early May, 2005
Currently in the news: Songy/BMG UK's release of Elvis Presley singles
- Elvis's pal still down on lonely street
By Sophie Tedmanson
(The Australian, May 4, 2005)
MANY weddings in Las Vegas these days have an Elvis Presley impersonator in their bridal party, but when Sonny West wed his sweetheart Judy 35 years ago, he got the real deal. West was The King's bodyguard and provider of "whatever Elvis needs" for 16 years after the pair met in 1960 through West's cousin, Red.
West, now 67, went on to become one of the singer's famous inner-circle, known as the "Memphis Mafia". Presley became West's best friend and, in 1970, was best man at his wedding. "My wife knew Elvis's sense of humour and she was worried he'd do something bizarre," West said. "So when we were in the pastor's room just before the ceremony, as he was fixing my hair and adjusting my tie, I said to him: 'Judy's a little concerned that you'll do something crazy during my wedding. And he looked at me and suddenly a very serious look came over his face and he said: 'Sonny, this is your night, I will be in the background.' And he didn't do a thing. He didn't even sing."
West is in Australia for the first time for an unusual tour: he will join Sydney-based singer Chris Drummond, who specialises in Elvis songs, to perform at RSLs in Sydney and Brisbane. During the show, West will recount his stories, show personal photographs of his time with Presley and display replicas of Presley's famous studded jumpsuits, while Drummond performs the legendary songs.
"That was some life that I had with him," West recalled yesterday while sitting in Drummond's Sydney living room surrounded by Elvis paraphernalia. "There wasn't a day that went by in my life with Elvis (in which) something very interesting, very funny, very warm -- or even bizarre -- didn't happen." ... Asked how he would describe the man who is now as famous in death as he was in life, West said Presley was "the warmest, sweetest guy that I've ever met -- and one that could bring the darkest cloud of doom over you and it circled everybody. Other than my wife, I would say that he was the most giving, unselfish person I've ever met. I miss him very much. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him."
- Graceland Adds Webcam
By Paul Cashmere
(undercover.com.au, May 3, 2005)
Elvis Presley must be turning in his grave. The latest money-making idea from Elvis Presley Enterprises is the inclusion of a webcam from The King's bedroom window.
Now, everyone can see what Elvis used to see from Graceland. The 24 hour a day webcam comes at a cost to fans. It is only available to premium subscribers at elvisinsiders.com. The latest money making venture comes just months of Lisa Marie Presley announced she was selling off a majority share of Elvis Presley Enterprises. The daughter of Elvis announced in December that the majority shareholding of Elvis Presley Enterprises had been sold to Robert Stillerman and his new company CKX Inc.
- Elvis still lives in my heart
By Evelyn Allison
(Salisbury Post, May 3, 2005)
Hip-swiveling Elvis Presley had just been crowned "King" when I blew out the candles on my 13th birthday cakes - all three of them. Mom was in the hospital having my baby sister, Betty, so I baked myself a cake. Then my dear friend and neighbor, Pat Herndon, felt sorry for me not having Mom home for my birthday, so she baked me a cake. Meanwhile, Grandma showed up with, what else? Another birthday cake. It was one of the most special birthdays of my life. ...
- Bo inspires man to fly after decade out of skies
(Decatur Daily, May 3, 2005)
It's been 30 years since I went anywhere to see a rock star. My wife and I got a baby-sitter and drove from our home in Florence to the Von Braun Center to see Elvis Presley, our one and only glimpse of the "King" in the flesh, two years before his death. Getting to Presley was a short drive.
Until this morning, when I boarded an American Airlines flight out of Huntsville, I had not flown in a decade. That was when I came to Decatur in 1995, to ask THE DAILY for a job. Of all things unimaginable, I'm trekking 1,832 miles to Hollywood via Dallas to catch another rocker [Bo Rice], whom I also will be seeing perform live for the first time. But I don't expect it to be the last. ...
- Cool bass of Death from Above 1979
By ALLAN WIGNEY
(JAM! Music / Ottawa Sun, May 3, 2005)
As those old TV clips of vintage Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley or Elvis Presley attest, the bass guitar was once considered such a redundant instrument in rock 'n' roll as to be all but inaudible in live performance. ...
- Star Of Elvis Musical Gets Seal Of Approval From Priscilla
(Louiseville Channel / Associated Press, May 3, 2005)
The star of the Broadway musical based on Elvis Presley's music can breathe a sigh of relief: Priscilla likes him. ...
- PRESLEY UPSET ABOUT BED SCENE
(contactmusic.com, May 3, 2005)
PRISCILLA PRESLEY vetoed one scene in upcoming ELVIS miniseries, after insisting it was inaccurate. The socialite was called in as a consultant on the CBS project and immediately had issues with one scene that left her bristling. Actor JONATHAN RHYS-MEYERS, who plays The King in the new series, says, "There was one scene Priscilla wasn't happy with because it was inaccurate. "It was me sitting on the bed with Priscilla explaining why I didn't find her attractive after the child was born - and so we corrected that." ...
