mid February, 2005
Currently in the news: Songy/BMG UK's release of Elvis Presley singles
- Elliott Abrams: The Neocon's Neocon
by Tom Barry
(PEJ.org, February 10, 2005)
During the Reagan administration, Abrams was at once a human rights advocate, a manager of clandestine operations, and a bagman for the Nicaraguan contras- calling himself "a gladiator" in the cause of freedom. ... Emblematic of Abrams' visceral right-wing politics was his statement following the murder of John Lennon in December 1980. Setting the tone for the cultural and political backlash that would soon dominate U.S. politics, Abrams complained publicly about all the media attention given the famous singer: "I'm sorry, but John Lennon was not that important a figure in our times... Why is his death getting more attention than Elvis Presley's? Because Lennon is perceived as a left-wing figure politically, anti-establishment, a man of social conscience with concern for the poor. And, therefore, he is being made into a great figure. Too much has been made of his life. It does not deserve a full day's television and radio coverage. I'm sick of it." ...
- Letter: Love of animals at Iditarod [the topic is dog racing]
From Diana Brooks
(Tewksbury Advocate, February 10, 2005)
I agree with the people who have written so far in support of teaching with the Iditarod. I don't know where you got that outrageous information about dogs getting killed etc but it is definitely not a reliable source. You can also find things on the internet claiming Elvis is alive and cavorting with aliens and Hitler; don't take the validity of sources for granted just because they came off the net. ...
- Elvis Impersonator Uses Talents to Support House Bill
(WISH TV, February 10, 2005)
[Indianapolis] State Representative Bruce Borders is also a professional Elvis impersonator. The freshman Republican from Jasonville has not yet displayed his talents on the House floor, but gave an unusual sales pitch for his first piece of legislation Thursday morning. Borders closed the debate on House Bill 1402 by giving a speech made up of lyrics from Elvis songs.
"This bill is a simple bill that shouldn't result in suspicious minds or leave any of you, my esteemed colleagues, all shook up. I humbly ask that you don't be cruel, don't be a hounddog. Please love me tender by supporting House Bill 1402," Borders said. The bill passed easily.
- 10 Questions [Get to know your neighbors]
(Whitehaven Appeal, February 10, 2005)
Name: Claire Smith
How long have you lived in Germantown? For 28 years. We moved to Germantown the day Elvis Presley died. ...
- Portraits of a pop artist go on show
(Edinburgh Evening News, February 10, 2005)
AN exhibition of works by legendary artist Andy Warhol is set to go on show in the Capital this weekend. One of the giants of 20th-century art, Warhol's iconic images of stars including Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley earned him worldwide fame. In its only UK stop, Andy Warhol: Self-Portraits will be displayed at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art on Belford Road from Saturday. It is the first museum exhibition to be devoted to the artist's presentation and manipulation of his own likeness. ...
- Love, Elvis
By Jamie O'Meara
(Hour.ca, February 10, 2005)
Elvis Presley - (RCA/BMG) [CD Review]
And just in time for Valentine's Day! I'm not going to insist that Elvis's love songs are better than any of his others (blues rockin' greats like All Shook Up, Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog etc.), which of course many of them are, but I will say that they are the best representation of the caricaturized cultural icon Elvis was to become: overromanced sexualizer and seducer as well as overripened cheesebag. S'all good. Love, Elvis compiles a number of the best, though by no means all, of Elvis's love songs and ballads, titles like Can't Help Falling in Love; Love Me Tender; I Want You, I Need You, I Love You and Surrender among them, though the album is weighted dangerously toward the front - by the time you get to some of the second-rate songs at album's end, the ardour's been lost.
- Harrodsburg resident idolizes, impersonates Elvis
By JENNIFER BRUMMETT
(Advocate Messenger, February 10, 2005)
Jason Paul Sester was only about a year old when The King himself, Elvis Presley, died in 1977. But that hasn't kept the Harrodsburg resident from idolizing this legend from a previous era. ... The performer, who has been an Elvis impersonator for 9 years, learned each key of each song in Elvis' repertoire, and watched his movies and concert appearances when Elvis was in specials on television. ...
