Late June 2003
- All shook up - over pizza?
By MELIA BOWIE
(St Petersburg Times, June 30, 2003)
Mike Zullo walked into Elvis Pizza three months ago looking for work as a deliveryman. His job interview took mere minutes: He fit the suit. The Elvis suit, that is. "I felt dressing up the drivers would distinguish us," said Dino Fotopoulos, 41, who owns the shop with his wife Rita, 34. He was right. Requests are coming in from Seven Springs and Hudson, from Elvis lovers working everywhere from Circuit City to the county government center.
The food and the free delivery are pretty good incentives, Dino Fotopoulos said. But he does not underestimate Zullo's new star power. It's the allure of Elvis at their door that tickles many customers, and Zullo - decked out with sunglasses, sideburns and a flowing white, gold-trimmed suit - provides it. "People take pictures when he comes to the door," Dino Fotopoulos said.
- BMG hopes public still loves Elvis tender
By David Lieberman
(USA Today, June 30, 2003)
Bertelsmann's music arm, BMG, is about to try to give a dead act, in this case Elvis Presley, a whole new career. On Oct. 7 it will try to build on last year's successful ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits with the release of a follow-up CD: Elvis: 2nd to None. While the song list for the new record is still being set, it will include five No. 1 singles not on last year's collection (including Viva Las Vegas and Blue Suede Shoes), favorites determined from postings at fan Web sites (I Want You, I Need You, I Love You and Always on My Mind), and seminal tracks (That's All Right). BMG will try to rope in more young fans with a remix of Rubberneckin' by DJ Paul Oakenfold, who has worked with U2, INXS and Simply Red.
The CD will be part of a series of albums with sonically refurbished Presley oldies that the privately held German media giant plans to turn out annually ‹ maybe even more often for the next three to five years, says BMG Strategic Marketing Group Executive Vice President Joe DiMuro. "No one's had a career like Elvis' that spanned from 1954 to 1977." He's already considering albums of Elvis' Christmas and gospel songs. Plans for next year might focus on it being the 50th anniversary of Elvis' recording debut. And 2006 is the 50th anniversary of his TV-fueled breakout from regional star to national superstar.For this year, the BMG hype machine is planning pervasive TV ads, billboards and online marketing. And it is helping with an Elvis documentary to be broadcast on NBC. Under consideration for the holidays this year are three DVDs, which might include a new version of Elvis' 1968 NBC appearance commonly known as his "Comeback Special" and his 1973 Aloha from Hawaii worldwide televised concert from Hawaii. And Bertelsmann's Random House will publish an Elvis coffee-table book. The King died in 1977.
Plans to keep Elvis rocking are "very, very well thought out," says Elvis Presley Enterprises CEO Jack Soden. "The success of 30 # 1 Hits has created a hunger for more." That's certainly the case at BMG, which would love to breathe new life into Elvis' work. ELV1S 30 #1 Hits spent three weeks at the top of the U.S. charts after release last September. It generated $140 million last year from worldwide sales of nearly 10 million albums. Since the production costs were paid off long ago, the biggest expenses for the new releases are re-engineering and marketing, leaving BMG with a profit margin north of 30%.
The King's return on sales is "the highest of anyone in our group," DiMuro says. Those results - plus successes by hitmakers including Avril Lavigne and Pink - helped BMG make a $135 million profit in 2002 with 10% of the world market vs. a loss with 8.2% of the market in 2001, Britain's Music & Copyright reported this month. Even DiMuro doesn't expect to repeat last year's Elvis numbers. But he projects the second shot will generate as much as $55 million by selling up to 6 million units, including more than 2 million in the USA. And he says the techniques being used to revive Elvis' oldies might also be used to jolt others in the BMG vaults, including Jefferson Airplane, John Denver, Hall & Oates, Lou Reed and Dolly Parton.
- Poor Chubby: He's upset that he hasn't made it into the the Rock Hall of Fame
By TOM INFIELD
(Monterey Herald / Knight Ridder Newspapers, June 29, 2003)
Chubby Checker had the gray heads bopping in the aisles the other night during the first of four sold-out concerts at Caesars casino in Atlantic City, N.J. If it were up to his audience, mostly children of the 1960s, there is no question that the King of the Twist (''El Rey del Twist,'' to his Latino fans) would have taken his place long ago in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... Whatever it is, it has had the former South Philadelphia street kid in a snit. He has complained so long and so loudly about what he sees as ''disrespect'' that he may actually be hurting his chances of ever getting in. Now, he's even complaining about his hometown, which he says isn't doing enough to help him gain the recognition he feels is coming to him. ... He said the reason may be at least partly racial, even though his fan base is primarily white. ''Memphis loves Elvis -- plays his music and talks about him,'' he said. ''Liverpool loves their Beatles... I marvel at the way Philadelphia eats its young. Where is my honor? Where is my glory? Why am I still sitting in the back of the bus?''
- Don't be cruel, Elvis - help us find two unlovin' teddy bears
By Michael Kelley
(Go Memphis, June 29, 2003)
It's like Elvis," King Abdullah II of Jordan said on ABC's This Week, speaking of Saddam Hussein. "There's a lot of sightings of him all over the place."