- Falling in Love With Elvis
By STUART ELLIOTT
(New York Times, May 2, 2005)
ELVIS may have left the building, but for Madison Avenue, it is as if he were still inside, helping woo consumers more ardently than ever. A multimedia marketing blitz with a budget estimated at $10 million to $20 million is under way to promote a new round of entertainment programming about Elvis Presley. The CBS division of Viacom has declared next week "Elvis Week," in hopes of luring viewers to watch two biographical shows, one fictionalized, the other factual, that run a total of six hours. ...
- New effort tries to shake up Graceland
By JIM LOVEL
(AdWeek.com via Yahoo! News, May 2, 2005)
Twenty-eight years after Elvis Presley's death, his Graceland home still draws a steady 650,000 visitors each year. But the new owners of Elvis Presley Enterprises think they can boost that figure by 25 percent next year with increased marketing that includes Graceland's first TV spots, additional appeals abroad and bonus tours to attract repeat visitors. "We never had a brand awareness problem. Everybody knows who Elvis is, but we want to remind them that his home is in Memphis," said Jennifer Burgess, director of marketing for EPE since 1997.
Entrepreneur Robert Sillerman purchased controlling interest in EPE from Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis' daughter, in February for $100 million. He used the asset to form CKX, which began trading March 1 on Nasdaq. Previously, EPE has relied on billboards along highways leading into Memphis and print ads in travel magazines. EPE spent about $200,000 on ads last year, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Burgess said the advertising budget for this year is up 15 percent, still a modest sum but enough for two television spots produced by independent Thompson & Co. in Memphis that broke last week. The spots, tagged "Graceland. Where Elvis lives," feature archival footage of the King and target mothers age 25 to 54, who make most family vacation plans, noted agency president Mark Robinson. The major change on site at Graceland is the addition of a $55 tour (other options are $18 and $27), which opens new areas in an effort to lure repeat visitors.
- Fans all shook up by show: 15 impersonators of the King battle to the delight of crowd
By ALISON KEPNER
(news-press.com, May 2, 2005)
Elvis still knows how to make the ladies swoon. Just ask 17-year-old Kavan, the youngest of 15 tribute artists competing in the second annual Elvis Invasion of Southwest Florida on Sunday at the Radisson Inn in south Fort Myers. As the young Presley impersonator belted out one of his icon's gospel favorites, Judy Fournier, 57, approached the stage with a rose. He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. The Ohio teen's grandmother wouldn't release his full name. The high school junior already worries about groupies. Hey, no one said being the King is easy. "I think they're just fans of Elvis who want to hold on to the memory of Elvis," said Kavan, who placed second Sunday.
Dwight Icenhower of Ohio took home first prize in the competition, which benefited United Service Organizations with 65 percent of the proceeds going toward phone cards for U.S. troops overseas. The amount raised wasn't tallied by press time. Fournier, who visits the late star's Graceland mansion twice a year, traveled from West Palm Beach for Sunday's show. She has yet to find an artist who can measure up to the one she saw in concert as a girl. "Nobody's beat him and nobody will ever beat him," she said. Few at Sunday's show would argue with her. ...
- That's the way it was: Priscilla and Lisa-Marie Presley pull no punches in memoir
By SHERRYL CONNELLY
(New York Daily News, May 1, 2005)
"Elvis by the Presleys" (Crown, $24.95) could also be titled "The King and Us," as its text consists of family members longingly recalling life at Graceland when Elvis was in the building. This book, a companion piece to the two-hour CBS documentary that will air May 13 at 8 p.m., also houses wonderfully intimate photographs, such as the one of Elvis in white glamour-garb, holding his toddler daughter Lisa Marie upright on the sofa, or the one of a TV screen he'd shot at one night. Elvis grows up, grows older and ultimately disintegrates as the pages turn. But what stays in the mind are Priscilla Presley's memories of her husband and Lisa Marie's of her father. "Daddy" was only an idol to the rest of us.
DON'T BE CRUEL
Priscilla: Looking back, I wondered whether he was afraid of his public image as a husband and father. I say that because when I was in my seventh month [of pregnancy] he asked for a trial separation. I was shocked. ... But he never left, nor asked me to leave, and never mentioned it again. I was relieved, but things were never quite the same after that.
KING OF THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD
Lisa Marie: You'd hear him before you'd see him. You'd hear these noises at the top of the staircase. He'd slowly make his way down. ... The thing about my father is that he never hid anything. ... Never put on airs. If he was crabby, you knew it. If he was angry, he'd let you know. ... But if he was happy, everyone was happy. He had that kind of charisma. He'd never bore you.
