Early November 2004
- Robbie's Misunderstood performance
(BBC, November 5, 2004)
Robbie Williams is going to perform a world exclusive of his new single 'Misunderstood' live on Thursday 11th November at London's Hackney Empire. It's for the 'UK Music Hall of Fame' induction ceremony, U2 will be there to collect a founding member honour. The Beatles, Madonna, Bob Marley and Elvis Presley - will also be officially inducted. Other celebs confirmed to attend the bash are Queen, The Thrills, Grace Jones, Lennox Lewis, Rita Marley and Priscilla Presley.
- For actress McNair, a USO veteran, it's all about the troops
By Harry Levins
(St Louis Post-Despatch, November 5, 2004)
As an actress, singer and entertainer, Barbara McNair has worn many outfits. When she co-starred with Elvis Presley in "Change of Habit," she wore a nun's habit. When she posed for a five-page spread in the October 1968 issue of Playboy, she wore - well, hardly anything at all. ...
- Diana Memorial Fund faces £15m legal bill as sister of Princess is sued by US company
By Robert Verkaik
(The Independent, November 5, 2004)
The family and friends of Diana, Princess of Wales, blame lawyers for the disastrous decision to bring a multimillion-pound lawsuit against an American company that was profiting from her image by marketing Diana dolls. In their bitter court battle with the Pennsylvania-based Franklin Mint, the trustees of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, say they relied on the advice of their UK and US lawyers before embarking on the legal action. ... The failed litigation in 1998 cost the fund £4m, of which £2.4m was spent on legal fees, and put many of its charitable projects in jeopardy. Now the fund's trustees, including Lady Sarah and Diana's divorce lawyer, Anthony Julius, are themselves being sued by the Franklin Mint for "malicious prosecution". ... The trustees maintain that they "initiated the lawsuit with a genuine and good faith belief, based on all of the information, advice and analysis available to it, that the claims alleged were meritorious. The Fund did not file suit for any purpose other than carrying out its legal obligations to the Estate, vindicating the rights it believed it possessed, and to recover the damages it believed it had suffered for its charitable purposes." A statement issued last night by Mishcon de Reya said: "The Trustees of the Fund were urged by the executors of Diana's estate to prevent the manufacture of a Diana doll. Manatt, Phelps & Philips, a firm of US lawyers who had successfully defended the Elvis Presley Estate and Tiger Woods against similar infringements and had also been successful in prior actions against the Franklin Mint, wrote to the Fund offering their services and were subsequently retained by the Fund."
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Still tops
By Wade Tatangelo
(bradenton.com, November 5, 2004)
There is not much left from the good old days of "Bradentown." The train station houses medical offices. Miller's Furniture has been vacant for years. And Manatee Avenue West is lined with tall, shiny buildings. But the Tip Top Tavern remains. "This place first opened in 1947," Joyce said from behind the counter. "There's been people who have been coming here since 1947." Our boys were home from the war in 1947. The Nazis and the Japanese were defeated. We had that creep Stalin to worry about. But we had all of Western Europe with us, and our economy was booming. As I watched the string of Christmas lights flickering above the bar, my mind spun the song "Born in 1947" from Ronny Elliott's great album "Poisonville." In it, Elliott makes a strong case that rock 'n' roll was born in 1947. Roy Brown recorded "Good Rockin' Tonight." A 12-year-old Elvis Presley started bringing his guitar to school every day. The Shelton Brothers cut a hillbilly version of Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Matchbox Blues." Hank Williams was signed to MGM Records and scored his first hit with "Honky Tonkin.' " ...
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Best bets for the weekend: Nightlife
By TENLEY WOODMAN
(Boston Herald, November 5, 2004)
Experience the hip-swiveling grooves of El Vez, with the Memphis Mariachis and Bobby Conn, at the Middle East downstairs, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, tomorrow, 8 p.m. Known as ``El Rey'' (The King), El Vez puts a Mex-Americana twist on the Elvis legend. Backed by the Lovely Evettes - Gladysita, Priscillita and Lisa Maria - El Vez fuses Presley's bluesy rock 'n' roll with Mexican spirit and politics. With nearly six costume changes, El Vez puts on a show that would make Elvis proud. Tickets: $10-$12. 18-plus. Call 617-864-EAST. ...
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Ode to an Opera Star, in a Movie She Never Made
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
(New York Times, November 5, 2004)
Franco Zeffirelli's worshipful cinematic tribute to his friend Maria Callas, is the kind of what-if movie you might have expected to be made about Elvis Presley but not about the quintessential opera diva of the 20th century. A lip-synching hall of mirrors, it is essentially a piece of highbrow karaoke. Where Elvis inspired an entire industry of groaning, gyrating impersonators, Maria Callas was vocally inimitable. She may have been memorably portrayed as a woman and voice teacher on the stage in Terrence McNally's play "Master Class," but no one has recreated the sound of her singing voice at the peak of its ferocious majesty. ...
