Mid April 2004
- Argentine soccer great spiraling downward: Ex-superstar battling drugs, obesity, lawsuits
By Hector Tobar
(San Francisco Chronicle / Los Angeles Times, April 24, 2004)
Diego Maradona was last seen in public Sunday, leaning from the railing of his private box at La Bombonera soccer stadium. On the field, his old team, Boca Juniors, was winning easily. But the usually animated Maradona looked bad: sweaty, bloated and depressed. The youthful Maradona was considered the greatest soccer player of his era, a mop-haired ragamuffin with a magical left foot. Now, at 43, he is a tragic and troubled figure. A few Argentines think he's an embarrassment, even though he is without question their most famous citizen. ... Much like Elvis Presley in his final days, the life of the man known to Argentines as "El Diego" has degenerated into a morass of paternity suits, drug abuse, obesity and business disputes. ... He had been, like Presley, a teenager from an impoverished family made suddenly rich and set loose in a world of licentiousness. ...
- Danny Markov
By TIM WHARNSBY
(Globe and Mail, April 24, 2004)
When the Philadelphia Flyers were in need of a capable defenceman in late January after suffering a spate of injuries on the blueline, team scouts called rival bird dogs with the Toronto Maple Leafs. ... Hitchcock admits he didn't know much about Markov, but has come to enjoy the native of Moscow for his on-ice capabilities and off-ice antics. ... Initially nicknamed Sputnik, that handle was quickly replaced with Elvis because of his attempts to mimic singer Elvis Presley. ...
- Mannekin Mandela?
(iafrica.com, April 23, 2004)
Manneken Pis, the famous Brussels monument of a young boy urinating, is set to celebrate the tenth anniversary of South Africa's transition to democracy by decorating the diminutive statue as Nelson Mandela. On Freedom Day (April 27), Mannekin Pis, the famous Belgian statue and fountain of a normally naked young boy urinating, will be dressed in typical Mandela-style clothing to celebrate 10 years of democracy in South Africa. ... The clothing was arranged by the South African embassy in Brussels. The local museum houses a collection of over 665 costumes that have been made especially for the diminutuve fountain statue. Some of the costumes in the collection date from the late 18th century, which also includes a Mickey Mouse and Elvis Presley costume.
- 'Graceland' a night's stay in Heartbreak Hotel
By Marissa Harris
(Washington Square News, April 23, 2004) (7th item)
Many of us know that sinking feeling you get sometimes right when you enter a theater. At the Work Shop Theatre Company's production of Donald Steele's "Graceland," it has nothing to do with the plush seats.
If this show is supposed to pay tribute to the "King," off with their heads. A veritable horse race of travesties doom this production. Its terribly written dialogue comes in first and an eminently forgettable plot takes second with panache, while trite characters and confusing direction battle neck and neck for third. The story centers on Janelle, played by Nicole Taylor, who is obsessed with fulfilling her comatose mother's lifelong desire of visiting Graceland to venerate Elvis Presley. We follow the simultaneous melodrama of Lana (Ellen Dolan), a phony psychic and Elvis impersonator, and her tempestuous teenage daughter Donnie&Marie - yes, that is one person's name - played by Johnin E. Reade. ...
- ELVIS
(TCPalm, April 23, 2004) (7th item)
The Viva Las Vegas Dancers join the Memories of Elvis show Saturday at the Sebastian River High School Performing Arts Center. Performing in several different costumes reflecting various Elvis movies and eras, the girls join Chris MacDonald, his back-up band The Moments, and The Enforcers Horn Section. MacDonald is contracted twice a year by Elvis Presley Enterprises to perform at Graceland, Elvis Presley's Memphis Restaurant, and Graceland's Heartbreak Hotel, all in Memphis, Tenn.
