Early February 2002
- Meet Mr Las Vegas
By Pamela Des Barres
(Yahoo, February 14, 2002)
America is running out of icons. Let's face it: Good, old-fashioned, all-around entertainers are a rare breed. Once upon a time in Technicolor America -- Las Vegas, Nevada, to be exact -- there was a plethora of smooth, slick-suited, sugar-throated dandies gracing the stages of the Sands Hotel, the Tropicana, the Desert Inn, and the Hilton. I just thank God I saw Elvis down on his bejeweled knees before he left that building for good. ... But lest you give up on Vegas for good, there is still one entertainer that remains: Wayne Newton. ... During the Vegas slayday, Wayne spent quality time with the greats. "When I first met Elvis, we had so much in common and became fast friends. It was something I was sure would be there forever, and when he passed away, it left not only a void as a friend, but also as a fan." Wayne sings a handful of Elvis tunes almost every night. They're real crowd-pleasers. "He's still here with me; I can do his music and sing his songs. The same with Frank. We became -- thank God -- wonderful friends, and I miss him terribly, but maybe it's just part of the fantasy ... for me, they're not really gone. They're just in a different place."
- News In Brief: Gibson Will Honor Scotty Moore, Earl Scruggs (Paragraph 7)
(Country.com, February 13, 2002)
Scotty Moore, who played guitar for Elvis Presley, and Earl Scruggs, a bluegrass and banjo pioneer, will accept the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award Feb. 26 at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood. The honors are part of the annual Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards presented by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. Winners also will be named in 10 categories during an awards luncheon. Nominees for best male country guitarist are Vince Gill, Buddy Miller, Brad Paisley, Marty Stuart, Dan Tyminski and Keith Urban. Nominees for best country guitarist female are Emmylou Harris, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Emily Robison, Gillian Welch and Lucinda Williams. Willie Nelson is nominated for best male acoustic guitarist, and Lee Roy Parnell is up for best blues guitarist.
- Viva Ann-Margret!
By Adam Sandel
(San Francisco Examiner, February 12, 2002)
She skyrocketed to fame as a teenage girl smitten with an Elvis-like rock star in "Bye Bye Birdie," then seduced The King himself in "Viva Las Vegas." She wreaked havoc as a bad, bad girl in "Kitten With a Whip" -- and was immortalized as "Ann-Margrock" on "The Flintsones." She went from powerhouse Las Vegas nightclub star to Oscar-nominated dramatic actress. Her 40-year career has spanned every conceivable style of performance from low kitsch to high comedy, nightclub dazzle to serious drama, acid rock surrealism to Tennessee Williams. And now she's come to San Francisco. The City might as well go ahead and call February "Ann-Margret Month." Not only is the legendary star making her theatrical stage debut in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (running today through March 10 at the Golden Gate Theatre), but the Castro Theatre is honoring her with a gala "Evening With Ann-Margret" Feb. 22, and a screening of five of her memorable films the same weekend. ... Ann-Margret claims that the jump from playing a girl obsessed with the Elvis-esque Conrad Birdie to starring opposite Elvis himself was not as strange as one might expect. "I had never seen Elvis perform or met him until I did 'Viva Las Vegas,' " she says. "But he had seen 'Bye Bye Birdie,' " she adds. "He liked it."
- Freddy' leads nominees in worst movie awards
(CNN, February 11, 2002)
Tom Green and his film "Freddy Got Fingered" are finally getting some recognition -- but probably not the kind they were looking for. The movie, which earned scathing reviews and bombed at the box office after its release last April, was nominated for eight Razzie awards, including worst picture of the year. And Green picked up nominations for worst actor, director, screenplay and worst screen couple, the latter for "Tom Green and any animal he abuses." Contenders for the 22nd annual Razzies, organized by the 500 members of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, were announced Monday, a day before Oscar nominations come out. Razzie "winners" will be announced March 23, the eve of the Academy Awards ceremony. The other nominees for worst picture category were Sylvester Stallone's racing flick "Driven," Mariah Carey's pop-star bomb "Glitter," the war epic "Pearl Harbor" and Kevin Costner's Elvis-impersonator heist thriller "3000 Miles to Graceland."