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Millican, Elvis, and 104+ Performance Additives to reunite at NHRA season finale
By Andrea Geurin
(Who?Won, November 4, 2004)
Clay Millican, Lehman Racing, and 104+ Performance Additives will continue their partnership with Memphis- based Elvis Presley Enterprises by racing the team's special Elvis Presley-themed dragster at the final NHRA race of the 2004 season, the Auto Club of Southern California Finals in Pomona, Calif., on November 11-14.
Millican raced the Elvis dragster in NHRA competition in Memphis and Indianapolis earlier this season, advancing to the semi-finals in front of his hometown crowd in Memphis, and moving on to the quarterfinals in Indy. Additionally, the car was unveiled during Elvis Week at Graceland with Millican performing an 8,000 horsepower burnout down Elvis Presley Boulevard in his Top Fuel dragster. This was the first legal Top Fuel burnout on a U.S. city street in over 17 years.
"I am so excited that our team gets to race this Elvis dragster for the season finale," said Millican. "The relationship that we built with Elvis Presley Enterprises through this special themed car has been a lot of fun and I look forward to getting the fans in California excited about the 50 Years of Rock 'n Roll celebration." ...
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'DiG' focuses on the chasm between bands
By BRUCE WESTBROOK
(Houston Chronicle, November 4, 2004)
Documentaries are hot, and DiG! shows why. Its in-your-face look at rival rock bands puts the contrived truths of reality TV to shame. Granted, DiG!'s focus is performers, whose drama-queen fits could be just as phony as a Survivor contestant's showboating. But director Ondi Timoner's footage feels remarkably raw and real, a function, perhaps, of her all-access views of two bands over seven years. ... The rock rift between artistic integrity and commercial expedience has yawned ever wider since Elvis Presley started making bad movies with sappy soundtracks. ...
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Hill-country blues a feel-good blend: North Mississippi Allstars here Sunday
By Sarah Mauet
(ARIZONA DAILY STAR, November 4, 2004)
Take classic Southern blues, add a pinch of electric guitar, a dash of rock 'n' roll drums and a sprinkle of jam-band techniques and you'll get the warm, feel-good mix that the North Mississippi Allstars call hill-country blues. ... While the North Mississippi Allstars' blend of blues, rock and country might sound original in today's sometimes monotonous rock scene, Cody Dickinson insists his band is far from innovative. "There's nothing new about young kids playing old blues music," he said. "Elvis Presley did it."
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DC-Grimes shows 'Bye Bye Birdie': 'Cheesy' musical comedy lets kids play eccentric characters
By SARA SLEYSTER
(DesMoines Register, November 4, 2004)
Girls will swoon, hearts will flutter and hysteria will ensue when teenage heartthrob Conrad Birdie comes to Dallas Center this weekend. The Dallas Center-Grimes High School drama and choral departments will present the musical comedy "Bye Bye Birdie" Friday and Saturday. Vocal director Carissa Jones said the play has a "Grease" or "West Side Story" type of feel.
"It provides lots of great eccentric characters for the kids to play," Jones said. "Kids like it; it's cheesy."
The show is centered around Birdie, an Elvis Presley-like star, who has been drafted into the Army. Before he goes, Birdie will kiss one more girl from the Birdie Fan Club as his last hurrah.
Junior Sherry House, 16, plays Kim MacAfee, the girl randomly chosen for the kiss. House said the play is comical, and students will see a connection with the way singers are idolized today.
"I think a lot of teenagers can relate to it with valuing stars," House said. ...
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You'll want to devour every drop of fun in 'Little Shop'
By JOE ADCOCK
(SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, November 4, 2004)
When "Little Shop of Horrors" is not spoofing it's goofing. Both as satire and as silliness, the show is a delight. Since its Broadway run 22 years ago, "Little Shop" has been entertaining audiences all over the world. It has been produced several times in the Seattle area. And now a touring company is presenting an extremely sensational version of "Little Shop" at the Paramount Theatre.
... Adding the final satirical touches are Lenny Wolpe as Mushnik, the florist shop proprietor, and James Moye as Audrey I's boyfriend, a sadistic dentist. Wolpe provides old-time Jewish merchant caricatures. Moye combines Elvis Presley antics with the sleazo greaser archetype pioneered 50 years ago by Marlon Brando in "The Wild One."
Based on a 1960 movie of the same name, "Little Shop of Horrors" concerns an evil plant that grows and grows and grows and ... In fact, successive productions of "Little Shop" have outdone their predecessors in terms of Audrey II's monster proportions. In its final transformation, the Audrey II at the Paramount extends its insatiable maw out over the front rows of the audience, having threatened to "eat Seattle, eat this theater!"