- 'Queen of rockabilly' performs tonight
By Kellie B. Gormly
(Pittsburg Tribune-Review, April 23, 2004)
Not many entertainers can claim to be one of Elvis Presley's former girlfriends and musical partners during the '50s -- and those who could would likely be retired by now. Yet the old-time, multifaceted singer Wanda Jackson -- known as the "queen of rockabilly" -- still has the King of Rock 'n' Roll's ring on a chain as a souvenir of their time together, and she is making her own lively singing comeback at age 66. In October, she released her "Heart Trouble" album -- the first in America in 15 years -- and Jackson is now on tour, stopping in Pittsburgh tonight. "Music has always been my passion," says Jackson, who lives in Moore, Okla., near Oklahoma City, and was born in a nearby small town named Maud. She began recording 50 years ago in 1954 -- her junior year in high school. ...
- Elvis' co-star appears at fan club festival in Green Tree
By Vince Guerrieri
(Pittsburg Tribune-Review, April 23, 2004)
Put on that white jumpsuit and dust off the pink Cadillac. The 23rd annual We Remember Elvis Fan Club spring festival starts at noon today at the Green Tree Holiday Inn and ends tomorrow night. The group, which bills itself as the largest Elvis Presley fan club in America, is run by Priscilla Parker of Dormont. This year's special guest is Cynthia Pepper, who co-starred with Presley in "Kissin' Cousins." The 1964 flick also featured Maureen Reagan, who had one line. Pepper said Presley was easygoing, a practical joker -- and humble. "I should still be driving a truck," she recalled him saying. She had to throw him in the movie, and Presley demonstrated some karate moves. Pepper had a brief career, but acting opposite Presley ensured her a little bit of immortality. Even though he died on Aug. 16, 1977, the King is still alive to millions of fans. "We're still talking about him," Pepper said.
- VC grad writes second book
By Amy Jay
(Ark Valley News, April 22, 2004)
Alan Schroeder is an uncommon American. Unlike many U.S. citizens, he has been looking forward to this year's presidential race. Despite the barrage of negative advertising and endless speculation about who will be the next commander in chief, the campaign gives him an opportunity to promote and discuss his book, "Celebrity-in-Chief: How Show Business Took Over the White House." The book was intentionally released during a presidential election year. ... Schroeder studied news footage and interaction between presidents and celebrities. He viewed documents and video and took notes. He also spent time at the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. ... Some well-known associations involved Kennedy and actress Marilyn Monroe, and President Richard Nixon and singer Elvis Presley.
- Partridge Family to Make TV Comeback
By Anita Singh
(Scotsman / PA News, April 22, 2004)
It's the news David Cassidy fans have dreamed of for 30 years - The Partridge Family are making a comeback. The hit 70s show is returning to TV and Cassidy will be in it. ... He had a string of chart hits with songs like I Think I Love You, How Can I Be Sure and Daydreamer. Membership of his fan club eclipsed that of Elvis Presley and the Beatles. ...
- Former Jackson adviser: 'Michael's life is in serious decline'
(CNN, April 22, 2004)
The Orthodox rabbi who was once one of Michael Jackson's closest spiritual advisers told CNN Thursday that he worries the pop star's life is rapidly deteriorating and could be "cut short" like Elvis Presley or Janis Joplin. Interviewed by CNN's "American Morning" a day after a California grand jury indicted Jackson, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach said, "Michael's life is in serious decline even without this indictment. He has not sort of gotten that there has to be major changes." Boteach said he does not believe Jackson is guilty of child molestation charges the district attorney filed last year. ... "My criticism of Michael is his self-absorption -- the whole celebrity thing where he needs to feel like he's worshipped," Boteach said Thursday. ...
- Cashing in on the US need to find ancestors
By JAMES DOHERTY
(Scotsman, April 22, 2004)
LAST month it was declared that the King of Rock 'n' Roll hailed from Buchan, and yesterday Scotland's presence in music's hall of fame was strengthened with the news that Johnny Cash is descended from the family of an ancient Scots king. Genealogy searches in Scotland are becoming more popular, with impeccable public records making the country a fruitful destination for ancestor-seekers - and an important generator of tourist revenue. Americans in particular are increasingly using holidays to find out about their forebears.
