Late October 2004
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Jackson gets big break on 'Shook'
(Yahoo News!, October 31, 2004)
Cheyenne Jackson, originally hired to understudy the role of Chad in "All Shook Up" on Broadway, will instead play the role in the world preem of the new musical comedy based on the songs of Elvis Presley. Tony winner Jarrod Emick ("Damn Yankees"), who had been announced in the role, was replaced when final contract terms could not be agreed upon, according to producer Jonathan Pollard. ... Directed by Christopher Ashley, "All Shook Up" begins previews Feb. 20 and opens March 24 at the Palace Theater. Tuner has a book by Joe DiPietro, music direction and arrangements by Stephen Oremus and choreography by Ken Roberson. ... Directed by Christopher Ashley, "All Shook Up" begins previews Feb. 20 and opens March 24 at the Palace Theater. Tuner has a book by Joe DiPietro, music direction and arrangements by Stephen Oremus and choreography by Ken Roberson.
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Peel Unplugged
By Simon Garfield
(Sunday Observer, October 31, 2004)
Six years ago, I conducted a series of interviews with John Peel at Radio 1 and in the wine bar nearby.
... On discovering Elvis:
'I'm a great believer in getting your priorities wrong, setting your sights low, so that you don't go through your whole life frustrated that you never became prime minister.
As a young lad, I used to listen to the American Forces Network in Europe, coming out of Stuttgart, and to Radio Luxembourg, and the signals were always satisfyingly feeble, so that you really felt you were participating in something quite exceptional. The record that genuinely changed my life was on Two-Way Family Favourites on the BBC. It may be hard now to understand how frustrating it was to listen to the radio then, because you could often sit and listen to a programme for several hours and not hear a single record that you liked. You'd listen to things like Housewives' Choice in the morning - based on the premise, shared by Radio 1 when it started, that housewives were some sort of subnormal minority group, as if perfectly sensible women would walk down the aisle but then return as gibbering idiots.
Two-Way Family Favourites was a show that reunited our boys overseas with their families back home on a Sunday lunchtime. One afternoon I heard them say, 'Lance Bombardier Higgins has requested the first record by the new American singing sensation Elvis Presley.' On came Elvis, and it sounds idiotic to say it now, but at the time 'Heartbreak Hotel' was just a revelation, like being transported immediately to another planet. The only thing that came close was when I heard Little Richard a few weeks later. It was genuinely frightening, as if something had been unleashed on the world that would never go back in the bottle. It turned out to be the case, wonderfully. ...
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Doubling back to share Lennon legacy: Two new releases show his acoustic, rocking sides
By Steve Morse
(Boston Globe, October 31, 2004)
John Lennon had two personalities, according to his widow, Yoko Ono. ''He was very acoustic-like at home and very rock 'n' roll-like in public," she said this week. That's a novel way to put it, yet it is an apt description of the dual nature of two new Lennon releases coming out on Tuesday. One is the highly recommended ''Acoustic," featuring seven previously unreleased versions of his post-Beatles songs (most of them home demos). The other is a remastered version of his competent but not earthshaking ''Rock 'n' Roll" studio album from 1975, augmented by four bonus tracks.
... The guitar work on ''Acoustic" forces a new appraisal of Lennon as a guitarist. Although overshadowed by George Harrison on guitar in the Beatles, Lennon had clearly improved his technique when he recorded these '70s solo tunes. He does some fancy picking on the previously unreleased ''What You Got" that sounds like Elvis Presley guitarist Scotty Moore meeting up with Emmylou Harris's Hot Band guitarist Albert Lee for a rockabilly-style romp. ...
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Movie favorites, sexy storybook heroines among season's most popular Halloween costumes
By Mary Butler
(Daily Camera, October 29, 2004)
... This season, area costume outfitters [in Boulder County] say there's high demand for everything Hollywood [for Halloween], as well as a shift from the always-popular attire of the psychedelic 1970s to the glamour-punk fashions of the 1980s. Other favorites are sexy takes on storybook and cartoon characters such as Strawberry Shortcake, and "full-bodied" costumes — imagine new twists on the "dead sexy" Fat Bastard from "Austin Powers in Goldmember." ... Classic celebrity costumes include Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and Priscilla Presley and "Grease" leads Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John). Johnny Depp's Capt. Jack Sparrow, from last year's "Pirates of the Caribbean," has continued to prompt men to perfect their "Arrrs" and strap on eye patches. ...
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Teenage kicks? No, just Howard's way
By Ros Taylor
(Guardian Unlimited, October 29, 2004)
Rumours of Michael Howard's wild youth have surfaced before. The Jewish Chronicle reported a year ago that the teenage Elvis fan would bathe in his jeans in the hope they would shrink to a Presley-like skintight cling. ...
