early December, 2005
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Elvis fan given £200 by taxpayer for new suit
By STEPHEN MCGINTY
(Scotsman, December 7 2005)
IT HAS funded the work of our finest novelists, given grants to talented artists and sent musicians abroad to develop their ear. Now the Scottish Arts Council has revealed its latest investment in Scotland's culture: a glittering new jumpsuit for an Elvis impersonator. David Geddes, postal worker by day but by night young pretender to the throne of "The King", has been awarded the £200 grant to buy the costume. Elvis may have left the building, in fact this mortal coil, having died in 1977, but Mr Geddes believes that once clad in the suit, which he has bought from a fellow impersonator, he can bring a touch of Las Vegas to his less salubrious venues, which include a tour of old folks' homes in the Highlands.
While currently an employee of the Royal Mail, Mr Geddes hopes to launch a full-time career belting out hits such as Return to Sender and Love Me Tender. As each of the estimated 85,000 [sic] Elvis impersonators worldwide will know, the secret to a successful act is the suit. The rhinestone and sequined white jump suits that Elvis Presley began to wear in 1968 have become iconic for their high collars, flares and chest-baring cuts. Designed by Bill Belew, they were primarily white, as this looked best under the lights of the Las Vegas stage where so many of his concerts took place. Mr Belew, a graduate of the Parsons school of Design in New York, produced so many outlandish costumes that they are listed on one website alphabetically from the Adonis suit to the White Way Down suit. The high collars were inspired by Napoleon, of whom Mr Belew was an admirer. He said: "When I looked at Elvis, I said he's the one person that I could do the Napoleonic collar with because it'll frame his face."
The famous short cape that also came attached to each suit, was planned to be floor length, but unfortunately once loaded with sequins it became too heavy for Elvis to drag around and Mr Belew was forced to make a short substitute just 24 hours before an opening night concert. "He was the first one to start the jumpsuits," said Priscilla Presley, his former wife. "I think that was a great style for him because it allowed him movement. He was free, you know, from his jacket riding up or buckling up. He felt very comfortable with that and had hundreds of jumpsuits made."
An original suit was sold at auction for $101,500 (£58,256), while professional Elvis impersonators such as Todd Luxton, a popular American performer, has Mr Belew make made-to-measure copies. However, the Elvis look can be achieved at a more reasonable rate. Funworld, a Glasgow fancy dress store, has Elvis suits available for hire from £30, complete with wig, boots and medallion. While copies of the suits can be purchased on American websites from $29.99, a deluxe model is priced at $199, which includes "1,000 hand-set studs and crystals in Elvis's signature starburst motif".
Last night, however, Mr Geddes said he was delighted by the grant. "I started doing Elvis impersonations last year at a charity concert for the Highland Heart Beat Appeal. I've been doing a few shows in Invergordon and Inverness and for a centre for older people with disabilities. "I fancied the jumpsuit, which is a copy of an original Elvis wore in Las Vegas, and a friend told me I could get a grant from the Scottish Arts Council and I applied. There are a lot of impersonators out there and a lot of them aren't very good, but I feel I can do it. I have the voice and I have the look."
He explained: "I have been a fan of Elvis since I was 12 - I was hooked by his voice, his looks, charisma and his pulling power. It is amazing how this man, who has been dead for so long, still has that power. "I have to say that my favourite song is from 1972 called This Is Our Dance. If I ever get married, that is the song I would like played at the wedding."
The grant was awarded from the Scottish Arts Council's Young Scot Action Fund, which was launched a year ago. Louise Macdonald, the council's deputy chief executive, whose favourite Elvis song is The Wonder of You, explained: "We wanted to challenge the myth that can often surround the arts and show that creativity can come in different forms. "The panel includes young people and they were attracted by the quirkiness of David's application."
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RCA Preps Presley Singles Box
By Barry A. Jeckell
(Billboard, December 7 2005)
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Elvis Presley's first RCA recording session, Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group is readying the U.S. version of the "Elvis #1 Singles" box set for a January release. Additionally, the label is planning a reissue of "Heartbreak Hotel," the King's first single for the label.
Due Jan. 24, the limited edition, numbered collection will feature all 21 No. 1 U.S. hits and their b-sides on 20 individual CD singles (one disc features the double A-sided "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" single). Each single will be individually packaged in a sleeve that replicates the original single artwork, while the discs will be pressed on black plastic with grooves to mimic the vinyl 45 rpm singles.
