early February, 2006
Banner courtesy of Charmaine
- Local woman wins big casino jackpot
By Aaron Burgin
(Porterville Recorder, February 4 2006)
A local woman is far from "Heartbreak Hotel" after hitting it big on an Eagle Mountain Casino slot machine bearing the name of - who else - Elvis. "It still hasn't sunk in yet," said Nancy Berkovich, 63, who won a $196,233 MegaJackpots award on an Elvis quarter slot machine Wednesday night. Berkovich was convinced by her sister-in-law to go up to the casino earlier in the afternoon.
"We sometimes go up with her during the evenings so we can eat at the buffet and have a good time," Berkovich said. "But she called us out of the blue and we said sure, we'd go." Berkovich said she has played the Elvis game "I don't know how many times." She didn't know that the Elvis game was a "progressive" slot machine: A machine that is hooked up to a network of similar machines at various casinos which builds a progressive jackpot usually larger than what an individual casino like Eagle Mountain can offer on its own. She said she plays it because it reminds her of growing up with Elvis. Berkovich and husband Gary, her high-school sweetheart, grew up during the 1950s, Elvis' heyday. She remembers going to Porter Theater and seeing Elvis' first film, and she and Gary have visited Graceland on a vacation to Tennessee.
Now, she's getting that Elvis money - well, not quite Elvis money, but she and Gary said they'll take it. ...
- Dubbing Elvis Presley (Not)
(Mauritius Times, February 3 2006)
Voices are lately raised to call attention to the sagging status of English as a language well-known and well-spoken in Mauritius. As first language, or 'langue maternelle' as it is called, most Mauritians have Creol, though for many others it is Bhojpuri. Many people learn both of these early in life. The second language is usually French, though quite often it can be an Oriental language such as Hindustani, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Telegu or others. For most Mauritians, English only comes in as a third language. It is, of course, the official language of the government, and has many everyday uses. Everyone learns at least a little of it in school. The problem is that there is little real mastery of English, to speak it comfortably and idiomatically. As a third language in a country of many, many languages, it finds itself these days much neglected.
The British Council expresses itself not interested in promoting any kind of cultural imperialism. It is good to see the British officially recognize that they have seen enough of empire, and no longer have it at the top of their programme. Thus it is that they offer a school and a library to all the public who wish to use them, but do not advertise themselves. But Hollywood feels no such compunction or reluctance at all about its empire! English language studies should seek the help of the movies in these battles among the languages for a place in Mauritiain culture. The hero Albion is made to defend his place fighting with one arm tied behind his back, in that his best contemporary efforts, English-language films, are consistently taken away from him and given to another, by which I mean they are 'dubbed' into French. This happens in every format, whether on broadcast television, in the cinema houses or on CD cassettes bought or rented here.
Sometimes -- very rarely -- a film slips by the 'censors' and is telecast in the original English. Mostly this happens with musicals, and just lately one could watch two old American musicals, one starring Prince, the other Elvis Presley, broadcast in English. Doubtless the project of finding someone to dub Elvis's or Prince's songs into French was just too scary! Thus Mauritius occasionally hears Prince and 'the King' in their own tongue and in their own voices, but not many others. It is an injustice, and an imposture as well, to deprive students of English of this, the strongest element in contemporary English-language culture. ...
- Woman escapes jailhouse heartbreak after stabbing over Elvis
By TIM CLARKE
(Sunday Times, February 3 2006)
A WOMAN who stabbed her partner for continuously playing the Elvis Presley hit Burning Love has avoided jail, after the partner wrote to the court pleading for her to be released.
Jenny Gemma Dalbin, 30, had pleaded guilty in a Perth Magistrates Court last month to unlawfully wounding William Siddon, 35, during a domestic argument at their home in Northam, 97km northeast of Perth. Police alleged Dalbin had stabbed her partner in the temple, back, shoulder and leg with a pair of scissors, during an argument sparked by Siddon playing Burning Love over and over again. In court today, Magistrate Richard Bayly imposed an intensive supervision order on Dalbin, saying she had to undergo counselling for an alcohol problem, and ordered her to pay $53 costs. ...
- A year of milestones: Elvis, Beatles, Oprah and 2006
(rediff.com, February 2 2006)
This is an interesting year for popular culture, a year of milestones harking back to the age of Elvis Presley. There are anniversaries in store for the fans of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Oprah Winfrey, The Beatles, and even a music channel. Take a look.
The 50th anniversary of Elvis' arrival
On January 28, 1956, Elvis underwent an image makeover. After his first appearance on national television for the CBS Stage Show, he went from lowly truck driver to incredible icon. There were more television appearances to follow that year, along with four records that hit Number One, and also his first movie -- Love Me Tender. A legend was born. And, 50 years on, the King still makes those hearts flutter. ...
