Mid December 2006
- Elvis movies inspire "All Shook Up," a Broadway musical stopping in Seattle
By Misha Berson
(Seattle Times, December 14, 2006)
Conjure Elvis Presley. Do you hear him in your mind singing " Jailhouse Rock" or "Love Me Tender" in that sultry voice? You're not alone. But what one tends to forget is that Elvis was not just a pop superstar. He was also a movie star, who introduced many hit tunes through his 31 feature films. Vintage publicity posters for those flicks are now rock collectibles.
... Largely dismissed by critics, Presley's films have had nowhere near the shelf life of his music. But at least one person held a private Elvis Presley film festival recently: Joe DiPietro, who wrote the Broadway musical "All Shook Up." Now on national tour, it features two dozen popular tunes Elvis recorded and runs tonight through Sunday at the Paramount Theatre. The Presley estate gave its official blessing to "All Shook Up," with one string attached: The show had to be a fictional musical comedy, not a revue or a biographical work.
Now playing: "All Shook Up," presented by Broadway Across America: Seattle, plays through Sunday at the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle; $22-$70 (206-292-ARTS or www.ticketmaster.com or www.broadwayacross america.com).
Given that mandate, DiPietro screened all the Elvis features for inspiration, from "Love Me Tender" (Presley's first movie, released in 1956) to "Change of Habit" (his last, 1969). "They're sort of amazing," DiPietro says. "Elvis was one of the few entertainers who actually created his own film genre. And all but two of his movies made money." Today, the Elvis celluloid canon appeals mainly to those who can't get enough of the E-Man in any format. Most of the pics are scenic but highly formulaic, with Elvis gamely playing, say, a penniless fisherman, a circus roustabout, or a race-car driver, as he serenades and woos one comely starlet after another: Ursula Andress, Stella Stevens, Juliet Prowse ...
DiPietro (the writer-lyricist of the hit Off Broadway musical "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change"), says the Elvis movies "were about beautiful young people falling in and out of love to rock 'n' roll music." But he sees a key distinction between the early releases and what came later. "Early on, like in 'Jailhouse Rock,' Elvis was going for the James Dean, Marlon Brando, rebel thing. "But he was never comfortable with that image of the hip-swiveling rebel rocker. He always viewed himself as a wholesome country boy. It was a very calculated move by his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, to carefully transform Elvis' screen image into something more wholesome." It worked. Such songs as the title track from "Blue Hawaii," cracks DiPietro, could have " been sung by Perry Como." And the relative quality of the flicks declined in time. "Sometimes Elvis worked with great directors and co-stars. By the end it was, 'I want to go to Acapulco for a month - let's make a movie.'"
For "All Shook Up," DiPietro cooked up a plot he believes is "like all of Shakespeare's comedies and Elvis' movies rolled into one." The Bard of Avon meets the King of Graceland? "Sure. These are certainly two artists who reflect Western culture - in different ways, of course." In its 2005 world premiere run on Broadway, "All Shook Up" came on as a genial, tongue-in-cheek romp. Set in 1955, it concerns a hunky drifter who hormonally discombobulates a sleepy little town after he roars in on his motorbike. The show gave a huge boost to the career of the actor who played the Elvis-styled character of Chad: Spokane native Cheyenne Jackson, who had a flourishing stage career in Seattle before hitting it big in New York.
Jackson was praised by critics, but the show itself drew mixed reviews (one dubbed it a "karaoke contest") and lasted barely six months on Broadway. "It came out at a time when the critical community was ready to bash 'jukebox' musicals," suggests DiPietro. "The negative critics made it sound uncool, which is hard to overcome in New York." However, the road version, starring Joe Mandragona as Chad, is selling well - thanks in good measure to a songlist that includes "Don't Be Cruel," "Heartbreak Hotel" and other Elvis faves.
One last question: Of all those Elvis movies, which holds up best? "I'd have to say 'Viva Las Vegas.' It's still fun to watch these two almost freakishly gorgeous people, Elvis and Ann-Margret, fall in love, sing great songs and dance around a ridiculous plot."
- EMI Group Ends Takeover Discussions; Shares Drop (Update5)
By Aisha Phoenix and Edward Evans
(bloomberg.com, December 13, 2006)
EMI Group Plc, the world's third- largest music company, ended talks to be acquired by Permira Advisers LLP after failing to agree on a price, the second time this year that EMI takeover plans collapsed. Shares of EMI had their biggest decline in almost two years after the London-based company said it didn't get a bid "that fully reflects the prospects for and value of the company.'' Permira, manager of Europe's biggest buyout fund, approached EMI last month, said two people with knowledge of the discussions. ...
