early August, 2005
- Cars owned by Elvis, Liberace are in girl-friendly museum
By LYNN EDGE
(Birmingham News, August 7 2005)
Talking about a recent trip to Tupelo with "the girls," I tried to convince some of my friends that going to a car museum really was a fun thing for females to do. They all were of the opinion that car museums are "guy places" and not the sort of thing they would want to check out. I still think they are wrong. Cars with sleek lines and lots of shimmery chrome are sort of "girlie." And rows and rows of automobiles that glitter in the colors of jewels have to have great "bling, bling" value. Plus, there's just something sexy about any car that Tony Curtis has sat in. I found all of that and more at the Tupelo Automobile Museum, a sprawling 120,000-square-foot mecca for lovers of all things automotive. The real wonder of the museum is that, like the motorcycles at Alabama's Barber Motorsports Museum, the collection all belongs to one person. ... There are cars from the movies, a Tucker and a "Leslie Special" from "The Great Race." There are cars owned by celebrities - Elvis' Lincoln, Liberace's Corvette. ...
- New owner eyes bigger Elvis empire: Fans worry about change for Elvis Presley Enterprises, and at Graceland
By WOODY BAIRD
(Times Leader / Associated Press, August 7 2005)
The pilgrims will still weep at Elvis Presley's grave, and the souvenir shops will still swarm with credit-card waving fans, an occasional black pompadour hardly drawing a glance. ... [as below]
- Elvis legacy in new hands as 'death day' approaches: Graceland isn't expected to change much, but growth strategy may get idol's businesses 'out to the world.'
By WOODY BAIRD
(tennessean.com / Associated Press, August 7 2005)
The pilgrims will still weep at Elvis Presley's grave, and the souvenir shops will still swarm with credit-card-waving fans, an occasional black pompadour hardly drawing a glance. But change is in the air: Strangers are in Graceland. Lisa Marie Presley has sold the business side of her father's estate and turned over his famous, white-columned house to CKX Inc., an entertainment company that also owns the American Idol TV show. Now, some of the fans who flock to Memphis each year to commemorate Presley's death on Aug. 16, 1977, are worried their annual homecoming won't be quite so homey. ...
- Wayne Newton's showmanship unparalleled
offBeat with PHILIP POTEMPA
(Northwest Indiana Times Online, August 6 2005)
Mr. Las Vegas
Despite a busy schedule and 40-year career, Wayne Newton still finds time to smile about his career and stage longevity. The man that was discovered by Jackie Gleason and called Elvis Presley his close, personal friend is doing one show 6 p.m. Sunday for the Empress Casino at the historic Rialto Theatre in Joliet. The best part of chatting with Newton is he has so many stories to share about working with any number of entertainment greats. ...
- Which single changed your world?
(BBC, August 5 2005)
Bob Dylan's hit single Like a Rolling Stone has topped a poll of 100 music, movies, TV shows and books that changed the world. It beat songs by Elvis Presley, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to the top spot in the survey, carried out by the magazine, Uncut. The magazine's editor Allan Jones said, "What we have been left with is Dylan as the most seminal artistic statement of the last five decades - but I'm sure others will disagree." Do you agree with the poll? Which song has changed your world and why? Send us your comments.
[The page shows a late unflattering picture of Elvis, which is calculatedly biased to affect the poll. Why not show Elvis in his prime at the time when he changed the world for ever? - Presleys in the Press]
- Dylan song 'changed the world' - poll
(Red Nova / Reuters, August 5 2005)
Bob Dylan's song "Like a Rolling Stone" topped a poll on Friday to find the 100 songs, movies, TV shows and books that "changed the world" in the opinion of musicians, actors and industry experts. Dylan's 1965 single beat Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" into second place in the survey for "Uncut" magazine. Sir Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher, Robert Downey Jr, Rolling Stone Keith Richards and Lou Reed were among those who gave their views for the poll. "I absolutely remember where I was when I first heard it. It got me through adolescence," rocker Patti Smith said of the winning song. Ex-Beatle McCartney picked "Heartbreak Hotel" as his number one choice. "It's the way (Presley) sings it as if he is singing from the depths of hell," McCartney said. "His phrasing, use of echo, it's all so beautiful. Musically, it's perfect." The Beatles' song "She Loves Me" ranked at number three, followed by the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." ...
