Late April 2002
- Elvis's intimate moments revealed
By Juan-Carlo Tomas
(Sydney Morning Herald, April 30, 2002)
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the King's death. But Elvis Presley lives on: in film, in his music, in the occasional sighting and through the stories of his friends. Perhaps no friend knew the King any better than his best mate, Joe Esposito. Mr Esposito is in Australia for the show "Elvis: Intimate and Rare", named after his book of Presley photographs, which will be available in Australia for the first time. He and local singer Mick Gerace, 36, (who points out that he is a tribute singer, not an impersonator), are about to embark on a nationwide tour that will combine the photographs with Presley's music. It plays at the [Sydney] State Theatre on May 18.
Joe Esposito
- 'Elvis' was a reluctant star
By Jonathan Donald
(Teletext, April 30, 2002)
Stars In Their Eyes winner Stewart Duff overcame chronic shyness to triumph in the ITV1 talent contest on Saturday. Stewart, 37, who impersonated Elvis Presley, said: "I have never been able to stand up in a crowd and voice my opinions. Standing up and being Elvis was another thing. I never thought I sounded like Elvis and I've never tried to be like him at any point." Stewart reluctantly entered the show. His wife Alison sent in a recording of him singing to Granada Television - without telling him. "When I got a call from Granada I thought a friend had set me up," he told This Morning. "The people on the set are terrific. They make you feel at home and that's how you get through it." He is determined not to let the success go to his head. The champion Scottish cyclist and father-of-two from Fife could forge a successful career as an Elvis impersonator. A recording contract is also likely to be offered. But he said: "I'm just taking every day as it comes. When I get home it will start to become a reality."
- 'STARS' ELVIS BACK ON TV
(Dundee Courier, April 30, 2002)
He might not be royalty, but Fife Elvis Presley impersonator Stewart Duff must have felt like a real king yesterday as TV stations vied for his time following his impressive victory in the Stars In Their Eyes final on Saturday night. Stewart (37) from Newton of Falkland beat off nine other contestants to win the ITV title and yesterday he was back in front of the cameras when he appeared as a guest on TV chat show This Morning. ... Despite the attention, Stewart says he does not know what the future holds. He said a lot of people had been talking about him giving up his job as a heavy plant machinery driver but as far as he was concerned he was going back to work soon.
- Elvis impersonator 'too shy' to enter TV show
(Ananova, April 29, 2002)
Stars In The Eyes winner Stewart Duff has his wife to thank for his triumph. It was Alison who sent off his application for the ITV show. The Elvis Presley impersonator admits he would have been too shy to do it himself. "I am not a great person for standing up in front of a crowd, never mind singing. My wife sent the application away because I certainly would not have done it," he told the Daily Record. "My brother-in-law has always said I sound like Elvis. I could never sing in front of anyone but I have been caught before singing a couple of tunes." Stewart won the show with his version of Are You Lonesome Tonight? Rebecca O'Conner as Tina Turner was second.
- FIFER IS THE KING WITH TV AUDIENCE
By Michael Alexander
(Courier News, April 29, 2002)
ELVIS PRESLEY is alive and well and living in the kingdom...of Fife! OK, so it might not be the legendary rock star himself, who-as devoted fans know-(allegedly) died in 1977. But when Stewart Duff did a rendition of the king's Are You Lonesome Tonight on national TV on Saturday night, it left millions of viewers all shook up and clinched him the title of Stars In Their Eyes 2002. The 37-year-old from Newton of Falkland beat off nine other contestants to win the ITV title. He received 240,731 votes, just pipping Rebecca O'Connor, who claimed 230,115 votes for Tina Turner's Simply The Best. Stewart, who is also a champion Scottish cyclist, saw his wife Alison wipe away a tear as she watched from the audience. The couple have two children - Clinton (10) and four-year-old Samantha.
- Scots Elvis gears up for life of fame
By Jill Stevenson
(The Scotsman, April 29, 2002)
HIS cycling exploits as Scottish champion had given him an inkling of what fame could be like, but it was nothing compared with the future in show-business and fortune he faces after winning Stars in Their Eyes 2002. Dressed in his Elvis Presley costume, the heavy plant worker from Fife looked stunned and slightly shaken as the realisation of his win on the television talent show slowly began to sink in. For Stewart Duff, 38, the future could be a very different place, thanks to his rendition of the Kingıs classic ballad, Are You Lonesome Tonight? His nail-biting win with 240,731 votes - more than 10,000 votes clear of his nearest rival, Tina Turner soundalike Rebecca OıConnor - catapulted him into the ranks of instant celebrity. Previous winners of the show, such as the Scottish Freddie Mercury impersonator, Gary Mullen, and last yearıs Dusty Springfield act, Emma Wilkinson, have carved out a niche for themselves in the cut-throat world of tribute entertainment. With his impressive new credentials behind him, Mr Duff is likely to follow suit.