- In the hush of the museum, good rockin' tonight
By Bob Greene
(Chicago Tribune, February 11, 2002)
... Elvis' handwritten letter to the laundry -- as I mentioned in a column here last week -- read: I should like to commend your Laundry for doing a fantastic job on my clothes, you show esceptional care. Sincerely E.P. Yes, "exceptional" was misspelled. Elvis aspired to sell records, not to win spelling bees. I happen to own that letter -- as I explained in last week's column, I bought it 10 or 15 years ago. And, as I mentioned last week, I consider it a piece of American history. So when the National Archives announced that it was sending a spectacular and deeply inspiring exhibit of the United States' most significant and precious documents to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences in Lincoln Park, I did the only patriotic thing: I offered to loan the museum Elvis' thank-you note to his laundry. Here's the unexpected part: The museum said yes.
- Recreation room is a scene out of Vegas: Pink Cadillac, Elvis part of '50s decor
By KATHLEEN LAVEY
(Detroit Free Press, February 11, 2002)
The 24-foot bar features the front end of a pink Cadillac, circa 1959, with a life-size replica of Elvis Presley lounging at one end. Stairs with copper-clad rails lead to a balcony lounge area where the walls are painted with a scene called "Aruba Street," and Marilyn Monroe stands with her skirt forever in the famed "Seven-Year Itch" pose. The triple-pink paint scheme in the rest of the room is accented by brilliant blue carpet and blue felt on the pool table and poker table. A fantasy hotel suite in Las Vegas? A restaurant in car-crazy Detroit? Nope. It's the recreation room in a private home near Holt, just south of Lansing. "I just look out here, and it makes me smile," said David Sheets, who had the room added to his house last year. "It reminds me of Vegas, and I love Vegas. It's probably one of my favorite destinations in the world."
- Singer defies odds: Teddy Pendergrass returns to concert scene
By Joel Selvin
(San Francisco Chronicle, February 10, 2002)
He wanted to be the black Elvis. He had the fancy cars, the private planes, the 34-room mansion, the beautiful women. He played to standing-room- only audiences at his special "Ladies Only" shows. But a mysterious one-car crash, after his Rolls-Royce side-swiped a center divider on a Philadelphia turnpike on his way home from a nightclub almost 20 years ago, left soul star Teddy Pendergrass paralyzed, with no use of his legs and only partial use of his arms. After 19 years in a wheelchair, Pendergrass finally returned to concerts last summer (he plays next Sunday at Oakland's Paramount Theatre). It's something he always knew he would do. "I promised myself I would," he said. "I never knew how, when or where."
- KC [Kansas City] Psychiatrist Claims Elvis is Alive
(
KSDK News, February 9, 2002)
Elvis is alive? Well, that's what a Kansas City psychiatrist claims. Doctor Donald Hinton says he's been treating the king for arthritis and other old-age ailments for about five years. Hinton recently co-wrote a book about Elvis and his last 24 years. The book, titled, "The Truth About Elvis Aron Presley, In His Own Words," came out last summer. According to Hinton, Elvis faked his death in 25 years ago this August to escape an unbearable life of drugs and other mayhem. Hinton says these days Elvis gets along with the help of a close-knit circle of friends, who cart him around the country from one house to the next. People at Elvis Presley Enterprises in Memphis don't buy it. Todd Morgan is director of media and creative development for EPE in Memphis. He says all sorts of weird stories crop up about Elvis, especially when an anniversary is coming up.
- Elvis Suffered from Migraines Like Many Other Famous People
(
Discovery Health Channel, February 9, 2002)
Elvis Presley was treated for migraine throughout much of the 1970s and suffered from a range of migraine traits, including auras, sensitivity to light and sound, and fatigue. He also struggled with addictions to narcotic painkillers prescribed for his headaches.
- Nicholas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley split
(
Ananova, February 6, 2002)
Nicolas Cage has split from his girlfriend Lisa Marie Presley. The star of Captain Corelli's Mandolin had been linked to Elvis's daughter since last summer. In a joint statement today the couple said: "Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley ended their 10-month relationship two weeks ago. They hope to remain friendly." Cage has been married to model Kristina Fulton, with whom he has a nine-year-old son, and to Patricia Arquette, from whom he was divorced in 2001, shortly before he started dating Presley. Presley, 34, has also been married twice, first to Danny Keough, with whom she has two children, and then from May 1994 to January 1996 to Michael Jackson.