Presley recorded "Heartbreak Hotel" Jan. 10-11, 1956, and RCA released it as his first single for the label a few week's later. The single spent eight weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Best Sellers In Stores chart, the precursor to the Hot 100. On Jan. 10, 2006, a CD version with artwork emulating an April 1956 Presley EP and the single's original generic RCA paper sleeve will be released.
Early 2005 saw the individual reissue of each of Presley's U.K. singles, with fans there building their collection from week-to-week to fill a box that included just one reissued single, "All Shook Up." The stunt resulted in Presley netting the 999th and 1,000th titles to rank at No. 1 on the official U.K. singles chart with "Jailhouse Rock" and "One Night," respectively. ...
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Leave your message for the King on WMCTV.com's Elvis Memory Wall!
(WMCTV.com, December 7 2005)
December 6, 2005 was another quiet morning at Graceland, until a car slammed into the memory wall outside the Presley mansion. Graceland officials say a sprinkler system activated Tuesday morning in a median that runs along the wall. It was cold enough for patches of ice to form in the street, causing a jeep to slide out of control and hit the wall. The crash destroyed a portion of the wall, along with thousands of messages to the King that were scribbled on it. WMC-TV.com is giving you a chance to leave your own message for the King of Rock, right here on our website. Email your message to the King here, and we'll add it to our online Elvis Memory Wall!
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Wanda Jackson Releases Elvis Tribute
(Paste Magazine, December 6 2005)
After much talk and many obstacles, the Elvis tribute album promised by Wanda Jackson will finally hit the street Jan. 31, 2006. The album, I Remember Elvis, will feature classic Elvis tunes that Jackson has interpreted in her own style, including "Love Me Tender" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Wanda Jackson has been called the Queen of Rockabilly, and is known not only for her music but her relationship with Elvis Presley. The two toured together from 1955-56, and dated during that time. Jackson attributes Presley with encouraging her and guiding her through her musical career; she views I Remember Elvis as her way of returning the favor.
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SCOT WINS SAME TITLE AS ELVIS
(Daily Record, December 6 2005)
A DISABLED Scot has joined the ranks of Elvis and Bill Clinton by being named the Outstanding Young Person of the World. Amar Latif bagged the prestigious award at a ceremony in Austria after setting up a travel firm for blind people. The 30-year-old, who has been gradually losing his sight since the age of 15, admitted he was stunned to win. ... Along with Elvis and Clinton, previous recipients of the honour include Orson Welles, John F Kennedy, Superman star Christopher Reeve and easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou. The Junior Chamber International judges give the award to people between the age of 18 and 40 who "excel in their chosen fields and exemplify the best attributes of the world's young people". ...
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Elvis Presley fans Question Billboard magazine's Fred Bronson on his claims that Elvis had 36 Top 10 Hits
By Jason Edge
(PR LEAP, December 6 2005)
Mr. Bronson counted Hound Dog and Don't Be Cruel as one Top 10 Hit in his recent claim that Elvis has 36 Top 10 Hits. The following is a summary of chart statistics for Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel as pulled from the Billboard Charts in 1956:
Best Seller in Stores (leading side reported in survey is listed on top)
-Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel are listed together, for 11 weeks at #1.
-Hound Dog is listed on top for the first 5 weeks.
-Don't Be Cruel is listed on top for the last 6 weeks.
Most Played in Juke Boxes (leading side reported in survey is listed on top)
-Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel are listed together, for 11 weeks at #1.
-Hound Dog is listed on top for 4 weeks.
-Don't Be Cruel is listed on top for the last 7 weeks.
The Top 100
- Hound Dog & Don't Be Cruel chart seperately as follows:
- Don't Be Cruel is #1 for 7 weeks
- Hound Dog peaks at #2
Most Played by Jockeys (airplay)
- Hound Dog & Don't Be Cruel chart separately as follows:
- Don't Be Cruel is #1 for 8 weeks
- Hound Dog peaks at #4
Questions that have been put forward to Mr. Bronson that have went unanswered include:
- Which song off the Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel record are you counting as a top 10 hit?