- Graceland hosts a stellar pit stop
By Michael Lollar
(Commercial Appeal, April 27, 2002)
An annual Gumball 3000 Rally that began in 1999 rolls into Memphis today for a stop at Graceland as part of a cross-country celebrity tour that will help raise money for the Twin Towers Fund. The caravan includes roughly 400 "racers" with celebrities from models and rock stars to Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage. The rally is loosely based on the movies Gumball Rally (1976) and Cannonball Run (1981) in which celebrities raced across the country in a you-had-to-be-there form of car comedy. This year's rally began Thursday night at the Plaza Hotel in New York with a fleet including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and other exotic cars. Stops were planned in Washington, Nashville Memphis, Dallas, Santa Fe and Las Vegas before arriving Tuesday night at the end of the line at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Friday's New York Post reported that celebrities at the start included Cage, former boyfriend of Graceland owner Lisa Marie Presley, actor Matthew McConaughey, fashion designer Donna Karan and actors Stephen and Billy Baldwin. Graceland spokesmen said they also are expecting members of the rock groups KISS and Motley Crue, Heather Graham, Jason Priestley and models Amy Wesson and Jodie Kidd.
- Elvis sightings bring color to furniture show
By ALLEN NORWOOD
(Charlotte Observer, April 27, 2002)
Elvis and fabric-artist-turned-furniture-designer Susan Sargent provided color at last week's International Home Furnishings Market, as the industry looked for bright spots in the murky economy. Elvis is, well, so colorful that he doesn't need a last name. Sargent is widely known for her boldly patterned orange and purple rugs and pillows, and is trying her hand at furniture design for the first time. And she doesn't mind at all sharing the spotlight with Elvis. "This feels amazing," she said. "Elvis is my man." Vaughan-Bassett Furniture, as many know by now, introduced two groups of Elvis Presley bedroom furniture. Many know, because word got out before the furniture market and spread like rock 'n' roll. The company fielded calls from radio stations in Texarkana, Texas, and Melbourne, Australia, during one hour-long media briefing in High Point.
- Stars in Their Eyes voters hail 'The King'
(Ananova, April 27, 2002; same story reported in icSouthlondon; Scotland on Sunday, April 28)
An Elvis Presley impersonator has clinched the title of Stars in Their Eyes 2002. Presley fan Stewart Duff, 37, from Fife, beat off nine other contestants with his performance of Are You Lonesome Tonight. As members of the public placed their vote by phone he received 240,731 votes, just pipping a Tina Turner impersonator to the post. Rebecca O'Connor's rendition of The Best claimed 230,115 votes.
- Film explores Elvis' Jewish roots?
By Bram Eisenthal
(Cleveland Jewish News, April 26, 2002, also reported in JTA)
When the movie "Schmelvis: Searching for the King's Jewish Roots" was the premiere event at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival last weekend, no one knew quite what to expect. The film had been shot two years ago, produced by young filmmakers from Montreal, and that's when the buzz began. For fans of Elvis Presley, this was a revelation of almost biblical proportions. The 76-minute satirical documentary follows Elvis impersonator Dan Hartal who uses the stage name Schmelvis -- around Memphis and Israel, from truck stops to gas stations, restaurants and the man-in-the-street, spreading the true gospel, that Elvis Aaron Presley was a Jew. Well, his great-great-maternal grandmother, Nancy Burdine, was Jewish at least. And therein lies one of the more interesting tales about the king, a story that makes for compelling and hilarious viewing. ... This is a film about Jewish identity as much as it is about the king of rock 'n' roll.