- Elvis fans worry about new company in charge of Graceland
(USA TODAY / Associated Press, August 5 2005)
The pilgrims will still weep at Elvis Presley's grave, and the souvenir shops will still swarm with credit-card waving fans, an occasional black pompadour hardly drawing a glance. ... [ as below]
- New Graceland Operator Worries Elvis Fans
By WOODY BAIRD
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, August 5 2005)
The pilgrims will still weep at Elvis Presley's grave, and the souvenir shops will still swarm with credit-card waving fans, an occasional black pompadour hardly drawing a glance. But change is in the air: Strangers are in Graceland. Lisa Marie Presley has sold the business side of her father's estate and turned over his famous, white-columned house to CKX Inc., an entertainment company that also owns the "American Idol" TV show.
Now, some of fans who flock to Memphis each year to commemorate Presley's death on Aug. 16, 1977, are worried their annual homecoming won't be quite so homey. "They call themselves a company now," said Jean Donovan, a fan from Derry, N.H. Of course, Elvis Presley Enterprises was already a company. Forbes listed Presley as the world's top earning dead entertainer last year. Graceland managers say the Elvis business, which brings in $40 million a year, is poised to grow even more. CKX says it's looking into "Elvis-related attractions" in places like Las Vegas, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. No details have been announced. "Elvis sells all over the world, and that's where the real opportunity for growth lies for us, to take more of Elvis and Graceland out to the world," said Jack Soden, chief executive of Elvis Presley Enterprises, now a subsidiary of New York-based CKX.
Soden oversaw Graceland's opening in 1982, and he's staying on the job. But the Elvis faithful are ever-watchful for hints of change at Graceland, where Presley is buried in a small garden. "I know a lot of the older fans are in an uproar," said Kathie Bryson, a fan from St. Louis. "But then, anything that changes down there puts them in an uproar." Elvis won't be the only American idol in the stables of CKX, a company founded by Robert F.X. Sillerman, an investor who specializes in media and entertainment. A month after the Elvis deal, CKX acquired 19 Entertainment, the British company that produces the TV show "American Idol" and its British predecessor, "Pop Idol." CKX also has an agreement to buy MBST, a Hollywood talent-management company, and expects to make other acquisitions. CKX says its strategy is to buy companies that control "established entertainment content" - which could include music, TV, films and video games - and then to enhance the value of those companies.
... Bishop Cheen, an entertainment analyst for Wachovia Securities, said Sillerman will likely focus on his control of the rights to Presley's name and leave the day-to-day operations of Graceland alone. "He's not known for sacking and burning and pillaging," Cheen said. "He is known for adding value and taking profits." The company went public earlier this year by buying an inactive public company, Sports Entertainment Enterprises Inc. Sillerman changed the name to CKX - for "Content is King," with a final "X" as a signature of his businesses - and simultaneously bought the Presley business in February for about $100 million in cash and stock. The company raised $235 million in an $11-per-share stock offering in June. All but about $50 million went to pay off debts, including the cost of the Elvis business. Shares have been trading recently between $13 and $14 per share.
Lisa Marie Presley got $50 million at the sale, stock in CKX and kept a 15 percent interest in Elvis Presley Enterprises, along with title to Graceland and her father's personal possessions. Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie's mother and Presley's ex-wife, got $6.5 million and a 10-year consulting contract with CKX at $560,000 a year. She is also on the company's board of directors.
When Presley died at age 42 of prescription drug abuse and heart disease, his finances were in sad shape. But led by Priscilla Presley, the estate formed Elvis Presley Enterprises, opened Graceland to the public and began a campaign to solidify the legal rights to make money on Elvis' name and image. Now it's CKX's job to keep that going. Soden said he doesn't expect CKX to make major adjustments in how Graceland and its complex of souvenir shops and museums are run.