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Hal Leonard signs deal with Christian music publisher
(Milwaukee Business Journal, November 4, 2004)
Hal Leonard Corp. said that it has signed a long-term distribution agreement with Nashville, Tenn.-based Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, the world's largest publisher of Christian music. The deal makes Milwaukee-based Hal Leonard the exclusive distributor of Brentwood-Benson publications to the secular trade. It was reached by Hal Leonard president Larry Morton and Brentwood-Benson president Dale Mathews, and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2005. Brentwood-Benson sales and marketing staff will continue to sell to the Christian Booksellers Association trade and church market.
The Brentwood-Benson catalog includes 75,000 songs, by such artists as Jars of Clay, Third Day, Bebo Norman, and Fred Hammond. The company's songs have been recorded by major artists in the Christian music industry, as well as by such renowned artists as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, LeAnn Rimes and Trace Adkins, among others. ...
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Zazzman made of iron and Elvis leaves building
(Port Macquarie News, November 3, 2004)
Former Geelong Cup winner Zazzman edged out his Caulfield Cup-winning stablemate Elvstroem when he finished third in yesterday's Melbourne Cup. Trainer Tony Vasil described Zazzman as an iron horse, while declaring Elvstroem's days of racing in handicaps over. ...
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"ELVIS", OPEN CALL
(Casting West Film and TV, November 2, 2004)
An open call for Elvis, a fact-based drama about the life of Elvis Presley. With the full cooperation of the Elvis Presley Estate, this upcoming four-hour miniseries will explore his public and private life, his music, movies, relationships, and impact on popular culture. Breakdown -- Elvis Presley: should look 18-33, must possess the singing ability, charisma, and likeness to Elvis. Participants will be seen on a first come/first served basis. Prepare to sing 10 bars of any Elvis song. Bring pix & resume.
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Cliff challenges EU rock'n'roll 'swindle'
By Adam Sherwin
(Times Online, November 1, 2004)
IT IS the greatest pension fund raid of all time. The stars who created rock 'n' roll are about to lose the rights over the classic hits that made them famous. From January 1, 2005, anyone will be able to release landmark rock'n'roll recordings such as Elvis Presley's That's All Right without paying a penny in royalties to the performer or their estates.
But the rockers are fighting back. Sir Cliff Richard is launching a campaign to close a loophole in European Union law, which means that artists and record companies lose exclusive rights to their sound recordings after 50 years.
If he and others are unsuccessful, the ruling will mean that the rock'n'roll years will become a free-for-all, wiping billions of pounds off the value of record companies. Releases will fall into the public domain, year-by-year, with the Beatles' catalogue becoming available from 2013. Recordings can be digitally manipulated or used in films and advertisements with the artist having no say over their repertoire. Sir Cliff, whose 1958 Move It single is cited as the first authentic British "rock" hit, told The Times: "As I get older I am told that I have achieved many chart 'firsts'. Now I am the first person to be deprived of income simply because I have outlived the copyright on my sound recordings."
The most successful singles artist in British chart history, Sir Cliff, 63, said that he was leading a fight for music's unsung heroes. "I am very fortunate because I continue to earn money," said the singer, who last night secured his 59th top ten album with Something's Goin' On. "But what about the Shadows or the families of Tommy Steele, Adam Faith or Lonnie Donegan? Many artists rely on one hit record as their sole source of income, but now they will earn nothing. I feel a responsibility to speak out for them."
Sir Cliff, who is well known for his Christian beliefs, added: "I am told that my recordings could even be used in pornographic films and there's not a thing I could do about it. I will have no control over how my music is used. I believe performers must be entitled to their dignity."
The British Phonographic Industry and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is lobbying the European Commission for an extension of the copyright term. The bodies want the EU Term of Protection directive to be brought in line with the United States which has copyright on sound recordings to 95 years. Composers and writers in Britain continue to enjoy protection for 70 years after their death. Singers, such as Sir Cliff, who interpret other people's songs are at a particular disadvantage.
He has delivered his own submission to a review of EU copyright legislation initiated by Frits Bolkestein, the outgoing Internal Markets Commissioner. Introducing himself as ³an active and successful recording artist and performer² who has recorded 1,000 songs, he argues: "Surely the creativity of the artists whose performances breathe life into the authors' works is worthy of recognition for at least the same period?"
The Elvis Presley industry, which was worth £21.8 million from Graceland admissions alone last year, will be the first to suffer. That's All Right and Blue Moon, his revolutionary 1954 recordings, are the first to enter the public domain, with Love Me Tender and Heartbreak Hotel to follow soon. Bill Haley's Rock Around The Clock and Shake, Rattle and Roll, are also available from January.
