- Keith Eason has images of Elvis all over his body
(BBC, October 30, 2001)
A Derbyshire man obsessed with Elvis Presley has had images of the American performer tattooed all over his body. Keith Eason from Alfreton in Derbyshire, England, is so devoted to Elvis that he has 19 tattoos, mostly portraits, spread all over his back. The tattoos took 40 sessions - spread over four years - to complete and cost an estimated £2,000.
- Collector cars carry out-of-reach prices
By MATT NAUMAN
(Mercury News, October 28, 2001)
The two-day Pacific Classic was the first live auction from eBay Motors, the division of the San Jose company that sells cars and car parts through online auctions. The event was staged by Kruse International, a company that has staged auto auctions for three decades and is now part of eBay. Although no celebrities were in sight at the Pacific Classic, it was a name-dropper's nirvana. Here was Mike Tyson's Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible up for bid. Here's a Reggie Jackson car. There's a Duesenberg driven by Elvis Presley in the movie "Spinout'' many years ago.
- Tennessee prison is Hollywood's favorite backdrop for movies like 'The Last Castle'
By MARTA W. ALDRICH
(Kansas City Star / Associated Press, October 26, 2001)
The century-old Tennessee State Penitentiary on the banks of the Cumberland River has served as a movie backdrop, most recently for "The Last Castle," starring Robert Redford. Among the prison's former inmates was James Earl Ray, the confessed killer of Martin Luther King Jr. Visitors included Elvis Presley, who came in 1961 to see convicted rapist Johnny Bragg, whose R&B group the Prisonaires recorded with legendary Sun Records producer Sam Phillips.
- Little Richard still rockin' and going-on 70
By DOUG NYE
(Philadelphia Daily News, October 24, 2001)
Elvis may have introduced rock 'n' roll to a wide audience, but it was Little Richard who - as they say in sports - took it to another level. Whenever he rushed onstage, the house rocked and rocked some more. Little Richard sang, shouted and jumped his way through such energetic numbers as "Long Tall Sally," "Rip It Up" and "Tutti Frutti." Anyone in the audience who sat still during those numbers needed his pulse checked. More than 40 years later, Little Richard - born Richard Wayne Penniman - is still rocking.
- Jerry Presley swears Elvis wrote part of new book
By HEARNE CHRISTOPHER JR.
(Kansas City Star, October 23, 2001)
Jerry Presley, the King's self-proclaimed second cousin of Kansas City, claims that Elvis is alive and that there's a book out by Donald Hinton about the truth about Elvis, written (in part) by Elvis: "The Truth About Elvis Aron Presley: In His Own Words" (American Literary Press, US$12.95). A description on the bookseller Amazon.com says: "It presents the events of Elvis Aron Presley's last 24 years as told to him by 'The King' himself through a collection of handwritten letters and cards, telephone conversations and photos since his death in 1977." What's more, Elvis has been living in seclusion as Jesse, the name of his deceased twin brother, all this time, the book contends. Todd Morgan of Elvis Presley Enterprises is skeptical about the book.
Other news: Lisa Marie's new CD on Java/Capitol should be released in early 2003. Also, Lisa Marie was caught up in this year's "Summer of the Shark." The National Enquirer ran a Sept. 25 story, "Lisa Marie Shark Attack Terror. Romantic Cruise with Nicolas Cage Is Cut Short." Complete with photos of Cage and Lisa Marie. Memo to folks who think Lisa Marie sleeps over at Graceland and that's why the upstairs is closed to the public: "No, she doesn't," Morgan says. "She selects a hotel in the area." The upstairs is closed because "Lisa doesn't want it open," Morgan says. "The upstairs was Elvis' private place, and she likes to keep it that way."
