late January 2007
Go to coverage of the Parkes Elvis Revival Festival
- Elvis Will Never Amount to Much
(Memphis Flyer, January 30, 2007)
Time magazine has now made its complete archives available online, and it's interesting to see what that venerable publication first thought of some of the biggest stars of our day. It turns out: Not much. Here, for example, is their April 2, 1956, mention of a young singer from Memphis by the name of Elvis Presley. Time was pretty certain he would never amount to much of nothin'. Elvis Presley: "Heartbreak Hotel" (Elvis Presley, Victor Records). A new singer with a new twist: a double voice that alternates between a high, unpleasant quaver, reminiscent of Johnnie Ray at his fiercest, and a rich basso that might be smooth if it were not for its spasmodic delivery. "Heartbreak Hotel," yelps the high voice, is where he's going to get away from it all. Answers the basso: "He'll be sorry."
Meanwhile, that same music reviewer called Joyce Bradley (who?) "a voice of sanity in a live-for-tonight era," and a group called the Hi-Lo's "just about the most virtuoso vocal quartet on records." Other reviews by Time in the same article cited Bill Haley as "primitive to the point of idiocy," and Pat Boone as a "virile but slack-jawed crooner." Yep, Time magazine could sure pick 'em. More?
- The Elvis Years: 1957
From Robert Fontenot,
(Oldies Music, January 29, 2007)
Documenting the life and career of history's most popular (and, many say, best) entertainer is a daunting task, because everything Elvis touched and everything he did seemed to make history by dint of his unprecedented fame. So I've taken the time to create a series that breaks The King's life up into one big year-by-year timetable, in order to better understand the forces that led to his rise and fall.
1957 saw Elvis Presley move quickly from American superstar to international phenomenon -- yet forces were already at work to neutralize and control the King. The year of "Jailhouse Rock," Graceland, and "Ed Sullivan" from the waist up proved also to sow the seeds of personal tragedy and professional crises.
- The softer side to modern male dressing
(Yahoo! News / AFP, January 27, 2007)
The crossover between male-female dressing was again in evidence on Saturday [in Paris] as designers presented for next winter modern masculine elegance also in touch with its feminine side. While androgyny in fashion comes and goes, Belgian designers Dries van Noten and Kris van Assche both created looks that were at once overtly strong and masculine while dipping into the woman's wardrobe. The result was a softening around the edges.
With its 1980s overtones, van Noten rounded off his dynamic autumn-winter 2007-08 wardrobe of two-tone fabrics, bomber jackets and long sheer sweaters by loosely tying silk print scarves around models' shoulders. "I think that's really part of elegance, I think 'why not'. You can easily mix masculine and feminine elements in a collection, like extremely shiny shoes," the designer, known for his use of dark colour palettes, said backstage. Yellow accents and upturned collars added further definition to the collection which van Noten described as "a very contemporary look. ... In his brief programme note, Kris van Assche waxed lyrical about a "tough guy with a tender heart". In fact, what he sent out did evoke a sense of outer macho utility, hiding a softer, more poetic side within. ... But with romantic Elvis Presley classics crooning in the background, he wove in the more sensitive touch of embroidery that sparingly twinkled on a white shirt, tiny holster-like waistcoats, a lime green tie, and even beads or a tiara. ...
- A look at Hollywood's history with singers and rappers
(mtv.com, January 26, 2007)
... Normally, when a pop star makes a foray into the movies, their roots perpetually show. While Elvis Presley starred in 31 films between 1956 and 1969 (!!!), nobody ever took him seriously as an actor, probably because the King never really tried to act. Whatever role he was playing, be it ex-con/singer Vince Everett in "Jailhouse Rock" (1957), soldier/singer Tulsa McLean in "G.I. Blues" (1960), boxer/singer "Kid Galahad" (1962) or race-car driver/singer in a buncha films including "Viva Las Vegas" (1964) and "Speedway" (1968), the emphasis was always on the singing (and hip-shaking, of course). ...
- Florida GOP elects Crist ally as leader
By BETH REINHARD
(Miami Herald, January 26, 2007)
Gov. Charlie Crist's handpicked party leader belted out an Elvis Presley classic, a performance hard to imagine by the former chairwoman, whose hair is always pulled back into a tight bun and topped with a large bow. Jim Greer's rock-and-roll stylings at a GOP reception in Orlando on Friday evening captured the changing of the guard, leaving no doubt as to Crist's position in Florida politics as both the ''The King'' and the kingmaker. ...
