mid February, 2005
Currently in the news: Songy/BMG UK's release of Elvis Presley singles
- The 'wild' side of mating rituals
By Mindy Pollack-Fusi
(Boston Globe, February 14, 2005)
Tallensi and Rendille do it exclusively with each other. Isadoro and PJ do it, too, but they're not monogamous. Ditto for Elvis and Priscilla, which probably comes as no surprise. ... Tallensi and Rendille are pottos ... Isadoro and PJ are ocelots. ... Elvis and Priscilla are warthogs, which do not stay loyal to one another. ...
- Some of Islands' best fall into Grammy gap
By Wayne Harada
(Honolulu Advertiser, February 14, 2005)
As my co-worker Derek Paiva and I worked on the Hawai'i Grammy nomination profiles last week we decided to ask one question of each finalist: "Who else should have been nominated, and why?" As they rattled off their answers, it served as a strong reminder that while awards and recognition are nice, the process isn't always fair. Or complete. ... The issue is how to define Hawaiian music. Is it Don Ho, singing "Tiny Bubbles"? Elvis Presley, doing "The Hawaiian Wedding Song"? Is it Bruddah Iz, chiming merrily on "Over the Rainbow"? Jay Larrin, waxing eloquent about "The Snows of Mauna Kea"? Nope. Hawaiian music is rooted in language and culture. ...
- Wed to a natural wonder
By BILL MICHELMORE
(Buffalo News, February 14, 2005)
NIAGARA FALLS - The falls still has it, that magic that evokes romance and lures couples from around the world into marriage. It showed its allure Valentine's Day weekend, as nearly 300 people got married or renewed their vows in celebrations of love on both sides of the border ... Rebecca Kuzinsky and her longtime companion, Gary Myers, of Scottdale, Pa., had planned on finally getting married in Las Vegas, with an Elvis Presley recording playing in the background. They fell for the falls instead. "We've been together for 22 years," Kuzinsky said. "I don't know why we never got married, but after we visited here last April, we said, "OK, it's time, and Niagara Falls is the place. Sorry, Elvis.' " ...
- Elvis: The King of choc and roll
(Norwich Evening News, February 14, 2005)
Elvis was in the building at the weekend - handing out chocolates to star-struck shoppers to mark Valentine's Day.
Visitors to The Forum in Norwich were serenaded by the king of rock and roll while his wife Priscilla Presley handed out sweets. And if you thought Elvis looked remarkably good for someone who would have celebrated his 70th birthday this year, you would be right. He was in fact Chris Tracy, a member of staff at the Millennium Library, while Priscilla was his real-life wife Donna, who also works at the library. ... Chris said Suspicious Minds was proving to be an appropriate Elvis number on some occasions. "Some people have suspicious minds and won't take our chocolates!" he said. "We've also been doing Heartbreak Hotel, His Latest Flame, all the greats." While Elvis and Priscilla were out and about on Saturday, members of Norwich Poetry group were also helping out people who wanted to say "Love Me Tender" or "I just want to be your Teddy Bear." They were busy writing poems for people who wanted to say something special to their loved ones on Valentine's Day today. ...
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Actress goes public with painful struggle
(Detroit Free Press, February 14, 2005)
Cybill Shepherd -- saucy actress, former lover of Elvis Presley and Peter Bogdanovich (not at the same time) -- hits Detroit Thursday. But it's not for anything theatrical. Shepherd is on the march to discuss her personal struggle with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), something she suffered with for two decades. ... Alas, her itinerary includes a live interview on the "The Drew & Mike Show" (WRIF-FM, 101.1) at 7:30 a.m. And they are not known for treating all things defecatory with sensitivity. (But it couldn't be any worse than dealing with Elvis on drugs, now could it?) ...
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Martha Carson
By Alan Clayson
(Guardian, February 14, 2005)
Martha Carson, who has died aged 83, was a country and western singer whose composition, Satisfied, was recorded by Don Gibson, the Blackwood Brothers, Barbara Mandrell and, most lucratively, Elvis Presley. On a tour headlined by Carson in the early 1950s, the adolescent Presley incorporated into his own act her trademark stance of dropping to one knee at moments of emotional climax, the microphone stand at an angle. ...