- Anthrax leads to Superfund designation
(Seattle Times, October 22, 2001)
The shuttered headquarters of American Media became the nation's latest Superfund site yesterday as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a plan to rid the building of anthrax. The Superfund designation means the federal government will pick up the bill to clean up the offices, said Fred Stroud, the EPA's on-scene coordinator for the project. It is the first civilian biocontamination cleanup the EPA has handled. Multiple agencies, many from the military, will help in the effort. They will rely on more than 50 experts in biological-weapons defense, chemistry, hazardous- materials response and others. In their toolbox will be tests available only to the military, as well as government-developed disinfectants never before tried in the field. The job will involve assessing the extent of the contamination, testing spores for susceptibility to several disinfectants, cleaning the building and testing afterward to ensure the spores are dead or eliminated. Part of the challenge will be preserving items that American Media's tabloids, The National Enquirer and The Star, are eager to preserve, such as photo archives that include shots of nude celebrities and Elvis Presley in his casket.
- Talking Heads, R.E.M. album cover artist dead at 84
(Canoe, October 22, 2001)
The Rev. Howard Finster, a folk artist who created sermons in paint that were featured on the covers of rock albums and in galleries worldwide, died Monday of congestive heart failure. He was 84. Finster, a Baptist minister since his teens, began his art career in his late 40s, creating works that ranged from wooden cutouts to paintings to assemblages, many of which he adorned with messages like "Hell is a hell of a place" in block letters. He often used pop culture icons such as the Coca-Cola bottle, Cadillacs and Elvis Presley in his work. "When Christ called his disciples, he called fishermen, he didn't call nobody from a qualified university," Finster said in a 1990 magazine interview. "He used common people to reveal parables. That's what I do. I use Elvis because I'm a fan of Elvis. Elvis was a great guy. By using him I get people's attention and they read my messages."
- Ancient Egypt -- the Disney version: Tim Rice talks about Elton John and the road to 'Aida'
By Marcus Crowder
(Sacramento Bee, October 21, 2001)
The banner heading on the Web site of lyricist Tim Rice notes he had one song recorded by Elvis Presley and zero good reviews in the New York Times. It's a bit of good-natured self-deprecation by the hugely successful tunesmith from England. Among others, Rice has worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Disney, ABBA members Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, and Elton John.
- 'Mexican Elvis' Rocks; SCOTS Grounded in Moonshine, Fried Chicken
By Dan Nailen
(Salt Lake Tribune, October 20, 2001)
There has been no shortage of interesting performers coming through Utah recently. Some noteworthy acts seen by Tribune reviewers: El Vez, The Zephyr Club, Oct. 6: El Vez -- "the Mexican Elvis" -- put on a rockin' revival show at the Zephyr, returning with his long-running "Gospel Tour" and supporting his new album, "Boxing With God." Sporting a gravity-defying pompadour and Magic Marker mustache, El Vez (real name: Robert Lopez) tore through a dynamic 90-minute set that cleverly melded Elvis Presley tunes, Latino empowerment and pan-denominational religious themes. Some of his Presley covers (like "Huarches Azules," a.k.a. "Blue Suede Shoes") are fairly straight, while others rework lyrics to celebrate such aspects of Latino life as car culture ("C.C. Rider" becomes "Si, I'm a Lowrider") and the Aztec god Quetzalcoatal (set to "Heartbreak Hotel," the chorus goes "He was an Aztec, baby/ He could have been Jesus/ He was an Aztec who could fly"). El Vez's playful exuberance and pull-out-the-stops showmanship glorify all faiths -- including the Church of Rock 'n' Roll.
- ART SHOW REVIEW: Three for provoking
By CAPRICE STAPLEY
(Kansas City Star, October 18, 2001)
The Morgan Gallery's current three-man exhibit presents a mesmerizing array of provocative etchings, lithographs, drawings and sculpture. Nick Bubash's mixed-media "Spirit of Cooperation" immediately greets viewers to the gallery. A tattoo artist turned fine artist who graduated from
the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Bubash informs his work, skillfully executed in a variety of mediums, with a melange of cultures harmoniously blended together. His work in this show ranges from tongue-in-cheek paintings like "Elvis in Heaven," complete with links of dripping sausages, to portraits of performers like "Tattooed Guy," who peacefully gazes outward amid a display of fireworks, a big tent and a Ferris wheel.