I never thought I'd see those two figures linked. The ruler of Iraq and the ruler of rock? The ambitious young cat from Tikrit and the hip-swinging upstart from Tupelo? The hot, dry, sandy environs of Baghdad and the fluttering palms of Las Vegas? You've got to assume the king of Jordan knows the king of rock 'n' roll has been dead since 1977, or, if he doesn't know the exact year, is at least aware that sightings of Elvis are mythical. Which would imply that the king - of Jordan, I mean - believes that Saddam is dead, too, and that sightings of him are figments of the imagination.
I hope so. Elvis's afterlife wanderings aren't worrisome. A live Saddam meandering like a specter in the desert with a lust for vengeance in his heart and a jar of germs in his backpack is another story. He may have had no use for Osama bin Laden before, but I'm sure Saddam would love to hook up with him now, if he hasn't already.
... Since his death in 1977 at the age of 42, Elvis still haunts our dreams. He maintains a busy schedule of paranormal appearances, if you're into that sort of thing. He dispenses advice and guidance in films such as True Romance, Mystery Train and Finding Graceland. (Where was Elvis, by the way, when Tony Blair and our own president were assuring us that Saddam did, indeed, have an active weapons of mass destruction program going? If you happen to recall that I was telling people they really ought to read what eventually turned out to be called in Britain The Dodgy Dossier, all I can say is, hey, look, I'm sorry. I wasn't the only person taken in.)
So this is a message to Elvis, older people being some of the most avid newspaper readers: Don't let us down this time, man. Please let us know if you happen to see a tall, turbaned devil in disguise as you're moving about the Afterworld.
- Elvis' city turns spotlight on pandas, carousel in zoo's China exhibit
By LYNN EDGE
(Birmingham News, June 29, 2003)
Memphis is a city that's accustomed to hosting royalty. After all, it was the home of "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" for much of his life. Now it's home to new royalty of sorts -- two giant pandas who arrived at the Memphis Zoo recently. After a "settling in" time, the pandas -- Le Le (pronounced luh luh) and Ya Ya -- now are welcoming guests to their new home, an entire Asian environment created as part of the zoo's participation in a panda survival program.
- Elvis opening, autocross new for county fair
By JOE BLACK
(KALAMAZOO GAZETTE, June 29, 2003)
Think of a motocross that revs up souped-up cars instead of motorcycles. In what the head of the Kalamazoo County Fair calls one of the biggest changes for this year, an autocross competition will flank the first full day of the annual fair at 2900 Lake. Autocross drivers dodge a series of obstacles as they speed through a pre-arranged course for their races. ... The Kalamazoo County Fair runs Aug. 4-9, and begins with an opening pre-fair concert and fireworks on Sunday. Daily attractions include Elvis impersonator Doug Church, the autocross, monster trucks and a rodeo. ... The fair offers a variety of entertainment during the week-long event that features exhibits, animals and rides, Laukert said. Other changes for this year include having the Elvis impersonator kicking off the pre-show instead of a gospel choir, and there will no longer be a charge for parking.
- France's answer to Elvis Presley
By Geoff Hutchison
(ABC Radio National, June 29, 2003)
He's been a French pin up boy for more than 40 years and has sold millions of records and at 60 shows no sign of slowing down. His name is Johnny Hallyday, France's biggest pop star, still drawing huge crowds, while other rock 'n rollers are drawing their pensions. If you haven't heard of him, you're not alone, for Johnny Hallyday has always been a French phenomenon, largely ignored, even belittled by music critics in the English-speaking world. Europe Correspondent Geoff Hutchison tries to change that perception with this report on the man the French believe is the real Elvis.
(Sound of Johnny Hallyday singing)
GEOFF HUTCHISON: It sounds strangely familiar doesn¹t it? But it aint the King, it's Johnny Hallyday, for more than 40 years, the French God of leather wearing, hip swinging, rock 'n roll. He was born, like most pop icons, under the slightly less interesting name of Jean Philippe Smet in Belgium in 1943. Abandoned by his parents and raised by his aunt, he hit the road at 16 as Johnny Hallyday. He wanted to be American, he wanted to be Elvis Presley, and apparently unconcerned there already was one, still went ahead and built his fortune on it.
SACHA REIN (French music journalist): He [Elvis] gave Johnny Hallyday a new identity. Johnny didn't know who he was before he saw Elvis. And when he saw Elvis Presley, for the first time he realised who he was and what kind of music he wanted to sing and what kind of man he wanted to be.
- Marcus Amphitheater: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
By Sarah Van Harpen
(Sacramento Bee, June 28, 2003)
Tom Petty got into the biz after being bitten by the music bug seeing Elvis Presley perform. Ever since, the Florida rocker has been making self-described, "straight-ahead, American rock 'n' roll." In the wake of his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Petty has released his latest album, "The Last DJ," a scathing review of the current state of music.