"They said when we were getting to know them, 'You know, we're not out trying to buy problems. We don't want to buy companies that we have to fix,'" Soden said. For the fans, there's little concern that Elvis' light will dim. They worry instead about access to Graceland and whether an expanding marketplace will show Presley the reverence they believe he deserves. "We're all just waiting to see what changes, if any, will be made," said Jeanne Kalweit of The Elvis Presley TCB Fan Club of Chicago. Cheen understands how seriously the Kingdom takes all of this. "(Sillerman) is a New Yorker and an outsider, so he's got to be under suspicion," he said. "But he's a businessman, you know, not General Sherman."
- Austrian admirer records planned last song of Elvis
(Yahoo! News / AFP, August 4 2005)
An Austrian fan of Elvis Presley said that he had recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, with the late King of Rock's back-up group the last song Elvis was to sing before he died. "Fire Down Below" was the 20th and last song Elvis was going to record in his last session in November 1976 in his Graceland studio. But Elvis said he was too tired, Wolf Memphis, 42, whose real named is Wolfgang Hahn, told AFP. The song, composed by Presley's bass player Jerry Scheff, was never recorded and has become a myth for Presley fans, Memphis said. Memphis said he had brought together Elvis's original group, guitarists Reggie Young and James Burton, drummer Ronnie Tutt, keyboardist Glenn D. Hardin and Scheff, to record the song at Graceland. The Austrian fan sang the vocals. The recording is to be distributed by the Little Memphis Music label and will be presented in Vienna on August 16, the anniversary of Elvis's death in Memphis in 1977.
- Volume At ShopElvis No Heartbreak Hotel, But Also Not Rockin'
BY PETE BARLAS
(INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY, August 4 2005)
Elvis Presley is getting an extreme makeover. This month, Elvis.com, the late rock king's official Web site, plans to start selling more products with cheaper shipping rates. It's part of a major revamp. Elvis Presley Enterprises, a unit of entertainment services firm CKX Inc. operates the site. It's turning up the volume to try to reach a new audience and boost sales, says Jennifer Burgess, EPE's director of marketing. "Officially licensed Elvis products are available at some brick-and-mortar stores and at Amazon.com, but not the wide array we'll offer at Shopelvis.com," she said of the shopping site linked to Elvis.com.
5-Year-Old Site
EPE launched Elvis.com in 2000. It began selling nonmusic Presley products there three years ago, but hasn't been pleased with the results. "We determined that we wanted to partner with a new provider based on a couple of new business goals," Burgess said. So EPE hired Edward Foy Jr.'s eFashionSolutions, an e-commerce services provider, to redesign the Shopelvis.com portion of Elvis.com. Foy's company will handle all transactions. And it will choose the shirts, leather jackets, coffee mugs and other items sold on the site. "We're going to create an environment online to cohesively present the products," Foy said. "We'll keep the site simple, to make it easy for a shopper to make a transaction. "We are a partner, not a hired gun."
Foy, 34, and his wife, Jennifer, are longtime Elvis fans. Foy was eager to get Elvis.com as a client after receiving a gift of Elvis sunglasses and a Heartbreak Hotel sweater. EFashionSolutions is replacing FanBuzz, a Minnetonka, Minn.-based e-commerce and marketing services company. Other companies, including Amazon.com and GSI Commerce, provide such e-commerce services. Among other pluses, eFashionSolutions will let Elvis.com cut shipping costs, says Burgess. "We sell internationally, and the cost of shipping was very high for our customers," she said. ...
- New Limited Edition Celebrity Rubber Duck Featuring Elvis Presley Unveiled This Summer During Elvis Week
(PRWEB, August 4 2005)
[ BOYCOTT THIS PRODUCT AND CAMPAIGN AGAINST THIS DREADFUL DEMEANING ELVIS RUBBER DUCKY - Elvis is not a red-nosed clown - Presleys in the Press]
Celebriducks, the original creator of the first ever celebrity rubber ducks of the greatest icons of film, music, athletics and history has partnered with Graceland to release the newest Celebriduck, Elvis Presley. The ducks are being done as a limited edition with each one individually numbered and will be unveiled at Graceland for Elvis Week in August 2005. Each duck's 103 red sequin buttons are all painted by hand. ³From the response and advance orders we have received, this will easily be the best selling duck we have ever created,² said Craig Wolfe, Celebriduck's president. Elvis, who is still as much a part of American culture now as he has ever been, has been in the company's sight for years. As one of the greatest icons of music history, The King of Rock and Roll will take his place in the world of Celebriducks joining the ranks of The Godfather, James Brown; The Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne; the soul men from Chicago, The Blues Brothers, and Kiss. ...