- Biz mogul Sillerman in tune with "Idol," Elvis
By Georg Szalai
(Yahoo! News / Reuters / Hollywood Reporter, January 26, 2007)
CCKX Inc. has been flying under the radar despite owning stakes in some of the biggest pop culture icons of our time, including "American Idol," Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali and soccer star David Beckham.
Shares of the company, led by chairman and CEO Robert F.X. Sillerman, have risen 10.6% this year, meaning its market capitalization stood at $1.2 billion as of Thursday -- higher than that of, say, film concern Lions Gate Entertainment.
Sillerman, who grew up in the Bronx, ran former radio station group SFX Broadcasting in the 1990s. After its sale, he built live entertainment firm SFX Entertainment, which he sold to Clear Channel Communications in 2000 for $4.4 billion. (The firm is now part of recent Clear Channel spinoff Live Nation.)
CKX has come a long way, too. Called Sports Entertainment Enterprises Inc. in the late '80s, it operated a franchise retail golf equipment business and golf training facility, which it ended up selling. On February 7, 2005, an investor group led by Sillerman acquired control of the company and simultaneously bought 85% of the entity that controls the name and likeness of Elvis Presley and related assets.
The firm then changed its name to CKX. According to the company's Web site, the "C" and "K" stand for "Content is King." The "X" stands for the "F.X." in Sillerman's name (he won't say what that stands for).
The company's 19 Entertainment division, with "American Idol," accounted for $134.9 million of CKX's revenues of $177.8 million during the first nine months of 2006. CKX reported profits for the nine months of $19.8 million, compared with $747,000 a year earlier.
Sillerman recently discussed the company's strategy, its financial and stock outlook and potential future deals.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: "AMERICAN IDOL" AND DAVID BECKHAM HAVE BEEN IN THE NEWS AND CREATING BUZZ EARLY THIS YEAR. BUT CKX HAS BEEN STAYING OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT. DOES THAT BOTHER YOU OR IS THIS BY DESIGN?
Robert Sillerman: One of our responsibilities to our partners given that they are the stars is that we don't think it's important to be front page. I don't think the average person or soccer fan really cares who was responsible for expediting David Beckham's move to the U.S. Nobody's going to watch "American Idol" because we own it. We're pretty sanguine about that.
THR: DOES ALL THE BUZZ BODE WELL FOR CKX'S FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AND STOCK PERFORMANCE THIS YEAR?
Sillerman: We don't issue forecasts. But clearly, what "American Idol" has demonstrated beyond any reasonable shadow of a doubt is that it's part of the American culture. I'm not so bold as to say as we're heading into Super Bowl XLI (that) we'll see "American Idol XLI." But I sure wouldn't be surprised. And that sort of staying power has to bode well for our company. Similarly, on the David Beckham deal, we are partners with David on virtually all revenue streams. It is a spectacular deal for David, and it's also a meaningful event for CKX. Does that bode well for the performance of the stock? Who knows what contributes to stock prices these days. But this certainly bodes well for the revenue and the income of the company. That's for sure.
THR: LAST YEAR, YOUR STOCK WAS DOWN (9.8%) DESPITE THE SUCCESS OF "IDOL." WHAT DO YOU THINK DRIVES YOUR STOCK? AND HOW DO YOU FIT INTO THE LANDSCAPE OF ENTERTAINMENT STOCKS?
Sillerman: I don't know how to compare us to other companies, because frankly there really isn't anyone that is set up quite like us. Certainly, we're a pure content company, and consequently those people who have acquired our stock believe, as we do, that in this increasingly splintered, fragmented world, premiere content, that class AAAA content, is going to be increasingly more valuable.
THR: THE FIRST TWO LETTERS OF CKX STAND FOR "CONTENT IS KING." IS THAT MANTRA EVEN MORE THE CASE IN THE DIGITAL WORLD?
Sillerman: The definition of what it takes to be a hit these days, to have continuity in this marketplace, is becoming smaller and smaller and smaller. It's also axiomatic that in an environment where there are so many choices, the things that don't need to be explained (have an advantage). If Fox introduces a new TV show, they have to explain it. If there is a new sports star, he has to position himself. If you say "American Idol," virtually anybody in America knows what you mean. If you say Elvis Presley, you say Muhammad Ali or in the rest of the world, you say David Beckham, instantly people know what that represents. We have the advantage of being in business where there is no time wasted on defining them.
THR: TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT BECKHAM'S REPORTED $250 MILLION FIVE-YEAR DEAL AND HOW CKX BENEFITS FINANCIALLY.
