Late December 2002
- Eminem Leads 2002 RIAA Certifications
Edited by Jonathan Cohen
(Billboard Daily Music News, December 31, 2002)
With the best-selling album and soundtrack of the year, Eminem dominates U.S. year-end certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Billboard Bulletin reports. The rapper's third album for Interscope, "The Eminem Show," exceeded platinum shipments (1 million copies) in its first week and closed out the year at seven-times platinum. In addition, the Eminem-led soundtrack to "8 Mile," also on Interscope, went triple platinum. ... In an exceptionally successful year for rock legends, the Rolling Stones' "Forty Licks" (ABKCO/Virgin) and Elvis Presley's "ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits" (RCA) were both certified triple platinum, while Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising" (Columbia) and Santana's "Shaman" (Arista) went double platinum.
- Elvis fan gets special gift from family
By Danny Blackburn
(Shropshire Star, December 30, 2002)
A lifelong Elvis Presley fan will jet out to Graceland after being given the trip of a lifetime by his wife and sons for a surprise 60th birthday present - just after he accused them of being tight. As his family gathered for the annual celebrations, John Bason, of Cheswardine, near Market Drayton, noticed there was a little less conversation than normal but never guessed they were planning the exciting trip. At first he was all shook up when he thought that sons Glen, 31, head barman at a pub, and Jonathan, 30, a lorry driver, had not bothered to buy him Christmas presents. As he told off his apparently tight-fisted sons, wife Sandra, 53, knew it was now or never and handed John an envelope containing tickets to Memphis, Tennessee, the home of rock and roll.
The couple will fly out to America in January so John can celebrate his 60th birthday at Graceland. He said: "The trip was a present from my sons and my wife for Christmas and my 60th birthday. I've always been a fan of Elvis for the past 40 odd years."
- Echoes of Elvis: Morrisonville man wins contest impersonating The King
By CHRIS FASOLINO
(pressrepublican.com, December 30, 2002)
Maurice Hebert has been doing impersonations of Elvis Presley for a long time - and now, his skill has won him a trip to Graceland.
The Morrisonville man entered an Elvis contest in Shelburne, Vt., last month that was sponsored by the Vermont Teddy Bear Company to promote its new Elvis Presley teddy bear, which wears gold glasses and a jumpsuit.
- New book ranks Santana tune No. 1 rock song
: Point system favors 1999 single `Smooth' featuring Rob Thomas
By Mike Bowler
(The Beacon Journal / billboard.com, December 29, 2002)
Smooth, the 1999 single by Santana featuring Rob Thomas, is the No. 1 song of the rock era based on chart performance on Billboard's Hot 100, according to a new book written by Billboard and Billboard.com Chart Beat columnist Fred Bronson. The third edition of "Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits" (Watson Guptill), just arriving in stores, includes a list of the top 5,000 songs of the rock era. The tally is based on an inverse point system developed by Bronson for his book and applied to Billboard's pop singles charts from July 1955 to June 2002. ... All of the songs in the top-10 of the rock era were No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, except for one. LeAnn Rimes' How Do I Live (Curb) only went to No. 2, but it was on the Hot 100 for 69 weeks, an all-time record. Smooth, Un-Break My Heart, and Macarena topped all singles by Elvis Presley and the Beatles. The highest-ranked Presley single is the two-sided hit Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog at No. 14. The highest-ranked Beatles single is Hey Jude at No. 41.
- Indira's Elvis wedding
By Jenny Brown and Alan Shadrake
(Woman's Day, December 30, 2002, pp. 18-19)
ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) - TV's Indira Naidoo tied the knot with Mark FitzGerald in a rockin' Viva Las Vegas style ceremony. Elvis impersonator Kent Ripley crooned "Can't Help Fallin' in Love" and "It's Now or Never" to the merry newlyweds. The 34-year old former newsreader, who now fronts ABC-TV's "Feedback" program, glittered in a full-lengthe metallic print skirt and long-sleeved lilac chiffon blouse by Sydney label Tea Rose, teamed with holden Autore South Sea pearls. Fifty-year old Mark, the producer behind Andrew Denton's and Elle McFeast's hit shows, surprisingly wore a conservative black suit. "[His] mum was concerned he was going to dress up as Elvis or wear board shorts, so she told to make sure looked nice," jokes Indira.
