Early April 2002
- Elvis bobbleheads already hitting e-Bay's online auction
By Tommy Perkins
(Memphis Business Journal, April 15, 2002)
It's debatable what was the greater novelty on April 5 -- the 3,000 free Elvis bobblehead dolls given away or a Grizzlies win. Regardless, several fans rushed to cash in via the Internet. Elvis may have quickly left the building at the April 5 Grizzlies-Rockets game, but he was sighted within hours on eBay, where auctioneers have already begun hawking the dolls for over $100. About 3,000 fans picked up dolls at the game, including one studded with $2,200 worth of diamonds, which hasn't shown up on the auction site. That's not to be confused with the Elvis Grbac doll going for $0.30. As bobbleheads and Elvis memorabilia go, the April 5 giveaways gave eBay some of its most expensive representatives from either category, of which eBay has thousands on any given day "People are nuts," says a bemused Mike Golub, the Grizzlies' senior vice president of business operations. "We brought together two icons in a pretty successful way. It was lot of fun and a fitting cap to the bobblehead promotion." Bobblehead dolls commemorating the retirement of Cal Ripken Jr. are going for $135, compared to a doll for President George W. Bush that's up for $5.50. An original 1964 Car Mascot bobblehead of John Lennon? $170. A quick search of Elvis memorabilia turned up only one item going for more than the bobbleheads: Cigar box purses going for $259.
- Chrysalis gets Elvis publishing catalogs
(CNN / Reuters, April 15, 2002)
Independent music publisher Chrysalis Music has signed a five-year worldwide contract to administer a pair of publishing catalogs representing the bulk of Elvis Presley's biggest hits, Variety reports. The deal, cut last week with catalog co-owner Julian J. Aberbach and Elvis Presley Enterprises, gives Chrysalis direct control over Gladys Music and Elvis Presley Music for North America and authorizes the company to supervise the catalog's existing subpublishing deals abroad. Together the two catalogs hold nearly 500 compositions, including such rock 'n' roll classics as "Hound Dog," "All Shook Up," "Love Me Tender" and "Viva Las Vegas." The singer's top hits can command as much as $250,000 in publishing royalties for a single use -- a rate rivaled only by the Beatles' best-known work. Chrysalis beat out larger rival BMG Music Publishing, whose parent company BMG Entertainment owns most of Presley's recorded music catalog through its RCA imprint. BMG is planning a major marketing push later this year to accompany a new collection of Presley's 30 No. 1 hits this October. Prior to last week's deal, the two Presley catalogs were independently administered.
- musicNEWS: Static-X Cover Elvis, Announce Headlining Tour
(antimusic.com, April 14, 2002)
Fans will soon hear a cover of the Elvis Presley hit "Speedway" by hard rockers Static-X. The band recorded the song for an upcoming NASCAR themed CD according to Undercover Music News.
- Festival of flowers: Elvis Presley Heights Neighborhood Association's second annual 'Azalea Festival' features food, entertainment, tours
By Sandi P. Beason
(Daily Journal, April 14, 2002)
Festival season kicked off this Saturday with the second annual "Azalea Festival" held at Veteran's Park in Tupelo. The event, sponsored by the Elvis Presley Heights Neighborhood Association, featured arts and crafts booths, food, musical entertainment, a classic car show and a tour. The festival kicked off at 9 a.m. with a flag ceremony by the Boy Scouts. A handful of local performers provided musical entertainment throughout the day. The tour began at the Elvis Presley birthplace, and wound through the neighborhood. "The Presley Heights Neighborhood (Association) has done so much in the community in improving the quality of life," said Tupelo Mayor Larry Otis. Association president Bill Martin said Otis, who wore a neighborhood association T-shirt Saturday, is "really supportive of everything we do."
- Entertainment: Singer B.J. Baker dies; worked with Elvis, Sinatra
(Nando Times / Associated Press, April 13, 2002)
B.J. Baker, a backup singer who worked on hits with Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke and Bobby Darin and appeared on several 1960s television shows, died April 2 of complications from a stroke. She was 74. Among the records Baker sang on were: Presley's "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You"; Cooke's "You Send Me"; Sinatra's "That's Life"; Darin's "Dream Lover"; and the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."