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Six Degrees of Michael Jackson Imperils Jury Selection
By Phil Maggitti
(The Spoof, February 13, 2005)
The jury selection process at Michael Jackson's child-molestation trial is in more trouble than Michael's career. "We've given up on finding twelve people who have never heard or read anything about this case," said Jackson attorney Robert Sanger. "We'll be lucky if we can find twelve people who don't know someone who knows someone who's related to a guy whose kid once visited Neverland. Michael is connected to more people than Kevin Bacon."
With jury selection set to resume, Sanger provided the following "typical examples" of the tangled web that connects Jackson to virtually all of Southern California. Juror number 41 was dismissed because her "niece-in-law's nephew's cousin once dated Michael's cousin Ely's step-sister. The day after her dismissal, juror 41 signed a book deal with Bantam. Her fictional history, The Color of Michael's Socks the Day I Saw Him in Court, is due to hit bookstores next week.
Juror number 53 said he "used to live next door to a guy who's brother's wife was a close friend of the pastry chef at Jackson's Neverland ranch in the early 1990s. Shortly after his dismissal juror 53 signed a book deal with St. Martin's press to write Soft on the Inside: Michael Jackson as Seen Up Close from across a Crowded Room.
Juror number 62 was challenged by the prosecution when she revealed that her son's best friend's older brother had spent the summer of 1995 on the topiary crew at Neverland. Although juror 62 does not have a book deal yet, she has been approached by The National Enquirer, which is looking for potential sources for an article entitled "The Ghost of Elvis Presley That Haunts Neverland."
Given the astonishing number of people with ties to Jackson and Neverland - people whose disabled daughters visited Neverland with their third grade classes, people whose uncles' estranged wives are close personal friends of Jackson's umbrella minders - the defense is considering a motion to outsource the jury function to New Delhi, India.
"We would welcome that opportunity, yes, hello," said Om Vindaloo, president of Broken English Technical Support, which currently handles calls for Microsoft, Verizon, McAfee, and the defense department.
In related news, Jackson said that although he has forgiven Corey Feldman for betraying their friendship, he still wants Feldman to return the monogrammed pajamas he stole from Neverland.
The story as represented above is written as a satire or parody. It is fictitious.
- 'Elvis' Wins Orr Stakes, Has Sights on Dubai
By eter Tonkes
(racing.bloodhorse.com, February 13, 2005)
Elvstroem blew out the cobwebs for his upcoming Dubai and England sortie with a grand win in the C.F. Orr Stakes (Aust-I) at Caulfield Feb. 12. The Danehill colt, known to a legion of race fans as 'Elvis,' downed W.S. Cox Plate (Aust-I) hero Savabeel by a head in a thrilling finish to the $300,0000 (Australian funds) weight-for-age contest. ...
- Polishing a tarnished record: After years of misses, the Grammys are once again legitimate
By MICHAEL D. CLARK
(Houston Chronicle, February 13, 2005)
... Grammy has a lot of oversights to try and set straight. The long list of artists who have never won its top honor, record of the year, includes Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder. ...
- Jerry Lee Lewis honored for lifetime of work
(whnt19.com / Associated Press, February 13, 2005)
Jerry Lee Lewis was honored Saturday with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy, which also presents the Grammy Awards. Lewis was one of ten artists receiving the award in Los Angeles. Lewis was among those in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 1986 alongside Elvis Presley and Sam Phillips. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given for a career of excellence in the recording arts. For the 69-year-old Lewis, his career is largely defined by his '50s output for Sam Phillips and the Sun label. Among his singles were "Great Balls of Fire," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" and "Breathless." ...
- Culture Shock: The hit-or-miss 8.5 x 11 features nine mini-plays
By Andrew Simon
(Emory Wheel, dated February 8, found February 13, 2005)
Michaelangelo. Lenny Bruce. Elvis Presley. James Joyce. Besides a profound effect on their peers, successors and the public, the careers of these individuals also included frequent struggles against that ubiquitous artistic antagonist - censorship. For hundreds of years, artists have been forced to stifle their artistic visions in response to an outcry from the public or the powers that be. It is this subject that Dad's Garage theater chooses as this year's focus for its annual short play festival, 8.5 x 11. ... Ultimately, we're left with only a glimmer of both the theatrical possibilities and real world commentary that left me wondering what went wrong.
