Late January 2004
- Elvis has left the beer hall
(iol.co.za, January 31 2004)
A German Elvis Presley lookalike has set a new world record in singing Elvis hits non-stop. Franz Nuebel, a 36-year-old baker from the Eifel region, sang 60 Elvis songs over and over again for 42 hours 16 minutes and eight seconds - beating the previous record by about two hours. Nuebel, known as "Eiffel Elvis", said on Saturday that he would be applying for the time to be entered in the Guinness Book Of World Records. Wearing an eight-kilogram Elvis Presley jumpsuit and a wig, Nuebel began his marathon with Viva Las Vegas at a beer hall in the village of Kall at 5am on Thursday, setting the new record at 11.17pm on Friday. "I'm overjoyed but am going to sleep for two days," a croaky-voiced Nuebel said.
- All Shook Up - German Elvis impersonator sets world record
(Yahoo! News / AFP, January 31 2004)
A German Elvis Presley impersonator has set a world record after singing the King's hits for more than 42 hours, organisers of the event in western Germany said. The 36-year-old baker, dressed like his idol, belted out 60 Elvis songs 13 times each, a feat which earned him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. The previous record was set on January 8, when a resident of the northern German city of Hamburg crooned for 40 hours.
- Abe, George at Block of Fame
By ordan Oakes
(Redlands Daily Facts, January 30 2004)
Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be there. So will other famous icons as they become immortalized at Legoland California's new "Block of Fame" debuting Presidents' Day weekend, Feb. 13-16.
The life-size busts on pedastals are replicated in detail in Lego bricks for the theme park's newest attraction. The Block of Fame transforms a winding, tree-lined walkway into a fun and educational three-dimensional gallery. The new attraction will put guests face-to-face with historical and popular personalities who figure prominently in world culture.It has taken Legoland master model builders more than 40 hours to design, plot and create each bust.More than 5,000 standard Lego bricks and plates were used to create Lincoln alone. The collection of busts also will include William Shakespeare, Elvis Presley and Ludwig van Beethoven. ...
- Attack of the DVD cult movie
By Jordan Oakes
(Christian Science Monitor, January 30 2004)
Some might consider the release of "The Blob" on Criterion, a prestigious, artsy video label, akin to hanging a velvet Elvis in the Louvre. "The Blob"? How did this creature get past quality control? DVD, with its laser-sharp picture, makes it possible to see cult movies - like that 1958 horror about a psycho Jell-O from outer space - in a whole new light. ...
- This Wonder is going to waste
By JOHN BRNACH
(Slate, January 29 2004)
The gate was open a crack, and that's all it took to slip back in time, when the future was climate-controlled and the best games were indoors. The padded seats of the lower bowl still are orange, but a bit worn, some of their covers ripped open and the innards spilling out. ... The Eighth Wonder of the World is dying. And no one is quite sure what to do about it. The only thing people seem to agree on is this: Don't get rid of it. It's better to watch it wither than to see it go. ... You have to be from Houston, apparently, to appreciate it, to understand the difference between an icon and an eyesore. In a city where the only sense of place is man-made, the Astrodome still serves as the symbol of the city. ... Its life span as a novelty act and a trendsetter long past, now it is overshadowed, figuratively and literally, by Reliant Stadium. ... Among the performers it has entertained have been Elvis Presley, Evel Knievel and the Bad News Bears.
- Going Postal: A&E's Between the Lines is a slow-going treat for epistolary geeks
By Dana Stevens
(Slate, dated January 19, found January 29 2004)
By what felicitous gift of gab did the developers of Between the Lines (Fridays, 10 p.m. ET) manage to convince the money people to throw down for a four-part mini-series consisting entirely of celebrities reading aloud from the correspondence of famous people? A&E's new series, an investigation of letters throughout history, hosted by Robert Downey Jr., originates from a belief in the power of the written word - not exactly a box-office goldmine. I can see the concept working on PBS or C-SPAN, but this is Arts & Entertainment, the channel whose January lineup has already given us the baffling new reality show Airline, as well as tonight's thoughtful one-hour special Who Killed Laci Peterson?