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U2's 'Vertigo' Reaches Dizzying Heights
By Fred Bronson
(Yahoo! News / Reuters, October 29, 2004)
A 2-1 move places U2's "Vertigo" (Interscope) at the pinnacle of Modern Rock Tracks. It is the group's first song to go all the way since "Staring at the Sun" ruled for three weeks in April 1997. "Vertigo" is the eighth U2 song to be a Modern Rock No. 1. That ties the Irish rockers with Red Hot Chili Peppers for the most chart-toppers in the history of that survey. There is one record U2 has all to itself: It is the act with the longest span of No. 1s on Modern Rock Tracks, stretching over 16 years and two weeks, counting back to Oct. 22, 1988, the week "Desire" marched into pole position. Previously, the longest Modern Rock span of No. 1 songs belonged to Jane's Addiction, with 12 years and 11 months between "Stop!" in December 1990 and "Just Because" in August 2003.
The debut of "Stardust ... The Great American Songbook Vol. III" (J) at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 gives Rod Stewart his first chart-topping title since "Blondes Have More Fun" spent three weeks in pole position in 1979. That gap of 25 years, eight months and two weeks between No. 1 albums is the longest break between chart-topping sets since the week of Oct. 12, 2002, when Elvis Presley's "Elvis: 30 #1 Hits" became the King's first No. 1 album 29 years, five months and one week after "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" led the list. ...
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Country Artists Stress the Importance of Voting
By Brooklyn Barbieri
(cmt.com, October 29, 2004)
When asked to comment on the Vietnam War, Elvis Presley said, "I'm just an entertainer, and I'd just as soon keep my personal opinions to myself." These days, many entertainers directly state their support for or against a presidential candidate, often at the risk of political and career turmoil. Remember the all-too-familiar Dixie Chicks saga? ...
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City Wants Public's Ideas For Vacated Fort Homer Hesterly Armory
By DAVE SIMANOFF
(Tampa
Tribune, October 29, 2004)
Got an idea for breathing new life into an aging Tampa landmark? City officials want to hear from you. The city's economic development chief has put out a call for ideas to revitalize the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, the 63-year-old military building, at 522 N. Howard Ave., that has hosted graduation ceremonies, dances, concerts, wrestling matches and countless other civic events. It was at Fort Hesterly that President Kennedy spoke to the Florida Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 18, 1963, four days before he was assassinated in Dallas. Elvis Presley performed at Fort Hesterly on May 8, 1955, the final act in country star Hank Snow's All-Star Jamboree tour. Tickets cost $1.25. ...
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The Wiggles Visit Graceland
(Elvis Presley Enterprises, October 28, 2004)
The Wiggles toured Graceland today. They are in Memphis for a concert at FedEx Forum tomorrow night.
The Wiggles (Jeff, Greg, Anthony and Murray) at the pasture fence in Graceland's backyard.
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Rhythm adds up into better writing, math skills
By Gregory Lewis
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 28, 2004)
Who would have thought the music of Elvis Presley, Wilbert Harrison, Woody Guthrie and George and Ira Gershwin would teach kids how to write an essay and learn mathematical fractions? Mari Bell, an education consultant in Broward County public schools, uses music and lyrics to explain how dividing a whole note into beats relates to fractions and percentages. She sings blues songs, accompanied by a quartet of piano, bass, guitar and drums, and breaks down how the lines of the lyrics work together to tell a story. She calls it Jazz SLAM: Jazz Supports Language Arts & Math. ...
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26th district endorsement: Fred Risser
(Wisconsin State Journal, October 27, 2004)
When Democrat Fred Risser was first elected to the Legislature, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House and a 21-year-old singer named Elvis Presley had just burst onto the charts. Forty-eight years later, Ike's gone and so is Elvis, but the venerable Risser is still going strong. At 77, he still has the energy to fight for what he believes in ...
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Motion Picture Hall of Fame Launches "Walk of Stars" on Las Vegas Strip: "Mr. Las Vegas" Wayne Newton Accepts First Star
(Yahoo! News, October 26, 2004)
Clark County residents and tourists will soon have the chance to visit their favorite stars as they stroll along Las Vegas Boulevard South. On Tuesday, October 26th, the Motion Picture Hall of Fame Foundation launched the "Las Vegas Walk of Stars" featuring its first inductee, "Mr. Las Vegas" Wayne Newton. The dedication took place at the New Frontier Hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard South where Newton performed for some 15 years. His star will be installed in front of the hotel.
... Clark County worked in cooperation with Robert Alexander, chairman of the Motion Picture Hall of Fame Foundation, to sanction four miles of sidewalk to the East and West of Las Vegas Boulevard South between Sahara and Russell to establish the "Las Vegas Walk of Stars" project. Similar to the "Hollywood Walk of Fame," which is located along the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles, California, the Las Vegas project will honor people of prominence in a variety of fields including entertainment, sports, literary, humanitarian, civic and military. Each star will be a three feet square slab of polished granite weighing 350 lbs. and inlayed with the recipient's name and specialty. Other names that have been mentioned for the Las Vegas honor include members of the Rat Pack, Elvis Presley, Siegfried and Roy and Liberace. A committee assembled by the Las Vegas Walk of Stars organization will accept nominations and as many as 3,000 stars could eventually be installed.