- How can you justify counting the double sided hit record Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel as one Top 10 Hit when both Hound Dog and Don't Be Cruel both charted together at #1 on the Best Seller Chart and the the Juke Box chart, and both charted separately in the Top 10 on the Top 100 chart and the Airplay chart?
-If the Best Sellers chart is being used, then would not Hound Dog and Don't Be Cruel be counted as a Top 10 Hit in their own right since Hound Dog was listed on top as the most significant song for 5 weeks, and Don't Be Cruel for 6 weeks of their combined 11 week run at #1?
- Isn't it inconsistent to use a chart that does not treat individual songs separately, when all of the 1958 and later songs that appear on the Hot 100 are listed separately?
-Wouldn't it make more sense to use the Top 100 chart since it lists songs separately and compiles information from the other charts just as today's Hot 100?
Elvis International Fan Club
www.ElvisInternational.com
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Jackson gets Elvis single blitz
(BBC, December 6 2005)
Twenty of Michael Jackson's biggest hits are to be re-released over successive weeks from January. The initiative, entitled Visionary: The Video Singles, comes after this year's reissue of 18 Elvis Presley hits earned 750,000 sales and three UK number ones. The Jackson reissues will be the first Dualdisc singles, with audio on one side and the video on the reverse. ...
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Smith: Marking alternative Madison landmarks
By SUSAN LAMPERT SMITH
(Wisconsin State Journal, December 5 2005)
How are these for notable Madison landmarks: The Ho Chi Minh Trail? Dick Cheney's "undisclosed locations?" And, of course, a sign noting that "Elvis was here"? Readers have submitted a pile of interesting, and often weird suggestions to the committees charged with marking Madison landmarks and picking a Madison song in time for the city's 150th birthday in 2006. ...
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Going to Graceland: Modern shopping complex rises from tired strip center
By Kathy Showalter
(Columbus Business First, December 5 2005)
When Bill Kehoe bought Hobbyland in 1969, the toy store at Graceland Shopping Center was surrounded by giants: three supermarkets, two chain drug stores and a Woolworth's Five and Dime. Almost 40 years later, retail giants are again surrounding Kehoe's Hobbyland, a 2,400-square-foot shop filled with toys and parts for serious toy enthusiasts. "Kroger was straight across the street, just as it is now," Kehoe said as he looked out his store's window across the parking lot at the one-year-old Kroger Marketplace, "but back then, (Kroger) was a lot smaller. This was a pretty busy shopping center." Developer Don Casto, a principal at Casto development company, believes Graceland will become busy again, as its redevelopment progresses. So far Kroger Marketplace and a Target Corp. store, both of which opened last year, are drawing customers to Graceland. When newly signed tenants such as Applebee's Neighborhood Bar & Grill and a Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar open, traffic will increase some more. When Casto finds a third anchor for the western-most portion of the property, Don Casto expects Graceland's dominance will again return.
... Graceland's 'peculiarities'
Some might think Graceland Shopping Center, which opened in 1954, gets its name from Elvis Presley's Tennessee home, but nothing could be further from the truth. Graceland is the name of a horse farm, once owned by a Columbus bookmaker and a Columbus madam, that occupied the shopping center site. Whenever Casto's grandfather was asked about the story, Don Casto remembers that his grandfather always considered his audience. "In polite company, he always said it was named after his mother," Casto said. ...
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Spend $75 and get an Elvis antenna topper - free!
By Lee Roop
(Huntseville Times, December 4 2005)
Pundits called Monday "Cyber Monday," because it was the day Americans supposedly did more Internet shopping at work than any other day. I'm not surprised. If you're not in a shopping frenzy by this week, you're not gonna get there. Not that we do online shopping at work here at The Times. ... There are rare times, however, when only shopping the Web will do. One of those times is when you have, as I do, a serious Elvis fixation. That's when a site such as shopelvis.com seems the reason the Internet was invented.
Normally, I don't explain my little quirks, but this Elvis thing needs a little context. If you're a Southern man of a certain age and you had any significant women in your life as a child, you were imprinted with Elvis whether you liked it or not. He just tore Southern women up, folks. They could not get enough. Your mother, your aunts, your cousins, your sisters were crazy about this guy. It was your first clue about things you'd spend a lifetime pondering: the power of rock 'n' roll, the power of sex appeal, the power of rebellion. Just the power, baby. He had it. You wanted it. You studied him.