As the national attention span grows ever shorter, the epistolary nerd in me - the one who still sends the occasional paper letter and bids on typewriters on eBay - finds something irresistible about the singularly poky prospect of watching Hillary Clinton don reading glasses and dip into Eleanor Roosevelt's mailbag. (And on a Friday night, yet!). Unfortunately, like a wallflower at the dance, Between the Lines ruins its own chance to shine, whether for fear of appearing too brainy or through a misplaced desire to please. The problem is not the letters themselves, which are beautifully chosen and arranged by theme into four distinct hour-long segments. For example, Friday's premiere episode, "Inside the White House," focused on letters written to and from U.S. presidents. But these are no stiff epistles dryly chronicling matters of state - they're vibrant, surprising, often funny documents that reveal the great symbolic weight we Americans accord the office of president. Each letter is read aloud by a celebrity whose relationship to the writer ranges from metaphoric (Martin Sheen, The West Wing's handsome Democratic president, is John F. Kennedy) to metonymic (Priscilla Presley channels Elvis' spirit to read his letter to Richard Nixon) to simply obscure (somehow it's hard to take the Cuban Missile Crisis seriously with the eternally jolly John Goodman standing in for Nikita Khrushchev). Hillary Clinton becomes Eleanor Roosevelt, a good match if ever there was one, while Kelsey Grammer takes on Ronald Reagan, a less than obvious choice until we hear the Great Communicator in Grammer's suavely mellifluous voice. Former President Jimmy Carter reads from a charming letter of his own, sent in response to a child who wrote to express his concern that eating peanuts might get his sister pregnant. ...
- Letters offer look into people we thought we knew
By Sherry Lucas
(Clarion-Ledger, dated January 13, found January 29 2004)
Gina Marie Gandy had AOL when she was 12. Communication for her had always preferably been the rapid-fire missives of e-mail or the instant touch of the telephone. "I was never really a letter writer," she said, recalling the constant reminders it took to make her crank out Christmas thank-you's as a child. Now 25, she's got a completely different view of paper and pen. The Jackson Academy grad worked as a researcher and assistant celebrity booker on Between the Lines, a four-part series on A&E network premiering at 9 p.m. Friday. A Southern Methodist University film graduate, Gandy worked with director Penny Marshall while in UCLA's MFA producers program. She's currently in marketing at New Wave Entertainment in Burbank (series producer). Focusing on the power of personal correspondence, the series explores the drama, motivation and humor behind letters written by historical figures - presidential love letters, secret confessions, candid appraisals, admissions of guilt. Personalities bringing the correspondence to life include Martin Sheen, Kelsey Grammer, President Jimmy Carter, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Candice Bergen, Priscilla Presley, Hal Holbrook and Dixie Carter.
- Tribute Planned for Hee Haw Banjo Ace Bobby Thompson
(cmt.com, January 29 2004)
Banjo masters Allen Shelton and Bela Fleck will pay tribute to another legend of the five-string -- Bobby Thompson -- during a Feb. 5 concert near Nashville. Thompson, known for his blistering chromatic banjo style, is a former member of Jim & Jesse's Virginia Boys. He also performed extensively on the Hee Haw TV show. As a banjo player and guitarist, Thompson was one of Nashville's most prominent session musicians, recording with Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Tammy Wynette, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Loretta Lynn, Bill Monroe, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, the Monkees, Olivia Newton-John, Jimmy Buffett, Neil Young and others. He was forced to retire in 1987 after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. ...
- Festival for the "King" announced
By Chris Hamilton
(Capital News 9, January 29 2004)
The King is coming to Lake George. Over 100 Elvis tribute artists are heading to the village the weekend after Columbus day for an Elvis festival. The festival will be officially sanctioned by the Elvis Presley Foundation and run for three days October 15, 16, and 17. Lake George Mayor Robert Blais said, "Our shows, which will number three here at the Lake George Forum, are already getting reservations for tickets, bus companies are calling. I'm quite overwhelmed with the popularity of Elvis today, and particularly in this area." ...
- Iconic Hotel in Miami Beach, Fla., Seeks Return to Glory
By Douglas Hanks III
(Hotel Online / Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News / Miami Herald, January 29 2004)
The landmark Fontainebleau Hilton Resort in Miami Beach is ready to build a second luxury tower in an effort to upgrade its iconic but aging resort. Once the winter getaway of such stars as Bob Hope and Elvis Presley, the Fontainebleau has seen its cachet eclipsed by more fashionable South Beach hotels. ...
- UH-HU-HUH! WE'RE ALL CUT UP... : Fury as 50s Elvis tape is sliced
By Anthony Harwood
(Daily Mirror, January 29 2004)
ELVIS fans were outraged yesterday after record chiefs announced plans to snip up a 1954 master tape recorded by the King. A US company wants to slice the historic reel into two-inch strips and sell them to fans on the internet for £280 each.
Bosses claim the tape is too fragile ever to be played. But Jim Henke, chief curator at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio, said: "It's a disaster. This is a key part of American culture." Elvis biographer and rock critic Dave Marsh added: "It's outrageous. They're destroying something of real value. Would you cut an original copy of the Declaration of Independence?" The master tape - probably one of nine thought to have been destroyed in the 50s - includes Presley's original recording of That's All Right and nine other songs. All were laid down by the then unknown star in the historic "Sun Sessions" of 1954 and 1955 before he moved labels. ...