IT HURTS ME
Priscilla: Twice he spanked her [Lisa Marie] on her bottom. ... The spankings were restrained and also warranted. But poor Elvis was a mess afterward. You would have thought he had committed murder. I've never seen him look so guilty.
T-R-O-U-B-L-E
Lisa-Marie: I don't think anyone really had any control over me. They all tried but no one succeeded. My father slept in the mornings, which meant I could do whatever I wanted. I remember Pauline the cook once made a chocolate cake with orders not to give me any until after dinner. So I said, "Pauline, you're fired." My father, who was always respectful of the staff, hated this behavior.
PUPPET ON A STRING
Lisa-Marie: His temper was scary. His anger would build slowly. You'd hear a rumbling in his throat, and then this explosion. The times he reprimanded me were devastating. But then in the middle of the night he'd come into my room and, with a puppet in his hand, sing me a song like "Can't Help Falling in Love."
VIVA LAS VEGAS
Lisa-Marie: My father and his entourage had the run of the entire floor of the hotel. Suddenly the lights went out. We heard that someone had pulled the power and was coming up the back steps. Immediately, my father grabs me and ... races into a small room where he sits down - with me on his lap - and closes the door. Then he takes two semi-automatic shotguns, puts one in each hand and aims them at the door. Fortunately, no one came in.
DON'T CRY DADDY
Lisa-Marie: I could feel that he was very sad. He'd come into my room walking so unsteadily that sometimes he'd start to fall and I'd have to catch him. He had his own chair in my bedroom where he'd sit, watch my TV and smoke cigars.
I'VE LOST YOU
Lisa-Marie: I don't like talking about this. It was Aug. 16th at 4 a.m., I was supposed to be asleep actually. And he found me and said, you know, go to bed. And I said, okay, and I think he kissed me goodnight and I ran off. And he had come in and kissed me goodnight after that. That was the last time I saw him alive.
- The King in closeup: Presley biopic probes his relationships with Colonel Parker and Ann-Margret
By HENRY CABOT BECK
(New York Daily News, May 1, 2005)
Two years from now, millions of fans of Elvis Presley will mark the 30th anniversary of his death. But Elvis has never really gone away. While his popularity may have leveled off some, he still haunts the airwaves and sells millions of records worldwide. No rock or film star since has duplicated the King's raw animal magnetism.
Now he's the subject of a two-part CBS biopic, "Elvis," which airs next Sunday at 9 p.m. and May 11 at 8 p.m. It will be followed by the documentary "Elvis by the Presleys," on May 13 at 8 p.m, also on CBS. ... "When I started researching the project I was amazed by how many young people owned his records and movies," says "Elvis" director James Sadwith. "Many of the actors we saw for the part were born after Elvis died, but they all knew him. I'm too close to be objective, but I think Elvis may be hip for a new generation."
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the Irish actor who plays Presley in the TV movie, is quick to announce that he was born 20 days before Presley died in August 1977. Nevertheless, he had no trouble identifying with Presley when it came time to assume the role. "I looked for the things that I had most in common with him and latched onto them," says Rhys Meyers. "I'm a poor boy from Cork, he was a poor boy from Tupelo, Miss. He was a daydreamer, and I'm a daydreamer. Neither of us got on well at school, we weren't particularly liked by the other students, and he bought his momma a house with his first big paycheck, and so did I. And we changed people's opinions of what we were from when we were kids to what we are as adults. ...
 
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Presley, c. 1957, and with Rose McGowan as Ann-Margret, in 'Elvis.
- Elvis is leaving the building
By MELISSA LYTTLE
(St Petersburg Times, May 1, 2005)
When asked how many Elvis things she has, Marie Wellman sighs and says, "Oh, I don't know - too many." After 35 years of piecing together Elvis' life one ticket stub, one charm bracelet and one decorative plate at a time, Wellman, 52, and her husband are selling their house in Tarpon Springs and moving into a smaller one. The children are grown and on their own, so the couple decided to downsize. Starting with her babies.
"I just liked his music," said Wellman, and the obsession grew from there. She was 16 or 17 the first time she saw Elvis in concert. "Any time he was anywhere near here, we'd go," she said. In the mid '70s she took her first husband with her to a concert, where, she devilishly admits, she left him in the crowd so she could sneak backstage. She was there just long enough to see Elvis and grab his hand before his entourage whisked him away.
She went to Graceland in August 1977 after Elvis' death. She remembers how her boss thought she was nuts when she called to say she wouldn't be in for a few days. But she had to be there, had to witness the spectacle. Had to find a way to reconcile the loss. Had to say goodbye.
Now comes change in Wellman's life. So, out go the trinkets, baseball cards, liquor decanters and limited-edition lithographs. But she's keeping her record collection and her newspaper clippings. The memories may need to be dusted off from time to time, but they will never die.
[Times photo: Melissa Lyttle]
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