If only shopelvis.com had existed then. I wouldn't have ordered the Elvis album cover ceramic tiles ($24.99), the Elvis shower curtain ($24.99) or even the signature hibiscus bracelet ($24.99). I wouldn't have been a prospect for the Elvis roses (one dozen burning love pink variety, $69.99 with pictures of Elvis on each bud). I wouldn't have been tempted by a nice bottle of Blue Christmas Cabernet Sauvignon. But the Heartbreak Hotel welcome mat? T hat's cool. And, man, those clothes. I know. You're looking at my picture and thinking, "Definitely post-Vegas, Eagle-logo, white leather Elvis - with a very big belt." And there's nothing wrong with that. Vegas Elvis was kinda sad, but we still got those great "If I Can Dream" performances with choir, orchestra and screaming vocals. Classic.
But who wouldn't like a "Jailhouse Rock" outfit in the closet come Halloween? Black jacket with stand-up collar and white-lettered inmate number, black and white T-shirt, black peg slacks. Seriously strange. Like something Bruce Lee would have worn in a Green Hornet nightmare sequence. Is this Web site a serious betrayal of Elvis the artist? Are you kidding? Of course it is. And it's par for the poor guy's career. To paraphrase the person who showed me the Web site, "It's as if Colonel Parker never died."
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For every reader, a book: From Elvis to Botticelli, coffee-table tomes have all subjects covered
(Poughkeepsie Journal / Associated Press, December 4 2005)
Is there someone on your holiday gift list who thinks the world of maps, is batty about Botticelli or is irresistibly drawn to "Calvin and Hobbes"? Does that list include someone who gets "all shook up" by Elvis or "pumped" by Blahniks? Or perhaps there's a person who's delirious about delis, nuts about nutcrackers or gaga about La-La Land. ...
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Lincoln man to run Las Vegas marathon as Elvis
By JOSH SWARTZLANDER
(Lincoln Journal Star, December 4 2005)
Lincolnite Brian Harrifeld will run the New Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday - dressed as Elvis. That may seem like an odd activity for a 47-year-old man who has never impersonated Elvis Presley or even been a huge fan of his music. Harrifeld, a long-distance runner, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate and an express mail clerk at the U.S. Post Office, doesn't have a great explanation for why he decided to do it. He was intrigued by an e-mail advertising the run, went back and forth over whether running 26.2 miles in a white jumpsuit with sequins would be fun, and in the end decided - if for no other reason - it would make for a good story to tell.
"It appealed to me because it was off the wall," Harrifeld said. ³I just hope I don't disappoint the people out there because I don't have any Elvis moves." The New Las Vegas Marathon, which will start at 6 a.m. on the Las Vegas Strip, will have a serious side, featuring competitive, world-class athletes. Organizers also promise at least 40 running Elvises, up to 26 couples married at a run-through wedding chapel, dozens of showgirls, live entertainment and doughnut and pizza stops for runners. ...
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ELVIS IS SWAYZE'S GUARDIAN ANGEL?
(Yahoo! Finance / PRNewswire, December 1 2005)
Hollywood actor PATRICK SWAYZE has been told by four different mystics that ELVIS PRESLEY watches over him. The DIRTY DANCING star, 53, insists that although he is not a huge fan of The King, many people have likened their personalities. He says, "Four different psychics have told me Elvis watches over me. They call me with reports. "I'm not really a big Elvis fan but a lot of people have compared our sensuality. "Whatever. I don't mind that."
- C. S. Lewis Superstar: How a reserved British intellectual with a checkered pedigree became a rock star for evangelicals
(Christianity Today, December 2005)
At first glance, C. S. Lewis and Elvis Presley seem like polar opposites. But a closer look will show that these two cultural icons have a lot in common. Like Elvis, C. S. Lewis had been a soldier. Both men came to fame on the radio. Both men's homes (Graceland and the Kilns) have become pilgrimage sites. Both left behind estates now valued in the millions. And both rose from relative obscurity - Elvis, a Mississippi truck driver, and Lewis, a tutor at Oxford - to become larger-than-life figures profiled in books and movies and beloved by legions of adoring fans. Like Elvis, even after death, Lewis remains a superstar.
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