- Sabres leave the building with win on Elvis night
By TIM GRAHAM
(Buffalo News, January 28 2004)
Tuesday night's game was half over and Gilbert Perreault was the best performer in the arena. That would be fine for the Buffalo Sabres if he hadn't retired nearly two decades ago. Perreault proved he could still bring the fans to their feet on "Night of a Thousand Elvises" in HSBC Arena, where the first 1,000 fans who came dressed like Elvis Presley received free admission to the game against the Montreal Canadiens. Perreault, with a history of such theatrics, provided a remarkable rendition of The King during a second-period break in the action. The Sabres trailed, 1-0, at the time. The atmosphere in the building until then had been languid. The crowd of 11,576 seemed satisfied merely to be out of the arctic outdoors, and the promotion . . . well, it should have been called Night of a Dozen Elvises. But Perreault's performance seemed to wake the dead.
- (Blank Headline)
(Forbes / Reuters, January 28 2004)
The European Commission will open an in-depth probe of the plans by Sony Music and BMG to combine their music units, a source close to the situation said on Wednesday. The one-month probe of the deal was due to end on February 12. Instead, it will be extended for a four-month in-depth look, the source said. The two companies are combining in an industry facing challenges from weak retail sales, online file-sharing and other forms of entertainment. The 50-50 joint venture combines No. 2 Sony, which includes such artists as Beyonce Knowles and Bruce Springsteen, with No. 5 BMG, a unit of German media firm Bertelsmann that is home to Britney Spears and Elvis Presley. ...
- Elvis fans all shook up over plans to cut, sell tape
By ROBIN POGREBIN
(Toronto Star / NEW YORK TIMES, January 28 2004)
A decision to cut up a 1954 Elvis Presley master tape and sell the pieces on the Internet has infuriated rock 'n' roll aficionados. What is purported to be the original recording of the song "That's All Right" and nine others from recording sessions Presley and his band did in 1954 and 1955 - known as the Sun Sessions - was snipped yesterday at a news conference at Nola Recording Studios in Manhattan. Rather than preserve the whole reel, a company called Master Tape Collection announced plans to cut the tape into two-inch pieces, each of which will be mounted under Lucite as a plaque. These can be purchased online at www.elvismastertape.com, for $495 (U.S) each. A sample of the recording session played yesterday featured the song "That's All Right," including conversations between Presley; his producer, Sam Phillips, owner of Sun Records, who died last year; and the guitarist Scotty Moore. ...
- Elvis fans' outrage at tape sale
(BBC, January 28 2004)
Elvis Presley fans have expressed their anger at plans to cut up a rare tape of the singer's early songs and sell the snippets for auction. The tape is said to feature a recording made by Presley during the early 1950s but is now too fragile to play. The US firm Master Tape Collection says the tape will be cut into two-inch snippets and sold. Jim Henke, chief curator at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said the proposed sale was a "disaster". The sale has been licensed by Elvis Presley's estate.
'History'
Michael Esposito, president of the Master Tape Collection, said fans who paid $495 (£270) would get a cutting preserved on a plaque. It has never been unspooled so it is not known how may pieces can be cut from it. "This is a piece of the history," said Tony Bongiovi, an engineer and record producer involved with trying to authenticate the reel. "Here's a chance to get something that nobody has."
Rock critic Dave Marsh, who wrote the book Elvis, called the destruction of the tape "outrageous".
"If they were cutting up something that was purported to be the original copy of the Declaration of Independence or an original copy of Moby Dick, we wouldn't even be asking, 'What's the big deal?'," he told the New York Times. ...
"We do not own the tape. It was not our decision to make" - Elvis Presley Enterprises
- Elvis fans furious over chopped up Presley tape
(Ananova, January 28 2004)
Elvis Presley fans said today they were outraged after businessmen decided to chop up a 1954 master tape, recorded by The King, and sell the pieces on the internet. The Master Tape Collection company said the reel included the original recording of That's All Right, and nine other songs. But instead of inviting bids for the entire tape, the company decided to cut it into two-inch pieces and sell them for £370 each. The late singer's estate, Elvis Presley Enterprises, granted a licence and agreed to allow Master Tape Collection to certify special plaques which come with each piece of tape.
It said in a statement that there was "convincing evidence" that the tape was authentic.
Michael Esposito, president of Master Tape Collection, said he had played the tape once, and made a digital copy. But it had been water damaged and was too fragile to play again, he said.
A sample played at a news conference in Manhattan on Tuesday featured the song That's All Right, and included conversations between Presley, his producer and the guitarist Scotty Moore.
