Late August 2003
- Top 10 Dumbest CEO Decisions: Jack Soden, Elvis Enterprises, the business entity created by the estate of Elvis Presley
(item 9)
(The Mottley Fool, August 25 2003)
We licensed a company that made bedroom slippers. They were big, furry slippers and they had this rubber image of Elvis' head on the toes. It was one of those things that when you saw them in the store, it was like, "What were we thinking?" We pulled the license and got them off the market as fast as we could.
- Ice Cream Sunday
By Marylynn Uricchio
([Pittsburg] Post-Gazette, August 25 2003)
Every day is special at Pressley Ridge, and has been since 1832. That's when the organization dedicated to serving troubled children and their families was founded to help three orphaned girls. Now Pressley Ridge serves 1,200 children daily with treatment, foster care, residential services and educational facilities. It takes a lot of ice cream to pay for all that, and the Pressley Ridge Ice Cream Sunday has become one of the region's favorite fund-raisers over the past 11 years. This annual event attracts upwards of 6,000 folks to the school's North Side campus each summer. Follow the ice cream cone signs, plunk down $6, and it's all you can eat the whole afternoon.
At the center of this good old-fashioned ice cream social is a tough corporate competition to create the winning flavor. Reinhold Ice Cream, which donates all the ice cream, makes the new flavors for the crowd to sample. There are a judges first place pick (presented by County Executive Jim Roddey to PPG Industries for its PPG StarRocks) and a People's Choice Award (presented by Mayor Tom Murphy to Aetna Blue Beret's Berry Patriotic). Both were standouts from a field that included such clever entries as Reed Smith's Elvis Pressley Ridge.
With a Rock 'n' Roll theme yesterday, Elvis seemed perfectly at home strolling the grounds with his tray of samples. It was really Don Obusek, who later presented his tribute to Elvis. ...
- City inspectors all shook up over Cab Elvis
([Melbourne] Age, August 25 2003)
It used to be when David Vernon Groh walked down the aisles of Pike Place Market, he was greeted simply with: "Hi Elvis" - which is what you expect when you are an Elvis impersonator. But these days, the regulars at the market, where Mr Groh is a fixture, greet him with rallying cries: "We're with you, Elvis" and "Don't give up" and "Go get 'em". A bumper sticker circulating around town reads: "Free Elvis." Besides being an Elvis impersonator, Mr Groh, 37, is a cab driver. As "Cab Elvis" he is the only taxi driver with jet-black sideburns, a bright red jumpsuit (with matching cape) and a song repertoire that includes Hound Dog and Love Me Tender.
It was the red jumpsuit that city inspectors objected to most. The city fined Mr Groh for violating the taxi-driver dress code. Now Mr Groh is in the middle of a legal battle grandly referred to as Elvis v the City of Seattle or the King v the Emerald City. At issue is whether there is a constitutional right to dress like Elvis. Late last month, Mr Groh sued the city for violating his freedom of expression. A hearing is scheduled for December.
- Last rites for the spring?: Weeki Wachee Spring and the mermaid show face an uncertain future together. Tails or no tails, the spring will be protected.
By ROBERT KING
(St Petersburg Times, August 24 2003)
The Weeki Wachee Spring, a freshwater marvel that churns out 112-million gallons of water a day, is 100 feet across at its widest point. Its current is so powerful it can knock the mask off scuba divers. Yet, for all of Weeki Wachee's natural attributes, the thing that has always captured the imaginations of Floridians and tourists is the mermaids. Since 1947, people have come to Hernando County to watch vivacious young women in fishtail costumes perform underwater ballet. Even Elvis Presley, during his Blue Hawaii days, stopped by in 1961. ... Decades of neglect by park operators, whose main interest was profit-taking, have left Weeki Wachee's paint peeling, its wood rotting and its survivability in doubt.
- 'The Colonel': The Kingmaker
(Re: review of Nash's book)
By FRED GOODMAN
(Sunday New York Times, August 23 2003)
[Link to the original article, then introductory sentence:] Elvis Presley and his hustling manager, Col. Tom Parker, have become an American fable: the apple-cheeked plowboy and raw sexual dynamo who is born to the throne but can never escape the nefarious grasp of his kingmaker, a Southern-fried amalgam of Rasputin and Cardinal Richelieu.
[Readers' various comments follow.]