Beatles, Sinatra
EMI traces its roots to the earliest days of recorded music, at London's Gramophone Company in 1897. The company, which released recordings by tenor Enrico Caruso after the turn of the century, merged with The Columbia Gramophone Company in 1931, forming Electric and Musical Industries, or EMI. During the 1950s EMI released Elvis Presley's first records outside the U.S. and bought Capitol Records, gaining Frank Sinatra, Nat "King'' Cole and Peggy Lee. In 1962 the head of EMI's Parlophone label, George Martin, signed the Beatles. ...
- Elvis piano for sale
By M. Scott Morris
(Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, December 14, 2006)
On Christmas Eve, someone's going to win Elvis Presley's Knabe & Co. grand piano. But it won't come cheap. A fellow from Palm Springs, Calif., has put up $225,100, and that trumps a bid from Atlanta by $100. "We just turned down an offer of $1 million for it," said Daniel Jelladian, CEO of FreeSell.com, where the King's piano is on auction. "The guy called to ask us to stop the auction for $1 million." Jelladian said he expects the piano to fetch more than $2 million, and he has reason to believe.
John Lennon once said, "Before Elvis there was nothing." In this case, before Elvis' piano went on the block, Lennon's sold for $2.08 million. "We're getting people contacting us from all over the world," Jelladian said. "We've gotten e-mails from Japan." The piano is currently at FreeSell.com's headquarters in Fresno, Calif., and it has been in private hands since 1990. Before that, it was housed at the Elvis O-Rama museum in Las Vegas, Jelladian said.
According to a history at www.freesell.com, the piano was built in 1911.
From the 1930s to 1957, it was in Memphis' Ellis Auditorium and Performance Hall, where musical greats such as W.C. Handy, Duke Ellington, Count Basie
and Cab Calloway played it. Elvis bought it in 1957. The authenticity is guaranteed by the seller, and there are signed affidavits, photos and receipts posted at the auction site.
"We've never had an item as important as this piano," Jelladian said.
In the end, there can be only one winner of the auction that ends on Christmas Eve, but take heart because there's still plenty of choice Elvis memorabilia out there."We're planning another auction," Jelladian said. "We also have his guitar and his peacock jumpsuit and the suit he wore in 'Clambake.'"
- More holiday music
(usatoday.com, December 13, 2006)
As a supplement to our critical picks of holiday albums, Ken Barnes and Brian Mansfield add a more comprehensive list of 2006 seasonal releases, with thumbnail descriptions:
... Santa Baby: Eclectic collection of old and new tracks, from songs off Sarah McLachlan and Aimee Mann's current holiday albums to classics by the likes of Tony Bennett, Elvis Presley and Eartha Kitt (the title track). ...
- Gov. Huckabee joins fraternity that once included Reagan, Elvis
By ANDREW DeMILLO
(Pine Bluff Commercial, December 13, 2006)
Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is eying a 2008 presidential bid, has taken a step that probably no other candidate who gets in the race will dare - he joined a fraternity. Huckabee, a Republican, was initiated into the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at a closed-door, one-hour initiation ceremony Tuesday at the governor's mansion. The term-limited governor was approached this year about joining the fraternity, whose former members include two icons from Huckabee's past, Ronald Reagan and Elvis Presley. ...
- Teddy bears get spotlight at party to help the needy Event helps hospitals, firefighters, police
By Valerie Zehl
(Press & Sun-Bulletin, December 13, 2006)
Rich Wilson of Endicott is a professional entertainer who's inviting the public to a Teddy Bear Christmas Party. The stuffed critters will be forwarded to local agencies, who will distribute the bears to children in need.
IF YOU GO
Rich Wilson's second annual Teddy Bear Christmas Party will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday at American Legion Post 82 on Riverview Drive, Endicott. Admission is $10 per person, and Wilson asks that each person also donate a new toy or teddy bear, which will be given to children in times of need through local agencies. To find out more, call him at 786-9629.
ENDICOTT -- Elvis lives!
Well, sort of. He may no longer grace the stage in person, but The King lives on in the hearts of fans and imitators alike -- entertainers like Rich Wilson, for example. And Elvis Presley's far-reaching generosity lives on in those hearts, too -- including that of Wilson, who credits Elvis with backhanded responsibility for Wilson's signature Teddy Bear Christmas Party. "I was doing Elvis impersonations, and people would throw teddy bears at me," says Wilson, who lives with wife Amy and their family in Endicott. He whizzed some of the stuffed animals back at the audience -- and then realized the toys could be put to better use.
Firefighters and police like to have them on the scene when a house blaze or accident traumatizes a child, explains Wilson, 45. Now, several local agencies, hospitals and even hospice programs benefit from a party that's fast becoming an annual local event.
