late January 2002
- Stars In Their Eyes to feature Noel Gallagher mimic
(
Ananova, January 31, 2002)
The new series of Stars In Their Eyes will feature a Noel Gallagher impersonator. It will also feature impressions of Elvis Presley, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Bono, Bob Geldof and Geri Halliwell. No broadcast date has yet been set for the new series. It will be the first time the Oasis star has been impersonated on the show. Elvis has been impersonated on the talent show 12 times before - once by former EastEnders star Marc Bannerman in a celebrity special.
- Dice were loaded for Elvis's heart
(
BBC, January 31, 2002)
Report based on the article below which originally appeared in The Australian.
- Elvis's death nothing to do with diet, says new research
(
Ananova, January 31, 2002)
Elvis Presley's death may have had nothing to do with eating junk food in later life, according to new research. It says his low birthweight and poverty-stricken childhood made him a prime candidate for heart problems. Elvis died in 1977 aged 42, after being found unconscious on his Memphis bathroom floor. His cause of death was said to be 'cardiac arrhythmia,' though he was obese and on dozens of prescription drugs. British researcher George Davey-Smith told The Australian [newspaper]: "Elvis had a very low birthweight, being the survivor of twins, and was raised in abject and grinding poverty. "We also know that people who have a low birthweight and low childhood weight who become obese in later life are at substantially greater risk of cardiovascular disease." He claims a UK study has shown poorer people are up to three times more susceptible to heart disease, stroke and many other diseases. Heart Foundation medical director Andrew Tonkin added: "I don't know you could say Elvis was destined to die from a heart-related problem, but certainly the dice was loaded. "We do know from our own research in Australia that there is a strong link between disadvantage and ill-health."
- Elvis has not left the building: L.A. Film School works to keep the King's memory alive
By Elizabeth Schneider
(Los Angeles Independent News, January 30, 2002)
With everything Los Angeles has to offer music lovers, the city is still missing something -- an Elvis Presley Square. There's a Carmen Miranda Square and a Raymond Chandler Square, and now, proponents say, it's time for the King to have his own. Trying to make that happen is none other than the L.A. Film School, which made a concerted effort last year to pay homage to the man who did most of his recording at the school site, the former home of RCA recording studios. According to the archive department at Graceland, Elvis' palatial estate in Tennessee, Elvis recorded the soundtrack for "G.I. Blues" at 6363 Sunset Blvd. in 1960. He continued to record on the soundstages until 1975.
- "Elvis Has Just Left the Building - Urban Legends / Contemporary Myths"
(www.absolutearts.com, January 25, 2002)
Exhibition 2002-01-26 until 2002-02-24, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth, WA, Australia
Elvis Has Just Left the Building features existing and newly produced work by 11 international artists foregrounding the cultural myths that have left their mark on popular imagination. The wide array of interventions sets out to examine the origins and motives of firmly rooted collective beliefs, fears and expectations. Sightings of extinct animals, conspiracy theories, UFO abductions, the ubiquitous Elvis apparitions and other compelling myths from Australia and abroad are among the topics tackled by the participants. Shifting from truth to fiction and back again, the show attempts to unravel our manifold apprehensions and misreadings of which urban legends are the fantastic echo. Elvis Has Just Left the Building will be set off with a unique event staged in the legendary mining town of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Strongman Georges Christen from Luxembourg will perform his amazing PowerShow at Kalgoorlie Hotel / Judd's Pub at 9pm on Friday February 1st.
- Levitt Arena's tunnel has seen everything from Elvis to elephants in its 47 years
By Bob Lutz
(Wichita Eagle, January 25, 2002)
Levitt Arena is scheduled for a $25 million renovation after the basketball season. Wichita State police captain John Davis has been stationed at the Arena tunnel for 32 years. He has seen virtually everything that has gone on there. "From elephants to basketball players,'' Davis said. ... "I remember escorting Elvis Presley from his hotel room to the arena,'' Davis said. "After his show, I had a brand new 1972 Harley-Davidson sitting near the back entrance of the tunnel. Elvis told me I could ride in his limo if I let him ride that motorcycle.'' That didn't happen, but Davis followed Presley's entourage to the airport, where he let him take a spin on his Harley as a private plane waited to whisk Presley away.