Sillerman: It actually has the possibility to be even bigger than as reported. He could well turn out to be the most highly paid (team) athlete of all time. We're partners with David and Victoria in their business deals. We announced today a fragrance with David and Victoria that is a his and hers perfume so to speak, which is a pretty intriguing thing. There's more and more to come.
THR: DO YOU EXPECT ANY FILM OR TV DEALS FOR THE BECKHAMS?
Sillerman: I wouldn't rule anything out. Nothing specific (I can say).
THR: THERE ARE NO ANALYSTS COVERING CKX ON WALL STREET.
WHY?
Sillerman: There was a conscious decision on the company's part. When it came out, it was a very small company. We made a conscious decision to actually not engage Wall Street analysts in conversation. As we were getting to know the company and understand the assets, even though we paid good money for them, we didn't really think we knew them well enough to be able to discuss what we thought the future possibilities were. We did have some plans, but we really didn't have enough. I think in the next six months, you're actually going to see Wall Street analysts pick up coverage of the stock. We have been responsive to their inquiries, whereas throughout 2005 and 2006, we did not engage them.
THR: MANY COMPANIES HAVE BEEN GOING PRIVATE AS THEY HAVE OBVIOUSLY SEEN NO BENEFIT IN BEING PUBLIC. WHAT ABOUT CKX?
Sillerman: In our case, we think the opposite. With some of the things we have done and some of the things we're about to do, there is actually a value in having a public currency. So, for the time being, we think that there is value. It does give us access to capital.
THR: AND WHEN YOU SAY CURRENCY, YOU MEAN YOU COULD USE STOCK IN SOME KIND OF DEAL ...
Sillerman: Correct.
THR: YOU PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THE BECKHAM FRAGRANCE. HOW IS THE TREND FOR BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT AND CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS
HELPING YOUR BUSINESS? IS THIS A GROWING REVENUE STREAM?
Sillerman: I absolutely think it is. The days of just somebody holding up a can of something and saying "I consume this" still exist. But we are all seeing the trend where someone is actually doing the George Foreman grill or the David Beckham fragrance. I think that's a better use of celebrity. It probably has gone too far down the food chain, where there are people who are trying to do that who probably don't have the visibility or recognition to do it. We have access to people who can do it.
THR: CKX HAS TAKEN STAKES IN SOME OF THE BIGGEST CELEBRITY ICONS EVER. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT TO PAY AND IN WHOM TO TAKE A
STAKE?
Sillerman: With our definition, it really is two relatively simple things. First of all, they have to have achieved recognition beyond just the area, in which they ply their trade. Muhammad Ali is not a boxer, David Beckham is not a footballer, "American Idol" is not just a television show or talent contest and, obviously, Elvis Presley is not just a rocker. They mean something. Second of all, they have to have a broad enough presence, so that they have not only gone beyond the boundaries of where they have achieved their fame, but that extension has to be broad and ubiquitous. There is no numerator for that. I can't say that they have to be known by 50% or 80%or 90%. It's sort of like the definition of pornography. I don't know what it is, but I know it when I see it.
- ALL THINGS ELVIS: One covers early Presley, the other does Vegas
By ED CONDRAN
(Asbury Park Press, January 26, 2007)
Considering his enduring legend, it's not surprising that it takes more than one singer to portray Elvis Presley. Longtime Elvis impersonators Mike Albert and Scot Bruce will share the Count Basie Theatre stage Saturday at the third annual Elvis Birthday Bash. The King of Rock 'n' Roll would have turned 72 on Jan. 8. "I can only imagine what he would be doing," Albert said while calling from his Columbus, Ohio, home. "I think he would have gone back to his roots and sung more gospel songs. We'll never know what Elvis would have done. But we have his songs."
Albert has been paying tribute to his hero for 16 years. "I love doing this since Elvis' songs are so diverse," he said. "You can do a show and not repeat yourself. For instance, if I did "Kentucky Rain' at a show a year ago, I don't have to do that one again. Instead, I can do "In the Ghetto' since those two songs are kind of interchangeable. I love doing all of these different songs. The audience loves that I do all these different Elvis songs, but my band hates me for it. I do the Vegas-era Elvis, and I'm so passionate about it."
Bruce, who evokes the image and sound of the rockabilly Elvis from the '50s, was inspired to impersonate the icon in order to make ends meet. "It's not easy being an actor/musician," he said. "You do what you can to get by, and this helped me so much. But I have such a passion for his music. He made people go crazy and for good reason. Elvis is a true phenomenon."