- Cage and Presley: Splitsville
By Mark Armstrong
(
E!Online, February 5, 2002)
Nicolas Cage will have to settle with being a member of one set of show-biz royalty. Just as some gossip magazines began reporting his imminent engagement to Lisa Marie Presley, turns out Cage and Elvis's baby girl have now split up. According to a statement from the actor's publicist, "Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley ended their 10-month relationship two weeks ago. They hope to remain friendly." No word on why the twosome have gone their separate ways. But the gossip snoops at the New York Daily News suspected something was awry over the weekend, when they spotted Cage in full flirting mode at a Maxim magazine Super Bowl party in New Orleans. The 38-year-old Oscar winner -- an Elvis fan who once donned the King's white jumpsuit for his movie Honeymoon in Vegas -- began dating Lisa Marie in April 2001. At the time, Presley (who was once married to Michael Jackson) had just split up with fiance John Oszajca. Cage, meanwhile, was back in the single life after getting divorced from actress Patricia Arquette. The pairing seemed to be a match made in genetically engineered entertainment-royalty heaven. Cage, whose credits include Gone in Sixty Seconds and Leaving Las Vegas, happens to be the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and is just one member of a Hollywood clan that includes actress Talia Shire, actor Jason Schwartzman and directors Roman and Sofia Coppola. Presley, meanwhile, is the daughter of Elvis. 'Nuff said.
- Elvis' laundry needs a home in Lincoln Park
By Bob Greene
(
Chicago Tribune, February 5, 2002)
This Friday, at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences in Lincoln Park a spectacular and historically significant exhibition will open, and will remain through April 28. The exhibit is called "American Originals: Treasures from the National Archives". Included are some of the most famous documents in our nation's existence. Which is where my offer comes in. I've been waiting all this time to be a patron of the arts, and to loan out a great American historical document that I purchased many years ago. I have guarded and protected it fiercely. But this would seem to be the proper forum, and I am willing to let the Notebaert museum have it until April 28. It's the thank-you note that Elvis Presley sent to his laundry. It's authentic, it's valuable, and now is the time for it to shine. I bought it after antiques connoisseur Rick Kogan saw it for sale in a gallery. Allow me to describe it. It is a yellowing piece of stationery with, in the upper left-hand corner, the embossed notation: From the home of . . . Elvis Presley. Yes -- home of, not desk of. Elvis was not a desk guy. And on the paper itself, in ballpoint pen, are these words: I should like to commend your Laundry for doing a fantastic job on my clothes, you show esceptional care. Sincerely E.P. Now . . . is that moving? Is that a stirring piece of Americana? Who writes thank-you notes to their laundry? Elvis, of course -- a very polite man. Sure, he seemed to have a little trouble spelling "exceptional" -- but anyone with a dictionary can spell "exceptional." Could they sing "Heartbreak Hotel"? Could they never play before a single empty seat in Las Vegas? The letter was written just as Presley was becoming a star -- before he moved into Graceland, when he was living in a house on Audubon Drive in Memphis. It is beautifully framed, with a deep-red background; there also is a color photo of Elvis half-sneering, half-pouting, with an acoustic guitar under his arm; there is a brass plate that says "ELVIS PRESLEY 1935-1977."
Admit it -- this is history with a smile, with drawing power. An 1864 telegram from William Sherman to Abraham Lincoln will be a part of the exhibit -- but tell the truth. What do you think people would line up in front of -- the Sherman-Lincoln telegram, or the Presley-laundry thank-you note? In case you are thinking that the Presley note would diminish the seriousness of the exhibition: Wrong. Included in the official Notebaert exhibit is a memo that was sent to President Richard Nixon preparing him for a 1970 meeting with Presley in the White House. The exhibit is already trying to cash in on Elvis -- but the curators don't have the real thing. A memo about Elvis? Come on. They can have the genuine article -- they can have the laundry note. Sure, Edison invented the electric light -- but Elvis burned up millions of them on all those big marquees in Vegas. Sure, the Louisiana Purchase was a notable event -- but Elvis once appeared on the "Louisiana Hayride." There's not a single part of our country's story that didn't touch Elvis, and that Elvis didn't touch back. I ask nothing for this -- I make the offer for the good of the museum, and for the good of America. All the museum has to do is call, and the thank-you note is theirs until the end of April. And if they somehow decline to take advantage of this, and don't want this precious-beyond-gold-and-diamonds item, you know the question they're going to hear more than any other, every single day of the exhibit: "Uh . . . where's the laundry letter at?" Thank you very much. You've been an esceptional audience.
- Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Winner!