- The King to reign on small screen in May
(Yahoo! News / Reuters / Billboard, February 12, 2005)
Elvis Presley's life and legacy will be celebrated full-force in May, with two new TV programs on CBS, a book and a two-CD set, all endorsed by the Presley estate. Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley will host "Elvis by the Presleys," a two-hour special that will air May 13. The show, inspired by Priscilla and Lisa Marie's book of the same title, will include previously unaired footage and new interviews with Elvis' former wife and daughter. Crown Publishers' "Elvis by the Presleys" arrives in stores May 3.
The TV special's companion soundtrack will be released in May by Sony BMG Strategic Marketing. Meanwhile, on May 8 and 11, CBS will air the four-hour "Elvis" miniseries, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("Velvet Goldmine") as Elvis. It will be the first time that Elvis' master recordings will be used in a film about him.
- Sunset on Beach with Billy Bob and classic Elvis (4th item)
(Honolulu Advertiser, February 12, 2005)
Ready for food booths, entertainment and movies on a 30-foot screen? Then you're ready for this weekend's Sunset on the Beach events at Queen's Surf Beach in Waikiki. Tonight's film, in conjunction with Pro Bowl activities, is the high-school football drama "Friday Night Lights," starring Billy Bob Thornton. Tomorrow's feature, celebrating the first Hawaiian music Grammy, is the always-popular "Blue Hawaii," starring Elvis Presley. Sunset on the Beach events begin at 4 p.m. each day; films hit the screen at about 6:45 p.m. Admission is free. 923-1094.
- Special songs strike romantic chord: Favorites include Beatles, Everlys
By Ray Fashona
(Poughkeepsie Journal, February 12, 2005)
... When we put out the call for people to send us their favorite love songs, we were pleasantly surprised to receive more than 40 responses. Maybe folks were feeling Cupid's sting a little more sharply than usual with Valentine's Day approaching. Whatever the case, we do have some interesting song lists to share. Elvis Presley proved his staying power, earning a mention from several readers. ...
- Real-life prof inspired 'West Wing' character
By Catherine Billey
(indystar.com / New York Times, February 12, 2005)
Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford University professor who is a leading American intellectual property scholar known as "the Elvis of cyber law," has now achieved a measure of fame among fans of television's "The West Wing." ...
- Elvis world tour
By Ray Thomas
(Daily Telegraph, February 12, 2005)
TRAINER Tony Vasil has revealed plans to take the horse they call "Elvis" on an ambitious world tour. Elvstroem begins a campaign that will see him travel to four countries in five months when he resumes in a star-studded Group One [AUD]$300,000 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield today. ... "At this stage, we are looking to take Elvstroem overseas after the Australian Cup (March 12) and compete in Dubai before going to Hong Kong and then England." ...
- Murder victim was easy prey
By Anthony Dowsley and Shannon McRae
(news.com.au, February 12, 2005)
A MELBOURNE man fondly known as "Elvis" was killed in his house because he was a "soft target", neighbours said yesterday. Friends found Lee Christopher Bridge, 35, who was an epileptic, bludgeoned to death in the front bedroom of his Trumpy St, Warragul, home about 9.15pm on Thursday. Police suspect Mr Bridge, who was on a pension, was killed between 2am and 9pm on Thursday. No weapon has been found. The killing has shocked neighbours, who said Mr Bridge was a private man who loved playing his guitar and singing.
- Fashion goes to the dogs in New York
By Ellen Wulfhorst
(Reuters, February 11, 2005)
Fashion went to the dogs in New York, and the crowd went wild. Canine models loped and pranced in Target's "Doggie Show," capping off the week of high fashion shows with a production so much fun that even the haughtiest fashionista had to smile. Labrador retrievers, French bulldogs and Jack Russell terriers filled what would normally be the catwalk in Target doggie goggles, vests, leashes and foul-weather boots, to the sounds of Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" and other aptly chosen music. ...
