Early July 2003
- Elvis' Svengali: Biography of Colonel Tom Parker reads like a thriller
[Book review]
By Charles R. Cross
(Seattle Times, July 13, 2003)
If there is one figure in 20th-century show business who was even larger-in-life than Elvis Presley, it was Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The Colonel outweighed Elvis by 100 pounds, outlived him by 20 years and out-earned his charge by crafting deals that gave him more than 50 percent of Presley's income. He was hated by fans for pimping his famous client into trashy movies, feared by anyone who did business with him and known for boasting that he had never once had so much as one meal with Elvis. In a nutshell, he hated Elvis, and any Elvis fan hated the Colonel. Parker was a villain of the first order, and his life, as Alanna Nash states in the introduction to her splendid book "The Colonel," was unequivocally "the stuff of Shakespeare."
Yet Parker was colorful. Nash has plenty to work with, retelling the sordid stories of Parker's pre-Elvis years on the carnival circuit. The Colonel bragged of his many cons and spun tales of dancing chickens (aided by hot-plates under their straw) and suckers born every minute. His eventual collision with Elvis seems almost pre-ordained, part of the natural evolution of Parker's cons.
Though the relationship between Elvis and his crooked manager has been examined so many times it is a familiar story, Nash constructs it so well it reads like a freshly conjured thriller. Nash is best when she tackles the psychological roots of Parker's con: As an illegal immigrant the Colonel forever feared deportation, a fact he kept hidden during Presley's life but one that assured Elvis would never tour outside the United States. Nash's telling is the definitive account of Parker's early life in Holland, and though the actual details can never be confirmed, she leaves a reader convinced that Parker was also a murderer. ...
- Firm suing Diana fund pledges cash
By JO COLLINS MATHIS
(CNN, July 12, 2003)
... The Princess of Wales Memorial Fund said Friday it was freezing payments of about £10 million pounds ($16 million) to more than 120 organizations as part of its fight against a lawsuit from souvenir company Franklin Mint.
... Sid Shaw, who himself won a landmark battle over the rights to the Elvis Presley name, said he had warned the Diana fund against suing Franklin Mint. Shaw rose to prominence in 1997 when the High Court ruled that Elvis Presley Enterprises of America did not have the sole right to put the U.S. singing legend's title on their products.
Speaking from his Elvis memorabilia shop, Elvisly Yours, in central London, Shaw told the UK's Press Association: "When I heard that the Diana fund was going to sue Franklin Mint I wrote to (then UK Prime Minister) John Major, who was legal guardian to Princes William and Harry, and the lawyers representing the Diana trustees, and said `please don't make the same mistake as Elvis Presley Enterprises, work with instead of against people, don't sue.' "They did, which was a great error, and I got a standard letter back, saying my letter had been forwarded to lawyers. "The Diana Fund should have written to these big companies and said `we would love to work with you, we are trying to raise money in Diana's memory.' "I can guarantee, all these companies would have agreed." Shaw added he had written said he wrote to Franklin Mint last night to tell them their legal to tell them their legal action was "disgraceful."
- Not all shook up: Rain doesn't dampen fans' enthusiasm at fourth annual Michigan ElvisFest
By JO COLLINS MATHIS
(mlive.com / Ann Arbor News, July 12, 2003)
Ohhh, Mama. There was a whole lot of shakin' goin' on Friday night in Ypsilanti. A couple of hundred Elvis Presley fans were glad they brought umbrellas and raincoats Friday evening during the opening hour of the fourth annual Michigan ElvisFest held in Ypsilanti's scenic Riverside Park. But just as a little Kentucky rain never stopped Elvis, his fans proved they could handle the Michigan variety, which moved on soon enough. ...
- Elvis lookalikes, don't forget who is real king
By Tim Butler
(Free Lance-Star, July 11, 2003)
All Elvis impersonators need to get a life. Elvis was no god. He was just an entertainer and a singer, and a great one at that, but we should all be more like Jesus. Stop feeding off Elvis. It's sad how he died, and, yes, he is dead. I have the picture to prove it. He died, as they said, on Aug. 16, 1977, at 42 years old. Once one dies there is judgment. Impersonators shouldn't live their lives like they're Elvis because they are not Elvis. They need to be themselves. If I want to hear Elvis sing, he left some good music to listen to, and movies to watch. Impersonators are just a clown act, and if Elvis were alive, he'd tell them the same thing. Elvis said to be yourself. There was only one king, and that is Jesus Christ.
