Late January 2003
Also in the news: Elvis the Helicopter
- BMG revamps in drive for music's global superstars
(Reuters, January 23, 2003)
Bertelsmann Music Group, home to pop stars Alicia Keys, Dido and Pink, unveiled a management revamp on Thursday in a drive to improve its chances of discovering global superstars and survive the industry slump. BMG, part of European media group Bertelsmann [BERT.UL], said it was scrapping its regional structure and organising itself under four new global divisions aimed at boosting its marketing clout and putting more muscle into developing new acts such as last year's hit pop artist Avril Lavigne.
The new structure wraps up a year of dramatic change at the world's fifth biggest music company which has festered at the bottom of the league table of the world's music heavyweights. BMG, which also owns the Elvis back catalogue, axed 1,200 jobs last year and restructured its labels after paying $2.74 billion to buy out Zomba -- the label which counts Britney Spears and 'NSync among its top artists. Under the new structure BMG will operate under the following divisions: one housing its labels which include Arista, RCA and Jive/Zomba; one overseeing territories; a corporate centre; and the chairman's office.
BMG Chief Executive Rolf Schmidt-Holtz and Chief Operating Officer Michael Smellie will be joined by Asia executive Tim Prescott in a new role overseeing global marketing campaigns. Meanwhile Thomas Stein will return to his role of running Germany, Austria and Switzerland after heading the European division and global artists & repertoire (A&R). ... The music industry is under pressure to find global stars and cut costs as music sales look set to fall for the fourth straight year in 2003. Sources close to the companies say BMG has also been holding informal talks with rival EMI Group Plc to explore the possibility of reviving merger talks -- a move which would help slash costs further.
- Elvis has left the building...
(This is York, January 23, 2003)
ELVIS proved he really was the King of rock 'n' roll when he won first prize at a North Yorkshire school's charity miming competition. About 50 seven to 16-year-olds from Queen Mary's School, Baldersby Park, Topcliffe, took to the stage dressed as their favourite pop stars. Alice Appleyard, 12, of Easingwold, donned a wig and a lookalike Elvis white jumpsuit to take the honours in the contest, which was part of the school's initiative to raise money for this year's Comic Relief.
- Nell Carter, Broadway singer, 'Gimme a Break!' star, dead at 54; collapsed at home
(San Diego Union-Tribune / Associated Press, January 23, 2003)
Nell Carter, who played the sassy, matronly housekeeper on the 1980s sitcom "Gimme a Break!" and received a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical "Ain't Misbehavin'," died Thursday, her publicist said. She was 54. ... Growing up, Carter listened to her mother's recordings of Dinah Washington and B.B. King, and her brother's Elvis Presley records. She liked Doris Day, the Andrews Sisters, Johnny Mathis, and admired the work of Cleo Laine and Barbra Streisand. ...
- Mickey Mouse protection: Copyright extension a drain on creativity
(Daytona Beach News-Journal, January 22, 2003)
Besides the pleasure and instruction their books might provide readers, authors' works were once the plaything of pirates -- publishers who never hesitated to reprint other people's books and pocketing the profits. ... If creative types such as authors, artists and musicians are notoriously easy to take advantage of by their handlers, copyright protection was at least one way to right the balance in the creative types' favor. But copyright is not a blanket, open-ended deal. The Constitution recognizes its importance. It also recognizes that at some point, works of value must become part of the public domain to "promote the progress of science." People should be able to obtain others' works freely to build on them and expand knowledge to everyone's benefit. Science, in the Framers' view, was understood to mean any kind of learning or knowledge, arts and literature included. Last week, the Supreme Court dealt a blow to just such a promotion of progress, opting instead to promote business.
The court ruled that Congress was within its rights to extend copyright protection on most existing works to 95 years (up from 75 years) and to set any new work's copyright at 70 years following its author's death (up from 50 years). As Justice Steven Breyer wrote in his dissent from the court's 7-2 decision, "the economic effect of this 20-year extension -- the longest blanket extension since the nation's founding -- is to make the copyright term not limited, but virtually perpetual." The extensions' lobbyists were not authors. They're usually dead by the time their copyright runs out. They have nothing to gain from any extension. But corporations such as Disney or estates such as Elvis's have billions to keep gaining from protecting their products, be they Mickey's internationally recognized mouse ears or "Jailhouse Rock." It is to those business interests that Congress pandered with the 20-year extension. The loser is the public domain and, however incalculable the notion, the advancement of knowledge.