- Strong ensemble cast boosts frank, funny 'Elvis People'
By Neil Harvey
(Roanoke Times, February 2 2006)
Don't get all shook up but, despite its title and its subject, "Elvis People" is not a musical. In fact, this latest installment of Mill Mountain Theatre's Norfolk Southern Festival of New Works features no Elvis Presley songs at all, and the King is largely AWOL -- he speaks just once (from offstage, to request yogurt) and appears onstage only briefly, as a mumbling figure hidden beneath satin sheets. But that's OK, because the spirit of the ultimate American rock icon is fully present in this series of short, self-contained scenes that spend time with some characters who love him, some who hate him and some who seem to have decidedly mixed emotions about the guy.
A bobby-soxer discovers Elvis through "The Ed Sullivan Show" under the disapproving eyes of her parents. A button torn from a Presley jacket comes between a high school couple in complicated ways. A member of Elvis' entourage, one of the infamous Memphis Mafia, is treated with optimistic sympathy as he fetches Piggly Wiggly ice cream and unsuspecting groupies for the King. A daughter shoulders her elderly mother through one last trip to Graceland, and two memorabilia collectors debate the concept of faith ... sort of.
Very early on, the vignettes have a disheartening pattern -- broad comedy that eventually descends into sometimes heavy-handed seriousness. But as they continue, the scenes hit more complex and satisfying notes. The writer, Doug Grissom, fully addresses Elvis' weaknesses and his dark side, but he also appreciates and transmits what made him great and what made him resonate with the public. As such, "Elvis People" isn't just about the star and his fans but also about the way the culture and the country were shifted and scrambled -- for better and worse -- by pop culture. ...
- The secret of dinosaur crests: honk if you like me
By Julie Mollins
(Reuters, February 2 2006)
Duckbilled dinosaurs of about 90 million years ago had huge crests with complex nasal passages, and used them to honk sexual and social messages, according to a new study in the journal Paleobiology. "The crest likely evolved to play a role in behavior of both vocal and visual display -- to call to attract a mate or warn of predators or something like that," said David Evans, a researcher at the University of Toronto. "We can now discount the idea that the structure evolved to increase the sense of smell." Plant-eating crested duckbilled dinosaurs, also known as lambeosaurs, were about 30 feet long with 2-foot (60-centimeter) skulls and four legs, the rear ones longer and stronger than the front ones. Their crests, the main visual way of telling them apart, could be shaped like an Elvis Presley pompadour, a helmet or a hatchet. ...
- Cleveland Auto Dealers Brighten Winter With a 'Night of Lights' Gala: Auto Show preview benefits three local charities
(theautochannel.com, February 3 2006)
The seventh annual "Night of Lights" gala, to benefit three local charities, will feature lavish hors d'oeuvres, a sumptuous dinner, three silent auctions and a sneak peek at the dazzling cars and hard-working trucks that star in the 2006 Greater Cleveland International Auto Show. The black-tie-optional Night of Lights Charity Preview Fundraiser, hosted by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association, takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24 at the I-X Center. Tickets are $250 per person.
Richard M. Bass, Cleveland Auto Show chairman and president of Bass Chevrolet, welcomed the general public to attend Night of Lights. "We'd like the public to come to this premier event," Bass said. "The silent auctions will be super; the food will be phenomenal; the show preview provides a chance to see all the exciting automobiles and concept cars such as the new Chevrolet Camaro; and it's a benefit for three worthy organizations." The March of Dimes, the Epilepsy Association and the Western Reserve Historical Society (and its Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum) will benefit.
... Each charity organization will hold its own silent auction. Items include an acoustic guitar autographed by rock 'n' roll legends Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis; a poster-sized collection of signatures of the "Fifty Greatest NBA Players of All Time"; a framed signature of baseball's Babe Ruth; and an item autographed by golfer Tiger Woods. ...
- Museum exhibit: Cars of rock-n-roll: Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles features cars owned, driven by and traded in by rock stars
By Peter Valdes-Dapena
(CNNMoney.com, February 3 2006)
Cars have a long history in rock music. Ike Turner's 1951 tune "Rocket 88" -- arguably the first rock hit -- was about a high-horsepower Oldsmobile. Unfortunately, cars mentioned in rock-and-roll lyrics rarely correspond to an actual car that one could, say, put on display in a museum. There is no "Little Red Corvette" to go with the Prince song. Ike Turner reportedly never owned, or even drove, an Olds Rocket 88. So, for the "Cars and guitars of rock-and-roll" exhibit opening Saturday at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, curators selected cars that have been owned by rock music celebrities, like a DeTomaso Pantera owned and shot full of holes by Elvis Presley. "We didn't want to have cars in the show that just reflected the artist's wealth," said curator Bob Merlis. To be selected for the exhibit, a car had to tell a story or, at least, be an interesting automobile in and of itself, like the 1948 Delahaye once owned by Elton John, Merlis said. ...