- Writer owes it all to Elvis
By Neal Rubin
(Detroit News, July 11, 2003)
Daniel Klein remembers it like it was 1957 -- which, come to think of it, it was. He walked into a Harvard dorm room and there was his friend Tom Cathcart, standing in front of a mirror, strumming a ukulele and singing "Love Me Tender." That was Klein's introduction to Elvis Presley, and little did he know that Cathcart and Presley would someday make him what he is today: A mystery writer driving to Ypsilanti for an Elvis festival.
Klein, 64, will sign his three highly entertaining Elvis whodunits at Riverside Park Saturday from 10 a.m. until his hand goes numb. He may be the only person at the Michigan Elvisfest sitting down. The fourth annual celebration of all things Elvis runs 5 p.m.-midnight today and 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday. Attractions include multiple Elvis impersonators, the odd Roy Orbison or Patsy Cline, children's activities, barbecued ribs and a Saturday car show.
Amid the throng will be Klein, circling back to his college days in more ways than one. Among his classmates were U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter -- and that was just in the philosophy department. On the literary side, the Harvard class of 1961 included Peter Benchley, who wrote "Jaws." So there was Klein two years ago at his 40th reunion, surrounded by famed researchers and CEOs, telling people he writes novels in which Elvis Presley solves crimes. Fortunately, he says, "they never took me seriously back in the '50s and '60s anyway."
It probably didn't help that while everyone else went off to do lofty things with their diplomas, he and Cathcart opened a lemonade stand in Harvard Yard. "Just a little table and a wagon," Klein says. As he told one of his teachers who walked by shaking his head, "What else are you going to do with a philosophy degree?"
Now he's back behind a table with a cash box and Cathcart, who volunteered to share the drive from Great Barrington, Mass. They'll roll into town today in Klein's wife's 8-year-old Toyota Camry, its trunk stuffed with copies of "Kill Me Tender," "Blue Suede Clues" and the new hardcover, "Viva Las Vengeance" (St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95). Klein's pastimes between Cambridge and Ypsilanti have included wandering through Europe, doing social work in Harlem, crafting TV scripts, writing medical novels and reading the National Enquirer.
It was that fine publication's reports of Elvis sightings, coupled with a friend's early expertise in computerized photo-doctoring, that led to Klein's first Presley publication -- a "Where's Waldo?" parody called "Where's Elvis?"
The book did well enough that the publisher sent Klein on a book tour. Back then, Klein knew about as much about Elvis as Elvis knew about Klein, so Cathcart equipped him with copies of Peter Guralnick's two authoritative Presley biographies.
Somewhere on the West Coast, inspiration smacked him upside the head with a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. "Elvis was a substantial person intellectually," Klein contends -- not formally educated, but endlessly curious. Combine that with his love of law enforcement, and Klein had himself a series.
Thus far, Klein's leading man has explored Sigmund Freud, race relations, Eastern religion and Ann-Margret, all of which he actually spent time with. Klein asks certified Elvis zealots to check his manuscripts for accuracy, and thus far the Elvis World has embraced him, even as he starts the King down the road to excessive pill-popping.
Klein was in Memphis for the 25th anniversary of Elvis' death in 2002, and much to his surprise he found himself known and recognized. Chances are he'll get the same reception in Ypsilanti. "It's kind of weird," he says, but it's a good weird. Unlike, say, "Love Me Tender" on a ukulele.
- Elvis tooth gets bites on eBay
By ASHLEY FANTZ
(Miami Herald, July 11, 2003)
An eBAY auction by a Fort Lauderdale hairdresser who claims to own a molar from the mouth of Elvis Presley and a lock of his hair has gotten scores of bids, including one from a bidder hoping to clone the King of rock 'n' roll. The items, along with a rare gold-plated single of Love Me Tender, were posted Sunday night by Fort Lauderdale hairdresser Flo Briggs. By Tuesday, nearly 141,000 hits had been made. ...
- Bookmakers pay out on Lisa before Friday eviction vote
(Ananova, July 10, 2003)
A bookmaker is so convinced Lisa will be evicted on Friday that it is already paying out to punters who have backed her for the boot. ... It is the first time since Big Brother first went on air four years ago that bookies have paid out early. ... "If, by some miracle, Cameron or Steph are evicted, we will pay out on them as well. We'll also pay out if Elvis is found on the moon," Mr Lush said.