- Elvis movies still sing: four musicals shake out on DVD
(tennessean.com, January 22, 2003)
In the 1960s, Elvis movies were as dependable as Christmas, and much more frequent. In fact, 27 Presley features were released to theaters from 1960 to 1969. Many of these were fluffy musical diversions produced for Paramount by Hal Wallis, who wrapped his packages in pretty paper but didn't spend a lot of time shopping for good scripts. These films adhered so slavishly to formula that ''the Elvis movie'' became its own genre, aimed strictly at fans. In recognition of the fact that Jan. 8 marked what would have been Elvis' 68th birthday, Paramount Home Entertainment has just released four Elvis musicals on DVD for the first time. Here's a look at them, and at some of the special qualities that define the Elvis Movie ...
- That's the wonder of Sue
(This is York, January 22, 2003)
ELVIS fan extraordinaire Sue Wells was all shook up when colleagues donned The King's trademark costume to give her the perfect send-off from York rail firm GNER. The PR supremo, whose work promoting the firm's sponsorship of a range of events has seen her forge friendships with stars such as Sir Jimmy Savile, Catherine Zeta Jones, Gary Lineker and Dame Thora Hird, was lured to York railway station today, where colleagues Dave Mallender and Geoff Nicholls sprang the surprise dressed in rhinestone-studded white jumpsuits and Elvis wigs. They presented her with cash chipped in by colleagues which she hopes to eventually use towards a trip to Memphis Tennessee to visit the King's home-turned-museum, Gracelands.
Sue said: "It was unbelievable. I should have had a suspicious mind that they would do something like this, but it took me completely by surprise. They were no substitute for the real thing, but they are brilliant guys." Dave said: "Sue will be sorely missed and will be always on our minds. She must be North Yorkshire's biggest Elvis fan. She always has an Elvis calendar in the office, an Elvis screen saver on her computer and plays Elvis songs at coffee time, so it was only fitting that we did something with an Elvis theme." Sue was later joined by colleagues for a party to toast her early retirement after more than 21 years in the rail industry.
- SuperGARAGE Prefer Elvis To The Beatles
(ChartAttack, January 21, 2003)
After realizing that all of their album titles suck (hey, that's their own accusation, not ours), Toronto's superGARAGE got the idea a couple months ago to hold a contest for fans to name their new album. Well, after two months of submissions, the band has an album title and are ready to put the disc out. The winner of the contest is Danny Ladas of Bronx, New York, who sent in the title Elvis Was Bigger Than The Beatles. The title is actually a lyric from superGARAGE's self-titled debut, which came out in '97, so it's safe to say Danny's a longtime fan. He'll be receiving a pretty good prize pack including a signed advance copy of Elvis Was Bigger Than The Beatles, superGARAGE T-shirts, stickers and CDs. On top of that, the band will be visiting Danny at his apartment in the Bronx for a private acoustic show.
- King's spirit lives
By HERB BROCK
(Advocate Messenger / Kentucky Advocate, January 21, 2003)
There is at least one difference between the followers of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the fans of Elvis Presley, according to Norman Bartleson. "There are people who believe to this day that Elvis is still alive. But we know that Dr. King is dead and is buried in Atlanta," said Bartleson. "But we do believe that his spirit is still alive. It's what keeps his dream alive and keeps us believing that one day it will come true." King's spirit certainly seemed to be alive Monday afternoon in First Baptist Church, Second and Walnut streets. That's when and where Bartleson, president of the Danville chapter of the NAACP, led the annual celebration of King's birthday. More than 200 people attended a songfest and a special program, and many of them also participated in a march around Danville. The theme of this year's King celebration was "King: Drum Major for Peace, Love and Righteousness."
- Bodies of work: Pinups young and old(er) gather at a show where nostalgia counts.
By Gina Piccalo
(Los Angeles Times, January 21, 2003)
Texas Barbie, the towering and very buxom blond in the silver sequined bikini, causes a minor traffic backup at the entrance to the Radisson's exhibition room. Those saucer-eyed men who resist the urge to stare, however, find themselves in a room full of similarly endowed women -- all of them selling nude and semi-nude images of themselves. ... At 63, [Miss September 1959, Marianne] Gaba is quick to point out during a phone interview that "I still look pretty good," and when she answers the door of her Beverly Hills home she reveals a trim figure and a conservative ensemble not too far off from the girl-next-door image that landed her on the covers of Hollywood's celebrity tabloids in the late 1950s and early '60s. Back then, Gaba dated Ricky Nelson after a stint as his girlfriend on TV's "Ozzy and Harriet," and spent the night "necking" with Elvis Presley in his Beverly Hilton penthouse. She went on to roles in a series of beach movies -- "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" among them -- before marrying a stockbroker in 1962 and starting a family.