- Bigfoot, Elvis must leave the building: Anthrax dooms tabloid's photo archive
By Abby Goodnough
(Houston Chronicle / New York Times, August 23 2003)
Boca Raton, Florida: It may not be a collection worthy of the Smithsonian, but it is quintessential Americana: the trove of photos, notes and clippings from the arresting, astounding and often downright unbelievable issues of The National Enquirer, Star and other supermarket tabloids. ... [As below]
- Anthrax wipes out proof of Elvis's moon trip: A bizarre fate awaits some of journalism's more tawdry handiwork
By Abby Goodnough
(Sydney Morning Herald / New York Times, August 23 2003)
Boca Raton, Florida: It may not be a collection worthy of the Smithsonian, but it is quintessential Americana: the trove of photos, notes and clippings from the arresting, astounding and often downright unbelievable issues of The National Enquirer, Star and other supermarket tabloids. Now those archives, trapped in the posh, abandoned former headquarters of the tabloids' publisher, American Media Inc (AMI), are destined for destruction. For amid the archives lurk who-knows-how-many deadly anthrax spores.
- Bryan resident reached finals of World Championship Elvis Tribute Artist Competition
(The Eagle, August 22 2003)
Bryan resident Terry Price reached the finals of the World Championship Elvis Tribute Artist Competition in Memphis, Tenn., last week. "There were about 80 Elvises from all over the world," Price said. "There were Elvises from Sweden, Scotland, Ireland and Japan. There were even two female Elvises. They took 20 to the finals, but only announced the names of the top three finishers." The contest is held annually in August during Elvis Week, which commemorates the singer's death Aug. 16, 1977. ...
- Mastering an art: Hall of Famer John Kocyla teaches martial arts in the Basin
By PETER MARTINI
(Herald and News, August 22 2003)
For the last 30 years, even while owning several businesses and supporting a family, John Kocyla has remained devoted to his journey in martial arts. While advancing through the ranks with his own skills, Kocyla, 55, has spent decades teaching the techniques of competition and self-defense to students of all ages. Earlier this month, his devotion to martial arts was honored with an induction into the West Coast Black Belt Masters Hall of Fame in Newport Beach, Calif.
... American Kenpo, which has Chinese roots, dates back almost 50 years, and Ed Parker, who for years was the only 10th-degree black belt, is known as its father. Parker, who died in 1991, introduced Bruce Lee to the United States in the early 1960s, and taught American Kenpo to Elvis Presley. Presley owned an American Kenpo school in Memphis, Tenn. "Elvis used some of the American Kenpo techniques in his performances," Kocyla said. ...
- Tribute to Success
By MIKE WEATHERFORD
(Las Vegas Review-Journal, August 22 2003)
Beatles tribute act The Fab Four, above, and Elvis impersonator Trent Carlini are doing better business at the Las Vegas Hilton this summer than some traditional headliners. From left are Ardy Sarraf as Paul, Michael Amador as George, Rolo Sandoval as Ringo and Ron McNeil as John. ... To some, this news is going to sound like the end of Las Vegas entertainment, or at least the death knell of its headliner tradition: Tribute shows to Elvis Presley and the Beatles are drawing bigger crowds at the Las Vegas Hilton than some of the still-living stars who perform there. Get past the knee-jerk reaction, however, and the success of The Fab Four -- in the Hilton Theater through Sunday -- and Trent Carlini's "The Dream King," returning in October, isn't so hard to fathom. "They fit the Las Vegas visitor demographic perfectly," says Richard Langlois, the Hilton's head of marketing and entertainment. "Who doesn't love the Beatles?" ... Carlini, in fact, spent five years of a post-"Legends in Concert" career singing with a karaoke machine in a curtained-off lounge at the Boardwalk. But his Hilton stint from July 15 to Aug. 3 put him on the very stage the real Elvis once strode, backed by a full band, including a horn section and a trio of female backup singers. ...
- New production of Showtunes! is ready to hum along
By JOE ADCOCK
(SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, August 22 2003)
One of the surprise successes of Seattle's 1993 theater season was "Attack of the Killer Show Queens," a musical revue presented at the gone but not forgotten Velvet Elvis Arts Lounge and Theatre in Pioneer Square. ...
- People: Angelina Jolie, Elvis Presley, Erik Estrada
(International Herald Tribune, August 21 2003)
The Toronto International Film Festival, which opens Sept. 4, will present 336 films from 55 countries, including 64 world premieres, organizers said. Those planning to attend include Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Francis Ford Coppola, Cate Blanchett, Meg Ryan, Denzel Washington, Nicolas Cage, Emmanuelle art and Virginie Ledoyen. ...
The online digital music provider MusicNow and the music label BMG have initiated a digital channel focused solely on Elvis Presley. The new channel contains more than 2,000 Presley tracks and follows a MusicNow announcement of channels dedicated to Blue Note Records jazz artists and the composer Quincy Jones.