- CYCLIST WANTS TO BE THE KING OF THE ROAD: Bike race champ will be Elvis Presley in Stars In Their Eyes
(Paisley Daily Express, April 12, 2002)
A TALENTED cyclist is gearing up to give the performance of a lifetime tomorrow. But when Stewart Duff goes for glory it will be on the television stage - not the fiercely competitive cycle-racing circuit where he has already achieved national stardom. The former Scottish road race champion is making tracks for the popular telly programme Stars In Their Eyes hosted by Matthew Kelly where he will tell the host: "Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be Elvis Presley." And the Johnstone Wheeler hopes his amazing impersonation of The King will saddle him up in the fast lane for a glittering showbiz career.
- Return of the King
By Suzanne Smalley
(Newsweek, April 11, 2002)
'The idea is to contemporize Elvis Presley,' says a BMG executive. 'How do we make Elvis relevant to those 34 and under?'
AFTER ALL, this summer the King will be a hotter commodity than ever. As the country approaches the 25th anniversary of Presley's death on Aug. 16, Elvis will be inescapable. His infectious music and pouty mug will fill every corner of the culture. Record companies will offer up rare recordings on CD and publishers will put out many celebrative books, hoping not only to lure in nostalgic baby boomers but also to turn on their MTV-raised kids. And over the next six months, you'll also hear Presley's songs used to sell just about everything - even products completely unrelated to the singer. His longtime label, RCA Records, and its parent company, Bertelsmann Media Group, have been aggressively banging out licensing agreements with various partners.
- Elvis visits Deadwood
By Donna Smith
(Black Hills Pioneer, April 9, 2002)
Women stood gazing up at the Deadwood Pavilion stage and more women reached up to kiss or capture a scarf from the king. It didn't matter to them that the true object of their affection died almost 25 years ago. This weekend in Deadwood, throngs of female fans -- and the men who came with them --- welcomed two past national Elvis impersonator champions and eight hopefuls for this year's national competition in Memphis. ... About 500 people attended the afternoon performances and the evening performance was sold out. Audience members were able to cast a vote for their favorite Elvis in the "People's Choice" content. ... The event will return to Deadwood next year and was sponsored by the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, the Gold Dust, Four Aces, Saloon #10, the Franklin Hotel, Tin Lizzie, Silverado, and Kickok's.
contender Steve Hinkler
- Royal funeral focus for papers
(BBC, April 9, 2002)
The funeral of the Queen Mother is, unsurprisingly, the focus of many of Tuesday's papers. The other main story on the front pages is what several papers describe as the growing anger in Washington at Israel's continued offensive in Palestinian territory. On a lighter note, the Daily Express and The Sun are among a number of papers reporting that Elvis is alive and well and living in Sutton Coldfield. They show pictures of a life-sized statue of the King, standing unharmed after a 20-ton runaway dust cart crashed through the home of thirty-year-old Colin Campbell. It demolished much of the property and exposed Elvis standing at a microphone in Mr Campbell's bedroom. Mr Campbell was also unhurt. The Express headline; 'Elvis the Great Survivor'.
- Elvis lives after runaway bin lorry wrecks house
(Ananova, April 9, 2002, also reported in icSouthLondon.co.uk)
A West Midlands man is embarrassed after the front of his house collapsed to display a lifesize Elvis model. It was one of the only things to survive undamaged when a 20-ton dustbin lorry rolled down a hill into Colin Campbell's detached house. On the way, it hit a neighbour's Volvo, forcing it into the living room of the £185,000 Sutton Coldfield home. Mr Campbell says he tried to hide the model in a bedroom after buying it on impulse for £100 and then regretting it. The 30-year-old escaped unharmed but had to be saved by neighbours after becoming trapped in an upstairs bedroom. He told The Times: "I bought the model about six years ago from a market in Birmingham. It was a bit of an impulse buy. "I had hidden him away in one of the bedrooms, hoping that no one would ever see it again. Now he seems to be standing at the front of the house. Elvis lives, again."
