Late October 2004
- Online Music Site Settles Copyright Suit
(Red Nova, October 25, 2004)
The operators of a Spanish-based Web site that sold music downloads have agreed to pay $10.5 million to settle a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by several recording companies. Sakfield Holding Company S.L., which ran Puretunes.com, agreed to pay the record companies $10 million, the Recording Industry Association of America said Monday. ... "Puretunes.com duped consumers by claiming it was a legitimate online music retailer when, in fact, it was no such thing," RIAA president Cary Sherman said in a statement.
Puretunes went off-line in mid-June 2003, less than two months after its launch. A month later, the top five recording companies and their labels sued Sakfield. The suit alleged the company unlawfully copied and distributed thousands of songs from artists such as U2, Elvis Presley and Britney Spears through the Web site. Puretunes charged users for access to the music files, misleading consumers into believing they were buying music from a licensed online retailer, the companies claimed.
When Puretunes launched, Sakfield claimed it had obtained licenses from Spanish trade associations representing publishers and musicians, enough to comply with Spanish copyright laws. But the record companies asserted that no such loophole in Spanish law exists and that Sakfield was liable. ...
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Alexander homes experiencing renaissance: Always popular, developers plan to build more of classic design
By Jeff Donaldson
(Desert Sun, October 25, 2004)
In Palm Springs, circa 1957, Elvis Presley used to sit in the living room of his Alexander home in Las Palmas -- a warm breeze blowing in through open windows; the sound of voices and laughter drifting out over the valley sand. Like Presley, Hollywood celebrities were drawn to the posh yet simple designs of the Alexander -- high vaulted ceilings, slanted folded plate roofs and straight lines. The homes created a comfortable and airy atmosphere that became as much a part of the persona of Palm Springs as the stars who bought them. ...
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ELVIS WIFE PICKS UP UK AWARD
By Fiona Cummins
(mirror.co.uk, October 25, 2004)
ELVIS Presley's former wife Priscilla flies into Britain next month to collect an entertainment award for the King. Priscilla Presley, 59, will attend the live finale of Channel 4's UK Hall of Fame series, which honours the all-time greats of popular music Though notoriously publicity shy, Priscilla has agreed to pick up an award marking Presley's outstanding contribution.
Viewers were asked to vote on a shortlist of 10 artists from each decade. The winning five acts will be honoured in a ceremony at the Hackney Empire, East London, on November 11. Presley, The Beatles, Bob Marley, Madonna and U2 have already been elected founding members because of their huge impact on the British music scene.
Priscilla - mum of Lisa Marie, 36 - first met Presley in 1959 when she was 14. They married in 1967 and divorced in 1973.
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Long live Sir Cliff Richard
By JASON CHEAH
(star-ecentral.com, October 25, 2004)
PETER Pan of pop Sir Cliff Richard seems to be fighting hard to keep that tag. After 45 years in the music fray, he sounds just as fresh as ever on his new album Something's Goin' On, even though he just celebrated his 64th birthday a couple of weeks ago. ... This Decca/Universal release (out soon in Malaysia) is the first time the "pop Knight" has come on board the Universal roster, and is expected to continue his record-breaking run of chart hits in his 45-year career. The lead single from the album, the title track, already hit the Top 10 in the British singles chart last week, making it his 126th British hit single. With 14 chart toppers in that list, only The Beatles (17) and Elvis Presley (18) have more, and still no act has matched his consistency in Britain - Top 10 in six consecutive decades and his run of No.1s over five consecutive decades. ...
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Edwards Will Have to Overcome Political Inexperience
By Mark Sage
(scotsman.com / PA News, October 25, 2004)
Senator John Edwards is the embodiment of the American dream. He knows it, and he isnšt afraid to tell voters. He came from humble beginnings and was the first in his family to go to college, where he studied law. ... According to the Almanac of American Politics, Mr Edwards began his career representing recording companies accused of pirating Elvis Presley records. ...
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Scavenging a good time: Cryptic clues add up to a morning of fun in Portsmouth
By Genevieve Giambanco
(Portsmouth Herald Local news, October 24, 2004)
If you weren't participating in The Great Seacoast Scavenger Hunt in Portsmouth on Saturday, then you missed a fun time. Friends and families - more than we expected - signed in at the Herald at 9 a.m. sharp, before setting off at 10 a.m. in several directions to scale the city for seven historically related locations, aided only by brains, clues and a resilient spirit. ... "Did Elvis Presley ever come here to sing at a ..." Wood faltered as she thought over a clue. ...