- Long-lost Elvis song to be released
By WOODY BAIRD
(tribnet.com / Associated Press, August 21 2003)
Elvis Presley fans got a special treat on the 26th anniversary of his death - a never-heard-before Elvis song. "I'm a Roustabout," which Presley recorded for the 1964 movie "Roustabout," is being released for the first time on a CD called "Elvis 2nd to None." The song didn't make it into the film, and the only known recording was forgotten for years among boxes of records and tapes belonging to co-author Winfield Scott. Scott, who wrote the song with partner Otis Blackwell, remembered he had an acetate of "I'm a Roustabout" last year during an interview about his career. CA heard about it and came calling. The record company put the song on the album "Elvis 2nd to None," which is set for release on Oct. 7. The song was debuted last week at Graceland, Presley's Memphis residence. ...
- Unreleased Elvis track found alive and well in a cellar
(Sydney Morning Herald, August 21 2003)
A newly discovered Elvis Presley song, recorded in 1964 but never released because its lyrics were considered too harsh for the time, will be included on an upcoming compilation album, "Elvis 2nd to None". The song, "I'm a Roustabout", was written and recorded for the Elvis biker movie "Roustabout" and is all the more rare for catching Presley in his prime. Though laughably tame by modern standards, the song was rejected by the film's producer, Hal Wallis, because the line "stick it in his ear" was judged to be offensive. Now, 26 years after Elvis's death, Presley fans will have the opportunity to hear the track when RCA releases "Elvis 2nd to None" in October. "Rarely do we find any unreleased material for an artist of Elvis's calibre, and to have a complete track is even more unique," said Joe DiMuro, executive vice-president of RCA's parent company, BMG Strategic Marketing Group. "I'm a Roustabout", an upbeat, rockabilly number, was written by long-time Presley songsmiths Winfield Scott and Otis Blackwell, who also wrote hits such as "Return to Sender" and "Don't Be Cruel".
After the song was rejected, the original acetate recording collected dust in the cellar of Scott's New Jersey home, until an offhand remark to a journalist earlier this year resulted in its discovery. "It's very gratifying for me to finally have this song released," Scott said in a statement. The new album will also include Paul Oakenfold's remix of Presley's "Rubberneckin' "which BMG/RCA hopes will enjoy the same success as last year's remix of "A Little Less Conversation" that topped charts around the world.
- Elvis all shook up, all night long
(ABC Online / Reuters, August 21 2003)
A Norwegian Elvis impersonator has set a record by singing the King's hits non-stop for a voice-wrecking 26 hours, 4 minutes and 40 seconds. "This is just fantastic, I can't find words for it," a hoarse Kjell Henning Bjoernestad, 35, told NRK radio after his marathon. Fans in the bar where he performed cheered and handed him red roses. Dubbed "Kjell Elvis", Bjoernestad had aimed to sing 100 Elvis songs, ranging from Hound Dog to Jailhouse Rock over and over again for 30 hours to win a place in the Guinness Book of Records. But the performer, who once won an award as the Nordic region's best Elvis lookalike, gave up shortly after beating the previous record of 25 hours, 33 minutes and 30 seconds, set by Briton Gary Jay.
- Liberace jams with Elvis
(one of 8 photos)
(Newsday / Associated Press, August 20 2003)
Piano virtuoso Liberace is shown playing the guitar with Elvis Presley at the piano in November 1956 at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. Both Liberace and Elvis were twins who lost their sibling at birth. Elvis kept up a longstanding correspondence with Liberace, says Peter Whitmer, a clinical psychologist and author of the 1996 psychological biography, "The Inner Elvis."
- Tassie tigers 'as likely as Elvis'
(ABC Online, August 20 2003)
[Australia] -- Reported sightings of Tasmanian tigers in Victoria have been compared with sightings of Elvis. Government records show there have been more than 60 reported sightings of the extinct marsupial around Victoria. Wildlife management officer Nic Mooney says there has been no evidence of the thylacine living in the area for thousands of years. Mr Mooney says the animals mistaken for Tasmanian tigers may actually be starving dogs or foxes.
- Digital music channel has Elvis fans 'all shook up'
(Houston Chronicle / Reuters, August 20 2003)
Online digital music provider MusicNow and music label BMG should have Elvis Presley fans "all shook up" after announcing a newly launched digital music channel focused solely on the music of the late King of Rock 'n' Roll. The new channel contains more than 2,000 Presley tracks and follows a MusicNow announcement in July of two channels, one dedicated to Blue Note Records jazz artists and another focused on composer Quincy Jones. MusicNow launched in March with a subscription service in a magazine-like format. It was developed by independent music company FullAudio Corp. At $9.95 a month, MusicNow customers can stream over 200,000 songs and get conditional downloads available for on-demand play online and offline for the duration of the subscription.
