Late April 2004
- Michigan's 'Hold' Music Gets Much Hipper
(Yahoo! News / AP, April 29, 2004)
Add DJ to her duties: Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants it to be hip to hold when someone calls the state. Last summer, Granholm called the state Department of Management and Budget to ask if something could be done about the boring acoustic music that people heard when they called the state and were placed on hold. ... It seems that the hold music had been set on piano and guitar instrumental since 1996 during Gov. John Engler's administration. Irwin set up a committee to try to juice up the state's 60,000 phone lines. First, officials tried to rock the phones, but after a few caller complaints, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix got dumped because "it was a little too hot," Irwin said. ... Finally, they settled on 1950s and '60s oldies. Now callers hear the hits of Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Chuck Berry, the Beatles, the Temptations or Fats Domino. ... "I've had people say, `Hey, put me back on hold, I wanna hear the end of that song,'" said Jeanette Doll, a secretary at the DMB.
- Line crafted for wealthy 'Rings' fans
By CHARLYNE VARKONYI SCHAUB
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel / KRT, April 29, 2004)
If you know Ents resemble trees and Bilbo gave Frodo the ring, Middle Earth Furniture has the collection of your dreams. Hands down, "The Lord of the Rings" collection wins the bid for the most off-the-wall tie-in since Vaughn-Bassett introduced the "Elvis Presley" collection two years ago. Films typically license toys and T-shirts, but licensing a furniture collection is about as rare as a Hobbit leaving the Shire. ...
- Elvis Presley Enterprises Launches Official Online Store With FanBuzz
(PRNewswire, April 27, 2004)
Elvis Presley Enterprises today announced it has entered into an e-commerce agreement with FanBuzz, a leading provider of commerce solutions to licensed sports, entertainment, character, and media-based properties, to manage all aspects of
The Official Elvis Presley online store at http://www.ShopElvis.com. As part of the agreement, FanBuzz' services will include Web site development, order processing, product fulfillment, and customer care for
ShopElvis.com. In addition, FanBuzz has agreed to develop and implement a wide variety of direct-to-consumer marketing initiatives, including catalog, email, and loyalty programs.
"Elvis is a global icon, recognized around the world, and continues to grow in popularity," said Roy Seinfeld, President of FanBuzz. "We are thrilled to partner with Elvis Presley Enterprises and play a leading role in helping
them increase product distribution and brand exposure through aggressive ponline and offline customer acquisition campaigns." "For us, this is an exciting opportunity," said Debbie Johnson, Vice-President of Operations for Elvis Presley Enterprises. "It will be the first time we have outsourced the online shopping portion of our website, and we feel confident in our decision to utilize FanBuzz to deliver a great shopping
experience."
ShopElvis.com, which went live April 1, 2004, will provide not only the fun, Elvis-themed items the world has come to love, but visitors will also find new, never-before-seen offerings no fan of Elvis should be without. Featured at ShopElvis.com are hundreds of items, spanning categories such as apparel, books, collectibles, home decor, jewelry, music, novelties, and
video/DVDs. Highlights of unique merchandise include classics like the renowned Elvis
sunglasses and "TCB" jewelry, along with one-of-a-kind items celebrating this
year's 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll and Elvis' history-making recording
of "That's All Right."
FanBuzz will also manage the online shopping component of The Official Elvis Presley Collectors Club. The club currently has nearly 6,000 members from around the world. Membership includes benefits like 10% off all purchases
on ShopElvis.com, in the Elvis catalog, at Graceland and at Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel. Members also receive a valuable collectors welcome kit, a quarterly newsletter, e-mail updates, invitations to parties and events at
Graceland, and opportunities to purchase rare artifacts from the Graceland archives. ...
- Elvis Comes Alive Again: Reissue of classic material due this summer
By ANDREW DANSBY
(Rolling Stone, April 26, 2004)
Though the King wandered into Sam Phillips Memphis Recording Service in 1953, it was the trio of songs -- "That's All Right," "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and "I Love You Because" -- that Elvis recorded at Phillips' Sun Studios in July 1954 that launched a career of rock royalty. Among the releases slated for reissue is Elvis at Sun, which collects Elvis' recordings from 1954 and 1955 before Phillips sold his contract to RCA for $35,000.
A new compilation, Memphis Celebrates 50 Years of Rock & Roll, also includes "That's All Right," along with other Memphis-recorded hits by the likes of Johnny Cash, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King and others.