- Jon Peter Lewis' Only Use For Pens Is Writing Songs
By Corey Moss
(MTV.com, February 11, 2005)
About this time last year, Simon Cowell was describing Jon Peter Lewis as a pen salesman. JPL has surpassed those expectations, but the American Idol finalist has since become a salesman of sorts, selling his own music directly to fans. ... Rather than rely on covers, as he did on Idol, or hire songwriters, like his peers have done for their albums, Lewis taught himself to write his own material. ... As for the style of his music, JPL is singing what he believes his fans want to hear. "I did well on the show with Elvis Presley and Van Morrison, two people with soul voices who did rock and roll," he said. "So that's the direction I'm going." ...
- Latest Elvis Pics: Behind-the-scenes photos
By Anthony Dowsley and Shannon McRae
(Filmforce, February 11, 2005)
Elvis Presley's official site has posted some behind-the-scenes images from the upcoming CBS miniseries Elvis. The pics show the cast (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Elvis, Camryn Manheim as mom Gladys, and Robert Patrick as dad Vernon) at Graceland for the filming of a few scenes at the Presley family's Memphis estate. As the site reminds us, Elvis "is being created with the full cooperation and participation of the Elvis Presley Estate. Presley's master recordings will be heard in a biographical film for the first time."
... In related news, JRM Fans - another Rhys-Meyers fansite - has posted a slew of spy pix from the New Orleans and Memphis locations. Some of these behind-the-scenes photos are from Bruno Press. The site also has 25 screencaps from Entertainment Tonight's recent set visit and cast interviews. Elvis airs May 8th and 11th on CBS.
Elvis.com
- Graceland 'All Shook Up' Over Elvis Presley's Last Remaining Song Now Available on eBay
Press Release Source: Sidon Investments LLC
(Yahoo! Finance / PRNewswire, February 11, 2005)
Winning bid will have controlling interest to the Elvis Presley-Terry King Copyright PAu-1-810-413 as recorded in the United States register of copyright and patent's office.
Songwriter Paul Terry King co- author of such hits as "Love in the First Degree," sung by Alabama, and "Idabel," sung by Elvis, is auctioning his interest in the only known available Elvis song titled "If I'd Only Bought Her Roses." Presley and King co-wrote the song in 1973 and performed it privately. It was the last song written by Elvis and King prior to Elvis's death that remains unreleased and unpublished.
On December 16, 2004, show-biz wheeler dealer Robert FX Sillerman, who built live entertainment powerhouse SFX, agreed to pay $100 million to Lisa Marie Presley for an 85% controlling stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises. The deal gives Sillerman the rights to use Presley's name and likeness, as well as the royalties from the King's music, films and TV specials. He plans to aggressively market the Elvis brand worldwide through his new company CKX (NY Daily News 12/16/2004).
With Sillerman's acquisition of the Presley's estate, Sillerman let this song slip through the cracks; and as of now, retains a minority interest in the song, "If I'd Only Bought Her Roses." Paul Terry King now holds the majority interest 50%, in the last known unpublished song of Elvis Presley's estate. (See BMI.com, record # 6562846)
Devoted fans, music enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and or entertainers can now bid and get copyright and performance rights to one of the most prized possessions of the King himself, his music. This opportunity will never be available to the public again.
eBay will monitor bids and the auction is offered through eBay's trading partner Mike Waters of Sidon Investments LLC. Bidding opened Thursday at $10,000 at 8:30PM MST. For additional information go to eBay item #4074240562. For interview contact Mike Waters at 801-628-5323 or Mike@4rl.us.
- Today's Top Gospel and Christian Music Artists Join Hall of Fame Inductees For TV Taping
By Tricia Whitehead
Press Release Source: Sidon Investments LLC
(YManhunt News and Announcements, February 10, 2005)
Some of today's most popular gospel music artists will pay tribute to the newest members of the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame at a television taping on Tuesday, February 22. The show, to be held at Trinity Music City in Hendersonville at 7:30 p.m. CT, is open to the public and admission is free. (Doors The GMA Foundation (GMAF) will induct Walter Hawkins, Mylon Le Fevre, Evie Tornquist, The Lewis Family, Ron Huff, Don Light and Lou Hildreth into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
... The GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame was established in 1971 and has inducted 125 members since its inception, including Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, Amy Grant, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Andrae Crouch, Tennessee Ernie Ford, The Oak Ridge Boys, Petra, Bill and Gloria Gaither, the Rambos, Thomas A. Dorsey, the Fairfield Four, Billy Graham and the Jordanaires.