- Photojournalist remembers Coretta Scott King
By Ron Hayes
(Palm Beach Post, February 1 2006)
Photographer Flip Schulke was in New York on April 4, 1968, when he learned that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot to death in Memphis. Schulke immediately called the civil rights leader's widow on the private number at her Atlanta home. "Where are you?" Coretta Scott King asked. "I'm in New York," Schulke said. "You should be here in the house with me," she said, and later that night, he was. Between 1958 and 1972, Schulke photographed 242 assignments for Life magazine. He shot Dwight D. Eisenhower on the campaign trail, Elvis Presley on Miami TV and John F. Kennedy at a football game. ... Burning Love, written by Dennis Linde, was recorded at RCA's Hollywood studios on March 28, 1972, reaching No 2 on the US charts later that year. The song was Elvis's 40th and last top 10 hit on the Billboard chart, and contains the lyrics: "I'm just a hunk, a hunk of burning love, just a hunk, a hunk of burning love". It also contains the lines: "Lord almighty, I feel my temperature rising, higher higher, it's burning through to my soul".
- The Smoking Gun riding high on Frey expose
By Daniel Terdiman, CNET News.com
(zdnet.com, February 1 2006)
Now that best-selling author James Frey has been thoroughly embarrassed by his onetime patron Oprah Winfrey, the muckraking news site The Smoking Gun has secured its place in celebrity takedown history. Early last month, The Smoking Gun exposed the exaggerations in Frey's best-selling memoir "A Million Little Pieces." To say the least, the scoop led to a rough month for the author, culminating with a nationally televised tongue-lashing by Winfrey, who had recommended Frey's book to her audience. What many of Frey's readers probably don't know is just how tiny the news operation that exposed the author is. With only three reporters, the TSG staff is starting to exert an outsize influence on mainstream media. The Frey expose was the latest in a list of celebrity exposes by the New York-based operation, which was acquired by CourtTV in 2001. The reporting team also outed the male star of Fox's "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire" for having a restraining order against him. It was also the first publication to offer readers law enforcement documents in the recent Michael Jackson criminal trial.
... Given the site's influence - -its scoops are often followed by mainstream media outlets throughout the country--some might be surprised to know that all its investigating is done by such a tiny group. In 1997, longtime "Village Voice" reporter Bastone; his wife, graphic designer Barbara Glauber; and freelance journalist Dan Green wanted to start a Web site. Initially, they weren't sure what they wanted the site to be about, but realized it should be related to court documents. "In my reporting career, I spent a lot of time in courthouses," said Bastone, "and I never threw a piece of paper or a file out. We had no idea who the audience would be. We just thought there would be people out there who would find it interesting to look at FBI memos or court documents." The site's first front-page story was about an FBI memo discussing an agent's report about an informant's contentions that Elvis Presley was a cocaine addict. "In retrospect," Bastone said, "it wasn't (very big). But it was what we had." ...
- Shepard urges acceptance: Judy Shepard speaks about tolerance and issues facing the gay community
By Wendy Withers
(usforacle.com, February 1 2006)
When Judy Shepard made it to her son's bedside after 20 hours of traveling to Wyoming, she could barely recognize her firstborn. Matthew Shepard was so deformed from the beating he'd received that she had to base her identification on distinct features, such as a bump on his ear. Shepard spoke on Tuesday night about tolerance and understanding in front of more than 100 students, faculty and community members at the Special Events Center. She covered issues facing the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community and explored ways individuals could combat hate. ... Shepard said all Americans should be able to marry those they love, regardless of orientation. "You can go to Vegas and be married to Elvis and it's all okay, and it's not even really Elvis," Shepard said. "What's the big deal?" ...
- I REMEMBER ELVIS: Wanda Jackson
By Bill Friskics-Warren
(Washington Post, February 1 2006)
Legions of singers cite Elvis as an influence. Few, however, can back up the claim as personally and dramatically as Wanda Jackson, who toured with -- and dated -- Presley in 1955. If that hadn't happened, Jackson, then a teenage honky-tonk singer from Oklahoma, might not have embraced Elvis's fusion of hillbilly music and rhythm and blues and gone on to become the "Queen of Rockabilly." And she certainly was that. In 1957 Jackson went head-to-head with her ex-boyfriend, her feral, growling version of "Let's Have a Party" outstripping the King's. Jackson's unhinged performance on that tune alone is grounds for her overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"I Remember Elvis" would be a worthy tribute if only for the loose-limbed playing of Jackson's band, and for the relish with which she digs into everything from "Mystery Train" to "Heartbreak Hotel." And yet it's more than that. "He took me home in his pink Cadillac," she sings to the bouncing beat of "I Wore Elvis' Ring," the record's one new song. "We sang all our favorite songs/Spinning records all day long." From the snapshots of Jackson and Presley that fill the CD booklet to the unaccompanied recitation that closes the album, the whole package testifies to a formative, if fleeting, friendship. Maybe best of all, it presents a tender, down-to-earth Elvis, the boy "they called ... the Hillbilly Cat long before they called him King."
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