- Chronicling highs, lows of education in 2002
By Mike Bowler
(sunspot.net Education, December 29, 2002)
THE SUBLIME and ridiculous in education, Year of Our Lord 2002:
* President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act on Elvis' birthday, Jan. 8. The 1,200-page NCLB overnight vaulted a slew of acronyms into the lexicon of American schools, most notably AYP, for adequate yearly progress. Guidebooks interpreting the new law run up to 80 pages. ...
- Poachers: Beware of 'Robo Deer'
(CNN, December 29, 2002)
... have you heard of the strangest deer of all? He's Robo Deer. The mechanical decoy helps Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers nab poachers and deter the illegal shooting of Rudolph's real-life cousins at night and from vehicles. ... As the arrests grew, so did the legend. Officers get calls from people claiming they spotted Robo Deer, much like Elvis, in places he's never been. "A lot of them want us to know we didn't fool them," Kirkland said. "Then they want to know how we're able to get him to jump fences. That's when we just grin and bear it and say 'It's a secret, and we can't discuss that.' "
- Elvis still top of all-time chart
By JOHN STAPLES and LISETTE JOHNSTON
(The Scotsman, December 27, 2002)
ELVIS Presley is still number one in the all-time hit list, moving further ahead of his closest rival Sir Cliff Richard - but young pretenders Oasis and Kylie Minogue are climbing rapidly up the charts. After returning to number one with A Little Less Conversation this year, the King has now spent 1,185 weeks in the charts, according to the music bible, Guinness British Hit Singles. Sir Cliff, who failed to make his customary mark in a festive chart dominated by TV creations, is lagging 30 weeks behind. ... Each year the upper reaches of the Guinness list barely change as they are dominated by classic artists with decades of hits from the days when songs stayed in the charts for months. Elvis Presley and Sir Cliff are followed by the Shadows, Elton John, Madonna, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra and Queen.
- Elvis to go platinum again on 68th birthday
(Memphis Business Journal, December 27, 2002)
Graceland Mansion is planning four days of festivities early next month to celebrate what would have been Elvis Presley's 68th birthday. The party will center on an Elvis Presley Day proclamation ceremony at Graceland Jan. 8, Elvis' birthday. The ceremony is to be held on Graceland's front lawn, with city, county and Graceland officials taking part. At the ceremony the late singer will be awarded gold and platinum records from BMG/RCA for last year's remix hit, "A little less conversation." An open house at Presley Place is scheduled to follow. Other activities during the four-day hullabaloo include a Gospel brunch at Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant on Jan. 5 and an Elvis stamp 10th anniversary commemoration at the restaurant the following day. Stan Perkins, son of singer Carl Perkins, will perform the night before the birthday ceremony at Graceland. All activities will be held at Graceland, Elvis Presley's Memphis or the Peabody Hotel. Details are available at www.elvis.com.
- Kylie shoots up Guinness hits list
(BBC News, December 27, 2002)
Minogue has risen up the ranks of the biggest singles acts. Australian pop star Kylie Minogue has established herself as one of the UK's most popular chart acts of all time in a prestigious hits listing. She has moved from 40th to 25th place in the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - which documents who has spent the longest in the UK charts - overtaking stars such as Whitney Houston and Prince. Minogue has risen up the list after spending 40 weeks in the top 75 this year with hits including Come Into My World and In Your Eyes. The upper section, topped by Elvis Presley with 1,185 weeks in the charts, barely changes each year as it is dominated by artists with big-selling hits from earlier eras. Elvis' position at the top has been strengthened Presley's lead was reinforced following the success of his remixed number one 2002 summer hit A Little Less Conversation. The song, released 25 years after his death, gave him an extra 12 weeks on the chart. His nearest rival, Sir Cliff Richard, would have to spend another 30 weeks on the chart to close the gap.