Those who believe that music should be "free" argue that the 50-year rule allows public access to songs that record companies and artists have enjoyed ample opportunity to exploit. But the BPI said that new bands will miss out as record companies lose control over their back catalogue. A spokesman said: "Labels rely on income from past hits to invest in new talent". ...
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Novice Elvis upstages veteran Frankie on thin ice
By BRAD WHEELER
(The Wall Street Journal, November 1, 2004)
Frankie Avalon never had the stature of Elvis Presley, but given their career arcs, it is likely their paths crossed. Perhaps they even knew each other well. And now, decades after the 65-year-old Avalon was at his most famous, the former teen idol arrived in Toronto as part of Grease, a barnstorming 1950s-style musical that also features, for six southern Ontario performances, celebrated figure skater and novice actor Elvis Stojko. Assuredly the two have never met previously, and one can only imagine their initial encounter. A cheery publicist would make the introduction: "Frankie, this is Elvis." To which a puzzled Avalon would reply, indignantly, "I don't think so." If Avalon was unfamiliar with Stojko, others were not. ...
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In London, Presley is the newest royalty
By Robert Guy Matthews
(The Wall Street Journal, November 1, 2004)
England has a new king. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n' Roll, has been putting in more public appearances than anyone in the royal family in Britain recently as a host of advertisers -- from Internet services to deodorant makers to even the conservative Tory party -- invoke his hip-shaking ways to stir up business.
Elvis, who died in 1977, never performed in concert here. He planted his blue suede shoes on British soil for only a few hours in 1960, at Scotland's Prestwick airport, during a layover on his return from military service in Germany. And, of course, the United Kingdom has plenty of its own singers to idolize if it wants to be nostalgic, most notably the Beatles. But it is Elvis's image that adorns television, radio and outdoor advertising spots here. On posters on double-decker buses and in the London Underground, Unilever's Sure deodorant digitally changed a photo of Elvis in a black shirt to add in a white deodorant stain under his arms. The AOL unit of Time Warner Inc. is using an Elvis impersonator in its new U.K. ads for its new service AOL 9.0.
And the Conservative Party, whose elderly and buttoned-down bedrock voters might have been just the types to be appalled by Elvis 40 years ago, last month unveiled the king's "A Little Less Conversation" as the theme song for its campaign for a national election expected next spring. The tune, written for the 1968 Elvis movie "Live a Little, Love a Little" was remixed and released as a single in 2002, becoming a huge hit in Britain. It was adopted by the Conservatives to showcase the party's new theme of more action -- and implicitly draw a contrast with Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party, which Conservatives criticize as being long on spin and short on results.
"Few people would expect the Tories to use an Elvis Presley song, but one of the things that we wanted to do was add a little humor," says Charles Hendry, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. The party considered numerous other songs from other artists, he says, but "Elvis is a global icon now."
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PRESLEY HAD TWO THINGS ON HIS MIND
(contactmusic.com, November 1, 2004)
Rock 'n' roll legend ELVIS PRESLEY once slept with an American food critic, before asking her to make him a fried sandwich on her way out the door. GAEL GREENE met the HEARTBREAK HOTEL singer in Detroit, Michigan, and was won over by his direct request to join him in bed. She says, "I went to an Elvis Presley press conference and ended up later at a private party for him. "Elvis came up to me and told me to come upstairs." But, after the couple had made love, Presley's thoughts soon turned to his stomach. Greene says, "Elvis yelled at me from the bed, 'Honey, on the way out can you get me a fried egg sandwich?"
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Jailhouse blues for Elvis singer
(BBC News, November 1, 2004)
An Elvis Presley impersonator has been jailed for four years after being caught with a heroin haul. ...
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Zamage and PresleyArt to Donate to Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center
(BUSINESS WIRE, November 1, 2004)
Zamage Digital Art Imaging, Inc, the world's leading supplier of photo-to-art artwork utilizing the proprietary VMS digital printing processes, is pleased to announce it has named the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center in Memphis as its primary beneficiary. "In honor of Elvis and all the charity work he has done, we will be donating a portion of the all our proceeds from sales of the Donna Presley's Precious Memories Art Collection to charities and organizations," says Zamage CEO Stewart Irvine.
This collection is a series of superb artistic masterworks, that showcase "The King" and captures his dynamic energy. The price and quality of this series represents an unprecedented value and the attention to detail will impress the most discriminating art collector and Elvis collector.
In keeping with Elvis' tradition of helping those less fortunate, Zamage and Donna Presley will donate 10% of the gross profits from each sale directly to the Elvis Presley Trauma Center in Memphis. ...
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