- THEATER: In 'Graceland,' fantasy makes life bearable
By JOANN GROSE
(Charlotte Observer, June 28, 2003)
"Graceland" by innerVoices Theatre Company provides an appealing grace note to the crowded Charlotte summer theater scene.
A beautifully written one-act by Ellen Byron, "Graceland" is the conversation between two women in front of the hallowed gates of Elvis' Memphis mansion, three days before the house opens to the public in 1982.
Rootie (Serena Ruden) is a young innocent fleeing an abusive marriage in Louisiana. Bev (Therese St. Germain) is older, the prosaic wife of a Delaware trucker who'd rather his wife chase a dead guy than live ones.
First-time director Jason Looney, 17, who's on his way to study at the N.C. School of the Arts, has grafted another Byron one-act, "Asleep on the Wind," within "Graceland." For the most part, this arrangement works. "Asleep" is Rootie's memory of her farewell to Beau (Carver Johns), her older brother, on the night he left to serve in Vietnam. While "Asleep" is moving and gives Ruden a chance to display her impressive range, it's also more sentimental than "Graceland" and diminishes the power of Rootie's narrative in the latter.
Š And what the idea of Elvis does for both women is provide a sweet-spirited counterpart to the idea of celebrity as something that only feeds the star's narcissistic hunger. At its best, says "Graceland," celebrity is a two-way street with the fantasy image giving some ordinary people a way to get through their days.
- Don't be cruel; return the Elvis bear
By Donna DeFalco
(The Beacon News, June 27, 2003)
A 100-pound, upright, Elvis tribute bear named "I Want to be Your Teddy Bear" was stolen from Naperville's Riverwalk this week. The bear is one of 58 specially designed and decorated fiberglass sculptures to be auctioned in September for the Naperville United Way. Money raised from the auction supports 24 nonprofit agencies serving the Naperville area. This is the second bear stolen this year, police Sgt. Joel Truemper said.
- Have you seen Elvis? Thieves pilfer sculpture from Riverwalk
By Susan Stevens
(Daily Herald, June 27, 2003)
Elvis has left the Riverwalk. The bear sculpture decorated to resemble the King of Rock 'n' Roll in his Las Vegas years was stolen Wednesday night or Thursday morning from downtown Naperville. Artist Carolyn Lauing-Finzer was heartbroken when she discovered her art work was missing.
- Editorial: United Way under fire: Accounting methods need outside review
(Sacramento Bee, June 27, 2003)
No one would pay $1,938 for 10 Elvis Presley CDs. That's nearly $200 a copy. Or $2,924 for 33 cheap plastic snow globes, each one containing cheap angel earrings -- nearly $90 apiece. But that's the fair market value that United Way California Capital Region placed on these donations it passed on to Francis House, a Sacramento charity that serves the homeless. Francis House officials were astounded -- and rightly so.
How does the local United Way arrive at these improbable sums? Incredibly, by the truckload. As United Way officials explained it to The Bee's Dorothy Korber, they simply divide the dollar value of a total truckload of donations by the number of items inside. And who decides what the value of the truckload is? The donors who can receive tax write-offs of up to twice the value of the donated goods. Because of the lump sum way United Way computes value, it's impossible to know whether individual contributors have inflated the cost of their donations, or United Way's accounting methods make it look as though some have.
Š Explanations provided by United Way officials to date about how it accounts for its noncash donations have not been reassuring. The more information that comes out, the worse things look. It's time for a serious and truly independent review. The Charitable Trust division of the California Department of Justice should look into this.
- You can have fun 'til the cows come home
(Ledger Enquirer, June 27, 2003)
The CowParade makes me laugh. When we were in Las Vegas last month, the Vegas cows were all over the casinos. My favorites were the Elvis cow and the showgirl cow.
The Atlanta CowParade goes on display this weekend. Š The live auction will be Nov. 13 at the Georgia World Congress Center. The proceeds benefit the Southeast Division of the American Cancer Society. Š
- Saddam rumors stir fear, lust for revenge
By CRAIG NELSON
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 27, 2003)
More than two months after Saddam Hussein's ouster from power, Iraqis seldom exhibit "Where's Elvis?" frivolity when asked to speculate about the ex-dictator's whereabouts.
- Firm puts fans on the trail of US musical legends
(Harborough Today, June 26, 2003)
HAVE you ever fancied tracing the footsteps of the King of Rock 'n' Roll or taking your very own 'Peggy Sue' to the infamous Heartbreak Hotel? What about visiting the birthplace of country music or catching Dolly Parton perform at her very own theme park, Dollywood? If so, Harborough tour operator Travelsphere is offering the opportunity of a lifetime to visit the spiritual homes of the musical heritage of the USA. From country music to blues, thousands of holidaymakers are now taking tours to the very roots of some of the most memorable music in history. For country music lovers, Nashville the capital of Tennessee is the undisputed country-music capital of the world.
- Elvis musical announced
By CRAIG NELSON
(Ananova, June 26, 2003)
A new stage musical based Elvis' hit film Jailhouse Rock has been announced.
The show is set to open in London's West End before the end of the year and on New York's Broadway next year. It will be based on Presley's 1957 movie and feature songs from the era.
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