- Elvis Presley to 'star' in anniversary concert
(Ananova, April 26, 2002)
Elvis Presley to 'star' in anniversary concert Elvis Presley is to "star" in a live concert later this year to mark the 25th anniversary of his death. The event will see Elvis reunited with 30 singers and musicians who worked with him via interactive video. Record label BMG is also planning to release an album in October containing 30 of The King's number one hits. Elvis: The 25th Anniversary Concert will take place in Memphis on August 16. Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley will also be appearing. Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977. BMG chairman Rolf Schmidt-Holtz told elvis.com: "BMG is poised to play a lead role in this year's celebration of an artist who is not only an icon around the world, but whose achievement is the benchmark by which artistic success is measured. "Our goal is to lead the charge in reintroducing Elvis and his music to a new generation of music fans." Tens of thousands of people are expected to visit Memphis during Elvis Week. They will celebrate his life and participate in dozens of commemorative events between August 10 and 18.
- Busts put Elvis on the street
By CHANDRA HARRIS
(Corpus Christi Caller-Times, April 25, 2002)
He isn't shakin', rattlin' or rollin'. Instead, the memories of Elvis on and near the University of Tennessee campus are in the form of decorated 15-inch plaster sculptures created from molds. Memphis may be home to Graceland, but Maritza Gualy, artistic force behind the Elvis busts, is creating an Elvis land of her own. "I have had many sleepless nights, but the outcome has been hilarious," said Gualy, who started the class project in March. On the sidewalks in front of businesses from Burger King to Kinko's in every color and form, these images of The King have themes, taking the shape of everything from an Elvis drag queen to an Elvis James Brown. "It is Elvis in the City of UT," said Gualy, a sophomore graphic design student at the university. The 20 sculptures were placed on the streets on Wednesday and some had already been stolen or vandalized by late afternoon.
- And Another Thing ... (4th & 5th items)
(Bangor Daily News, April 25, 2002)
Hoping to reverse the turpitude that she says took hold of Inglis, Fla., after Elvis Presley shot a movie there 40 years ago, Mayor Carolyn Risher has issued a proclamation banning Satan from the city limits. The moral fiber of downtown Inglis has improved markedly, but we hear the suburbs are going to hell.
Elsewhere on the Elvis beat, the Vaughn-Bassett Furniture Co. has launched a line inspired by The King, including the "Love Me Tender" bed and the "Burning Love" heart-shaped mirror. In a paraphrase of Mencken's famous gag about no one ever losing money underestimating the intelligence of the masses, furniture industry analyst Britt Beemer says this about the new line's potential: "I wouldn't think of Elvis Presley's name if I were thinking about the epitome of good taste. It might do very well."
- 'Tina' is simply the bets!
By CHARLES YATES
(Sun Newspaper Online, April 25, 2002)
TELLY'S Stars In Their Eyes final has been hit by another suspected betting sting - as outsider Tina Turner became second favourite. Hundreds of pounds have been staked on Rebecca O'Connor, 26, who is expected to perform Tina's hit Simply The Best on Saturday's live show. Within 24 hours of betting opening, dozens of wagers of up to £250 a time sent her odds tumbling from 16-1 to 11-4. The first bets will net £4,000 if she wins. Odds ended up at 15-8 as other folk backed the favourite, Elvis soundalike Stewart Duff and Robbie Williams impersonator Gary Bayley, 37.
- 'U' tha man: Tupelo's Bill Brooks enjoys being an Elvis impersonator
By Marcela Cartagena
(Daily Journal, April 24, 2002)
It's a hot, sticky day at the annual Azalea Festival, but that won't stop the children from running around the park and the adults from sitting in lawn chairs under the sunny skies, waiting for the performance of their neighborhood's local Elvis impersonator. Following the upbeat performance of a local singer, some in the crowd turn their heads and see Bill Brooks slowly walking toward the center stage. Wearing one-piece Elvis attire adorned with purple rhinestones, and sporting an Elvis hairdo he claims he's had all his life, Brooks makes his grand entrance. Brooks started impersonating Elvis at the age of 12.
- ON THE TOWN: Elvis mime will make his Georgia debut at Grayson
By Robert Haddocks
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 24, 2002)
Every time Eddie Miles steps on stage, he perpetuates the myth. He looks like him. He sounds like him. He moves like him. After seeing Miles perform, some people swear Elvis is alive. He hasn't quite drawn the cult-like following of "The King" himself, Elvis Presley, but he's getting close. Leaving screaming women in his wake in Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina, Miles makes his debut in Georgia Saturday at Grayson High School. The Saturday concert is a fund-raiser for Alma Thomas' Relay for Life team, with two shows at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Go to Mid April 2002
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