- Red Shoe Diary
By Julia Chiapella
(Metro, October 18-24, 2001)
Ballet San Jose's artistic director Dennis Nahat rescued the Royal Danish Ballet's 1998 production of "The Red Shoes" or "Legs of Fire" from its date with the dumpster. Nahat was able to acquire the ballet for the opening slot of Ballet San Jose's 2001-02 season - where it will make its American premiere. Royal Danish Ballet director and choreography Flemming Flindt's "Red Shoes" is based on a trilogy of sources: the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name, the 1948 film classic starring Moira Shearer, and the brief but brilliant life of Royal Danish Ballet dancer Elna Lassen. Pointing to the universality of the theme, Nahat said Red Shoes will resonate with everyone, whether they be dancer or politician. "It's a theme that runs through our industry, the artist that isn't understood. It's the Marilyn Monroe story; it's the Elvis story. We have politicians who want to do more but aren't understood and they're stopped somewhere," he said. "They're in the red shoes."
- Chuck Berry celebrates 75th birthday in style
By JIM SUHR
(Canoe / Associated Press, October 17, 2001)
Chuck Berry is to celebrate his 75th birthday Thursday at the Pageant, a club in his hometown of St. Louis. One of rock 'n' roll's most important architects, Berry pioneered a musical revolution that began decades ago when couples bopped to his guitar-driven hits like "Maybellene," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Rock and Roll Music" and "No Particular Place To Go." He helped inspire Elvis and the Beatles, was inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters halls of fame and last year got one of the nation's highest awards as a Kennedy Center Honor recipient. "I think he's enduring," says Little Richard, who with Berry was among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986. "I think he's a great songwriter, great entertainer and one of the greatest businessmen -- black or white -- in the business. He knows what he's doing."
- McCartney joins VH1 benefit to 'help out' Firefighters' heroism stirs pride for 'me dad'
By Edna Gundersen
(USA Today, October 17, 2001, Page 1D)
Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney is one of the leading attractions lined up for Saturday's all-star Benefit Concert for New York City. ''It's a marathon, a bit of an epic,'' he says. ''The hope is to raise a lot of money and a few spirits. For me, it's a chance to stand up and be counted for democracy. A blow of this magnitude against freedom is unacceptable. I wanted to put my feelings somewhere and help out. ''I personally think music plays a big part in the healing process. People find solace and comfort in music. t can be good for your soul. As a kid, I remember how listening to an Elvis Presley record would instantly get rid of a headache.''
- Shotgun Wedding: Fall turkey hunting is nothing to brag about, except when you shoot a turkey
By Joel M. Vance, illustrated by Mark Raithel
(Missouri Conservationist Online, October 14, 2001)
A discussion of Spring versus Autumn turkey hunting, and how Vance shot two turkeys for thanksgiving while busy with his son's wedding plans. In his camouflage gear and carrying his gun, he hid behind a tree and used his mouth caller to make a "lost turkey hen" call. 'The lost hen call is different from the lovesick spring call where you pour into each passionate series of yelps all the affection-starved emotion of Elvis crooning "Falling In Love With You".'
- Directors Can Inflict the Unkindest Cuts of All
By SEAN P. MEANS, e-mail: movies@sltrib.com
(Salt Lake Tribune, October 14, 2001)
Last month I wrote a column about the late B-movie entrepreneur Samuel Z. Arkoff, and I must say I wasn't too happy with the results. The column was OK, I guess. But I had so much more that I wanted to say. I had written another 100 words detailing the socio-political ramifications of "Beach Blanket Bingo," plus three paragraphs examining the influence Michael Landon's hair in "I Was a Teen-Age Werewolf" had on Elvis Presley -- and, by extension, Duran Duran and the Backstreet Boys. In the next few weeks, I plan to rewrite my Arkoff column, as soon as my editors can promise me an entire page in which to print the uncut version. Oh, no, I've been infected by Director's Cut Syndrome (DCS).