- Grammys - The emptiest show in town
By Michael Ordona
(Daily Trojan, February 9, 2005)
Will the Grammys actually honor the best in music from this past year? Don't hold your breath on this one. American Idiot. Green Day, led by Billie Joe Armstrong, is nominated for record of the year, album of the year and best rock album. ... Yes, indeed, it's time once again for the Grammys (Feb. 13) - the most ridiculous and dunderheaded of all the major awards. Did you know that Jimi Hendrix never won one? Or Led Zeppelin? Any time the Oscars fete an "Out of Africa" or "A Beautiful Mind," the Academy Awards look at the Grammys and don't feel quite so out of touch.
Anyway, it's not as if anyone who's paying attention expects the Recording Academy to make any sense. What real music fan takes Grammy wins as any indication of quality? The most daring works almost never win, with the top awards predictably going to either the flavor of the month or some once-great artist now long past it. ... During a career that most music fans agree was pretty good, The Beatles collected a grand total of four trophies. Elvis Presley, who also didn't suck, totaled three - all for religious albums. But Celine Dion has five and Whitney Houston has six. So they are clearly better than The Beatles and Elvis (although the Beatles did add three more, including two for videos, 26 years after they broke up). ...
- Sir Paul, Elvis now perceived as 'safe'
By Nick Clooney
(Cincinnati Post, February 9, 2005)
Sir Paul McCartney certainly cleaned up the Super Bowl half-time show's image, didn't he? Nothing racier was to be seen than a spiffy red shirt, revealed by McCartney removing his coat. ... For some of us, it is difficult to think of Paul McCartney as a "safe" choice for America's favorite event. Was it really so long ago that the Beatles were being denounced by parents coast to coast as a terrible influence on the nation's teen-agers? Yes, I suppose it was.
And just a few years before that, Elvis Presley was viewed as the devil incarnate by many parents and religious leaders for his suggestive leg and hip movements while he was singing. Those same parents and religious leaders now hail him as an icon of wholesome America.
And a few years before that, Frank Sinatra, "Frankie Boy," was severely criticized in the wake of mass swoonings by "bobby-soxers" at his performances. His style was called "unmanly."
Only the most mature among us will remember that even Bing Crosby in the early days of his career was not immune. One critic wrote, "His 'ba-ba-ba-boo' is a flagrant attempt to seduce the young and innocent girl." That was 1932.
The pattern is familiar, and it will not change. But it does give us an opportunity for interesting speculation. Which of today's pop artists, particularly the most outrageous, will be the "safe" choice headlining the half-time show in 30 years? Any predictions?
- First Lady of Vegas relives her heyday on stage
By Bruce Fessier
(Desert Sun, February 9, 2005)
What: Keely Smith in "Vegas '58 - Today," a concert recreation of the peak of her career with Louis Prima
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: The McCallum Theatre, 73-000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert
Tickets: $50-$80
It was Vegas, 1958. Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack ruled. But after hours, they went to the Sahara Casino lounge, where Louis Prima and Keely Smith were king and queen. Their audience often included Howard Hughes, Sen. John F. Kennedy and movie stars like Victor Mature, the godfather to the Primas' oldest daughter, Toni. Elvis Presley came in several times before going into the Army. He was a nice kid, Smith recalled. "Very quiet." ... "As big as Elvis was, the (Sahara) made more money with Louis Prima because he was there from 12 to 6 o'clock in the morning and they were in the lounge packing them in every night," said [Sahara entertainment director, Bill] Miller. "Everybody used to come from every hotel to see Louis Prima for seven years. And what (happens) when you get drunk? The better the gambling. And Louis got so big, in order to get into the lounge, they'd check into the hotel." ...
- Fake Celebrity Autographs Outnumber Real
By COLLEEN LONG
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, February 9, 2005)
Before you plunk down hundreds for a signed copy of a dusty Beatles album or a golf ball whacked by Tiger Woods, take a good look at it. Chances are, it's fake. Most celebrity autographs are incredibly difficult to authenticate, experts say, and if a deal to purchase something autographed by your favorite star seems too good to be true, it probably is. Only six percent of all autographed Beatles memorabilia is authentic, according to PSA/DNA Authentication Services, a California-based organization that examines collectibles. Only 24 percent of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley signatures PSA/DNA has examined were genuine, and only 33 percent of more than 10,000 Woods and Michael Jordan autographs they scrutinized were real. ... PSA/DNA has been tracking fakes for about two years, and started tracking celebrity autographs last year, president Joe Orlando said. The company's experts analyze handwriting and materials, and preside over signings to authenticate signatures. Items are outfitted with a hologram which tracks the life of the signed poster, jersey or album cover. ...