Guinness Top 10
1. Elvis Presley
2. Sir Cliff Richard
3. The Shadows
4. Sir Elton John
5. Madonna
6. Diana Ross
7. Michael Jackson
8. Rod Stewart
9. The Beatles
10. David Bowie
The only change in the entire top 20 in the past year has been Status Quo overtaking Stevie Wonder, changing from 14th to 13th place.
- Celebrities in detox appear on reality TV
[8th item - "Updating recent stories"]
By Chuck Shepherd
(Star Tribune, December 26, 2002)
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was considering purchasing out-of-service cruise ships to alleviate the nightly overcrowding at the city's emergency shelters (November). And Dr. Donald Hinton, a prominent and board-certified psychiatrist in Independence, Mo., who seriously swears that he has been treating Elvis Presley for the past five years, was put on probation in November by the state for overprescribing a painkiller to a patient (not Elvis). And the woman in Urbana, Ill., who was still breastfeeding her 8-year-old son lost partial custody of him to the state (November).
- Tales of Vegas Past: The cowboy and the 'It' girl
By Gregory Crosby
(Las Vegas Mercury, December 26, 2002)
The movie stars who have tied the knot in the army of chapels that occupy the Las Vegas landscape is a dizzying list; literally, you can't tell the players without a scorecard. From the long-lasting (Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward at the El Rancho) to the ill-fated (Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow at the Sands, Mickey Rooney's four marriages) to the world-famous (Elvis and Priscilla at the Aladdin) and the near-famous ("Joan Collins was married here!"), hopeful romance has tromped up and down the aisles again and again. But perhaps the first silver screen nuptials in town was the most atypical, promising as it did a new start for the couple who would eventually make their home in Vegas, far from the glamour of Hollywood and the burgeoning Strip. The February 1932 issue of fan magazine Movie Classics sets the scene, under the headline "Clara Bow Becomes a Bride": "Ending the suspense of their two-year romance, Clara Bow and Rex Bell, cowboy actor and rancher, were quietly married in Las Vegas the night of December third. ... "
- Meek, 89, was namesake of popular eatery
By Carmina Danini
(San Antonio Express-News, December 26, 2002)
The 5-foot-tall replica of the Tower of the Americas outside and the paintings of Elvis Presley inside were a hint there was more going on at Hunter and Elsie's Cafe.
For one thing, there was the food that drew patrons from all over the San Antonio area to the little white house at the corner of Avenue E and Brooklyn Street, less than two blocks east of Broadway. And there was Elsie Meek, the cafe's namesake who died of complications from a broken hip Monday at the Chandler Health Care Center. She was 89. She and her husband, Hunter Meek, a former dairy deliveryman, opened the restaurant in 1947. ... The photos and paintings of Elvis that adorned the walls were there because of Elsie Meek, said her niece, Marlene Ernst of Fredericksburg. "She was the Elvis fan," said Ernst. "She even had one of those velvet paintings of him in her home." The Elvis memorabilia was "very amusing and one of the things that added to the overall charm of the restaurant," said Dr. James Bauerle, a patron for years. "Elsie was charming too, and she had the ability to make people feel at home."
- Graceland Kicks off Four Day Elvis Birthday Celebration
Source: Graceland Inc
(Yahoo! Finance / Business Wire, December 26, 2002)
WHAT: Various activities are planned over a four day period at Graceland Mansion in Memphis to celebrate Elvis Presley's birthday.
WHO: Hundreds of Elvis' fans and friends and special guests
WHEN: Some of the key activities include:
Saturday, January 4 6:00 PM Elvis Fan Club Presidents' Banquet & Dance - Peabody Hotel Grand Ballroom
Sunday, January 511:00 AM & 1:00 PM Gospel Brunch at Elvis Presley's Memphis Restaurant
5:30 PM-7:30 PM Special Evening Tours of Graceland (including Christmas lights & decorations)
Monday, January 6 10:30 AM Elvis Stamp 10th Anniversary Commemoration Elvis Presley's Memphis Restaurant
Tuesday, January 7 5:30 PM-9:00 PM Elvis Collectors Club Graceland Tour & Reception
7:30 PM Stan Perkins (son of Carl Perkins) performs at Elvis Presley's Memphis
Wednesday, January 8 11:45 AM Elvis Presley Day Proclamation Ceremony. The annual birthday proclamation ceremony is held on Graceland's front lawn and is presented by city, county and Graceland officials to proclaim Elvis Presley Day. Joining the celebration will be BMG/RCA making gold and platinum record presentations for Elvis' recent worldwide number one hit "A Little Less Conversation."
