early March, 2005
Currently in the news: Songy/BMG UK's release of Elvis Presley singles
- Actor wants to make Darwin movie
By Jonathan Moran
(news.com.au, March 11, 2005)
HOT property American actor Bruce Campbell says Darwin is the weirdest place he has ever visited.
So much so that he wants to make a film in the Northern Territory using the city as the setting for a film based on his adventures. Campbell, who appeared in both Spider-Man movies, visited Australia often in the 1990s while filming Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. "Darwin is the weirdest city I have ever been to because you have got tonnes of expat Americans running around in their little Speedos, bombed out of their minds," he said yesterday while in Australia to promote his latest flick Bubba Ho-Tep. ... Bubba Ho-Tep claims to tell the "true" story of what became of Elvis Presley. Campbell plays Elvis as an elderly resident of a Texas nursing home, who teams up with a fellow resident John F. Kennedy to fight off an Egyptian mummy. "It is a story ultimately of redemption, of how Elvis gets his mojo back," Campbell said. "I hope that anyone who doesn't want to see the typical Reese Witherspoon-type movie will come and see Bubba Ho-Tep." Campbell unashamedly described the film as "weird-arse". "It is a weird-arse movie but I would also say it is very irreverent," he said. "It is not a mean-spirited movie and that is one of the things that appealed to me. "So many movies want to be edgy and I think as a result, they leave people cold." There are no plans to screen Bubba Ho-Tep in Darwin.
- Elvis comeback special
By Paul Rhys
(Streatham Post, March 11, 2005)
IT WAS definitely a case of "Elvis has left the building" when a statue of the King went walkabout. The life-size model, normally seen on the balcony above the Baroque bar in Streatham High Road, rocked up with six mates in a nearby fast-food restaurant. Student Hani Yusuf, 23, who can normally see the statue from her living-room window, had gone into Dallas Chicken & Ribs at 5am on Sunday last week when she saw the familiar figure surrounded by his burger-munching abductors. She said: "I said to them, 'What are you doing with Elvis? That's our neighbour'. "They said, 'Well he's ours now', then picked him up and took him out."
Baroque manager Nick Christodoulou, 27, got a call from his neighbour saying Elvis was being abducted. But he soon realised it was just a prank by a mate who had been drinking in the bar that night. The King has since been returned home. Nick said: "I might have to stick a homing device on him."
- A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action
By Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman
(zmag.org, March 10, 2005)
We traveled to Graceland last year, and picked up a CD. 30 Elvis Number One Hits. A seven-year old we know borrowed the CD. He had never heard about Elvis or heard an Elvis song. His favorite song? It wasn't Jailhouse Rock. It wasn't Hound Dog. It wasn't Heartbreak Hotel. It wasn't Hardheaded Woman. It was none of the 30 Number One Hits. It was the last song on the CD. It was the bonus song. Number 31: A Little Less Conversation.
Refrain:
A little less conversation, a little more action please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite and a little less bark
This is the seven year old's favorite song. He plays it over and over and over. This song came to mind after scanning the web and picking up the flood of writing and criticism about the state of the world. ... The concentrated corporate mass media is the primary source of information for most citizens in the United States. But the fact remains that we have access to every news outlet and web site in the world. We can communicate instantaneously with anyone we wish. There is a flood of quality information and informed criticism, more than we can use. We can't keep up with it. You can't keep up with it. We are drowning. You are drowning.
Shouldn't we be spending less time writing and more time organizing? We can't predict. But we suspect this: We are at a tipping point. Bush can be pushed over. And we know for sure that Elvis wasn't talking about politics. But his advice holds true for the here and now: A little less conversation. A little more action. ...
- Biopics Rock Hollywood: Cash, Joplin, Dylan movies vie to be next "Ray"
By BRIAN HIATT
(Rolling Stone, March 10, 2005)
When Ray star Jamie Foxx accepted the Best Actor prize at this year's Oscars, he thanked Ray Charles "for living." Now, in the wake of Ray's awards triumphs and $76 million gross, Hollywood is turning its attention to the equally tumultuous lives of Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin, all of whom serve as the subjects of upcoming films. "Every single production entity turned Ray down -- they said these movies don't work," says the film's producer and director, Taylor Hackford. "Ray's success should open doors." ... The biggest of the many post-Ray films is Walk the Line, due out November 18th, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the late Johnny Cash. The film captures Cash's early years in Memphis' Sun Studios and his later love affair with wife-to-be June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). ... While Foxx lip-synced to vocals performed by Charles, Phoenix does his own singing in the film -- and learned to play guitar from scratch. Witherspoon and the rest of the cast -- including the relative unknowns who play Cash's buddies Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis -- did the same. ...