- Happy days ARIA again
By BRENDAN SHANAHAN
(Sunday Telegraph / Australian News Network, October 14, 2001)
Shanahan dislikes the Strokes. Among his comments: "And was I the only one to notice that Alex Lloyd is looking a little like a Blue Hawaii-period Elvis?"
- 2,500-pound sundae is a weighty issue at MSU
By STEVE SCHRADER with ALISON BOYCE COTSONIKA
(Detroit Free Press, October 13, 2001)
One week after hosting the largest crowd ever for an outdoor ice hockey game, Michigan State opened its homecoming weekend Friday by beginning to build a 2,500-pound ice cream sundae - an event dubbed "Super Bowl Sundae IV." It's the fourth consecutive year students and faculty from the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department and Dairy Store employees attempted to build the state's largest sundae. Last year's sundae used 450 gallons of ice cream and was large enough to feed 10,000. If that sundae doesn't whet your appetite, check out the Food Network's "College Football Cafe." The show will visit tailgate parties at Louisiana State, the University of Washington and in Ann Arbor, where, according to the network's web site, "an Elvis-look-alike band of revelers at University of Michigan" will be profiled. Thus ruining our image of Michigan Stadium as a genteel espresso-drinking crowd.
- Elvis's way with words
(Telegraph, October 10, 2001)
THE world has reason to be doubly grateful that Elvis Presley did not write his own songs, if the text of a 1958 love letter he wrote to his then sweetheart, Anita Wood, is anything to judge by. "You'll never know how much I miss you, baby, and how much I want to pet you and call you 'Widdle Bitty'," he wrote from an army posting in Germany. "I haven't dated a single girl since I have been here have never and never will again love anyone like I love you sweetheart One more thing, honey, for goodness sake, please don't let anyone read this and don't say a word about this to anyone." Widdle Bitty, eh? The letter has just fetched £14,100 at auction.
- Fleetwood firm sold fake Elvis guitar, suit says
(Associated Press, October 8, 2001)
A company co-owned by Mick Fleetwood, a founder of the rock band Fleetwood Mac, has been sued by a man claiming the firm sold him a bogus Elvis Presley guitar. Comedian Gordie Brown of Reno, Nev., said in the lawsuit that he bought the guitar for nearly $63,000 through an Internet site operated by Fleetwood Owen Ltd., owned by Fleetwood and auctioneer Ted Owen. The Chet Atkins Gretsch guitar was said to be the one used by Presley during a show on the opening night of the Las Vegas International Hotel in 1969, according to the lawsuit. Brown claimed Presley's estate owns the actual guitar and houses it at Graceland, Presley's mansion in Memphis, Tenn. Neither Fleetwood Owen Ltd., based in the United Kingdom, nor Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. returned calls seeking comment. The claim, filed Sept. 25 in Santa Monica Superior Court, seeks a refund for the purchase, plus unspecified expenses.
- Our Monica, Ourselves (Book review)
By Charles Taylor
(Salon.com, October 8, 2001)
Collection of essays "Our Monica, Ourselves: The Clinton Affair and the National Interest."
Eggheads probe some seldom-explored aspects of Clinton's impeachment - class-hatred, anti-Semitism, fake prudery - with insightful results. Collectively, there were two simultaneous reactions to Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky: revulsion, and immediate certainty that the rumors were true. Clinton's surrender to his impulses became grounds for an attempt to promulgate the myth that any sex that didn't fit the accepted standard (monogamous, heterosexual intercourse) was a threat to our moral fabric and national stability. The public didn't buy the myth, and that gave the attack dogs license to lump it into the degenerate category. "The death of outrage," William Bennett said in disgust as he envisioned a populace that heard the music of Nero's fiddle (or, in this case, Elvis singing "I'm the king of the jungle, they call me Tiger Man"), and danced to the tune rather than getting their asses out of town. But the public's support for Clinton, which surprised almost everyone, from his defenders to his mostvehement opponents, is a far more complicated issue, and it's still nowhere near settled. That's the story that various writers get -- and miss -- in dribs and drabs in this collection.