He and wife Amy have been arranging teddy bear Christmas parties for nearly 20 years, but most of them took place in their previous home near Port Jervis. This is Greater Binghamton's second such event, and the American Legion Post 82 in Endicott will once again host the event this Saturday evening. Admission for a night of oldies music and dancing is $10, and bringing a new teddy bear or toy to donate is optional but heartily encouraged.
Last year, the Wilsons hoped for 50 bears and got 200. They're shooting for at least that number this year, and they expect to make it. They've already got about 150 of the little guys stuffed in big bags in their basement, many of them donated as word of Wilson's teddy bear mission party spread throughout the Twin Tiers throughout 2006.
Wilson is one of a unique breed: he's an entertainer by profession and his CD of holiday music, called "It's Christmas Time," proves it. It will be available at the event for $10. usician Sal Crisafi of Little Meadows, Pa., has known the Wilsons for 35 years, including the years when Rich was a radio deejay. "He'd be the warm-up act, then he'd introduce (the stars) and bring them on stage," Crisafi says. Wilson has worked with hundreds of big-name acts, Crisafi says, including Billy Ray Cyrus, Charlie Daniels, Willie Nelson, Martina McBride, Johnny Paycheck, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Alabama and the 1910 Fruitgum Company.
Since Wilson moved here four years ago, he has become popular for his repertoire of tunes from the '50s and '60s. He has also added stage hypnosis to his show. On that aspect of Rich Wilson, however, Elvis Presley has no claim.
- TODAY'S TOP 10 EVENTS - Iconic flattery two times Today's top events: Tributes to Cash and Elvis
By BRIAN McTAVISH
(Kansas City Star, December 13, 2006)
Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash may both be gone - we're still not sure about Elvis, are we? - but the two non-living legends remain as unforgotten as you can get. Their physical absence is assuaged not only by TV and film but also by an array of tribute performers, two of whom appear tonight in Kansas City:
Terry Lee Goffee is the Man in Black in "Train of Love - A Tribute to Johnny Cash" at 7 p.m. at Harrah's Casino in North Kansas City.
Robert Lopez puts his humor-tinged spin on the Presley mystique as El Vez, the "Mexican Elvis," at 8 p.m. at the Grand Emporium, 3832 Main. Can you guess which show is not sold out? Take your time, I'm not going anywhere. If you guessed El Vez - tickets cost $15; call (816) 931-3330 - consider yourself an insightful pop-culture customer. After all, Cash has been gone only a few years, so the heart still pines. And something tells me that a lot of folks are happy to wait for Mr. Jumpsuit to make his own comeback. I mean, why do you think Elvis' bedroom is off limits to tourists at Graceland? Yeah, tell me that. ...
- It's good to be King: Elvis impersonator makes believers out of even suspicious minds
By JACKIE LARSON
(Dallas Morning News , December 12, 2006)
Tell The Colony resident David Allen he's a lot like Elvis Presley, and he'll say, "Thank you, thank you very much." When he was 19, his father, a lifelong Elvis fan, bought a karaoke machine. "He made me sing. ... He crossed his arms, shook his head and said, 'Wow, you sound like Elvis.' " A few weeks later, Mr. Allen entered a contest. It was a turning point. "Elvis is a guy a lot of people look up to," said Mr. Allen ...nI have to say doing this has almost saved my life. I was getting around the wrong kind of people this really put me back in place and gave me something to look forward to." He spent the next eight years perfecting his inner Elvis.
.. "First, you have to be able to sing I'd never been a singer, never sang a day in my life. You've got to have some bass in your voice. And then you have to have it in your body it's got to be in you. You gotta have some rhythm you gotta have rhythm. One of my big things is my moves they're very, very accurate. They're not dramatized. I just try and do them as close as possible to how he did them," he said.
"Everyone asks me, 'How do you do your moves like that?' I watch Elvis," he said. Mr. Allen estimates he has seen Elvis' 1973 TV performance, Aloha From Hawaii, maybe 300 times. "It's an everyday event, watching video on him," he said. "I watch the mannerisms, like any actor does. It takes repetition practice makes perfect. I vocalize every day, try to do as much shaking as possible without getting tired." There's the lip curl and the hip swivel. And somehow, do it all without becoming a caricature.
"A lot of Elvis impersonators are really over the top in doing your Elvis signature-type moves. I'm not I watch the videos of Elvis, whereas a lot of people watch impersonators," he said. He dyes his naturally dark-brown hair blue-black same as Elvis, who dyed his own hair black. In his performances at places like Shuck-a-Peel's in Gun Barrel City and the big Elvis tribute show he recently did in Mesa, Ariz., with two other Elvis impersonators, Mr. Allen concentrates on Elvis' most dynamic Las Vegas years 1969-72. Think "Suspicious Minds."