By Ben Winters and Michael Portantiere
(
TheaterMania, February 4, 2002)
the response to our "Compilation Musicals From Hell" contest was gratifying. When we offered up a free pair of Mamma Mia! tickets to the TheaterMania reader with the best idea for a new compilation musical, we hoped that suggestions would pour in - and they did, from the wildly imaginative to the sublimely subtle to the rather unsettling. The crack TheaterMania contest-review board assembled in our top-secret Chelsea headquarters, and it was apparent to all that our decision would not be an easy one. Would we choose as the winner our reader Amanda's Thriller: Black or White, featuring the songs of Michael Jackson stuffed into a show about his ongoing identity crisis? Or would the garland go to John Connors' Death of An Irishman: The U2 Musical, in which a "naïve and aimless Irish lad" (Neil Patrick Harris) is seduced, sequentially, by violence ("Bullet the Blue Sky"), love ("With or Without You"), and non-violence ("Peace on Earth")? Naturally, there was an Elvis Presley musical in the running: Titled Love Me Tender, William Voigt's show would tell "the story of a successful steakhouse restaurant manager in Memphis." Voigt got extra points for his brilliant casting suggestion for the lead role: "Elvis, found living on Long Island, will play himself."
- Celine Pulls an Elvis
By Marcus Errico
(
E!Online, February 4, 2002)
First her heart, now Celine Dion says her career will go on. The Grammy-winning, gazillion-selling pop chanteuse, semi-retired for the past two years to procreate and spend time with her ailing husband, is ready to relaunch her career. We already knew that Dion's new single, the aptly named "A New Day Has Come," was due out this month and her first new studio album in five years, also titled A New Day Has Come, will be released March 26. Now, the diva's publicist confirms that Dion will pull an Elvis and return to the stage next spring with a series of Vegas headlining gigs.
- Educator by day, Elvis by night
By Ashlee Griggs
(
Augusta Chronicle, February 4, 2002)
Elvis is alive and living in McDuffie County. Several times a year, the legendary king of rock 'n' roll can be spotted in Thomson performing at charity and civic events. Ed Grisham, McDuffie County's school superintendent, performs his Elvis impersonation act a few times a year. He sang at Thomson High School Auditorium last Tuesday morning. Mr Grisham, a native of New Albany, Miss., has done his Elvis routine since 1985, and it was his day job that landed him in the spotlight. ... Over the years, Mr Grisham said, the school system has grown and so has his Elvis routine. The show has evolved to include new costumes and better musical arrangements. A few times a year, Mr Grisham puts on his custom-made Elvis suit, his black wig and vintage sunglasses to sing the tunes of the late king. "I do a couple of numbers from each of his performing periods, including I Can't Help Falling in Love With You, Teddy Bear and That's All Right Mama," he said. Mr Grisham said he tries to incorporate a few songs from Elvis' early gospel recordings. "We've had a lot of fun with it," he said. "And I hope to continue it for years to come."
- Dow tops Nikkei in latest sign of Japanese economic decline
By WILLIAM PESEK Jr.
(
Japan Times, February 4, 2002)
The year was 1957. Russia launched Sputnik, Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House, Elvis swiveled his hips in "Jailhouse Rock" and the Dow and the Nikkei were at level pegging. Fast forward to today. After following Sputnik into orbit, the Nikkei has crashed back to earth, closing below the Dow for the first time in more than 44 years. The indexes touched briefly last Sept. 12, when the Nikkei plummeted after the previous day's terror attacks on the U.S. Wall Street was closed for business, and the convergence of two of the world's bellwether stock indexes was lost in the shock of the deadly attacks. By the next day, the Nikkei was back above the Dow. Today's reunion, far from being a happy one, is inspiring dread in financial capitals. The Nikkei's slide is the latest side effect of Japan's 11-year slump.
- Munchkins take to mall parading
By Nita McCann
(
Natchez Democrat, February 3, 2002)
Elvis was in the building. So were T-Birds and Pink Ladies, Minnie Mouse, a 1920s flapper, Scarlett O'Hara, a fireman and youngster driving a go-cart decorated as a Bourbon Street "party balcony." Contestants in the annual Krewe of Munchkins parade at Natchez Mall were only 10 years old and under. The Krewe of Phoenix and Natchez Mall hold the event every year "to involve children in Mardi Gras," said Nan Garrison, president of the Krewe of Phoenix. "The (larger) Mardi Gras parades frighten some children - so this gives them another chance to participate," she said.
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