In the video department, two of Elvis' best-known television appearances will be reissued in deluxe DVD formats. The three-DVD Elvis: The '68 Comeback Special. The concert, which put Presley in front of an audience for the first time in seven years, found a leather-clad Presley tearing through his hits after years of work on middling Hollywood films. The DVD includes all four concerts that were filmed for the special; the first time they have been released in a single set. More than half of the seven hours of material is previously unreleased.
The two-DVD Elvis, Aloha From Hawaii doesn't catch the King in quite the same period of vitality, but when it aired in 1973, more than 1 billion people tuned in worldwide. The DVD includes the original television special and a rehearsal concert. The soundtrack from that special would go on to be Elvis' last Number One album.
- BMG Strategic Marketing Group Announces Multiple CD, DVD Releases to Commemorate Historic 50th Anniversary of Rock 'N' Roll
(PRNewswire, April 26, 2004)
Product to Be Released on June 22 and Includes Official Anniversary Compilation CD - 'Memphis Celebrates 50 Years of Rock n' Roll,' Signature 'ELVIS AT SUN' Recording Two Special Elvis Presley DVDs 'ELVIS: '68 Comeback Special - Deluxe Edition DVD' and 'ELVIS, Aloha From Hawaii - Deluxe Edition DVD'. ...
- Pink's electrifying performance in Sydney!
(Globe and Mail, April 26, 2004)
Pop star Pink has staked her claim as the top female entertainer with a brilliant performance at Sydney Entertainment Centre. ... Moreover, the multi-coloured pop sensation tipped her hat to and played with plenty of other pop culture references, from her on-going sledgefest with Christina Aguilera to Elvis Presley.
- SOCIAL STUDIES: A DAILY MISCELLANY OF INFORMATION
By MICHAEL KESTERTON
(Globe and Mail, April 26, 2004)
"According to many authorities, rock 'n' roll officially became the shock heard 'round the world when Elvis Presley recorded his historic Sun sessions 50 years ago," writes John Beifuss of Scripps Howard News. "But another entertainment giant also made a big noise when he exploded onto the pop culture scene in 1954. This year, Godzilla turns 50."
- Mineral County twins turn 92
By VICKI WALKER
(Mineral Daily News-Tribune, April 26, 2004)
Even after 92 years, 16 kids, more grandchildren then they can remember and more than 100 years of marriage, twins Arizona Clifford and Naomi Marshall still think alike. They pretty much agree on everything, from their favorite singer to their favorite meal, which was fixed for them at their 92nd birthday party that took place Sunday. Their family made up menus for them so they could select their birthday meal, which included turkey, roast beef, potatoes, vegetables and a drink selection. Both ladies filled one out at different times, yet both picked the same meal that consisted of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, corn pudding, green beans and lemonade to drink. When asked about their favorite singer, Clifford replied, "He's dead. I like Elvis Presley." Marshall added, "I like Elvis. He shakes you up." She then added, "We're twins. We are so much alike it is not funny." ...
- Westminster council finds a new enemy: screaming girls
By Cahal Milmo
(independent.co.uk, April 26, 2004)
First it was drunkards, then beggars and the homeless. Now the institution which has built its reputation on sweeping undesirables from the streets of London has identified a new anti-social menace: screaming teenage girls. Westminster City Council is awaiting the decision of a planning inspector on the threat posed to public order by female pop fans after embroiling itself in a legal battle with MTV, the music television channel, over the use of Leicester Square. The council, renowned in recent years for its hardline approach to anti-social behaviour, has said it wants a more family-friendly atmosphere in the square to rid the area of its image as a low-brow tourist trap assailed at night by gangs of drunks.
MTV approached Westminster to stage a British version of the channel's hit American show, Total Request Live, in a glass-fronted studio facing the square. But councillors rejected the plan, fearing it would attract crowds of placard-waving pop fans. During a three-day planning inquiry last week, estimated to have cost £25,000, the council outlined its objections by saying it was worried that unruly and "mostly female" crowds would gather to watch celebrities being interviewed for the daily live show, causing too much noise and potential congestion. Adam Hilton, an independent planning consultant employed by Westminster to help with its case, said the show would "give ample opportunity for [the fans] to scream, to wave placards and banners, and to press against barriers in the manner familiar since the emergence of the Beatles, if not of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra or Enrico Caruso."