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Elvis estate is a boon that needs area boost
By Frederick Tappa
(Commercial Appeal / Whitehaven Appeal, October 24, 2004)
One of the most successful and well-visited landmarks in the City of Memphis is the Elvis Presley estate and shops in the Whitehaven community. It draws over a half million tourists annually.
Elvis's home draws these tourists from all parts of the world and gives them an opportunity to understand the Memphis experience. However, because of the great success it has achieved, more could and should be done to be more community friendly and make some capital improvements in the areas surrounding their historic attraction. Yes improvements have been made, but it seems only for the direct benefit of the estate.
There's nothing innately negative regarding making self-enhancing improvements, but being a bit more philanthropic will help Whitehaven as well as the Elvis estate to be more successful perceptively and financially. For example, couldn't there be a half-price day for school-age students, or a $1 day for seniors citizens.?
One of the area vacant buildings could be used to assist some not-for profit, 501c3 organization to teach computer skills, mentor young boys or provide etiquette classes for young girls. Endeavors such as these will also work to endear the community to the Elvis estate.
Many Whitehaven residents have never visited the estate and have no plans to, because they feel alienated and disconnected from their vision. An effort of inclusion, that will involve different sectors of the Whitehaven community, will provide windfall profits as well as positive people production.
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Dollymania large as ever in Canada; Parton delights Ont. crowd
By ANGELA PACIENZA
(Yahoo! News / CP, October 23, 2004)
About 30 years ago Elvis Presley asked a pretty blond country singer if he could record a love song she'd penned. The request for I Will Always Love You stirred Dolly Parton's blood. "I got so excited," she drawled wide-eyed, recounting the story for a packed house at Casino Rama in Ontario cottage country over the weekend. "I told everybody Elvis was doing it." But Colonel Parker wanted half the publishing rights and Parton, a savvy business woman, wasn't ready to give that up.
She told the story to set up a new song she's written, I Dreamed About Elvis, to memorialize the event. "I was disappointed I never got Elvis to record it . . . but Whitney (Houston) did it and made me a ton of money," laughed the 58-year-old music and film star. "It has been the biggest song of my career."
I Dreamed About Elvis is a novelty song performed with an impersonator who eventually sings her famous ballad by the end of the track. Parton said it will appear on a CD scheduled for release in early 2005. ... Her 20-song set on Friday night - the first of three sold-out shows and her only ones in Canada on the Hello, I'm Dolly tour - reflected old classics, new ones destined to become hits and carefully selected cover songs including John Lennon's Imagine and Kris Kristofferson's Me and Bobby McGee, popularized by Janis Joplin. ...
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Oakland airport display fit for The King: Ticketed travelers can gawk at exhibit featuring Elvis memorabilia
By Angela Hill
(Oakland Tribune, October 21, 2004)
ELVIS will not be in the building himself because he's dead and all, and that would just be creepy. But a lot of cool and rare stuff that has actually at some time touched The King or has at least been near him or near other people who have touched him or been near him -- back when he was alive and all -- is currently on display in a new exhibit at Oakland International Airport. There are fun things such as Elvis' shirts, dressing-room keys, fan mail, record albums complete with Elvis Presley's own John Hancock, a pair of blue suede shoes he wore on the Steve Allen show (Elvis, not John Hancock) and lots of items from private local collections that have never been seen in public before.
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Elvis ain't a hero to Mos: The rapper's heroes don't appear on no stamps
By Tom Horgen
(revolutionmagazine.com, October 21, 2004)
Mos Def hates Limp Bizkit. He hates Linkin Park. He hates rap-rock. To the Brooklyn MC, hip-hop isn't just something you try out. Or pimp out for that matter. What's worse, thieves such as Fred Durst remind Mos Def of what happened to rock 'n' roll. On his debut album, 1999's "Black on Both Sides," the outspoken rapper said "Elvis Presley ain't got no soul/ Chuck Berry is rock 'n' roll." He added for emphasis, "You may dig on the Rolling Stones, but they didn't come up with that shit on they own." It's been five years since he spoke those words. And five years without another album. He returns to us now with "The New Danger." He's still pissed off, but he's doing something about it. He's taking back rock 'n' roll. Taking it back for the people who created it. Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry. Black people.
