mid November, 2005
- Union members don Elvis glasses and wigs for Maiden Overseas and Mr. Wal-Mart Smiley Face's mock wedding in Las Vegas
By STEVE MARCUS
(Reuters Alert News, November 19 2005)
Union representatives Rachel Baisden and Jeanette Barnes attend a mock wedding between "Maiden Overseas" (Katrina Loncaric) and "Mr. Wal-Mart Smiley Face" (L.J. Jellison) at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada November 18, 2005. Union representives in the audience donned Elvis Presley glasses and wigs for the occasion. The skit was held to draw attention to Wal-Mart's negative business model, said Jeralyn Lutty, vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International union. Representatives from seven unions are attending the "New Hope for American Workers" union organizing conference.
- Web only column: Riffs
By Ron Wynn
(Nashville City Paper, November 18 2005)
It's a close call between Bob Marley and Elvis Presley in terms of which person gets more titles reissued each year. But it is also a tribute to the quality of their catalogs that fans can usually find something vital on each package, even those who already own a truckload of their material. That's the case with the latest Marley CD and DVD packages. ...
- Move Over Elvis, Here Comes Miss America
By Christina Ficara
(All Headline News, November 17 2005)
Miss America pageant organizers have decided to end its 84 year tradition, moving this year's pageant from the Atlantic City Boardwalk to the Las Vegas Strip. Pageant organizers announced the move Wednesday. The Aladdin hotel and casino will host a newly made-over Miss America pageant, scheduled to air Jan. 21. on the Country Music Television cable TV channel. The pageant has suffered financial troubles and slipping rates in recent years. ABC dropped it last year, leaving Miss America without a network TV contract for the first time since 1954.
- Tony Joe White
By Sophie Best
([Melbourne] Age, November 17 2005)
It was 1967 and Tony Joe White was working the Texas blues clubs when Bobbie Gentry's Southern country-soul psycho-drama Ode to Billie Joe came on the radio and blew his mind. "I had a pretty good imitation of Elvis at the time - the sideburns and everything," the Louisiana-born singer-songwriter recollects in his grizzly, deep-South voice. "Then I heard Ode to Billie Joe and it was like going back to your mom's house for dinner. I went, 'Oh god, I am Billie Joe. I know the Tallahatchie Bridge, and pass the black-eyed peas and the cornbread.' If I ever start writing, I will write what I know."
It was a prophetic decision. A month later, White wrote Polk Salad Annie and Rainy Night in Georgia, the first of a string of hits that would be recorded by Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Ray Charles and scores of others. ... White was a teen when Elvis Presley burst onto the scene. "Me and all the other kids round the river all started out with cotton-patch blues," he recalls. "Then Elvis came along and we took him under our wings." The roles were reversed in 1969 when Presley's producer flew White out to Las Vegas to see the King perform Polk Salad Annie, then a top 10 hit. "Elvis always felt like Polk Salad Annie was his life story," White remembers. "He'd been around it all his life - he knew what I was talking about. We were brought up pretty much the same way." ...
- Merry Makeovers with Unique Christmas Decorations for the Home!
(PRWeb, November 15 2005)
Want to give your holiday decor a merry makeover? These unique Christmas decorations add a timely twist on tradition to cure your holiday decorating blahs.
Tired of the same old Christmas decorations around your home? Has your holiday ho-ho-ho turned into ho-ho-hum? Cure your decorating blahs by giving your holiday home decor a merry makeover with the newest unique Christmas decorations that offer a timely twist on tradition. One of this year's hottest holiday accents is the tabletop artificial Christmas tree, offering multiple unique Christmas decorating options for kitchen tables, coffee tables, or any small place that begs for Christmas cheer. Fully decorated "theme" collectible sculptural tabletop trees have skyrocketed in popularity. Hailed as one of the most unique Christmas decorations introduced in the past year, these pre-decorated Christmas trees showcase traditional holiday themes like Thomas Kinkade's beloved Christmas paintings, Precious Moments(R) angels, and Norman Rockwell's Main Street Christmas - as well as very untraditional Christmas themes like The Simpsons(TM) Christmas episodes, U.S. Marines teddy bears, even an Elvis Presley(R) tree. ...
Collectible Christmas villages have long been a popular holiday decoration. But the newest collectible villages let you indulge in a little outrageous fun! Decorate your home with a Simpsons'(TM) Christmas Village; a Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer(R) Christmastown; your favorite Major League Baseball(R) team collectible village; an entire Christmas village celebrating John Deere tractors and the pride of America's heartland; or, of course, an Elvis Blue Christmas Village.