- Giant olive, Elvis spice up Expo '05
By SUSAN KOOMAR
(Pocono Record, March 10, 2005)
A life-sized cardboard Elvis Presley and bigger-than-life green olive waving a jumbo cocktail glass compete for attention at Expo 2005. Business is far from boring at the 18th annual event, where exhibitors put creative twists on displays that range from Las Vegas to a tropical beach. ...
Photo by David Kidwell
- Ann-Margret To Portray Catherine Willows's Mother?
(Talk CSI, March 9, 2005)
TV Guide's Michael Ausiello today answered several questions about upcoming episodes of CSI, and cleared up some doubts about the London episode that never was.
According to the columnist, someone from the Willows family tree will be visiting the CSI lab soon. "It's her mother," Ausiello said in his news section, Ask Ausiello. A previous TV Guide report revealed Catherine's mother would show up to question her daughter's parenting skills, creating an emotional commotion for the CSI story. "The elder Willows will turn up in the second episode of May sweeps and, if all goes according to plan, she'll be played by an actress with two Oscar nods and five Golden Globe wins under her belt." Although Ausiello did not reveal the name of the actress, there appears to be only one person who fits this description, Swedish-born singer Ann-Margaret.
Academy Award nominee Ann-Margaret made a living by singing in cabarets until she was discovered by actor/comedian George Burns, who jumpstarted her career when he hired her for his Las Vegas act in 1960. The actress went on to portray numerous singing roles in various movies, including Viva Las Vegas alongside rock and roll legend Elvis Presley. Ann-Margaret's career nearly ended in the 70s due to a bad fall, but the actress fought her way back into Hollywood and has developed a knack for portraying 'sexy older women' roles ever since. ...
- The Crowe-Al Qaeda Kidnap Plot
By Josh Grossberg
(E! Online, March 9, 2005)
Safe to say that Russell Crowe isn't the most loved guy out there, but the Gladiator star really made enemies with the wrong person. Namely, Osama bin Laden. In an interview with GQ in its new March edition, Crowe for the first time talks about a kidnapping plot against him, which he says was hatched by al Qaeda in a bid to " culturally destabilize" the United States. Crowe says he was tipped off to the snatching scheme by the FBI. ... "I never fully understood what the f--- was going on," he said. "Suddenly it looks like I think I'm f---ing Elvis Presley, because everywhere I go there are all these FBI guys. "I don't think that I was the only person. But it was about -- and here's another little touch of irony -- it was about taking iconographic Americans out of the picture as a sort of cultural-destabilization plan," Crowe said. Apparently al Qaeda hadn't read Crowe's bio. He was born in New Zealand and spend the bulk of his time on a ranch in eastern Australia. ...
- Elvis Rocks the Wine Charts -- Hottest Small Brand of the Year
(Yahoo! Finance / BUSINESS WIRE, March 8, 2005)
According to a leading wine industry magazine, Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, is fast becoming a monarch of the grape. In its latest issue, Wine Business Monthly magazine named Graceland Cellars one of the hottest small wine brands of the year. The winery launched the first-ever vintages of Jailhouse Red Merlot, The King Cabernet Sauvignon and Blue Suede Chardonnay in 2004 and quickly established retail distribution in 40 states. A special 4,000 case holiday release of Blue Christmas Cabernet Sauvignon sold out within days last November. ...
The Year of Elvis
With the debut of a major Broadway production based on Elvis' tunes later this month and the premiere of a biographical miniseries on CBS in May, Graceland Cellars is poised for major growth as interest in all things Elvis reaches new heights. Graceland Cellars plans to add new labels and products to the line to support existing distributors, and will continue to expand distributor relationships. Major retail chains currently stocking Graceland Cellars' Elvis Presley line include Kroger's, Cost Plus, and many regional chains. ...
- From the Northside to North Leitrim for Damo
By Robert Cullen
(Sligo Weekender, March 8, 2005)
Dublin musician Damien Dempsey will bring his unique style of politically-driven folk music to the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton on Friday night, March 11 at 8.30pm. The 29-year-old singer-songwriter is from Donaghmede on Dublin's Northside. His earliest musical influences were the post-pub singsongs that his parents used to have at their home when he was toddler. Good, bad or indifferent - everyone had to sing. Today his unique sound reflects the influence of traditional Irish Sean-Nos as well as his musical heroes; Bob Marley and Elvis Presley. ...