- Jailhouse Rock, Piccadilly, London
By Lyn Gardner
(Guardian Unlimited, April 21, 2004)
A movie vehicle for the young Elvis Presley in 1957, Jailhouse Rock tells of Vince Everett, a kid from the wrong side of the tracks with a chip on his shoulders a mile wide, whose fiery temper lands him in jail and whose singing voice wins him fame and fortune on his release. It is a good old-fashioned rags to riches story with added rock'n'roll, although in this instance it is more rocky and lolling. For such a potentially teresterone packed show, this latest version is curiously flaccid. It is as if the scriptwriters got scared of all the violent, sweaty, sexual undertones of the power politics in the prison scenes, resorting to romantic tripe as Vince loses the girl who helps him to stardom and who, naturally, he doesn't realise he loves, but wins her back after she nurses him to health when his voice box is crushed. The result is an evening confused by the tension between its own nastiness and its bouncy Mills and Boon coating, so you end up with lots of tasteful brutality with nostalgic musical accompaniment.
It's Elvis not just without the King but without any discernible zing. The prison bits are the most exciting part of the evening - so much so that you keep hoping Vince will do something more heinous than swivel his hips and get banged up for life. The real star of these scenes and, in fact, the whole show is Gilz Terera as the put-upon black convict Quickly Robinson - a stock, sentimental, loyal friend who Terera imbues with dignity and terrible pain. Every time he sings he cries not just a river but an ocean. Elsewhere everything is pretty predictable - including Mario Kombou, a pleasant voiced but insipid Vince - except for the fact that although you get a slew of Presley hits, for legal reasons you won't hear Jailhouse Rock itself, which somehow seems a bit of a con.
- Baby born with Elvis hairstyle
By ED NASH
(Picayne Times, April 21, 2004)
He may not yet be the world's most photographed male - but he is certainly next in line to the throne.
When baby Leo Roach was born on December 28, he shocked midwives with his full head of jet-black hair, which quickly worked itself into a '50s- style quiff.
Now, dolled up in his coolest denims, baby Leo looks every part his nickname - Little Elvis. His mum Cheryl, 27, of Hopton-On-Sea, near Yarmouth, said: "One midwife told me that in 20 years of working there she had never seen such a hairy baby. "As soon as I got him into the cradle his hair started lifting up, now when I take him out shopping with me everyone stops me to look at him." ...
- Second teachers' union rallies for education funding
(Picayne Times, April 21, 2004)
Richard McComas strummed an acoustic guitar and crooned a reworked Elvis Presley song Tuesday to protest possible cuts to the state education budget. "Well, now, since my money left me/I found a new place to dwell/It's down at the end of lonely street/At Haley Barbour hotel," McComas, an assistant special education teacher at Vicksburg High School, sang in the Capitol rotunda. For the second time in as many weeks, teachers took personal days off to go to Jackson and lobby for full funding for education. ...
- Jail Made $10,000 Selling Pirated Music
(kplctv.com, April 21, 2004)
A lawyer says a privately run Louisiana jail made roughly 10-thousand dollars in about a year by selling illegally copied compact discs by Eminem, Elvis Presley and other artists to guards, inmates and their visitors. ...
- It's all about Elvis April 23 at The Ritz
By Laura Nation
(Daily Home, April 21, 2004)
No, he didn't grow up with a deeply rooted love of Elvis. But over the past 9 years, David Lee has changed all that. Big time. Now, Lee is a full-time Elvis impersonator, and travels all over the United States and Canada bringing back the King. Most of all, he wants people who come to his shows to have fun. But Lee also wants those who never saw Elvis Presley or are too young to understand the contribution he made to music, to get a little bit more. "I hope they see that Elvis is cool," Lee said. "And that Elvis's style of entertainment was family entertainment." ...
- London Elvis Musical Jailhouse Rock Opens on April 19
By Robert Simonson
(Guardian Unlimited, April 19, 2004)
The new London show, Jailhouse Rock - The Musical, based on the 1957 Elvis Presley film, will open April 19. It began performances at the Piccadilly Theatre March 26. The show has already played in Plymouth and Manchester. It's directed by Rob Bettinson, who also co-wrote it with Alan Janes. The show contain 22 songs, some made famous by The King, some by his rock and roll contemporaries. Titles include "Blue Suede Shoes," "Burning Love,' 'Suspicious Minds,' "Are You Lonesome Tonight," "Good Rockin' Tonight,' "A Fool Such As I," "One Night," "Pretty Little Angel Eyes," 'Big Rock Candy Mountain," "This Ole House," "Always On My Mind," "The Wonder of You," "Memphis Tennessee," "Tutti Frutti" and eight others.