- City all shook up over 'Elvis' cabbie's attire
By MIRA OBERMAN
(Times Leader, July 10, 2003)
Only three customers have ever refused to take a ride in Cab Elvis. One of them called Dave Groh, Seattle's Elvis-impersonating cabbie, a rude name and stalked off. Two others were too drunk to deal with being all shook up, he says. Most of the rest recovered from the sight of Groh with a laugh. Or a sing-along. Or questions about "The King." But to the city's taxi inspectors, who enforce 6-year-old dress codes for cabbies, Groh simply is a law-breaker. ...
- Elvis parts up for grabs
(Toronto Star / Associated Press, July 10, 2003)
One of Elvis Presley's teeth is on the auction block, along with a lock of his hair and one of his gold records. The tooth, purportedly pulled from his mouth at a dentist's office, has been on display at a Fort Lauderdale hair salon for about 10 years, along with the other items. Now they're on the eBay Internet auction site
- Check this out if you want to clone Elvis
By MIRA OBERMAN
(iol.co.za, July 10, 2003)
Online auction house eBay is selling the king of rock 'n roll's crown - complete with attached right molar. Part of a tooth and a crown from Elvis Presley's mouth is the centrepiece item in a memorabilia auction that includes a lock of the King's hair. eBay is asking for a starting bid of $100 000 (R760 000) for Elvis's dental work, and there has already been interest from one company looking at the possibility of using the tooth to clone Elvis.
- Man impersonates Elvis to raise money for cause
By REBECCA SVEC
(Lincoln Journal Star, July 9, 2003)
.. The Calvary Community Church's women's ministry group salad supper is under way in Joel Lundak's back yard. He is the entertainment. They're not paying to see the Peru State College professor and former Episcopal minister. They're waiting for Elvis, who will arrive just after the strawberry cheesecake.
- US cabbie will still wear Elvis-style cape despite dress code fine
(Ananova, July 8, 2003)
A Seattle taxi driver has vowed to continue wearing an Elvis-style cape for work despite being fined for breaking a dress code. Cabbie Dave Groh lost his appeal against a £36 fine for violating the code for taxi drivers, but says he'll continue his lighthearted salute to the King. He agreed to give up his red Elvis outfit and has returned to work wearing a conventional black trousers and a blue shirt. But he added: "The cape's attached to a black jacket with a wide collar. They don't have any regulations about capes in there."
- Love Me Tender, buy my tooth?
(Houston Chronicle / Reuters, July 8, 2003)
It may be too late for Elvis Presley devotees to get their hands on one of his sequined jumpsuits, but die-hard fans can still claim a small piece of the King -- a tooth. A pearly white billed as an authentic dental relic from the rock 'n' roll legend, along with a lock of his hair and a gold-plated copy of the hit single Love Me Tender, are up for sale on the auction site eBay with a minimum bid of $100,000.
The bits of Elvis had been on display in a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, hair salon called the Yellow Strawberry since 1992, a spokesman for the collection said. Anthony DeFontes said the owner of the Elvis memorabilia was motivated to sell in part because of the cost of insurance and security. The tooth had been in the possession of Linda Thompson, a former girlfriend of Presley, DeFontes said. It then found its way to the Elvis Presley Museum before it was auctioned off once before, he said.
The lock of hair, shorn from Presley's head during his induction into the U.S. Army, was given to talk show host Joe Franklin as a present from the singer, DeFontes said. Ebay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said that the site generally bans the sale of human body parts, but he had no immediate comment on the Elvis tooth and hair offering.
Todd Morgan, a spokesman for Elvis Presley Enterprises, the company that manages Presley's estate, said it was possible that the tooth and hair were genuine. But he said the company does not certify as authentic purported Elvis memorabilia and he ruled out a return of the tooth to Graceland, saying the estate would not make a bid. For his part, DeFontes said the owner of the tooth had already rebuffed an advance from an unnamed European firm that had been interested in extracting DNA from the tooth for the purposes of cloning. "To him, there will only be one Elvis," DeFontes said.