- Diana Pirouettes Into Britain with Offbeat Ballet
By Paul Majendie
(Yahoo! News / Reuters, March 8, 2005)
Princess Diana pirouetted into Britain Tuesday in an offbeat ballet that critics say casts a harsh light on the royal family. A jodhpur-clad Camilla Parker Bowles takes her riding whip to Prince Charles while an angelic Diana battles to win acceptance by the House of Windsor. "The Nutcracker" it isn't. But internationally renowned Danish choreographer Peter Schaufuss certainly struck it lucky with the timing. The ballet about Diana's ill-fated marriage to Charles is being staged as Charles and Camilla's own wedding plans for next month descend into farce over disputed venues and legal rows. "I had no idea they were going to announce their marriage at all. It came as a surprise," Schaufuss told Reuters after flying in for the ballet's British premiere. ... Schaufuss, who has also produced ballets about Elvis Presley and the Beatles, insists that the Diana ballet is "a piece in very good taste. I would call it a family show. "This is a modern fairytale, if we all think back to those pictures of the young girl in the eighties when she got her prince charming. But, like Swan Lake, it doesn't really have a happy ending."
- Does Your Portable Player Taunt You?
By DAVID BAUDER
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, March 7, 2005)
... Portable music players have revolutionized the music experience in so many ways in so short a time. It puts your music collection in the palm of your hand and lets you control how to experience it. ... At the same time, the iPod will occasionally startle you with thematic switches that make you experience old songs in new ways. Following Elvis Presley's "In the Ghetto" with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "Wake Up Everybody" makes you realize you were hearing about the same neighborhood, at the same time, from wildly different perspectives.
- MYSTERY OF PRESLEY'S EARLY YEARS
IN EAST TEXAS CROSSES CONTINENTS
ByJ KRISTI FLIPPIN
(Tyler Morning Paper, March 6, 2005)
Tyler and East Texas hold a significant place in Elvis Presley's rise to stardom. That is why Brian Petersen, a Presley fan and author who lives in Sweden, recently e-mailed the Tyler Morning Telegraph for help. He is working on his second book about Presley's early career, with the help of Ernst Jorgensen, an RCA/BMG producer. However, Petersen stumbled onto what he thought could be a discrepancy.
Petersen has two photos of Presley performing; one that is said to have been taken at the Mayfair Building at the East Texas State Fairgrounds, and another supposedly taken at the Reo Palm Isle Club in Longview. Yet, both pictures had the same unusual ceiling in the background. Petersen thought the ceiling was too distinct to be in both buildings.
Presley played several gigs in East Texas during 1955 with the Louisiana Hayride, a tour presented by Shreveport radio station KWKH, and a disc jockey from Gladewater's KSIJ station, Tom Perryman. Petersen knows this because he has a copy of an advertisement about the Hayride show dates and times in Tyler, Hawkins, Gilmer, Longview and Gaston. He said the ad came from the Tyler paper and with further investigation, the ad was found in the newspaper archives at the Smith County Historical Society. The ad ran on page nine in the Sunday edition of the Tyler Courier-Times--Telegraph on Jan 23, 1955.
Petersen knew Presley performed at both the Mayfair and the Reo around the same time but the question still remained if both the pictures were from the same place. Who better to ask then the man who promoted Presley in East Texas during that time - Perryman, now a morning DJ on KKUS 104.1 FM "The Ranch" in Tyler? "Elvis' first day he ever worked in Texas was in Gladewater on Highway 271 at the Mint Club," Perryman said. Presley joined the Hayride tour in the fall of 1954 but some of the dates fell through, and the promoter in Shreveport called Perryman for help. "He asked me if I knew of somewhere Elvis, Scotty and Bill could play on short notice," Perryman said. "I said 'Yes' and put them in Gladewater."
That night, Perryman's wife, Billie, sold tickets at the door and they pulled in $90. Perryman said there was no recorded date of this performance because it was only advertised on the radio a few times. "Usually I would keep 15 percent of the profits for plugging the gig on the radio but I gave it all to Elvis," Perryman said. "And he never forgot."
When Presley came through East Texas on the Hayride tour again in 1955 with Jim Ed and Maxine Brown, Perryman served as the master of ceremonies. "I probably was the only hillbilly disc jockey playing Elvis' record," he said.
... The fairgrounds building 'expert' studied the photographs and confirmed they were taken in the Mayfair Building - water spot stains on the ceiling in one photo gave it away for certain. To this day, the unusual pattern on the ceiling is still evident. Petersen was pleased to hear the confirmation. "Elvis was and still is the greatest performing artist ever, and we feel that it is time that the record be set straight as to his rising to superstardom," Petersen said. "July 1954 through December 1955 is the period in Elvis' career we know the least about. We hope to be able to change this." Petersen's first book, "The Atomic Powered Singer," details Presley's whereabouts during 1956. ...
- Left behind
ByJessie Milligan
(Star-Telegram, March 6, 2005)
Twins share everything, even pain. So how does one twin face the world when the other has died? For Rick Lemmon, the grief was overwhelming. ...