- Women's Self-Defense Site ProtectingWomen.com Shows Potential to Revolutionize Internet Instruction
Source: ProtectingWomen.com
(Yahoo! Finance / BUSINESS WIRE, November 15 2005)
With Content Created by a Former Elvis Presley Bodyguard, Subscribers Learn to Thwart Attackers via Full-Screen Web Video They Can Study from Various Angles; Site Offers "Flashpaper" Print Lessons and Split Audio & Video Streaming Media Tracks for Gender Choice in Narration & Future Foreign Language Dubs
Flying in the face of traditional rules when it comes to the "dos and don'ts" of constructing Web media, partners Jim Taczy, Richard Herrera and Dave Hebler have launched www.protectingwomen.com, a next-generation self-defense site for women that creates a new paradigm for versatile, user-controlled interactivity and greatly enhances the end user's ability to study and understand material. ...
- Graceland not on her to-do list: Going to Memphis to play
By GLEN DAWKINS
(Winnipeg Sun, November 14 2005)
For Jennifer Saunders, hopefully there will be no visits to Graceland this year. The reigning Canadian women's singles and doubles champion is headed off to Memphis, Tenn., home of Elvis Presley's mansion and the U.S. Open Racquetball Championships. In her past appearances, Saunders has managed to make it past the qualifying round before losing in the early rounds leaving her 'free' to take in the sights. "I've seen (Graceland) twice and that's enough," said Saunders, who heads south tomorrow for her qualifying round game Wednesday. "I'd like to go out for dinner on Sunday and say that I wasn't able to sightsee or party at all (because) I had to play all week." ...
- The surreal city
By MATT ZOLLER SEITZ and ALAN SEPINWALL
(Star-Ledger, November 14 2005)
Las Vegas made the bizarre seem normal. This fact becomes increasingly clear as you watch "Las Vegas: An Unconventional History," a two-part installment of "American Experience" (9 p.m. tonight and tomorrow on Ch. 13). The documentary mesmerizes with images that seem to have emerged from dreams: a neon city lighting up a desert; Elvis impersonators presiding over weddings; drought-parched golf courses nourished by sewage water; Eisenhower-era craps players pausing to watch a mushroom cloud from a nearby nuclear testing facility light up the Strip, then resuming their game. "It is not a sensible place to build a city," movie historian and Vegas obsessive David Thomson tells the filmmakers. "And I think there is still that sense of loony, surreal triumph over the elements." ... Every expected character and chapter is touched on: the formative reigns of gangster Bugsy Siegel, who brought Hollywood glitz to a frontier town in the '40s, and Howard Hughes, whose late-'60s casino- and hotel-buying spree paved the way for the corporatization of Vegas; the Cold War era, which sold nuclear tests as the ultimate fireworks display; the rise of the Rat Pack, whose popularity is described by author Nick Pileggi ("Casino") as a legitimization of gangster mystique. ...
- It's good to be the King
By ROBERT DOMINGUEZ
(New York Daily News, November 13 2005)
When Elvis Presley died in 1977, the rock 'n' roll idol's legacy didn't end with 120 million albums sold, 100 Top 40 hits, a closetful of funky white jumpsuits and one future pop-star daughter. Presley's untimely death, at 42, also spawned a pop-culture phenomenon even more bizarre than a fried peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich. More than 30,000 Elvis impersonators are trying to fill The King's blue suede shoes, and dozens of them - from every corner of the globe - are the subject of a whimsical new book of photographs by Patty Carroll.
Some may think of these Elvis wanna-bes as second-rate novelty acts working Vegas lounges, state fairs and stock-car races. But for most Elvis impersonators, sporting big hair, long sideburns and a perpetually curled lip isn't just a full-time job - it's a calling. "It's not really something that any of us start out to do," says Rick Marino of Jacksonville, Fla., an Elvis impersonator for more than 30 years. "It's a career that finds us." Actually, most of them prefer to be known as Elvis Tribute Artists - thank you, thank you very much. In Carroll's book, "Living the Life! The World of Elvis Tribute Artists," the Chicago-based photographer and college teacher spent nearly 10 years shooting more than 300 ETAs at Elvis shows, impersonator competitions and fan-club meetings across the U.S., whittling them down to 75 for the book.
"It's not only that they have this love for Elvis," says Carroll, "it's like they become Elvis when they put on their costumes and go into Elvis mode. Ordinary, nerdy guys transform themselves into cool, sexy guys people fall all over." Though many of the ETAs in the book bear a passing resemblance to Presley - thanks mostly to jet-black pompadours, oversize sunglasses and flashy costumes - the ersatz Elvi also come in a variety of sizes, shapes, ages, races and genders. "The universal appeal of the Elvis phenomenon doesn't have limits," says Carroll. "The ones I selected were symbolic of the wide range of people who, for the most part, are working professionals who do this for a living. But I found that every imaginable kind of person loves Elvis and wants to be like him." ...