A theatrical row recently erupted between legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and the producers of the show. Leiber and Stoller made a statement, complaining that their song "Jailhouse Rock" is not, in fact, in the show. The musical's producers, Alan Janes and Jonathan Alver, fired back that "the history of rock and roll goes far beyond one song - no matter how good Leiber and Stoller think their title is" and emphasized that the story is being used "to explore the origins of rock and roll." They add that "the original film contained just seven songs, most of which have been ignored by history and would not stand up in a West End production."
According to the statement, the producers did try to get the rights for the song "Jailhouse Rock" but were rebuffed. "Elvis Presley Enterprises, Leiber and Stoller's publishers, were approached repeatedly by us to grant a license for the song . . . and they repeatedly declined on the basis that they were creating their own Elvis compilation musical," says the statement. "We cannot imagine why they would now want to complain about their title not being in our show as they refused our repeated approaches."
Elvis is a hot theatrical commodity lately. Goodspeed Musicals will present All Shook Up in spring 2004. Lead producer Jonathan Pollard and partner producers Clear Channel Entertainment and Miramax are aiming the show for a 2005 Broadway berth. Joe DiPietro (The Thing About Men, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change) will pen the book of the original show, which does not have Elvis as a character. Some 20 songs made famous by Elvis will reportedly be heard, including "Heartbreak Hotel," "Burning Love," "Hound Dog," "Love Me Tender," "Don't Be Cruel" and "All Shook Up."
Additionally, Immortal Entertainment is developing a new musical based on the relationship and eventual marriage between Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu. Immortal's president, David Codikow, told Variety, "[Elvis and Priscilla] lived their lives as a musical, and now we hope to bring it to the stage. The story is as much about Elvis and Priscilla's romance as it is about the landscape of popular culture evolving before, during and after their relationship." Because the rights to most of Elvis Presley's songs are unavailable, the Immortal project will include other music of the period. The entertainment company also plans to launch an international search to find actors suitable to portray both Presleys, who divorced in 1973.
- Stairway to hell: Why do so many musicians succumb to drink, drugs and violence?
By Nick Kent
(Guardian Unlimited, April 19, 2004)
They asked me to write this piece about "self-destruction and its place in rock" and that immediately set me to thinking: what do they mean exactly when they invoke the phrase self-destruction? Terms need to be defined first. Everybody has a shadow self to contend with but most manage to contain it effectively as they settle into their regimented routines of daily living. Rock stars, by contrast, are often actively encouraged to cultivate their darker qualities and that's where the trouble usually starts. "Cocaine and ego," Neil Young once reliably informed me, "You put the two together and it's like an explosion going off."
And explosions inevitably cause casualties. A familiar downward spiral begins. But is this authentic self-destructive behaviour unravelling itself or just bad luck? We need first to step back through the mists of time in order to come up an answer. The 1950s are suddenly alive once more with pompadoured young men sneering and crooning lasciviously about racing with the devil. Gene Vincent was probably that era's finest example of a complete lunatic let loose to entertain the masses. In a recent biography about the notorious manager Pete Grant, the urchin-faced hillbilly singer is remembered beating up his wife, breaking a leg and falling off stage drunk in the middle of his opening song - all in the space of a single day. But Vincent at least had an excuse. His foot had been badly injured while he had been in the army and he was in constant pain so he took many pills and drunk far too much. Authentically self-destructive or just plain unlucky? I tend towards the latter.
... Johnny Cash spent his entire musical career tying to keep his self-destructive instincts at bay - often without success. And Elvis Presley exhibited all the classic symptoms of those driven to self-destruction by too much fame and medication: short attention span, an egocentric, chronically addictive personality, bad taste in friends and horrendous eating habits. He was also stupid. He may have been the king but dying on the toilet is scarcely the most regal way to exit this planet. ...