The Elvis syndrome
A twin lost early - even before birth -- is never really gone from the surviving twin's life. People who lose their twin at a very early age often struggle with their sense of identity throughout their lives, wrote Raymond Brandt, founder of the Twinless Twins support group. ... Twins who lose their twin early often suffer survivor's guilt. They may also wander through life looking for ways to receive the same acceptance and approval they would have had from their twin. Many twinless twins overcompensate. Think of Liberace, who lost a twin early. Or consider Elvis Presley, who suffered psychologically because of losing his twin, according to Peter O. Whitmer, who published his hypothesis in 1996's The Inner Elvis: A Psychological Biography of Elvis Aaron Presley ($22.95, Hyperion).
Elvis' twin brother, Jesse, died at birth in a sharecropper's shack in Mississippi. Elvis visited his twin's grave as a child, and later built a memorial to Jesse at Graceland. His mother told Elvis he was living for two. Elvis likely encountered failed relationships as he sought out a twinlike soul mate, Whitmer theorized. He sang Are You Lonesome Tonight? and for him it was a deeply felt song. Other twinless twins, the quieter sort like Crochet, often say they go through life feeling lonely and searching for the perfect relationship. ...
- Elvis was a mummy's boy
By Guy Davis
([Melbourne] Age, March 6, 2005)
Bruce Campbell may be the only one to play the King as a geriatric battling the undead.
In certain circles of film fandom, the name Bruce Campbell carries as much cachet as that of Elvis Presley. So it makes a strange kind of sense that the legendary star of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy should play the king of rock'n'roll in Bubba Ho-Tep, a genre-defying film that pits an elderly Presley (complete with dodgy hip and an unsightly bump on his privates) and an African-American who claims to be John F. Kennedy ("They dyed me this colour!") against a 4000-year-old Egyptian mummy sucking the souls out of the residents of a dingy Texas rest home. ...
Despite that irreverent tone, Campbell, Coscarelli and Lansdale decided early on to play Bubba Ho-Tep's story straight. "There's this serious undercurrent in Joe's story that asks what we do with our old people. To me, it would have been buried if we were too silly about it," says Campbell.
Likewise, he resisted the urge to drag out the all-too-familiar Elvis mannerisms. "You want those reverential old tics to come in for familiarity's sake but he's really a different character. It's Elvis minus all of his mojo; the movie should be subtitled How Elvis Got His Mojo Back. I didn't have to worry about a full-on portrayal because he's so much older in this story, he's a shadow of his former self. I was playing this bitter, old guy from the south - and after 2 1/2 hours of make-up, I can get pretty bitter."
... As it happens, Bubba Ho-Tep has been a critical success at its festival screenings and was a small-scale commercial smash once it hit the home-rental market in the US. It also provided the actor with some of his best reviews to date. "Campbell gives a performance for the ages," declared The Hollywood Reporter. So Elvis will now return to take on a vampire in a sequel, Bubba Nosferatu. ...
- Punk king Elvis Costello rocks Beach
By EVELYN McDONNELL
(Miami Herald, March 5, 2005)
It's a good thing punk rock self-destructed before it conquered America. Almost 30 decades later, the explosion of musical energy that shook England and New York -- and that shaped the headstrong idealism of a musician who named himself Elvis Costello -- still has an untapped vitality and variety, as Costello's tremendous nonstop blowout Friday night at Miami Beach's Jackie Gleason Theater demonstrated. ... That other Elvis (Presley) would never have had this much energy and creativity 25 years into his career, if he had survived. Pop artists' musical veins get tapped out by overexposure. ...
- Houston rodeo a cowboy spectacle in urban setting
(ABC13.com / Associated Press, March 5, 2005)
The nation's largest rodeo and livestock show blows into Houston with a transformational wind, turning the cosmopolitan city into a cowboy town for three weeks every spring. ... The tradition began in 1942 when Gene Autry debuted as the show's first star entertainer. Elvis Presley packed a then-record crowd of 43,000 into the Astrodome almost 30 years later. ...
- WASHS graduate plays true blues
By Kate Andrews
(Record Herald, March 5, 2005)
Lane Whigham is offering up musical honesty in his first CD, "Blue Collar Blues." "In this day and age, we've come to expect everybody to be over-processed. I appreciate a CD that is a musician in a room making music," said the Blue Ridge Summit native. For the album, the 32-year-old blues and jazz musician abandoned the modern technique of multi-processing - in which vocals, guitars and other instruments are recorded separately and compiled. "A good song should stand on its own," he said.
Using the same simple technique as greats like Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, he sat down in a studio in Gettysburg with his guitar and a band and recorded. The results, he said, are more spontaneous and have more feeling. ...
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