- Elvis Again
by Greil Marcus
(Threepenny Review, Winter 2003)
It was in late July that a representative from a public radio talk show asked me to take part in a program on "all the insanity about the twenty-fifth anniversary." He didn't have to say the twenty-fifth anniversary of what, but I still didn't know what he was getting at. It seemed to me that in 2002, twenty-five years after Elvis Presley's death, and more than two years after the last interesting Elvis impersonator, Bill Clinton, had left his stage, the real story was the evaporation of Elvis Presley in American life. ...
- Don't step into his blue suede shoes
by DEANNA DELAMOTTA
(Express & Star, January 20, 2003)
Elvis impersonators in white jumpsuits are viewed with suspicious minds at a monthly homage to the King. "Jumpsuits are banned," says Barbara Wilson, 59, leader of the Wolverhampton branch of the Elvis Presley Fan Club. Barbara is the only woman dressed up in full 1950s gear at the Saturday night disco which attracts 80 to 100 Elvis fans to the Starlit Room on the fourth floor of the city's Connaught Hotel. Anne Nixon, 62, of Dudley, wears a black T-Shirt with her hero's name plastered across it. "White jumpsuits are a stereotype; real fans don't wear them. Elvis didn't wear jumpsuits or capes until the last 18 months of his life. But whenever you see an impersonator that's what he'll be wearing." Maureen and Bill Steventon, of Wilhenhall, jive in perfect harmony to Jailhouse Rock, the first song to go straight to number one when it entered the UK charts 45 years ago this week. Maureen, 60, who has a trim figure women half her age would envy, has her long raven-coloured locks curled Fifties style. She could have gone the whole hog, but decided against it. "I dressed up last time but felt like the odd one out. Everyone said I looked nice but you like to blend in, don't you?"
- In the Ghetto
by Keith McLeod
(Daily Record, January 20, 2003)
BOSSES at an Elvis fan club have been accused of barring two of their members because they asked for records by The King. Presley fanatic Margaret McGuire got the boot after begging a DJ at a club dance to play Return to Sender, Don't Be Cruel and Yellow Rose of Texas. And Margaret's daughter Maureen was kicked out in a row over her request for Can't Help Falling In Love. Margaret is still allowed to go to the venue where Glasgow-based The Elvis Touch holds its dances. But she is barred from the function hall, so she has to listen to her idol from outside.
The Record told last week how the same club banned a fan from one of their functions because his Elvis outfit was "an insult to the King". And Margaret, 57, said yesterday: "When I heard that story I just knew The Elvis Touch would be involved. "It seems some people are taking things far too seriously. They really are becoming the Elvis club from hell." ... The Elvis Touch is recognised by Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc, and run by a five-strong committee. Secretary Linda Downie said: "Margaret was banned because of behaviour at the club which was unbecoming."
- Benefit to aid victim's family
(Daytona Beach news-Journal, January 20, 2003)
The family of James "Jimmy" Martin, victim of an unsolved homicide, will be honored with an "artists tribute." Martin was married, father of two sons and co-owner of a fernery before he was killed in November 2002.
The benefit will be at Sunshine Park Performing Arts Center at Sunshine Park Mall, 2400 S. Ridgewood Ave. The theater has been donated for two shows of "Wyatt Davis presents Legends Reunion." Performers impersonating John Denver, Marilyn Monroe, Dolly Parton, Tina Turner and Elvis Presley will star in 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows Saturday.
Tickets are $15 and may be purchased from Cabin on the Lake Bed and Breakfast, Lake Helen, (386) 228-2878; Ye Old Flower Shop, Lake Helen, (386) 228-0999; from Davis at the Sunshine Theater, (386) 852-7889 or at the door. Proceeds go to the James Martin Memorial Fund at First Community Bank.