- Most-wanted list reads more like a 'Who's Who'
By Mike Dooley
(News Sentinel, February 9, 2005)
Cesar Romero (Mendez)
John Locke (McKinnon)
John Paul (Hickey)
Peggy Lee (Young)
Ray Charles (Ford)
Raymond Scott (Gaines)
Rick James (Mourey)
Elvis Aaron (Hall)
James Dean (Phillips)
It seems we've seen some of these names before. The names of Elvis and Lisa Marie are on it. So are the pope's, two former presidents, Pam Anderson's one-time squeeze and the man who wrote much of the music for the old Daffy Duck cartoons. Here and there you'll even find Roman emperors, actors, comedians and Spider- Man's creator.
What do they have in common? They all have first and middle names taken from celebrity monikers covering a wide range of time and temperaments. And they're all people wanted in Allen County on outstanding warrants. ...
- Sonic Reducer: For those about to love
(San Francisco Bay Guardian, February 9-15, 2005)
By Kimberly
Chun
LOVE STINKS. That's the first song title that comes to my pal's mind when I ask her to jump-start my head with the names of her favorite love songs. Just do it for little old me, in time for Valentine's Day, babe. Because I want to buy into Valentine's Day – and buy you shall, sweet reader. Buy the Hallmark catchphrases, the necessity
of going to a nice restaurant, the frail flowers, the Elvis Presley Enterprises commemorative chocolate CDs, and the mandatory dressing up à la chimp in a bow tie (deeply discounted Comme des Garçons will do in this lady ape's case), pretending to be adult, sophisticated, and soigné rather than just a tambourine-playing, punk rock, nappy-headed carnival monkey who simply wants to bounce around on the Posturepedic or throw amuse-bouches at the head of the maître d' for her own sick amusement. You can't take me anywhere. ...
- Rod Steward and Elvis Presley top the bill
(Epping Forest Guardian, February 9, 2005)
ROD Stewart impersonator Greg Dorrell was on top form when he performed a charity gig in aid of a local school at Starbucks in Loughton High Road. The one-off concert raised over £300 for Oak View School. Mr Dorrell belted out a medley of Stewart's hit to 60 people, who paid £5 each to see him perform. Also on the bill was an Elvis impersonator, who impressed the women in the audience with his renditions of the King's greatest hits. ...
- Publish, and be damned
By Genevieve Roberts
(The Independent (Zimbabwe's newest opposition newspaper), February 9, 2005)
Once great friends with Robert Mugabe, journalist Wilf Mbanga was forced into exile. ... [Wilf Mbanga], the founder of the now-silenced Daily News, the sole daily independent newspaper in Zimbabwe, has set up a new title, The Zimbabwean. It will be published in London and Johannesburg, with copies from South Africa distributed in Zimbabwe. The first issue of the weekly will come out on Friday, six weeks before national elections. Its aim is to provide crucial, unbiased information in a country saturated with propaganda.
Anonymous reporters in Zimbabwe are defying the media blackout imposed by Robert Mugabe, the President, and working against the regime to provide independent news from inside the country. Journalists in South Africa and Britain are also writing about life in the diaspora, aimed at the 3.5 million Zimbabweans living in exile. ... Mbanga used to be friends with Mugabe. He is direct about their relationship. "From the moment we shook hands, we became firm friends. We both liked rock'n'roll, Elvis Presley, jazz, and country and western music." ...
- Houston engineer among those killed in crash near Kabul
By DALE LEZON
(Houston Chronicle, February 8, 2005)
Mark Humphries, a civil engineer from Houston, never took risks building roads in war-torn Afghanistan, his family said. He followed security guidelines, traveled with a bodyguard and drove in armored cars. But nothing could save him from a plane crash during a blizzard in the mountains outside Kabul. He was aboard an Afghan airliner that slammed into a peak at 11,000 feet Thursday. ... Kelly Humphries, 26, said that her father loved to sing Elvis Presley songs and cook. She said she got a degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M to be like him. ...
- Kennedy auction offers a look at 'off-hours' Camelot
(Yahoo! News / AFP, February 8, 2005)
An auction at Sotheby's next week of items from various homes of the family of slain president John Kennedy offers a glimpse into the private world of the "Camelot" era. The more than 600 lots that will go under the hammer in New York on February 15 include everything from sundry household articles like tea towels and cookbooks to personal photos and portraits, and an Elvis Presley album. The entire catalogue is estimated at little more than one million dollars, although the auction house expects the final sale total to be far higher. ...