MusicNow and BMG, a unit of Germany's Bertelsmann AG (BERT.UL), said they will also add articles about Elvis and merchandise. MusicNow is available at http://www.musicnow.com and through Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR.O), Clear Channel Communications (CCU.N), EarthLink Inc. (ELNK.O) and Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT.O) Windows Media Player.
- Forgotten Elvis Recording Set for Release
(Baltimore Sun / Associated Press, August 20 2003)
Elvis Presley fans got a special treat on the 26th anniversary of his death - a never-heard-before Elvis song.
"I'm A Roustabout," which Presley recorded for the 1964 movie "Roustabout," is being released for the first time on a CD called "Elvis 2nd To None." The song didn't make it into the movie, and the only known recording was forgotten for years among boxes of records and tapes belonging to co-author Winfield Scott. Scott, who wrote the song with partner Otis Blackwell, remembered he had an acetate of "I'm A Roustabout" last year during a newspaper interview about his career.
Scott said he didn't think much about the recording at the time, but it wasn't long before RCA heard about it and came calling. The record company put the song on the album "Elvis 2nd To None," which is scheduled for release on Oct. 7. The song was debuted Friday at Graceland, Presley's Memphis residence. Scott described the song as a rocker that tells the story of a carnival worker whose boss is constantly pressing him to work harder. "I'm happy it's coming out," Scott said by telephone from New York. "I think the public should hear it because I think the public should hear everything this man does. This guy is in a class by himself." Presley died at Graceland on Aug. 16, 1977.
- Elvis through the years
(Baltimore Sun, August 20 2003)
A king is born Jan. 8, 1935: Elvis Aron Presley is born in a two-room house in Tupelo, Miss. Twin brother Jesse Garon Presley is stillborn.
Start the music Jan. 8, 1946: Elvis buys his first guitar, for $7.75 (plus 2 percent sales tax), at a Tupelo hadware store
The ascent begins Jan. 27, 1956: "Heartbreak Hotel" is released, the first of five Elvis singles to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts that year. Five more would make the Top 20.
Doing his duty March 24, 1958: Elvis is inducted into the Army by the Memphis, Tenn., draft board. He is discharged from active duty on March 5, 1960.
The royal family May 1, 1967: Elvis and Priscilla Ann Wagner marry in the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Their daughter, Lisa Marie, is born nine months to the day later. Elvis and Priscilla would divorce on Oct. 9, 1973.
Doing his duty II Dec. 21, 1970: Elvis, seeking to be named a "federal agent-at-large" in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, meets with President Nixon at the White House. He gives the president a Colt .45 pistol as a gift.
His final act Aug. 16, 1977: Elvis dies in the master suite at Graceland.
Still first class Jan. 9, 1993: The Elvis postage stamp is released.
- 'Elvis is Forever": Webcast beams vigil to fans everywhere
By Stephanie Myers
(GoMemphis, August 19 2003)
Thousands of people gathered at Graceland on Friday for the 26th anniversary of the King of Rock and Roll's death, but there were even more who couldn't make the annual pilgrimage. For them there is VigilCast, an annual Webcast of the Candlelight Vigil, broadcast live on AOL for worldwide Elvis Presley fans who couldn't pay their respects in person. "There are Elvis fans from all over the world, and this is a way for them to be a part of it," said Rod Starns, partner in Running Pony Productions, the official video provider for Elvis Presley Enterprises.
The VigilCast began in 2000 when EPE approached Running Pony less than a month before the vigil. Despite the tight deadline, Running Pony jumped at the chance to get the program going. "The first year was my favorite year," Starns said. "We didn't know what kind of audience we were going to have, and at the end of the evening, we realized that people all over the world were watching." The move to create a VigilCast came with the launch of a new Web site, Elvis.com, which made more of an effort to attract fans through interactive features, said Jennifer Burgess, Elvis Presley Enterprises marketing director. "The most pivotal event of Elvis Week is the vigil, so we felt if we had a way to capture it and show it on video, it would be perfect," she said.
So EPE brought in Aristotle, its Web management firm, and Running Pony, and the first VigilCast was broadcast live on Yahoo.com. "If we just show people walking at the vigil, it would be pretty boring, so we wanted to add to it," Burgess said.The VigilCast is essentially a live TV program on the Web. Starns and co-host Joey Sulipeck interview VIP guests and regular fans, read fan E-mails posted on the Virtual Wall on Elvis.com, and do a lot of ad-libbing. ...
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