The company, whose ducks were voted one of the top 100 gifts by Entertainment Weekly and have been featured twice on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and CBS Evening Magazine, have produced Celebriducks for the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NHL and NASCAR. Celebriducks also feature famous people such as Shakespeare, Carmen Miranda, Mae West, James Brown, Charlie Chaplin, Mr. T, Beethoven, and Collegiate Mascots. To date, the company has created over 200 different Celebriducks and have pioneered a whole new collectible.
Their work can be viewed at www.celebriducks.com.
The "Elvis" Celebriduck is licensed by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE). EPE is based in Memphis, with additional offices in Los Angeles. In addition to Graceland and its related attractions in Memphis, including the Heartbreak Hotel, EPE is aggressively involved in a worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing, and television, film, video and Internet projects. EPE is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKX, Inc., a publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq National Market System (NMS) under the ticker symbol CKXE. For more information on EPE and Graceland, visit elvis.com.
- Presley mania rocks the capital for anniversary
By John Martin
(Canberra Times, August 4 2005)
Andrew Leonard was three years old when Elvis Presley died, so he doesn't remember much about the King. Now he is making a name for himself as Canberra's newest Elvis Presley entertainer. ... And he sings all the notes too - unlike some Elvis impersonators. ... It is hard to know just how many Elvis Presley impersonators and entertainers there are in the world. Lots, it seems -- of many colours, from many countries. ... I have never actually seen Elvis in a Canberra supermarket, but the city seems to be one the world's main centres of Elvismania. ...
- Elvis helps police return car to owner much faster
By James Brown
(vnunet.com, August 3 2005)
West Midlands Police has deployed a system to speed up the way abandoned and recovered vehicles are dealt with. The new system, codenamed Elvis-VR, automates processes for recording vehicle details and passes them to the relevant agencies, This speeds up the communication process, cutting down on paperwork and returning stolen vehicles to owners much sooner. ...
- Top tribute artists in region
By Frank Matys
(simcoe.com, August 3 2005)
Elvis Presley may have been a fried-peanut-butter-and-banana-sandwich kind of guy, but to Sandy Robertson, the king of rock and roll was more like a fine wine. "He actually improved with age," the long-time fan said wistfully. "He really did." The local woman considers herself fortunate to have witnessed Presley in person, during a memorable concert held in Las Vegas the year before his death, an experience legions of die-hard admirers can now only dream about. "He was absolutely breathtaking," she added. "Just amazing." The legendary singer's spirit will be alive and well during the eighth annual Orillia Tribute Artists Weekend, taking place at Branch 34 of the Royal Canadian Legion from Aug. 5-7. ...
- I'm on a level with Elvis, says Oasis's Liam
(Yahoo! News, August 3 2005)
Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, one of the names set to top the bill at a giant pop festival in Spain, has told a Spanish newspaper that he and the late Elvis Presley are on the same level. "There's Elvis and me. I couldn't say which of the two is the best," Gallagher was quoted as saying, in remarks published in Spanish in the daily El Mundo. ...
[Who is this upstart? - Presleys in the Press]
- Former Thomasville police officer finds career as Elvis impersonator
By Jessica Guenzel
(Winston-Salem Journal, August 2 2005)
Stephen Freeman isn't an outgoing man. Some would even say he's an introvert. He doesn't approach strangers to start conversations and wouldn't be caught dead on a dance floor, his friends say. But put him in an Elvis jumpsuit, stick a microphone in his hands and Freeman becomes another person.