- King Day events should be more important here
by Steve Henson
(chieftain.com, January 19, 2003)
The gaudy building sits lonely, just a few blocks from the BBQ ribs and blues joints and T-shirt shops of Beale Street, the birthplace of the blues and street school of musical pioneers such as W.C. Handy and Elvis Presley. It's difficult to discern what's important and what isn't around here. That's because the level of poverty and decay is astounding. Still, what may appear to be a shack might be a historic home or even a fabulous 100-year-old restaurant.
Handy's home is in an area of downtown that you shouldn't drive through at night. And Presley's Graceland sits in a business/residential area that resembles our North Elizabeth Street. Were you not on Elvis Presley Boulevard, with Elvis' giant Lisa Marie airplane sitting in a parking lot across the street, you might drive past the King's pad and miss it.
That's the way it is with the building at 450 Mulberry. I drove past it a couple of weeks ago while on vacation and almost didn't see it. It is a nasty-looking old motel, sitting in a distressed area poisoned by boarded-up buildings and empty lots overtaken by all sorts of vegetation. Still, the name on the old, retro sign seemed familiar: Lorraine Motel. It isn't much of a motel, just two levels with a total of about 10 rooms, attached to a newer, more modern building.
Tied to a railing on the second floor, outside Room 306, is a large wreath.
Then it made sense: This was the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, on April 4, 1968. ... Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
- Plenty of poise in the hood: Eminem makes the transition from studio to screen with ease [Movie review]
by Philip French
(Guardian Unlimited / The Observer, January 19, 2003)
8 Mile (110 mins, 15)
Directed by Curtis Hanson; starring Eminem, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy
John Ford once opined that it was easier to teach an actor to ride than a cowboy to act. He never made a musical and thus remained silent on the issue of whether it is easier to teach an actor to sing than a singer to act. ... Commercial imperatives of course have compelled Hollywood to provide movie vehicles for singing stars with little or no acting experience, and from Bing Crosby through Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley, singers have acquitted themselves well when given the right material and good directors.
- South Florida Pulls off Upset of Memphis 75-74
by Brett McMurphy
(Tampa Tribune, January 19, 2003)
In its last eight visits to Memphis, South Florida had as much success as Elvis Presley's dietitian: not a lot. But that all changed Saturday night as the Bulls survived two last-second shots by Memphis and hung on for a 75-74 victory at The Pyramid.
- Lubbock is unabashedly unconventional: The city on the wind-swept plains focuses on staying optimistic
by MIKE COCHRAN
(Orange County Register.com, January 19, 2003)
In 1914, it was overrun with flies. In 1920, it was chickens. In 1970, it was a tornado. In 2001, it was Bob Knight. Now it's prairie dogs, tens of thousands of 'em, and the pesky little rascals are multiplying as we speak. In a state filled with quirky cities, Lubbock could be the centerpiece. ... Lubbock is once again making news, and much of it is typically bizarre. Last June, a prestigious national institute listed Lubbock No. 27 among America's Top 200 Best Places for Business and Careers. Laredo, however, was 16th, and Houston, 21st. A recent readers' poll by the local newspaper listed a dog among the city's favorite columnists. ... The town's most famous musician, Buddy Holly, died in a plane crash 43 years ago at age 22. Buddy's local legacy includes the Holly Center, Holly Plaza, Holly Home, Holly Grave, Holly Recreation Area and even Fair Park Coliseum, where he once opened for Bill Haley and Elvis Presley.
- A Tale Of Two Otellos
by Gary Hollander
(ent-today.com, January 18, 2003)
An intimate interview with Roberto Alagna, the singer who recently stepped in for his friend, the great tenor Placido Domingo. Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Music Center was no ordinary day for tenor extraordinaire Roberto Alagna. At virtually the last minute, our city's great tenor, Placido Domingo developed a severe case of bronchitis and had to cancel his singing of Act 4 of Verdi's Otello and Acts 3 and 4 of Massenet's Werther. The rest of the cast was secure, with the incomparable mezzo Frederica von Stade ready to sing Charlotte in Werther. Domingo called Alagna, who was at home in Paris, and the show went on with Alagna taking over for Domingo and Domingo conducting Alagna in the last act of Otello. ...
RA: As I've said, singing is my passion. Sure it's my profession today but first I am a mellow man. I love opera. I love music. I love to listen to CDs. I love to discover new singers. I like the sound of beautiful voices including pop singers. The first voice I fell in love with was Elvis Presley. Then there is Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, voices with a beautiful round sound. Their color is warm and sweet yet virile at the same time. There is energy and passion. I like these kinds of singers. In fact, I love the human voice.