- Las Vegas builds its own Great White Way
by Steve Friess
(Christian Science Monitor, February 11, 2005)
In Cirque du Soleil's newest production, the acrobats do their usual death-defying deeds and the live musicians deliver the sort of thumping, high-energy score that audiences have come to expect. And yet, the real star of "KA" is the theater itself. A $135-million work of wonder, it features seats with their own speakers, a Byzantine network of brass spires, planks, and catwalks where characters skulk above and around the audience, and a stage that flies through the air and changes shape, color, and texture. The performers are literally upstaged by, of all things, the stage.
... That may all sound fanciful, but what's even more astonishing is that Cirque's latest home at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino is merely the most expensive and elaborate entry in what's emerging as one of Vegas's more unusual side businesses: theater building. "Nowhere else but in Las Vegas can they build custom-made theaters for specific shows," marvels Kevin McCollum, co-creator of the Broadway hit "Avenue Q." ... at the Venetian Hotel-Casino, $30 million is being plunged into an 1,800-seat showroom for a new version of the venerable hit "Phantom of the Opera" that promises to take the signature chandelier-crashing scene to a different dimension, a spokesman says. Even a one-year gig for Barry Manilow that starts later this month is occasion to spend an undisclosed number of millions on renovations to a historic Las Vegas Hilton theater where Elvis Presley and Liberace performed. ...
CELINE DION:
For her Las Vegas show 'A New Day,' Caesar's Palace built the Canadian pop singer her own theater.
JOE CAVARETTA/AP/FILE
- Outside View: Looking to the future
by Bill Frist
(World Peace Herald, February 10, 2005)
Each February, Americans give pause to commemorate the inspirational leadership of African-Americans from the past, as well as look forward to the contribution of future history makers. The bold action of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., set the course for our journey to social-equality. Tennessee was fertile ground for developing the ideology of the civil rights movement. ... In honor of Black History Month, we must acknowledge the lasting contributions of those who recently left behind their legacies. We pay tribute to Ray Charles, a pioneer in rock music, who paved the way for such artists as Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and Van Morrison. ...
- Live at da Fish Fry
by Reggie DeVoine
(San Francisco Bay View, February 10, 2005)
When and where did the fish fry start? That is a good question with many different good answers! During my research, I did notice that whenever or wherever the fish fries started, it was always related to Black music, culture, entertainment, soul food and the South's Black community. ... DeVoine Entertainment's Black History Month celebration is a tribute and salute to the African-American social tradition and a Chitlin' Circuit event, "The Fish Fry" (House Party and Rent Party). The fish fry provided a source of income for out-of-work Blacks during the Depression and an entrepreneur's venue. ... Regular fish fry parties, in the same house every weekend, were known as "bootleg juke joints," "hole-in-the wall" or "speakeasies." The host would sell food and drinks, while the musicians and performers would play for tips to improve their pay, and they often appeared at the same house whenever the owner hosted a party. Some parties had live entertainment, while others had a record player, called a Victrola.
... The influence of Louis Jordan, the father of R&B, is being appreciated today in hip hop and rock 'n roll. He created and established R&B. Both he and Charles Brown are being portrayed by the Bay Area's blues musician, radio DJ and promoter, Bobbie "Spider" Webb, father of the Smooth Blues; Sarah Vaughan, the Divine One, by Verdenia "Dia" Ellisor; Florence Mills, the Princess of Happiness, a major player in the Harlem Renaissance, by Vivian Ellis; and introducing Omorede "Ramont" Hamilton as Earl "Snakehips" Tucker, a dancer, whose style influenced such greats as James Brown, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Prince and Michael Jackson and set the standards for hip hop dancing. ...
- Arts Center Design Unveiled, Meridian, Miss.
by Andrea Williams
(WTOK, February 10, 2005)
There was a lot of pomp and circumstance for the unveiling of the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center, including an appearance by native son, "Elvis Presley." Even local officials got into the act, as supervisor Joe Norwood did his own rendition, "One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready now go....go....go!" ...
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