- Disney signs Elvis Presley deal
(BBC, January 24, 2002)
Visitors to Elvis' Graceland home have fallen. Record executives are hoping to interest a young audience in Elvis Presley after signing a deal with Disney for a film soundtrack, say reports. The King's music will be included on the forthcoming animated movie Lilo and Stich - and a greatest hits album is also expected, according to the New York Post.
RCA Records hope to introduce Presley to those who were not alive when he was at the height of his career, and echo the success of the Beatles' album 1, which has sold eight million copies. RCA owns the rights to the Presley back catalogue and has signed a deal with Disney to have his songsfeatured on the soundtrack. The movie is due for release in the US in the summer and tells the story of a young Hawaiian girl who idolises the King's music.
The deal is also expected to include a tie-in with McDonald's and a video game, to promote the late star among 15 to 24-year-olds. A range of Presley merchandise is also set to be produced including 1950s-style clothing from the Lansky Brothers, who created the singer's own outfits when he first hit the bigtime. An album of his top 50 songs was released in the UK in 2000, selling well thanks to a massive publicity campaign.
But Presley's star has apparently begun to fade in the US with a 15% slump in tourists visiting his Graceland home in 2001, forcing staff redundancies. Just 1.4m of his records were sold there last year. Marketing experts are split as to whether a comeback could be successful 25 years after he died at his home in Memphis Tennessee.
Richard Leonard, vice-president of youth marketing firm Zandl, does not believe it will work. "Very few young people are interested in performers from the past," he said "And very, very few appreciate the kitsch or camp factor. I see no potential for Elvis for Generation Y." But Donnie Deutsch, head of advertising agency Deutsch Incorporated, said: "People are looking back to simpler times. He's a poster boy for all that. "Elvis is one of the pop culture figures of the 20th Century."
- The King's Coming Back
(Sky.com, January 24, 2002)
Record company bosses are hoping to bring Elvis back to life by winning him a new 21st century audience. The King, who would be 67 if he had lived, is to feature on a Disney soundtrack and a promotional album of 30 greatest hits. RCA Records, which owns the rights to Elvis Presley's music, is reported to have agreed to his songs being used as the soundtrack to Disney's latest animated film, Lilo and Stitch. The film, which is due to be released in America this summer, tells the story of a Hawaiian girl who loves the King's music. With the help of a video game and a promotional toy tie-in with McDonald's, RCA hopes the film will kickstart the music's appeal to 15 to 24-year-olds. Other efforts to market Elvis to the grandchildren of his first fans will include a line of 1950s-style clothing from the Lansky brothers, who produced the drape jackets and baggy trousers Presley wore when he first became a star.
- 21st Century Elvis: He's been dead nearly 25 years - but marketing gurus are trying to bring Elvis back to life as a pop music hero for teenagers
By Mary Huhn
(Fox News, January 24, 2002)
Last year Elvis sold an anemic 1.4 million albums - from his entire catalog - as against 8 million by the Beatles. RCA is planning a marketing campaign to reach 15-to-24 year olds, teaming up with a number of international brands to keep Elvis' name in the spotlight. But selling Elvis - who'd be 67 today - to teens may be a more difficult task than anyone realizes. Tourism to Graceland, which his wife Priscilla opened to the public in 1982, dropped 15 percent last year. "Very few young people are interested in performers from the past," declares Richard Leonard, a vice president with Zandl, a youth marketing research firm. "And very, very few appreciate the kitsch or camp factor. I see no potential for Elvis for Generation Y." Yet others say the King could benefit from the current craze for all things nostalgic. "People are looking back to simpler times. He's a poster boy for all that," says Donnie Deutsch, head of ad agency Deutsch Inc. "Elvis is one of the pop culture figures of the 20th century. There's Marilyn, Elvis, JFK and Ali. They'll never go out of style."