2:00 PM-4:00 PM Open House at Presley Place
WHERE: All activities will be held either at Graceland, ElvisPresley's Memphis on Beale Street or the Peabody Hotel.
Please visit www.elvis.com for more information and a detailed listing of events and activities. On the homepage, click on News, then click
on Birthday.
- Elvis The Girl vs Anne Robinson
By Linda Harrison
(This is Eastbourne, December 26, 2002)
She's the King: Di Gregory
Di Gregory got all shook up when she came face to face with TV quiz mistress Anne Robinson. The Brighton performer was one of 11 Elvis impersonators chosen to take part in a one-off special of The Weakest Link. But it wasn't meeting quick-witted Ms Robinson which put Di, 38, out of sorts. It was the early hour at which she was expected to transform herself into The King. Di, who goes by the stage name of Elvis the Girl, was told to put on her best blue suede shoes and be ready for a 7.30am start at Pinewood Studios. She said: "I thought 'How do you expect us to look our best at that time in the morning?' It's just not rock 'n' roll, is it?" The programme, filmed earlier this week, consisted of 11 contestants from around Britain - all major Elvis fans and impersonators of The King. Di, of Denton Drive, said she was teased by Ms Robinson on the show about being a female Elvis impersonator. And she was the only female to pit her wits in the general knowledge quiz show. She said: "It was hilarious. And Anne did seem to be nearly cracking a smile at one point." The Elvis fan, whose mum still makes her jumpsuits, was asked to be a contestant after programme-makers spotted her at the Edinburgh Festival in August. ... Viewers will have to wait to discover which contestant walks off with the £1,000 prize money.
A BBC spokeswoman said the Elvis special would be one of several themed Weakest Links during the festive season. Others include contestants who all have Christmas jobs, a panto special and a show with the theme "loud". The Elvis impersonators can be seen on BBC Two on January 1 at 5.15pm.
- The Sounds of Christmas
By S. T. Karnick
(Hudson Institute, December 25, 2002)
... Given that engendering a worshipful feeling is a strong part of the appeal of Christmas music for me, the specter of boredom is of course something to be avoided at all costs. Of course, the true classics never fade. By this I refer, naturally, to the major Christmas albums of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. All of these are quite beautiful and moving. Their makers were incredibly skilled vocal performers, and their talents easily overcome whatever human flaws these gentlemen may have had. The spirit shines through. ...
- A look at the year's oddest stories
By Simon Randall
(stuff.co.nz, December 25, 2002)
A pregnant porn star, Murray Mexted and the King of Rock 'n' Roll vied for space in the nation's newspapers this year. Simon Randall recalls some of the weird, wonderful and way, way out stories of 2002. ... And finally, what wrap of the year's oddities would be complete without a catch up with the Elvis? It was a busy year for the King, who had a worldwide hit with A Little Less Conversation and a No 1 greatest hits album despite dying 25 years ago. On August 16, the anniversary of his death, a plaster bust of the King wept miracle tears in gratitude for his fans around the world, its Dutch owner said.
Toon Nieuwenhuisen, a 50-year-old professional Elvis impersonator and spiritual medium who says he speaks regularly to Elvis, also said the ghost of the King of Rock n' Roll appeared in his house the week before. Not to be outdone, Wellington supermarket owner Maurice Bennett spent two months creating a portrait of Elvis out of 4000 small slices of toast. "I'm totally into Elvis," Mr Bennett said. You'd have to be really, wouldn't you?
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