Mr. Allen's work has earned him numerous honors on the Elvis impersonator circuit. His devotion to his act springs from a deep appreciation for The King himself. "Well, look at the guy who else has done even half what he did. ... He now makes more money than he ever did," Mr. Allen said. "Elvis is the king of rock 'n' roll, and he always will be. He was 40 to 50 years before his time. He was unchoreographed, and he was great at what he did. "I wasn't even born when Elvis died that shocks a lot of people, that I spend so much time with it and have the love that I do for it," he said. "It's not normal."
Even his day job is Elvis-related. He started David Allen Productions, a company that makes stage jumpsuits and casual wear similar to what Elvis wore. "For the Elvis impersonator, there's a couple things an Elvis wants sideburns, hair, a jumpsuit," he said. "Everything you need to be an impersonator, we can dress you in." With his business, Mr. Allen is looking ahead to days when he's older than the real Elvis was when he died in 1977. "There will be a time in my life where I won't be 27 anymore, and I'll need something to lean back on. Hopefully, that will be it." Like any great Elvis, Mr. Allen has an entourage. There's also a fan club. They're a loyal group, said Bette Gurczewski, owner of Shuck-a-Peels, where Mr. Allen is a monthly staple. "We'll have as many as 175 reservations when he performs, which is a lot for us we're not a big place," she said, noting that he appeals to adults and kids. "He does a great job as Elvis he sounds like him, has the moves like him, and his costuming is fantastic."
Laverne Langley lives in Tool, Texas. She estimates she has more than 40 Elvis albums. She saw Elvis live in Dallas and Fort Worth, and she's visited Graceland, the late legend's home in Memphis, several times.
And she has become one of Mr. Allen's more devoted fans "I think he's a very nice person he's a good singer, and he dances around good, too," she said. "He's a good Elvis."
- ELVIS GAVE HIS RING TO KEEP COUPLE TOGETHER
(contactmusic.com, December 12, 2006)
ELVIS PRESLEY gave his one-of-a-kind diamond wedding ring to his stepbrother's wife in an effort to save their marriage. The ring, which is being auctioned off in Hollywood later this week (14-15 DEC 06), has an amazing back story that suggests The King was so opposed to divorce after going through his own marriage split, he did everything he could to save other family members' unions. Profiles In History auction house boss JOSEPH M MADDALENA, who hopes the ring will fetch between $100,000 (GBP57,100) and $150,000 (GBP76,900), admits he was touched when he heard of Presley's generosity. He explains, "Elvis called his stepbrother and his wife ANGELA into a mediation six months before he died and he gave her his wedding ring as a token of his affection. He told them why they shouldn't get a divorce. "Unfortunately, Elvis' intervention didn't work and the two later split. Angela kept the ring and then gave it to the now defunct Elvis Presley Museum in the 1980s. My co-signer bought it from the museum after it closed its doors a decade ago." And, whereas many auction houses struggle to get authenticity for items like this, Maddalena was inundated with letters. He adds, "It (ring) has a letter from Angela, her ex, the jeweller who made the ring and delivered it to Elvis at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. "I even have a letter from Elvis' best man JOE ESPOSITO who oversaw the wedding ceremony in a freight elevator at the Aladdin."
- In classic children's tale, an actress comes of age
By JOSEPH V. AMODIO
(Newsday, December 12, 2006)
As anyone who's read the book can tell you, "Charlotte's Web" is a story about Wilbur the pig and a spider named Charlotte. Fern, the little girl who saves Wilbur from certain death at the start of the tale, spends most of the rest of it out of the picture. Which may be all well and good from author E.B. White's perspective, but when you've snagged a major child actor and box office draw like Dakota Fanning to play the role, you better beef it up and give the girl some screen time.
... Is it any wonder that Fanning is the one with Oscar buzz today over her "Hound Dog" role? The film is a gritty, dark indie film set in the deep South of the 1950s. Fanning plays an impoverished girl who sings and dances like Elvis Presley, and who in one scene - a scene everyone will be talking about after the film debuts at Sundance - gets raped. ... Not since young actresses Brooke Shields and Jodie Foster played prostitutes (in "Pretty Baby" and "Taxi Driver," respectively) has casting generated such commotion. "A show business shocker," pronounced CNN's Brooke Anderson on "Showbiz Tonight." Others lamented the loss of childhood, questioning whether 12-year-olds should be allowed to act in such violent scenes. (Fanning's scene is reportedly shot from the shoulders up.) Fanning is much more sanguine about it. ...
- Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's trump card
(Manila Times, December 12, 2006)
IF former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had his metallic silver hair and Elvis Presley flair to raise his popular stock, his successor Shinzo Abe has an even bigger trump card in a former pop radio deejay who just happens to be his wife. ...
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