- Polio Victory Remembered as March of Dimes Marks 50th Anniversary of Salk Vaccine Field Trials: Volunteerism and Immunization: As Important Today
(PRNewswire, April 26, 2004)
Fifty years ago today, thousands of parents drove their school-age children to designated sites across the country for immunizations of an experimental vaccine that they hoped would stop, once and for all, the raging polio epidemic that was leaving young Americans paralyzed and sometimes dead. Organized on the grass-roots level by the March of Dimes, this was the largest voluntary clinical field trial ever undertaken. One year later, the Salk vaccine was declared "safe, potent and effective" and polio was virtually eliminated from North America and, hopefully, from the world by 2005. ... The March of Dimes, formerly known as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, funded Dr. Jonas Salk's groundbreaking work on the Salk polio vaccine and then, through its volunteers and health networks, organized the vaccination clinics, record keeping, parents' meetings, blood samplings, stand-by transportation, and make-up clinics for absentees at each of the clinical trial sites. ... Today's anniversary celebration was also marked by the launch of the new book "Images of America: March of Dimes," featuring hundreds of historic photos from the Salk vaccine field trials to celebrities, such as Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong, Marilyn Monroe, and Lucille Ball, who supported the March of Dimes during the polio years. More information about the book and
March of Dimes Polio Pioneers can be found at marchofdimes.com/polio.
- One game at a time ... ODD SPOTS
(Sydney Morning Herald, April 26, 2004) (3rd item)
Non-sporting piece of the week. A headline in The Sun: "It Really 'King Hurts". A cautionary tale about one man's painful plastic surgery in an attempt to look like Elvis Presley.
- Venerable Western Clothier Bucks Trends
By CATHERINE TSAI
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, April 25, 2004)
Though most wholesalers have fled the once run-down but now trendy Lower Downtown district in Denver, Rockmount Ranch Wear is staying just where it has since 1946. And that's not the only way the company is defying trends in an industry that has largely moved overseas. ... The apparel manufacturer known for innovating Western shirts with snap closures and commercially produced bolo ties today is now known for its fierce loyalty to tradition. It continues to refuse to sell through chain stores or discounters. ... "One of the biggest impressions on me is Elvis Presley. He wore Rockmount shirts," Kooper said.
- When are the Drifters not the Drifters? S.C. bill seeks to put end to 'deceptive' groups pretending to be originals
By T.D. MOBLEY-MARTINEZ
(The State, April 25, 2004)
Bill Pinkney laughs when you ask him about the cost, during the years, of other bands pretending to be the Drifters. It's not a friendly laugh, really. "I've almost wanted to give up," says the Sumter native, who co-founded the legendary group in 1953. "Thank God for the Legislature. They're passing a law that's going to mean no more bogus groups playing the state of South Carolina." He's talking about H3636, a bipartisan effort ratified on April 20 and awaiting Gov. Sanford's signature. The deadline is midnight Monday. A veto would quash the bill, but if the governor does not sign, it automatically goes into law.
... The law would not affect defunct groups whose members are touring separately, or so-called ghost bands, such as the Tommy Dorsey Band or Elvis impersonators. "That's the answer there: They aren't saying they're Elvis," Jones says. "They're doing an impersonation of Elvis."
- Coachella lineup will surprise
By Bruce Fessier
(Desert Sun, April 25, 2004)
My first response to next week's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival lineup was slight disappointment. Like, "Guess we can't have headliners like Beck, Jane's Addiction, Bjork or Red Hot Chili Peppers every year." Radiohead, which tops Saturday's sold-out day at the Empire Polo Club, certainly deserves a ranking with those other headliners. But some ardent modern rock and electronica fans in the newsroom -- me included -- thought several top acts were giving the festival a retro flavor. Not that there's anything wrong with that. We're not talking an Elvis Weekend here -- although, quite ironically, Elvis fans can have an Elvis Weekend in the desert if they want. The Coachella's opening day is the 37th anniversary of Elvis and Priscilla Presley's wedding night in Palm Springs, and the owner of the Presley "Honeymoon Hideaway" is celebrating with a concert of Elvis friends and impersonators at the Annenberg Theater. And, in one of those really weird harmonic convergences, Priscilla will be in town that day to accept a humanitarian award in a black tie gala at the Westin Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage. ...
- Living in fear that Mississippi State Police may come for my wife
By Mike Dougherty
(Benton Courier, April 25, 2004)
My wife made me banana pudding Thursday night. We've been talking about trying the recipe in the "Are You Hungry Tonight?" Elvis cookbook that my daughter Molly gave me for my birthday. But we like the recipe from Lucy Simmons of Haskell so well that we haven't experimented with the one from the King's kitchen yet. We are Elvis Presley fans at our house. Though our marriage is only 363 days old (it's a leap year), we both were raised on Elvis, so it was one of the things we found that we had in common.