- Elvis' Tooth For Sale On EBay
(local6.com / Associated Press, July 8, 2003)
It's a lucky day for anyone who's ever wanted to own a piece of Elvis Presley. A tooth from the mouth of The King himself is being auctioned on eBay. The tooth was in the possession of Presley's former fiancee, Linda Thompson, until it went to the Elvis Presley Museum. The museum later sold the tooth. The auction also includes a lock of Presley's hair that was saved from his haircut upon joining the military and a gold record for "Love Me Tender." The collection's curator said he's been contacted by a European company that wants to extract DNA from the tooth, but the owner of the collection refused that arrangement. The opening bid is $100,000, and as of Tuesday morning there were 10 bids. The auction ends July 15.
- Elvis tooth goes on sale
(BBC, July 8, 2003)
It is the tooth that bit into 1,000 burgers - a molar said to belong to rock'n'roll legend Elvis Presley is to go up for sale on Tuesday. The tooth will be sold on the internet as part of a collection including a lock of the singer's hair and a gold-plated copy of the hit single Love Me Tender. The group of items will start with a minimum bid of $100,000 (£60,000). Anthony DeFontes, a spokesman for the collection, said the tooth was originally in the possession of Elvis's former girlfriend, Linda Thompson.
- Own a hunk of Elvis
(The Age / Reuters, July 8, 2003)
Elvis Presley fans are being offered a chance to own a piece of the King - a tooth. A pearly white billed as an authentic dental relic from the rock 'n' roll legend, along with a lock of his hair and a gold-plated copy of the hit single, Love Me Tender, are up for sale on the auction site eBay with a minimum bid of $US100,000 ($A148,000). The bits of Elvis had been on display in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hair salon called the Yellow Strawberry since 1992, a spokesman for the collection said.
- The poolside papers
By JOHN MARK EBERHART
(Kansas City Star, July 6, 2003)
Good heavens; what a strange summer for book lovers. ...
The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley, by Alanna Nash (394 pages; Simon & Schuster; $25)
Anyone who plugs into pop culture even on the most periodic basis knows Elvis Presley, the late King of Rock 'n' Roll, was one strange duck -- and troubled, too, what with drug abuse and whatnot. But Tom Parker, Elvis' Svengali, wasn't exactly normal, either. Alanna Nash, who has written for Entertainment Weekly and The New York Times, gets the goods on Parker's secretive nature, shady past and giant ego.
- Cabbie fined $60 for dressing like Elvis
By Scott Bauer
(CNN / Associated Press, July 6, 2003)
Cabbie Dave Groh last week lost his appeal of a $60 fine for violating the dress-code for taxi drivers, but says he's determined to continue his lighthearted salute to the King from behind the wheel. Groh has given up his red Elvis outfit and has returned to black pants and blue shirt, but says he's going to continue to wear his Elvis-style cape. "When you've got something going on that people love and feel strongly about, it's easy to get caught up in their passion," he said of the Elvis shtick. "It's almost an obligation I feel to do this now."
- Audio reviews
(Buenos Aires Herald, July 9, 2003)
Close Up (BMG Heritage) - Elvis Presley
To the producers of Elvis Presley's Close Up: thank you, thank you very much ... [as below]
- CD reviews for Ashanti, Nina Simone, and Elvis Presley
(Cape Breton Post, July 5, 2003)
Close Up (BMG Heritage) - Elvis Presley
To the producers of Elvis Presley's Close Up: thank you, thank you very much for combing through the Elvis vault and releasing the four-disc, 89-track set. Each disc focuses on a particular point in the King's career. The first offers 20 tracks from 1957. The second consists of outtakes from four movies: G.I. Blues, Flaming Star, Wild in the Country and Blue Hawaii. The third disc is packed with virtually every outtake from Presley's 1960s sessions at RCA's Studio B in Nashville, Tenn. The outtakes give a glimpse into the world of an Elvis recording session, complete with flubs, jokes and alternate takes to well-known tunes.
The highlight is the fourth disc, an entire 1972 concert from San Antonio. Elvis enters to the strands of Also Sprach Zarathustra, plays a host of his most popular songs, thanks the guy who brings him his scarves, and then makes his exit after crooning Can't Help Falling in Love. Elvis has left the building, but he sounds more alive than ever on Close Up.