- Can bin Laden be caught? Experts differ
By CHRIS FUSCO
(Sun-Times, October 8, 2001)
Opinions vary as to whether bin Laden can be found and how that might be achieved. British army veteran Major Charles Heyman, editor of Jane's World Armies, warned about faulty bin Laden sightings. "Its going to be like Elvis,'' Heyman said. "He's going to be seen in every bazaar in Afghanistan.''
- Some things you might not know about Bob Dylan
By Patrick MacDonald
(Seattle Times, October 5, 2001)
Various facts about Bob Dylan are quoted. The first is: He played piano in Bobby Vee's band in 1959, using the stage name Elston Gunn - inspired by Elvis Presley and the TV show "Peter Gunn." He got the job after claiming, falsely, that he had played in Bobby Vinton's band.
- Nationwide campaign launched to promote breast cancer awareness
By Judy Siegel and David Rudge
(Jerusalem Post, October 4, 2001)
Tel Aviv's Azrieli Towers were lit up in pink last night along with 200 other prominent buildings and locations in 40 countries as part of an effort to promote awareness of breast cancer. The project is part of the Estee Lauder Global Landmarks Illumination Initiative to mark October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Other locations illuminated in pink light during the month include the Empire State Building in New York, Niagara Falls on the Canadian border, Elvis Presley's Graceland Mansion in Tennessee, Tokyo Tower in Japan, Table Mountain in South Africa, the Tower of Pisa in Italy, the Wellington Arch in England, and the Copernicus Statue in Warsaw. The New York Times, which is normally home-delivered in blue plastic bags, is participating by being delivered this month in pink ones to mark the event.
- THE KING'S 'BEAUTIFUL' GESTURE
(www.nme.com, October 4, 2001)
ELVIS PRESLEY's classic 'AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL' is being released across the world on October 16 to raise funds for the AMERICAN RED CROSS LIBERTY DISASTER RELIEF FUND. The single will also feature live versions of 'Amazing Grace' and 'If I Can Dream'. RCA, Elvis' record company, and the Elvis Presley Estate have waived all royalties from the track, originally recorded in 1963. Approximately £2 from each UK sale will be raised. Jack Soden, president and CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc, said: "In his lifetime, Elvis always responded to people in need. If his music can bring even a moment of shelter from the pain and resources to the recovery, then his legacy will have all the meaning he could ever have hoped for."
- USPS Unveils 'Greetings From America' Postage Stamps
(U.S. Newswire, October 3, 2001)
In a move to spark renewed interest in domestic travel and to build increased pride in America, the U.S. Postal Service and the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) announced today the unveiling this week of the Greetings From America postage stamps. The stamps combine flora and fauna with local points of interest into collages that celebrate the unique character of each of the 50 states. The designs are reminiscent of the retro "large letter" postcards popular with tourists in the 1930s and 1940s. ... The Greetings From America stamps will be issued in April 2002, marking the first issuance of a pane of 50 stamps in 10 years. The Wildflowers pane of 50 stamps issued in 1992 continue to hold their place as the second most popular commemorative stamps of all time, behind the Elvis stamp.
- Political Elvis
By Sara Rimensnyder
(Reason Magazine, October 2001)
Imagine an amalgamation of Margaret Thatcher, Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, and Elvis Presley. Can't quite see it? Visit Japan. Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi -- who presides over the world's second-largest economy -- may be just such a creature. He's a privatization promoter, supply-sider, and e-zine auteur. And a rising pop culture icon. Last April, Koizumi became Japan's eighth prime minister in 10 years. Unlike his quickly dispatched predecessors, he is enjoying favorable ratings that zoom upward of 80 percent. His smile beams from T-shirts, coffee mugs, and collectible plates as Japanese citizens celebrate a leader who they hope can finally pull their nation out of its long economic slump. They also like his e-zine, Lion Heart, which boasts 1 million e-mail subscribers. In it, Koizumi discusses ministry activity but also waxes philosophical on the personal toll of political fame: "I am a 24-hour bird in a cage."
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