It was quite natural that one of our first trips together was to visit YJ's dad, Bobby Oxford, who lives with wife Elaine near Tupelo, Miss., where Presley was born. My wife had been down there numerous times, of course, but it was my first trip to that rock 'n' roll mecca. (I've been to Graceland a few times, but the Queen hasn't. We'll probably tackle that on the next trip.) ... There are several prerequisites to visiting Bobby Oxford: a trip to Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo, stopping by the buffalo farm on the edge of town and stopping at each historical marker related to the Battle of Brice's Cross Roads in the nearby countryside. ... I was excited to see the Presley birthplace later that day. Others had warned me that it was a small house, but it was tiny: a front room with a bed in it and a kitchen in back.
A docent gave us a bit of history about the house, then took our picture in front of the fireplace. At the gift shop, YJ bought me a clock in the shape of Elvis "dressed" in blue that has swiveling "legs" marking the time. I have it on the wall of my office at home. Grandson Shawn will watch the "legs" swing back and forth for 30 minutes at a time without taking his eyes off it. ... By the time Bobby and I had stopped window shopping and talked our way back toward the car, we discovered that the women who were traveling with us had mysteriously acquired a cutting from a camellia bush. I don't know where they gained possession of the flower - I'm quite sure that snipping something from a bush at the birthplace of the king of any kind of music must be a federal offense, and most certainly from the grounds of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Other than pointing out that Arkansas native Johnny Cash's only arrest had come in Mississippi for stealing flowers off a lady's porch in Jackson, Miss., the women claimed ignorance, of course. Just to be sure, though, Bobby and I kept an eye out for law enforcement officers the rest of the weekend. (As a direct demonstration that God was not amused and yes, is a rock 'n' roll fan, the cutting didn't survive long under the care of said federal offender.) ...
- Bush Gives Kerry a Free Lunch, Sort Of
By CARL HULSE
(New York Times, April 21, 2004)
The new polls must have President Bush feeling pretty confident. There he was this afternoon, speaking before hundreds of editors and publishers of the nation's newspapers - people with ready access to printing presses and barrels of ink - and he passed up the opportunity to get in a few licks at John Kerry. "I'm not going to talk about my opponent here," Mr. Bush told those attending a luncheon of the annual meeting of The Associated Press, which was part of a joint session of the Newspaper Association of America and the American Society of Newspaper Editors being held in Washington. Mr. Bush instead restated his case for deposing Saddam Hussein as well as touching on his domestic initiatives while giving away a little inside information about Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan. "He's a great guy, by the way," Mr. Bush told the amused editors. "Elvis Presley's one of his favorites. His favorite movie was Gary Cooper in 'High Noon.' One time he walked up to me and said, `You like Cooper.' I said, `I'm like Cooper?' He said, `Yeah.' I finally figured out what he meant, you know?" ...
- Concert review: Prince rocks the Colonial Center
By JOHN KAMMERER
(Times and Democrat, April 24, 2004)
During Chris Rock's last HBO comedy special, he asked audience members if they remembered the 1980's debate about who was the better pop artist -- Prince or Michael Jackson. Answering his own question, Rock responded, "Prince won." On Wednesday night, while Michael Jackson was learning that he had been indicted by a grand jury in California, the Colonial Center crowd saw why Prince, not the King of Pop, will be viewed as the most influential artist of the '80s. ... At one point during the acoustic set, Prince started strumming the opening lines of an Elvis Presley song before jokingly admitting that, sometimes, while his name might be Prince, he gets carried away into thinking he's the King. He may not be the King of Rock or the King of Pop, but in 2004, Prince proves it's not bad to be first in line for the throne.
- Elvis is forever a hit with his local fan club
By Erik Siemers
(Pittsburgh Tribune-Herald, April 24, 2004)
It's only a coincidence, perhaps, that a woman named Priscilla heads the country's largest Elvis Presley fan club. It's also a coincidence she lives in a placed called Tennessee, although Tennessee Avenue in Dormont is a long way from Graceland. And though her last name is Parker, her husband's name isn't Tom and he's a former Navy seaman, not a colonel. "No one even brought that up until after Elvis passed away," said Priscilla Parker, 64, head of the "We Remember Elvis Club," whose annual gathering started Friday at the Holiday Inn in Green Tree.
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