Mr Esposito said the reel was discovered in 1992 and he obtained it through a collector. "What we decided to do is share the tape, Mr Esposito said. "This will never be played again because it will never hold up. It's in such bad shape. It's very brittle." The songs captured on the master tape were recorded by Presley and his band in the so-called "Sun Sessions", in 1954 and 1955. Mr Esposito said the tape had been verified by engineer and record producer Tony Bongiovi, and Jim Czak, a sound engineer and record producer.
Both men appeared at the news conference to back up his claims.
Veteran rock critic Dave Marsh, who wrote the book Elvis, called the destruction of the tape "outrageous". "If they were cutting up something that was purported to be the original copy of the Declaration of Independence or an original copy of Moby-Dick, we wouldn't even be asking, 'What's the big deal?'," he told the New York Times. "They're destroying something forever that in the future could have real value." Jim Henke, chief curator at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, added: "If indeed it is the original master tape to "That's All Right", I think it's a disaster. To destroy something that's such an important historic artefact is destroying a key part of American culture."
Elvis Presley Enterprises said in a statement that unspoiled originals of the session were also held in the vaults of the BMG/RCA record company. It went on: "Whether it's OK to cut up a deteriorated original tape that found its way into a private collection could be debated endlessly." It added: "We do not own the tape. It was not our decision to make. Master Tape Collection presented convincing evidence of the tape's authenticity, and our licensing department thus felt comfortable working with them."
- Curator decries Elvis tape cutting
By Michael Lollar
(Go Memphis / Commercial Appeal, January 28 2004)
Plans to cut up and sell pieces of an original tape of Elvis Presley's Sun Studio recordings are "shameful," a curator for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame said Tuesday.
The curator joined a chorus of Elvis fans complaining as the tape's owner held a New York press conference Tuesday, cutting a 2-inch segment from the tape reel as a gift to Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises. ...
- Want Elvis tapes? They're for sale
(CNN / Associated Press, January 28 2004)
Reels allegedly contain original 'Sun Sessions'
-- A New Jersey company is offering Elvis Presley fans a chance to buy what it says is a slice of history. And it really means a slice -- 2-inch snips of a tape reel featuring some of the King's earliest recordings. "This is a piece of the history," said Tony Bongiovi, ... [as below]
- N.J. Company offers slices of early Elvis recordings
By DEEPTI HAJELA
(Beaufort Gazette / Associated Press, January 27 2004)
A New Jersey company is offering Elvis Presley fans a chance to buy what it says is a slice of history. And it really means a slice - 2-inch snips of a tape reel featuring some of the King's earliest recordings. "This is a piece of the history," said Tony Bongiovi, an engineer and record producer involved with trying to authenticate the reel. "Here's a chance to get something that nobody has." At a news conference at a recording studio in Manhattan on Tuesday, Michael Esposito, president of Bloomfield, N.J.-based Master Tape Collection, showed reporters and guests the reel of tape, which was purchased at an auction in Tennessee in 1992. He cut off a 2-inch section, meant to be put in a plaque and presented to Presley's estate. On the reel are recordings of the first songs a then-unknown Presley put together in a studio in the early 1950s. They're known as the "Sun Sessions," a series of songs released by Sun records before Presley moved to a major label. The reel is in bad condition and could barely be played. Copies have been made of what was recorded on it. Bongiovi said he doubted the original could be heard again without falling apart. "Within the next 10 years, no matter what kind of technology is available, this tape will never, ever be able to be played," he said.
Faced with that deterioration, Esposito decided to offer it to Presley fans. Those who are willing to pay $495 can get a 2-inch cutting of the tape preserved in a plaque. The tape had not been unspooled to determine how many cuttings could be made. Elvis Presley Enterprises has given a license to the project. Esposito said cuttings would be made only in response to the demand from fans and each piece would be notarized and registered. The songs have all been released, and RCA Records, which controls all Presley recordings, says it has the existing original tapes of those sessions and won't comment further. But Esposito says his reel is a master, perhaps one of nine that were supposed to have been destroyed in the late 1950s.
After his company, which looks for master tapes from artists to reissue their music, got the reel and realized what it could be, it tried to have it authenticated by Sam Phillips, the producer of the Sun sessions. But Phillips died without looking at it, and the task fell to Bongiovi. Bongiovi tested the tape for 20 hours and said he was convinced of its authenticity after comparisons with the existing versions of the songs. He played a piece of the released version of "That's All Right" for reporters, then the same song from the reel, which doesn't have all sound effects that the released version has. He said that showed the reel has the original recording, which was then augmented for public release. He also played an excerpt of a conversation in which Presley, Phillips and others in the studio discuss a track.
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