"The King" lives. A former Thomasville police officer, Freeman said that Elvis Presley's music and Southern charm have influenced him since childhood. Years after singing his first Elvis song in public - he was persuaded at a police department Christmas party - Freeman has transformed himself into a bona fide Elvis tribute artist. ... Freeman joined the Thomasville Police Department in 1993, after graduating from Davidson County Community College. He worked in Thomasville for five years before transferring to the High Point Police Department, where he worked as a patrol officer for two years.
... Freeman said that his love of Elvis got him through tough overnight shifts as a police officer. He said that he and other officers would meet in out-of-the-way places and sing into the PA systems of their cars. ... Freeman joked about the similarities between being a police officer and Elvis. "I still get to wear a big belt," he said. But the best part about being an Elvis tribute artist is giving fans a chance to relive their memories, Freeman said. "It's the joy that you're bringing to so many people who really, really, really loved Elvis and so many people that feel like they lost a family member when he died," Freeman said. "It really brings back some special memories for them and there are so many kids who have such a great time at the shows. There are a lot of feel good moments, I guess you'd say."
Stephen Freeman, an Elvis impersonator, waits in Kelly Whelan's bedroom with Whelan's son, Christopher Perry, before his performance for her mother's surprise 60th birthday party. (Photo by Parker Eshelman)
- Elvis fans will celebrate The King' at 6th Annual Big E Festival, Aug. 6 in North Georgia
(NAMC Newswire, August 1 2005)
Thousands of Elvis Presley fans will gather Aug. 6 in Cornelia, Ga., to celebrate the life, times and music of the King of Rock 'n Roll during the 6th Annual Big E Festival. ... Singing classic Elvis tunes, more than 15 Elvis tribute artists will take the stage on the Loudermilk Boarding House porch to compete for cash and prizes and the chance to win the coveted honor of 2005 Champion or the People's Choice Winner. ... Elvis-inspired paintings and drawings by Norcross, Ga.-based artist Trevor Hawkins will hang in the Main Gallery of the boarding house. Hawkins' compilation of original work includes images of Elvis at Graceland, individual portraits of the King of Rock 'n' Roll onstage and favorite scenes from his many movie roles.
Festival attendees can also tour Joni Mabe's Panoramic Collection of Everything Elvis, which is housed upstairs at the Loudermilk Boarding House Museum. Mabe, the collection's director, artist and curator from Athens, Ga., has amassed more than 30,000 pieces of Elvis memorabilia, ranging from albums, photos and her personal artwork, to museum treasures such as the Elvis Wart, the actual wart removed from Elvis' hand, and the “maybe Elvis toenail,” which Mabe found at Graceland in the Jungle Room. ...
- We will rock you, earthlings: Author claims there's a reason pop stars are spaced-out
By Sean L. McCarthy
(Boston Herald.com, August 1 2005)
Poor Bob Geldof. His view that musicians can persuade politicians to end world poverty seems so shortsighted compared to Michael Luckman's belief - namely, that rock 'n' roll has an innate connection with extraterrestrials that can help heal the galaxy. Luckman's new book, ``Alien Rock'' (VH1/Pocket Books), which hits stores this week, attempts to find every - and any - connection between aliens and rock music.
His claims:
Elvis Presley: Aliens hovered over his home at birth, visited him many times, taught him how to move clouds and heal the sick, and even showed The King his future.
John Lennon: Two close encounters with UFOs in the 1970s.
Cat Stevens: More than just followed by a moonshadow.
Sammy Hagar: Aliens ``downloaded everything that was in my head'' as a teen.
Jerry Garcia: Abducted for 48 hours by ``a sort of futuristic, spaceship vehicle with insectoid presences.'' Insert long, strange trip joke at own peril.
Ace Frehley: A UFO landed in his back yard. But was he wearing his KISS makeup?
Luckman, director of New York Center for Extraterrestrial Research, does cite some well-known facts that shouldn't automatically get tossed down a black hole. Not that they make a strong case for an extraterrestrial rock 'n' roll connection. ... But take note, skeptics. Luckman purportedly will reveal evidence of alien-abducted rock stars tomorrow at a New York City press conference. We'll moonwalk right over if Michael Jackson shows up.
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