- Subway Elvis [film review]
By Kevin Griffin
(Vancouver Sun, January 23, 2002)
Subway Elvis is gritty, real and raw. It'sthe kind of documentary that you can't help but watch once its got its visual hooks in you. At first, you think it'll follow a traditional narrative about the wrongful conviction and ultimate triumph of Subway, a.k.a. Michael McTaggart. The spawn of a wealthy Toronto family, Subway combines the unlikely skills of playing golf and impersonating Elvis Presley. Over the years, Subway became a local Toronto "character" for singing Jailhouse Rock and other Elvis classics in the city's subway. Subway's an addict who has had minor run-ins with the law. He's got the kind of personality that makes him difficult if not impossible to deal with. You might think a documentary with such an unsympathetic victim would be doomed from the start. But Subway Elvis is full of great behind-the-scenes moments that keep you riveted to the screen.
- Tusculum Speaker Urges Practicing King's Principles
(Greeneville Sun , January 22, 2002)
Dr. Charlton was the featured speaker on Monday at Tusculum College's celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. When he was growing up in Radford, Va., he recalled, two very different men were his heroes: singer Elvis Presley and civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Charlton said he briefly followed in Presley's footsteps during high school days when he worked as a rock-and-roll singer. In later years, however, he followed more closely the pathway of Dr. King as a minister and community leader. Today he is a city commissioner in Johnson City, and for 24 years has pastored the Friendship Baptist Church there.
- SUPPORT FOR ELVIS DRAWS FAN'S RAVES (Letter to the Editor)
(DJournal, January 21, 2002)
As I listened to the presentation of "Elvis at 13," my heart swelled with pride and emotion as I tried to get my mind around the life of Tupelo's most famous son. I have often wondered how anyone could rise from such a humble beginning to be one of the most beloved people in the history of the world. I found the answer written in the guest register at the birthplace gift shop. A fan wrote, "Elvis' name will never be as big as his heart was." It is the heart of Elvis that causes people the world over to be drawn to him and that heart was formed right here in Tupelo. I believe that his heart was one that was devoted to his faith, his family, his friends and his fans. All of us here in Tupelo and Lee County should take pride in the fact that the heart of Elvis reflects the values of all the good people in our area.
- Fair will honor Elvis, who first rattled us in 1956
By Logan Jenkins
(www.signonsandiego.com, January 21, 2002)
This summer's San Diego County Fair will pay tribute to Elvis, the most promiscuously forged celebrity in our, or anyone else's history. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Presley's drug-soaked death ... the Fair is dipping deeping into pop culture's richest cornucopia of kitsch. Gentlemen, spray your pompadours. ... Come summer, Elvis impersonators will camp it up on all 10 of the Fair's stages. Elvis' forgettable movies will be screened on Huge-O-Vision at the Paddock every night. ... As Elvis -- or one of his clownish clones -- could tell you, timing is everything.
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- Twitchers seek Elvis of birding
By Philip Delves Broughton
(Telegraph, January 21, 2002)
SIX American birdwatchers are splashing through the marshlands of Louisiana in search of "the ghost of the southern swamps": a woodpecker officially deemed extinct. Experts believe that the ivory-billed woodpecker, which once swooped through forests from the Caribbean to America's southern states, died out 60 years ago. But every few years hunters and birdwatchers report seeing it or hearing its shrill, repetitive cry. It has become the yeti or, given its southern roots, the Elvis of birding. The ivory-bill is easily confused with the common pileated woodpecker and scientists grew tired of following up false sightings.
- Japanese find solace in Elvis and "Rabu me tenda"
By Tim Hornyak
(Japan Today, January 20, 2002)
Hundreds of Elvis fans were at Tokyo's Kudan Kaikan hall Jan 13 to celebrate the Memphis singer's Jan 8 birthday. These days, many Japanese weary of a decade of economic woes are finding solace in the soul music of the King of Rock and Roll, and his popularity is showing no signs of diminishing 24 years after his death in 1977. "His music consoles me, and I feel comforted when I listen to his songs," said Yamaguchi, who traveled to Tokyo from the southwest to participate in an Elvis singing contest at the birthday gathering. "I love him because of his heart and soul and his beautiful voice." The contest's panel of judges included Masaya Koizumi, the brother of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and a senior advisor to the roughly 5,000-member Elvis Presley Fan Club (Tokyo), a co-sponsor of the event, as well as noted music critic Reiko Yukawa.
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