- Country album sales down 7%
By JEANNE A. NAUJECK
(tennessean.com, July 4, 2003)
Country album sales are down 7% at midyear, with little new material from 2003 cracking the top 10 and receipts bolstered by the latest post-mortem comeback by The King of Rock 'n' Roll. ... The top-selling country albums so far this year are: "Home", Dixie Chicks; "Up!", Shania Twain; "Unleashed", Toby Keith; "Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors", Tim McGraw; "Have You Forgotten?", Darryl Worley; "No Shoes No Shirt No Problems", Kenny Chesney; "Elvis 30 #1 Hits", Elvis Presley; "Cry", Faith Hill; "Greatest Hits", Martina McBride; and "For the Last Time: Live From the Astrodome", George Strait. The Strait and Worley albums were the only ones released in 2003, and both are filled with either previously recorded material or new versions of previous records. Presley, almost 26 years after his death, was No. 7 with a new compilation of 30 No. 1 hits remixed from their original master recordings, plus a bonus track.
- Strength from within
By PHILIP POTEMPA
(nwitimes.com, July 3, 2003)
Teri Garr doesn't need others to tell her about the dehabilitating effects of multiple sclerosis. Garr, 53, has been dealing with the disease since she was diagnosed 20 years ago. Still, she says people insist on sharing stories of doom and gloom. ... Garr is the daughter of Broadway stage and film star Eddie Garr and Phyllis Garr, a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette. Her first career moments were following her mother's footsteps as a dancer. She appeared as a dance extra in nine of Elvis Presley's films of the 1950s and '60s.
- Fireworks for the Fourth (plus sand castles, robots and Elvis)
By Kristen I. Pounds
(Spotlight Magazine, July 3, 2003)
The New Hampshire Seacoast is gearing up to celebrate America's 227th birthday July 4. This holiday's events are both patriotic and a great way to enjoy the summer weather. So fly your flags, put on Springsteen's "Born in the USA" and get out for the Fourth of July Weekend.
... God save the King. The people of York will honor America's "King," namely, Elvis. Chuck Denault will perform as the Graceland god at the Ellis Park gazebo in Short Sands Park on July 4. Denault, of the Kittery Police Department, has been touring around the Seacoast with his entourage of body guards and musicians for 10 years. He actually sings Elvis' entire repertoire, with special effects and a $3,500 sequined suit. You have to go to Vegas to see Elvis acts of this caliber. ...
- BRAINY TYPES MATCH WITS
By KERMIT PATTISON
(Twin Cities / Pioneer Press, July 2, 2003)
The average IQ in St. Paul may skyrocket this Fourth of July week when the city hosts a convention of the Mensa society. More than 1,500 members of the international high IQ society will gather at a downtown hotel today through Sunday and put their minds to work on trivia contests, math games and arcane topics such as the psychology of Elvis, cryonics and SPAM. "By no means are they all rocket scientists and brain surgeons," said Catherine Barney, a spokeswoman for the American Mensa headquarters in Arlington, Texas. "We have everything. I know we have a lot of educators, a lot of computer professionals. You name it, we got it." ...
- Lisa Marie: Jacko Was Like The Titanic
By Nina Myskow
(lucianne.com / Daily Mirror, July 1, 2003) (3rd & 4th paragraphs)
THE one thing that Lisa Marie Presley does not want is another man in her life. Not right now, thank you very much. Three times married, three times divorced - that's it as far as the daughter of the world's first and most famous rock star is concerned. "I'm sworn off them," she says with determination. "The joys of celibacy? No, practicality. It's more practical to do my job and not be distracted.
- What the women's mags say
By Jonathan Pearlman
(Sydney Morning Herald, July 1, 2003) (3rd & 4th paragraphs)
... New Idea's not-so-new idea for its latest cover is Fergie's successful "battle against the bulge" and the oft-told tale of her turnaround from "Size 16 Hell" to size 8 heaven... Fergie's wisdom might be of use to the subject of the next story, Lisa Marie Presley, who has turned to junk food following her divorce from Nicholas Cage. And if all this food talk leaves readers peckish, they can turn to pages 57 to 60, where they'll find recipes for ice-cream with hot chocolate sauce, muffins, custard tarts and pikelets.
- Reuters Entertainment News Summary: Elvis' '2nd' to Complement Hits Collection (9th item)
(ETONLINE.COM, July 1, 2003)
Having celebrated Elvis Presley's career with the 2003 release of 'ELV1S 30 #1 Hits,' RCA/BMG has set an Oct. 7 release date for a companion hits collection, 'Elvis 2nd to None.' The compilation will boast a host of additional No. 1 singles alongside other classic Presley tunes and a new remix.
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