... Mos Def is still making hip-hop. But he's repping something else here too. If you don't get it from the sounds he hits you with on the album's opener, you'll get it by the third track, "Ghetto Rock," where Mos Def says very loudly: "Yes, we are rock 'n' roll." Eat that, Elvis.
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AOL downloads Elvis lookalike for new advertising drive
(revolutionmagazine.com, October 21, 2004)
An Elvis Presley lookalike from Blackpool is the star of the new campaign for AOL, created by Grey London, as the ISP taps into the craze for music downloads. The campaign, called "Chinese Elvis", shows how AOL members can feed their obsessions and access unique music content via the keyword search feature. It is the latest campaign from Grey for AOL 9.0 to use a central character to highlight the benefits of being an AOL member. Other campaigns have used "Vanessa", to highlight child safety; "Steve" to represent the speed of AOL; and "Gareth", who illustrated the ability to upload and share photography. The new campaign breaks this week and is the second major campaign this month that stars an Elvis lookalike. Earlier in October, the new Kingsmill campaign, which tells the mythical story of how Elvis started a bakery during his only visit to the UK in the 1960s, broke. It was created by J Walter Thompson. The Grey campaign was created by Nick Rowland and Stephen Godson, and directed by Mehdi Norowzian through RSA.
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Wanted: Elvis Presley
(p2pnet.net, October 20, 2004)
This isn't something we'd normally post but ........ CBS says it'll be holding an open casting call in Los Angeles to find someone to play Elvis Presley in an upcoming four-hour miniseries. "Participants will be judged on their singing ability, charisma and likeness to Elvis," says CBS. "Those interested in attending the casting call should look 18-33 years old. Hopefuls are required to bring their headshots, resumes and be prepared to sing 10 bars of any Elvis song." So if you can only look 34, forget it. Hopefuls will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis, says CBS.
DATE: Wednesday, November 10
TIME: 10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: CBS Television City
Gate 6 - Sound Stage 46
7800 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
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'King' visits Garden Court: Free Elvis show delights seniors, friends
By IDA CHIPMAN
(South Bend Tribune, October 20, 2004)
Elvis lives again in downtown Plymouth. Ten-year-old Bailey Hicks, a fifth-grader at Menominee Elementary School, is a big Elvis Presley fan. Bailey's bedroom is covered with Elvis memorabilia. "I love his music," she said, "and it is so much fun to be here to see someone act and sing like Elvis." Bailey, serenaded by a poignant rendition of "Walk A Mile In My Shoes," got a souvenir scarf draped around her neck and a kiss on the cheek from Elvis impersonator, Patrick Loftus. The free show on Sunday was packed with residents and friends of Garden Court Downtown, a Plymouth senior citizen housing development. ...
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HUMPERDINCK: 'ELVIS STOLE MY IMAGE'
(contactmusic.com, October 20, 2004)
Crooner ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK was so fed up of being mistaken for rock king ELVIS PRESLEY, he shaved off his notorious sideburns. The RELEASE ME singer is furious with his former manager GORDON MILLS for forcing him to remove his famous facial hair and has still not forgiven the late JAILHOUSE ROCK star for stealing his image. He says, "One day, at Gordon's behest, I shaved off my sideboards, even though I thought they were an intrinsic part of my image. I had grown mine in 1965 and Elvis had grown his in 1972. What with Elvis's exact replica of my hairstyle and our matching, we looked like brothers, and people could hardly tell us apart. 'Elvis', I once said, mocking is Mississippi accent, 'I lurve (sic) everything about you, but you stole my sideboards.' The moment I shaved mine off, I realised I should not have done it."
- Anti-Elvis helicopter sends forests up in flames
By Peter Brewer
(Canberra Times, October 19, 2004)
Trailing streams of flaming gel, a specialised heli-torch yesterday peformed the final act in the destruction of the once-abundant pine plantations to the west of Canberra. ... The heli-torch was brought in from Tasmania to accelerate ACT Forests' controlled burn-off of the plantation vestiges remaining over some 2000ha of the former Pierces Creek, Uriarra and Stromlo forests. ...
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Vegas or Bust: Glitter city, casino capital overwhelms the senses
By:REBECCA SINGER
(Indiana Gazette, October 17, 2004)
New York City is often called the city that never sleeps, but I think that title should roll on over to Las Vegas, a city where everything is bright, blinking and non-stop partying 24/7. My first visit to glitter city was a week-long vacation, wedding and honeymoon all rolled into one, and it was a fabulous escape from reality. ... I also discovered during my first trip to this casino capital that - contrary to what I'd believed - you won't find Elvis on every corner. I found two - one at the Elvis-A-Rama Museum and one at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel, where Elvis performed the ceremony for myself and my husband, Jack Singer, but that was it. We skipped the impersonator shows, so those were our only Elvis sightings on this trip. ...