- Pets shake their tails to Internet station: Not just Snoop Dogg here
By Brent Hopkins
(Los Angeles Daily News, November 13 2005)
Cats groove to disco, dogs dig Elvis, but to really reach your pet's soul, it'll take Dionne Warwick. That's what Eagle Rock resident Adrian Martinez learned in the past few months watching his bizarre hobby turn into an even more bizarre business. He started DogCatRadio.com six months ago for the amusement of his six dogs and the pair of cats he looks after, then watched with bewilderment as what was essentially a joke between friends morphed into an enterprise with global proportions. And now it's really taking off. Ten days ago a couple of hundred pet owners logged onto the site. Now he's got 50,000 assorted animals from Brazil to Sweden tuning in. ...
- Star-struck fans are getting on board for reel life tours
By Jane Engle
(Arizona Republic / Los Angeles Times, November 13 2005)
Lights, camera . . . rolling! On a movie tour, that is. By bus or on foot, visits to spots where films and TV shows were shot get top billing from many tourist bureaus. Travelers can gawk at the lagoon where Elvis Presley crooned in Blue Hawaii; get lost in the Monterey, Calif., fog of Clint Eastwood's thriller Play Misty for Me; and shop where Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw exercised her credit cards. New York-based On Location Tours Inc. sends about 1,500 people a week on its four movie-themed itineraries, founder Georgette Blau said. When Bob Jasper and Jerri Wassink began Movie Tours Inc. nine years ago on Kauai, Hawaii, "We almost went broke," Jasper said. Today, the company takes about 1,000 people each month on Kauai tours, and its licensees run tours in Monterey, Calif.; Boston; and, soon, San Francisco. ...
- Elvis to return in 2008
By John Cavanagh
(The Spoof, November 12 2005)
2008 Elvis Comeback Special.
December 3, 2008. Thatıs the date. In a stunning development coming from the world of entertainment, American singer, Elvis Presley has been given special permission to make an exclusive return. The return date will be most fitting, as it will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the broadcast of his acclaimed 1968 NBC-TV Comeback Special.
Asked why he will be coming back, Presley said: 'When I left the building the last time, the place surely had its fair share of troubles; but it wasn't totally out of control, as things are now. The hatred. The distrust. The bitterness. The lack of harmony. If, in my own small way, I can come back and build a few new bridges, well, I'll be more than happy with that. You know, I was speaking with my mom the other day and she said: "Elvis, if that what the fans really want, who are you not to go out there and give it to them. I think they still miss you son." Well, I have to be honest, that's all I needed to hear.'
A new TV studio audience will be assembled with its members being drawn, on Presley's insistence, from a cross-section of the world's races and religions. The leading UK broadcaster, the BBC, has offered to telecast the performance worldwide, but a representative from the Presley camp said: 'We don't need the BBC, the BBC need us.'
The NASA Space Agency has offered to retrieve the time capsules aboard the Mariner series, Voyager 1 and 2, that they previously sent out into deep space to distant civilisations, and have promised to relaunch them with an image of a man and a woman, the earth and the sun, and the other planets, and a DVD of the 2008 Elvis Comeback Special.
Dr. Carl Sagan of Cornell University said: 'The sounds and images that were selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on earth simply would have been incomplete without the latest sampling from the King of Rock 'n' Roll.'
A NASA spokesperson commented that this will be the first-ever concert telecast throughout the entire universe. "We expect this Presley performance will watched by unknown trillions, including extraterrestrials. It's another first for Elvis."
- They keep the Mississippi sound alive
By Siddhartha Mitter
(Boston Globe, November 12 2005)
When you name your band after the place you call home, you're making a statement. When the place is Mississippi, you're also staking out spiritual ground, raising ghosts. Field hands birthing the blues in the ruthless Delta heat. The young Elvis Presley, cutting his teeth in Tupelo. Emmett Till, the Philadelphia Three, and the countless ''strange fruit" of the famous song, still hanging from the poplar trees, anonymous and unavenged. But Mississippi is modern, too. It's the state with the most black elected officials. Its music is that of Cassandra Wilson. It's rapper David Banner and his gutter-yet-righteous dual personality. And it's the North Mississippi Allstars, who raised the flag of Southern rock only to color it thick with gospel and blues, and who bring the festive, organic results to the Paradise tonight.. ...