- Rock Museum Sues to Stop Jewish Rock Web Site
By Arthur Spiegelman
(Yahoo! News / Reuters, February 8, 2005)
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is all shook up -- or as they might say in Yiddish, all "verklempt" (upset) -- over the name for a virtual museum celebrating the Jewish contribution to rock music. The Cleveland-based museum has asked a federal judge to stop two journalists and a radio company executive from putting up a Web site called the Jewish Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, saying the site will infringe on the original's trademark name and that the public would confuse the two. But the people behind the Web site said they cannot understand why the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame is making such a "tsimmes" (Yiddish for big deal) over their plans to celebrate the exploits of such diverse talents as Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, some of the Ramones, Lou Reed and Elvis Presley's tailor, "Nudi" Cohen. Their nonprofit Web site, which is not up and running yet, plans to publish articles on the Internet about Jews who rock. ...
- Bobby Vinton keeps mom happy
By PHILIP POTEMPA
(Northwest Indiana News, February 8, 2005)
Early Mother's Day: During his 40-year career, Bobby Vinton has done everything from performing at the Lake County Fair in Crown Point to headlining performances in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Lake Tahoe. This Sunday, he's doing an afternoon show at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville. ... Throughout the '60s, Vinton's love-song hits such as "Blue Velvet," "Roses Are Red My Love," "Blue on Blue" and "Melody of My Love" even broke Elvis Presley's radio-play records. ...
- Songwriter Merle Kilgore dies
By Lee Roberts
(KTBS 3 News / Associated Press, February 7, 2005)
Merle Kilgore, who co-wrote "Ring of Fire" and other hits during a wide-ranging career in music that started at the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, died Sunday night in Mexico ... He was 70. ... Kilgore and Elvis Presley performed together when Presley was launching his career in the mid 1950s. At the Louisiana Hayride, Kilgore witnessed a rarity: a Presley failure. In an Associated Press interview in 1990, Kilgore said the first time Presley performed on the Hayride, he bombed. ...
- Listen to the music
By Lee Roberts
(Journal Times, February 7, 2005)
We've come a long way since the days of spinning 45s on a record player and tuning in the hits on AM radio stations in the car. The many listening options available today - from CD players to Internet radio and Ipods - have brought an incredible variety of music within reach of the general public in recent years. So what are the people of Racine listening to? We asked a few of the city's more notable personalities what they had in their CD players or Ipod's last week. Here's what they had to say.
JESSICA MACPHAIL director, Racine Public Library Quiet is something we often equate with the library. When it comes to musical tastes, however, those of librarian Jessica MacPhail are anything but quiet. MacPhail describes herself as a HUGE Rolling Stones fan and a HUGE blues fan. ... "Music is a major part of my day," MacPhail said. "I've loved music my whole life. My first hero was Elvis Presley." ...
- Arkadelphia police officer a finalist in Nashville talent search
By Donna Hilton
(Delaware Online / Los Angeles Times, February 7, 2005)
An Arkadelphia police officer has been selected as one of the 10 finalists to compete for the USA Network's Nashville Star. Jody Evans, 28, of Donaldson, was chosen from thousands who auditioned to participate in the third season of the cable channel's talent competition. The winner of the contest will receive a recording contract with Universal South Records. Evans, a singer-songwriter who cites Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly as his influences, is now in Nashville taping the first segment of the show, which will air March 1. All other episodes of the show are aired live. The final show of the season will be on Tuesday, April 26. ...
- Landlord cashes in on Morrison myth
By GEOFF BOUCHER
(Delaware Online / Los Angeles Times, February 7, 2005)
Just for the record, Cheri Woods is no fan of the Doors. Jim Morrison's band was too dark, too druggy. "No, I'm an Elvis nut. I did like that one song ... what was it? 'Light My Fire'?" Still, Woods has been on a crash course in all things Doors that has included hours of research, memorabilia shopping and a seance. These are the things you do if you run a two-bedroom Morrison Hotel. "It's $200 a night," Woods says in a chirpy voice, "or $1,000 for a week." Woods is a real estate agent, but she learned more about property values during her pilgrimages to Graceland, Elvis Presley's Tennessee estate. "If you really idolize somebody, there's nothing you won't do to be part of their lives," she says. ...
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