- Being dead is bad for business
(The Indian Express, January 17, 2003)
Business community and national security. Why should they interface? ... Incidentally four years ago Sandy Berger, who was the US national security advisor, said, Stanley Weiss always says, being dead is bad for business. But that's not entirely true, think of Elvis Presley! ...
- Soundscan: QOTSA (And Elton John) Fails To Overturn Shania
(chartattack, January 16, 2003)
... The biggest mover and shaker in the top 10 is the Big Shiny '90s compilation. It jumps from #13 to #8 as more people realize they need to hear U2's "Mysterious Ways" and Matchbox 20's "3am" on the same record. Rounding out the top 10 is Big Shiny Tunes 7 (#6), Elvis Presley's Elvis 30 No. 1 Hits (#7), Jennifer Lopez's This Is MeŠ Then (#9) and Josh Groban's self-titled album (#10).
- Cobain guitar to be auctioned
By NANCY STETSON
(Q4Music, January 16, 2003)
The Nirvana memorial industry continues apace, as Kurt Cobain's guitar goes under the hammer in a rock memorabilia auction next month. Kurt's black Stratocaster "axe" was used throughout the band's 1991 Nevermind tour and is expected to fetch £15,000 at the Cooper Owen Rock Legends auction on 20 February in London. The guitar will be sold alongside unheard recordings by John Lennon and Mick Jagger, an exact "clone" of the guitar Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock (specially created by Fender at the behest of the Hendrix family) and the original 10" metal pressing plates used to manufacture Elvis Presley's That's All Right and Mystery Train.
- ANNE DRINKARD-MOSS: SINGING FOR THE LORD
By Joyce Marcel
(American Reporter, January 16, 2003)
A murmur ran through the choir when the bus pulled into Brattleboro, Vt. "Everybody's white here. What're we going to do?" Then someone said, "We're going to sing to the Lord," and that's exactly what they did. This is the story of a remarkable cross-cultural exchange that took place in the 1990s between Vermont, one of the whitest states in the Union, and the incredibly powerful, all-black, 100-member 11 A.M. Mass Choir from the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J. The woman behind that exchange, the beautiful, musically gifted and devoutly spiritual Anne L. Drinkard-Moss, died on New Year's Day at the age of 75. Moss was one of eight children of a remarkable family. One of her sisters was Emily, or Cissy, later Houston, who sang lead with the Sweet Inspirations; they backed everyone from Elvis Presley to Aretha Franklin and had a hit of their own in 1968. Houston's daughter, Whitney, also took the family's gospel roots commercial, with enormous success.
- Memphis has more than one legacy
By Felicia LeDuff Harry
(Daily Comet, January 16, 2003)
I always considered the phrase about being stopped "dead in your tracks" somewhat of a cliche. That was, until, I was stopped dead in my tracks last year on a visit to Memphis.
Memphis is a beautiful city, somewhat reminiscent of New Orleans, with a history rich in the blues and a revitalized downtown with lots of music and food establishments. There is a statue of W.C. Handy, who is often referred to as "the father of the blues." And, of course, Memphis is the site of Graceland, the estate and final resting place of Elvis Presley, and there are lots of signs of Elvis' legacy in the city.
But there is another not so nice legacy in Memphis. It is the place where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed nearly 35 years ago. During my visit to the Memphis, I had the opportunity to visit the city's Civil Rights Museum, which happens to be housed in the Lorraine Motel, the place where Dr. King was killed. The motel is located close to the railroad tracks at the edge of town, sort of behind the bustling downtown area. On the side of the motel is a sign for a restaurant. I was taken aback a bit by the hotel's location and simplicity, but I was bluntly reminded that in the 1960s, that African Americans were unwelcome guests at fancy hotels with fancy addresses. And then, of course, the passage of time puts wear and tear on buildings, but the locations of the hotels speaks volumes.
Walking toward the museum I was OK, but when I rounded the corner and saw the balcony, the one on which Dr. King was standing when he was fatally shot, I stopped, dead in my tracks. It was no cliche. I was so hit by emotions I couldn't move. Sure, I had seen pictures of the balcony, pictures of the window from which the shot was fired, but not until I was standing there between them did I feel the real impact of the assassination. For just a fleeting moment, the pictures flashed in my mind and I saw Dr. King and Jesse Jackson standing there. And, I could imagine a gunshot and the pandemonium that followed as Dr. King, hit, lay wounded and dying.
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