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- Elton John's piano sells for $164,500 at Dallas auction
By Jim Bessman
(Houston Chronicle / Associated Press, April 18, 2004)
Elton John's antique piano sold for $164,500 and a guitar owned by Kurt Cobain during his early days with Nirvana was purchased for $117,500 at a Dallas auction. The "Icons of 20th Century Music Auction" was conducted Saturday night by Heritage Galleries of Dallas in conjunction with the 27th Annual Dallas Guitar Show and MusicFest 2004. ... John Lennon's 1975 Grammy presenters medal from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences went for $8,225. And two dress shirts worn by Elvis Presley sold for $1,225 each.
- 'Idol' sparks revival of Neil Sedaka's songs: Clay Aiken just one hopeful to belt out songwriter's tunes
By Jim Bessman
(msnbc.msn.com, April 18, 2004)
The proclivity of "American Idol" for celebrity judges has not only given last year's runner-up Clay Aiken the B-side to his current single "The Way," but has given songwriter Neil Sedaka a new lease on creative life. The song, "Solitaire," best-known as the Carpenters' No. 17 hit from 1975, is the title track of Sedaka's 1972 album. It was also cut by the likes of Elvis Presley, Shirley Bassey and Johnny Mathis. ...
- Bobby Lord knows secrets to success
By Ike Crumpler
(TCPalm.com, April 17, 2004)
From his kitchen table, Bobby Lord gazed through a sliding glass door and out at the St. Lucie River. Meditating on the spring of his love affair with music, he recalled childhood road trips and sing-alongs with radio stars of the day. Then, his smiling eyes faded into a faraway look. ... Some might not know Bobby Lord, but they'd likely remember his golden voice. In a singing career spanning the '50s, '60s and early '70s, Lord wrote and performed chart-topping hits, hobnobbed with the hottest talents and hosted shows at the Grand Ole Opry.
... Born in Sanford and raised in Tampa, Lord's singing and guitar playing garnered him copious talent show titles, first at Plant High School, then on radio and TV. Even he didn't think it would last, said Mozelle, his high school sweetheart and wife of 49 years. ... But in 1953, Lord traded ratchets for a recording contract. At age 19 he became the youngest artist to sign with Columbia Records. Two years later, he landed a spot on the nationally televised Ozark Jubilee. The gig impressed a fellow up-and-coming musician. Touring Texas together, Elvis Presley asked Lord to help him get on the show. Lord passed the request on to his producer. "He said, 'No way am I putting that guy on. He's just a flash in the pan,'" Lord recalled. ...
- JPL Gets the Boot on 'Idol'
By Michael Starr
(foxnews.com, April 16, 2004)
Baby-faced John Peter Lewis was booted off "American Idol" last night - leaving only seven remaining finalists battling for the crown. Lewis and John Stevens - at 16, the youngest contestant - were the two "AI" contestants America thought the least of after Wednesday's show, which featured guest judge Quentin Tarantino. Lewis, from Rexburg, Idaho, sang Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" as his song on "American Idol." With Lewis out of the picture, that leaves Stevens, LaToya London, Jasmine Trias, Jennifer London, George Huff, Diana DieGarmo and Fantasia Barrino. ...
- Silver lining: Parachute team drops in on Benning again
By MICK WALSH
(Ledger-Enquirer, April 16, 2004)
The Silver Wings, complete with their own Flying Elvis, are back in the air. Disbanded for budgetary reasons in July 2000, Fort Benning's parachute demonstration team made its first public appearance in almost four years Thursday. ... The group's Flying Elvis -- Sgt. Elvis Saucier of Wiggins, Miss. -- did not participate in Thursday's jump. But he will be skydiving in future events. "I take a lot of ribbing because of my name," he said laughing. "I'm used to it." Though he, like the King, is from Mississippi, Saucier was not named after Elvis Presley. "No," he said. "I was named after Elvis Saucier Sr." ...
- Tribute bands work their magic by staying in the groove
By MIKE DANIEL
(Dallas Morning News, April 16, 2004) (subscription needed)
No music act, save for Elvis Presley, has as many tribute acts as the Beatles. ...
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