberra Hospital. "Elvis" will arrive in a 1961 stretch Cadillac and receive red carpet treatment. The premiere is organised by the Master Plumbers Association of the ACT.
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