- All shook up but Elvis lives
By MARIA BURNHAM
(Sun Online, April 8, 2002)
Elvis fan Colin Campbell's house was wrecked when a runaway refuse truck smashed into it - but his treasured statue of The King miraculously survived. His life-size plastic Elvis, complete with mike, was left standing amid the rubble in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands [United Kingdom]. The driverless council lorry rolled 40 yards down a hill and hit a neighbour's car - shoving it straight into Colin"s lounge yesterday. Bachelor Colin, 30, was all shook up but unhurt. He said: "I just heard a big bang".
- Golf, not Elvis, main draw for 'world-class' Miss. resort
By MARIA BURNHAM
(CinciNow, April 8, 2002)
Even without Elvis Presley's name emblazoned on an 808-acre Elvis-themed resort here, developers still believe it will bring in 3 million tourists a year. The reasons: Elvis fans will come no matter what it's called, and many of the amenities are geared toward golf, not Elvis. "I'd say the golf business will be larger than the Elvis business," said Daniel DelPiano, founder and managing partner of Alpharetta, Ga.-based EPR Enterprises, the resort's development company. EPR changed the name of the development from the Elvis Presley Ranch Resort to the Circle G Ranch Resort after local officials voiced concerns with the name. Supervisors didn't want the county embroiled in any lawsuits that might stem from the unlicensed use of Elvis's name. The developers chose instead Circle G Ranch, the name Presley gave the 157 acres he owned from 1967 to 1973. That parcel of land is included in the overall development. "This is what Elvis called it. Throughout the world this is what Elvis fans know this as," said J. D. Stacy, vice president of EPR Enterprises. Already, fans come from all over the world to visit the ranch. Most stop in at The Flower Patch, a flower shop located in the house where Elvis and Priscilla Presley spent their honeymoon. Developers are banking on that kind of devotion to bring Elvis fans to their resort.
- BEVERLEY TURNER'S TV WEEK: BRING ON THE YOUNG ONES
(Sunday Mirror, April 8, 2002)
LET'S be honest, to anyone under 65 a show called "Des O'Connor Tonight meets Cliff Richard" (ITV, Saturday) sounds as appealing as a life of celibacy. ... Cliff admitted that without Elvis "there'd be no Cliff Richard" before confessing that he'd turned down the chance to meet the King because he didn't want his picture taken with a fat Elvis. He'd wait until he was thin again. But he died. So there.
- Rock 'n' roll historian to expound on Elvis Presley
By Steve Hinnefeld
(Herald-Times, April 5, 2002)
Indiana University music professor Glenn Gass will be giving a free presentation titled "Elvis, Forever the King," at 4 p.m. Sunday in Sweeney Hall of IU's Simon Music Center, 200 S. Jordan Ave. The lecture marks the 25th anniversary of Presley's death. He died Aug. 16, 1977, after his last concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. In barely two decades, he went from rock 'n' roll rebel to movie-star idol to Vegas icon to paunchy, drug-dependent middle-ager. Not only the first giant rock star, he was a white Southerner who broke down racial barriers, a small-town boy who made good on big-city dreams, a glitzy sensation who held to old-fashioned ideals of church and family.
- Aerial Fire Fighting
(Radio National Breakfast, April 4, 2002)
Fire-fighting helicopters, like the one dubbed 'Elvis', throughout our too fiery summer, may become a more permanent sight in Australian skies. Our peak fire advisory body, the Australasian Fire Authorities Council, has been reviewing their performance to determine whether the air crane 'choppers' should be more widely used here. At the moment, they're only deployed on an annual basis in Victoria. But the Council will soon submit a report on our aerial fire-fighting capabilities to the Commonwealth, in which it will recommend that they be leased on a regular basis for use throughout Australia. We speak to Len Foster, the Council's chief executive officer.