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Two poets aspire to rise from prosaic to elegiac, even to Elvis
(book reviews)
Reviewed by George Held
(Philadelphia Inquirer, October 17, 2004)
... The Women Who Loved Elvis All Their Lives
By Fleda Brown
Carnegie-Mellon. 72 pp. $13.95
... Two recent offerings [by Carnegie-Mellon University Press] include a first book, John Hoppenthaler's Lives of Water and Fleda Brown's collection of poems inspired by Elvis Presley, her fifth book of poems and her second from C-MUP. Both new books include blurbs from C-MUP alumni who welcome them to the fold. But, like most blurbs, these promise more than the books can deliver. ... If Hoppenthaler's lyrics are often elegiac, Fleda Brown's entire book is arguably an elegy, for Elvis and for her childhood as a fan, because The Women Who Loved Elvis All Their Lives combines autobiography and Presley's biography. This book also exemplifies the vogue for history-themed poetry collections, such as Rita Dove's aforementioned Thomas and Beulah, about the poet's grandparents, and Nicole Cooley's recent The Afflicted Girls, about the Salem witch trials. Where Cooley imagines the voices of 17th-century historical figures, Brown imagines those of Elvis, his mother, his wife, and a Presley neighbor, Mrs. Louise Welling.
One might ask how a poet with a Ph.D., the author of a dissertation on William Dean Howells, can avoid condescension toward such people, and how authentic are the words and thoughts she gives them? When Gladys Presley took her boy Elvis to visit Vernon in prison, did she really say, "Tell your daddy what you been doing"? And when Gladys died, did the grown Elvis look at her feet in the coffin and say, "Look at her little sooties, / she's so precious"?
Brown's postmodern irony shows up best in "Elvis Reads 'The Wild Swans at Coole,' " in which she exhibits her familiarity with both popular (Elvis) and high (Yeats' great poem) culture - the ideal for many academic poets. Brown's book also contains "Elvis Reads the Story of the Woman at the Well." One imagines a series of such poems, say, "Elvis Reads 'To His Coy Mistress' " or "Elvis Reads Middlemarch."
In the fourth and final part of The Women Who Loved Elvis, Brown tours Graceland, where, finding access to the upper floors barred, she goes "on convincing myself / that if I were allowed upstairs, I'd retrieve / years of my life... // and think how to live their hard facts." But a few poems later Brown anticlimactically recognizes the futility of believing that visiting the King's mansion would retrieve her life as she stares at a photo of Elvis in "The Trophy Room": "Ho hum, I thought the songs / were for me. I thought we could get along."
In this recognition and in writing these Elvis poems, Brown has perhaps reprieved, if not retrieved, her life. And at the end of the book she adds "one / positive note: I've kept singing the old // songs..." Her own songs may please readers of contemporary poetry - even those who aren't postmodernist academics who love Elvis.
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Elvis the true King
By John Harms
(Melbourne Age, October 17, 2004)
There was a lot of lovin' at Caulfield yesterday. The lawns were turned into a pulsating Bacchanalian romp of hormonal energy by a zillion drinks, a vista of goose-pimpled cleavage, hound dogs with wandering eyes - and a grand horse. Elvis was in the air. And I should have realised it.
You reckon a bloke could take a tip. Cruising down Swanston Street in the 67 tram I notice the front of my form guide declares "Elvis will rock the Cup". I jump off near Collins Street and nearly bowl over a good-looking black fella with side-burns and big, slicked-back hair. I walk next to him for a few strides and for some reason I feel compelled to ask him: "Don't I know you from somewhere?" He says, in a honey voice: "I'm the Black Elvis." I remember him from The Footy Show. He smiles and goes straight into his routine: "He's back; he's black. All the way from Graceville, Brisbane. Why thank you very much. Y'all come back now. You hear." ...
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Elvis Sighted At Caulfield
(Virtual Form Guide, October 17, 2004)
Elvis was sighted at Caulfield yesterday afternoon. It wasn't the former rock superstar however, but Elvstroem, the racehorse who carries the nickname "Elvis", who led all the way to win the Caulfield Cup in scintillating fashion. ...
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