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Elvis is king of the 'dead earners'
(Yahoo! News, October 26, 2004)
Elvis Presley is still king of the dead celebrity earners with an annual income of £21.8 million. The rock 'n' roll legend came number one in the Forbes.com list of stars who still rake it in from beyond the grave. Peanuts cartoon creator Charles Schulz was in second place with an annual income of £19.1 million, followed by Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien in third place with £12.5 million.
Presley's vast earnings go to Elvis Presley Enterprises which is owned by his daughter Lisa Marie. The icon's income last year was generated by admissions to Graceland, licensing and merchandising. The star's manager famously sold the rights to the singer's pre-1973 recordings to the RCA record company for just £2.7 million.
Even though it is more than 27 years since the 42-year-old singer died of a heart attack, the Elvis "brand" could earn even more money in future. It will be pitched at a new generation of fans via a new clothing line and a Broadway musical. ..
- Elvis Lives--In Merchandising, At Least
By Jeff Donaldson
(forbes.com, October 25, 2004)
When Elvis Presley died in August 1977, The Washington Post wrote, "Part of his attraction was that the '50s teenagers viewed him as epitomizing everything they thought their parents feared they would become--cocky, slick, brash, tough, black-leather-clad, motorcycle straddling, stiletto-shoed."
Those 1950s teenagers are now eligible for AARP membership, so the company responsible for selling his legacy must appeal to younger customers, er, fans. This year, revenue for Elvis Presley Enterprises, the for-profit business owned by the King's daughter Lisa, is flat at $40 million. While that's an astounding figure for a musician who has been dead for 27 years, growth would be nice. EPE's recent and forthcoming ventures show its efforts to expose a younger crowd to Elvis.
"We've been aware of the aging challenge since we opened Graceland in '82," says Jack Soden, president and chief executive of Memphis-based EPE. It's hard to know the demographic of Elvis fans overall but Soden claims that half of the 600,000 annual visitors to Graceland are under 35. But Graceland is only one piece of the Elvis empire.
EPE and its first master licensee will launch a line of clothing and apparel in 2005. The line, designed by Paul Guez, the founder of Sasson Jeans, will be geared toward young, contemporary men and women. EPE has given CBS, a unit of Viacom, the green light for two Elvis specials next year, one of which is a biopic. It authorized Broadway producer Jonathan Pollard to do All Shook Up, a musical based on Elvis' music, next year. This past summer, EPE let Miller Brewing feature an Elvis cover from Rolling Stone magazine on millions of beer cans.
"We want to introduce Elvis to new fans without reinventing him," says Soden.
One of the ways to introduce Elvis is to license his name and image. While only 2% of proposals lead to a licensing deal, there is no shortage of merchandise: EPE has over 100 licensees who invoke Elvis to sell everything from American Greetings cards to Zippo lighters.
David Neale, 55, a member of two European Elvis fan clubs, says the endless stream of sometimes cheesy merchandising cheapens the King's legacy. But Soden says it's a matter of survival. "The fact is, if we don't participate, we'll cede the market to infringement because the demand [for Elvis merchandise] is there." He says that when EPE pulls back on its merchandising programs, it sees a corresponding increase in bootleg merchandise. EPE helped establish a "rights to publicity" statute in Tennessee, now being adopted elsewhere in the U.S., that give a person, entity or organization the right to all publicity surrounding a celebrity. "I don't feel defensive about our licensing," he says, "because we risk being ripped off if we don't do it ourselves."
Sometimes EPE gets lucky, as when The Walt Disney Company wanted to use Elvis songs and Elvis' picture in the 2002 hit kiddie film Lilo & Stitch. In it, the extraterrestrial Stitch is a huge Elvis fan, and carries his picture. Disney paid an upfront licensing fee, but EPE didn't push for a slice of the film's profits. "If we started holding out for a cut of profits, they would have turned the girl into a Don Ho fan," says Soden of Lilo, the little Hawaiian girl character.
... Will EPE's efforts bring in a new, younger audience? Maybe. But the merchandising hoopla often drowns out the fact that Elvis was a musician. But while his music helped launch rock and roll, it isn't associated with so-called classic rock and isn't played on classic rock radio stations. Sirius Satellite Radio, however, has launched an all-Elvis station. At the end of the day, Elvis fans will buy whatever they can get their hands on. And that, after all, is the point of EPE. Says Shelby Singleton Jr., the president of Sun Entertainment Holding (otc: SETHF - news - people ), whose Sun Records label discovered Elvis, "They're not a charity."
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