- Paranoia paradise
By Chris Horrie
(BBC News Online, April 4, 2002)
What makes a good conspiracy theory? What is it about some stories that, however unlikely, convince people that they are true? French author Thierry Meyssan's book L'Effroyable Imposture (The Appalling Fraud) - which claims that the US government may have "staged" the 11 September attack on the Pentagon - has been condemned for lack of taste. But it is merely the latest contribution to the mushrooming media "conspiracy industry" - based on the premise that whatever anybody in authority says, the exact opposite is almost certainly the truth. ... Conspiracy Planet links to all the familiar conspiracy theories - Elvis is not dead; UFO abductions; tireless efforts of drug companies to suppress cures for diseases, and car companies to prevent the development of the electric car.
- Elvis Presley musical finished and on the way
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
(Daily News, April 3, 2002)
It turns out to be true -- Elvis Presley is not dead. Get ready for another resurgence of the King, including a new Broadway show. The book by Joe DiPietro is done. The songs by the late king of rock 'n' roll are immortal. There've already been run-throughs. We get word that producers are encouraged enough to be talking about going directly into tryouts with the show. This is the project announced in 1999 that has the approval of the Presley estate. It's not about Elvis but intertwines his music through a wholly separate story (a la the ABBA-based hit "Mama Mia!"). When it will be unveiled is still up in the air, but it'll be "sooner, rather than later" according to one who's closely involved. Since some of the music being utilized is not owned by the Presley estate, the production is in the process of nailing down legal rights and approvals. Meanwhile, the music icon who passed away 25 years ago continues to spawn new books, licensed products -- including a NASCAR racing program -- and albums. (BMG Heritage and RCA just announced a 100-track set, "Elvis: Today, Tomorrow & Forever" to be released in July.) The stream of things Presley will be a flood by 2004, when Elvis fans around the world commemorate the 50th anniversary of the start of his career.
- ELVIS IS ALIVE AND WELL AND PLAYING FOR CHARITY
(Bury [St Edmunds] Free Press, April 3, 2002)
ELVIS is alive and well and was seen singing at the Blue Boar pub, in Walsham-le-Willows. Villagers were left all shook up last Friday when the pub held an Elvis Tribute Night, kick-starting a weekend of events, which raised more than £2,000 for good causes.
Martin Baxter
- Supervisors to hear zoning request for Elvis theme park
(Desoto Times Today, April 3, 2002)
- Survey finds rudeness is getting worse
(CNN, April 3, 2002)
(Also reported in Arizona Daily Star; Deseret News; Orange County Register)
A full 79 percent of the 2,013 adults surveyed by telephone in January by the research group Public Agenda said a lack of respect and courtesy in American society is a serious problem. Sixty-one percent believe things have gotten worse in recent years. Poor customer service has become so rampant that nearly half of those surveyed said they have walked out of a store in the past year because of it. Half said they often see people talking on cellular telephones in a loud or annoying manner. And six drivers in 10 said they regularly see other people driving aggressively or recklessly. ... However, at least half of those surveyed said they think things have gotten better when it comes to the treatment of blacks, the physically handicapped and gays. ... one woman in Texas blamed The King. "It was shocking when Elvis was shaking his hips up there, but now we see whole naked bodies," she said. "It started with Elvis, and that was a little overboard, but that was the beginning of what we have today." Harvard University professor Robert D. Putnam said the rudeness epidemic is a symptom of growing social isolation.
- Service with a lip curl Fan: A Glen Burnie man takes care of business - serving burgers and fries as his idol, Elvis Presley
By Stephen Kiehl
(Baltimore Sun, April 1, 2002)
Elvis is at the drive-through. He's there in the speaker-box beneath the menu board, and he wants to know if you want fries with that. How 'bout a Coke, too? Elvis is here to help. Elvis recommends a combo meal. "Please drive around," he says, "and thank yew, thank yew very much." In the 24 years since Elvis Presley died, people have claimed to see him in Disney World, on Bourbon Street and at seemingly every filling station along Route 66. But as it turns out, he's in Glen Burnie, working the drive-through window at Checkers, serving up a hunka hunka burnin' beef.
Go to Late March 2002
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