- Screen gems, they're not
By David Hiltbrand
(Philadelphia Inquirer, November 12 2005)
50 Cent. Elvis. Madonna. Just because they can carry a tune doesn't mean music stars should turn to acting. Many of us will spend part of the weekend seeking out 50 Cent's cinematic debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The early verdict: His performance is stiffer than a frozen spoon. Mr. Cent (born Curtis Jackson) becomes the latest in a long, troubling line of musicians who migrate to film in order to essentially play themselves - only to prove spectacularly unsuited to the role. Anyone remember Prince in Purple Rain? We know why the Hollywood studios recruit singers and rappers. They're always eager to cast someone who has a built-in fan base. (At this point, even Harriet Miers is probably besieged with film offers.)
But why do singers continue to embarrass themselves? Has Elvis' career taught us nothing? Many agree that the King's early promise was snuffed out when he abandoned the recording studio to devote himself to simpy movies such as Follow That Dream and Kissin' Cousins. Despite all the time he spent in Hollywood, Elvis' acting never improved, but his music steadily deteriorated. Another voice muted. Gee, do you think we could persuade Celine Dion to take up movies?
The fact is there is no logical correlation between success in music and success in film or TV. They require quite distinct skill sets. Just because you are born with a good voice doesn't qualify you to act, any more than it implies you would make a good pole vaulter, or distinguish yourself at flower arranging. ...
- Incumbents return in local city elections
(Herald-Review - Grand Rapids, Minnesota, November 11 2005)
Incumbents fared well at the polls on Tuesday in the three Itasca County towns which had elections. In Calumet incumbent Mayor Rodger Brown, won 112 votes. A few write-in candidates gathered a vote or two in this unchallenged race - including Elvis Presley, who received one vote. ...
- Magnificent accident: DJ preaches the serendipitous glory of Rockabilly every other week at AJ's
By Jake TenPas
(Corvallis Gazette-Times, November 11 2005)
... Alright, so maybe Rockabilly music hasn't exactly rampaged through the consciousness of the American public. If they've heard of it at all, most U.S. citizens' closest point of reference would be the commercialized version the Stray Cats clawed into MTV's rotation in the early '80s with songs such as "Rock This Town." For the serious Rockabilly fiend, however, no amount of Brian Setzer licks can fill the jones for an authentic echo-drenched fix. No, when the veins sing out for the plunge of a record needle, there's only one man in Corvallis that can hook you up. Fortunately for you, my friend, I can tell you where to find him - AJ's Restaurant in downtown Corvallis, every other Wednesday night. His name is Mark Allen, and if you're looking for a Rockabilly high, my man's got the straight dope.
... He grew up listening without filter to anything that came across the airwaves in the '70s, but he also had a fondness for Elvis Presley, who his father had turned him on to. ... He also plays music by famous nutballs with checkered pasts. From Sun Records singles by Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison, to early surf records by Dick Dale and Eddie Cochrane, Allen plays something for everyone that can appreciate the sounds of America's past. "Rockabilly was kind of like a magnificent accident," says Allen of the way the music evolved from country musicians trying to play rock and roll but unintentionally inventing a hybrid that would be fetishized by collectors around the world in the years to come. Soon after, these collectors would reissue the ultra-rare and priceless singles onto bootleg records, which could be afforded by kids like Allen when he was originally introduced to the genre. When I ask him what first drew him to Rockabilly, and what continues to hold him in its sway, he thinks long and hard before answering. "It's a fascination with the mystery of Rockabilly music - the appreciation of the underdog," he explains. "It's the same thing people appreciate about indie music today. Some guy recorded a record 50 years ago in a barnyard, and here it is."
- Funny, but it's not a tribute to Elvis
By Philip Key
(Daily Post, November 11 2005)
ACTOR/DIRECTOR Gareth Tudor Price is a self-confessed Elvis addict. "I have the records, the towels, clocks, key-rings, everything." So when as associate artistic director of the Hull Truck Company he was asked to choose a play to direct he selected one titled Cooking With Elvis. "I had never seen the London production with Frank Skinner but I had read the play and it was obviously the title which attracted me first." He also knew the work of writer Lee Hall whose past work has included Billy Elliot and the acclaimed radio drama Spoonface Steinberg. Indeed, the Elvis play had started on radio.
Anyway, the decision has proved a popular one and his production has gone on tour and opens at the Liverpool Playhouse on Monday. But anyone expecting an Elvis tribute show will be in for a shock - in more ways than one. "There are many taboos which are fronted in the play and exposed. No taboo stone is left unturned." It also features bare buttocks on a couple of occasions. ...
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