Don't expect Albert or Bruce to act as if either actually are Presley. "That would be strange," Albert said. "We don't talk in the first person as if we are Elvis. We're just out doing a tribute to a guy, who had something that no one else will ever have."
Even though Presley has been ubiquitous ever since he emerged more than 50 years ago, Albert believes he has been white-hot because the King was underexposed. "It seems as if Elvis was everywhere, but he wasn't," he said. "That's part of the reason he was so big. When he did his movies for all of those years, he didn't perform live. That's part of the reason why his 1968 comeback (TV) special was so huge. He didn't do the "Today Show' or "The Tonight Show.' There was a certain mystique about him. That's part of the reason people are still starving for him today. They couldn't get enough of him during his heyday, and they can't get enough of him now."
The torch has been passed by the Presley fans who experienced his salad days to their children. "There are so many young people at the shows," Albert said. "Kids come out and they get it. The music is that powerful and wonderful. Kids can connect to "Jailhouse Rock' and "Love Me Tender.' Those songs just don't go out of style."
- Elvis' drummer from '50s and '60s on tour with tribute artists
By TIFFANY ARNOLD
(Herald Mail, January 25, 2007)
D.J. Fontana, the Louisiana-born drummer who gave "Jailhouse Rock" its signature hip-swaying thump, has no qualms about accompanying an Elvis tribute artist live on stage. "Elvis would be proud," said Fontana, who was Elvis Presley's drummer in the 1950s and 1960s. "He would say the best thing is when someone sings one of your songs. That's a compliment."
Fontana, 75, is a special guest on "The Elvis Birthday Tribute" tour, which will make its last stop Saturday at The Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown. Organizers said the show will belatedly celebrate the 72nd anniversary of Elvis' birth. The King of Rock 'n' Roll was born Jan. 8, 1935.
The nine-city tour features Shawn Klush and Donny Edwards. "They're some of the best tribute artists in the business," said Fontana in a phone interview from Louisville, Ky., a few hours before a performance there. The Elvis tribute artists say they're lucky to be playing with the folks who actually knew and played with Elvis. The Sweet Inspirations, Elvis' backup singers in the '70s, also toured with the show, but they will not be performing in Hagerstown on Saturday.
"The neat part about it all is I've gained their respect. I mean, they worked with the guy and they have enough respect for me to stand on the same stage and try to fill this guy's shoes," said Klush, a 37-year-old tribute artist from Scranton, Pa. "And to top it all off, they're nice."
While Fontana didn't want to share any stories, Klush said there were plenty of Elvis stories that floated around on the tour. "In a positive light, there was a lot of BS on the road," Klush said, jokingly. He remembered one he heard about how Elvis drove around Memphis, Tenn., donating money and groceries to people he read about in the newspaper. "I think he would want to be remembered as a normal guy who wanted to share what he had," Klush said. "You know - you cut him, he bleeds."
As for the tour, Klush said Fontana is the real star of the show and deserves credit in rock 'n' roll history. "This guy was the first rock 'n' roll drummer," Klush said. But Fontana was not worried about that. "We'll, that's what they say," Fontana said. "Maybe I was. I don't claim to be. I did like to get it charged up though." ...
If you go ...
WHAT: The Elvis Birthday Tribute, a concert featuring Elvis' former drummer D.J. Fontana and tribute artists Shawn Klush and Donny Edwards.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27. The show lasts about two hours.
WHERE: The Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown
COST: $34 to $54
MORE: Contact The Maryland Theatre for ticket information by calling 301-790-3500 or visiting MDTheatre.org.
- Film explores Elvis-LDS link
By Rodger L. Hardy
(Deseret Morning News, January 25, 2007)
Even the King had a spiritual side. And that's the side writer/director Rob Diamond explores in his new film about Elvis Presley's sojourn into the Book of Mormon. "Tears of a King" may hit theaters in August, the 30th anniversary of Presley's death of an overdose of prescription drugs. But at the 6th annual LDS Film Festival last week, film executives showed just the trailer, then spent about an hour discussing Presley's search for spirituality and the loss of his wife and daughter.
"It was a spiritual experience making it," said Kels Goodman, director of photography. The entire crew felt the experience - "it was the most I've ever seen," Goodman said. "We were all tired but we were carried from one place to another." Diamond said he gave respect to both Elvis and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in making the film. Presley's well-marked copy of the Book of Mormon, now kept in the LDS Church archives, is used in the film, but filmmakers had to film those scenes in the church historical department.
Cricket Butler, a fan of both Elvis and The Osmonds, gave Presley a copy of the Book of Mormon, Presley read it and when he died, Butler received the copy back, complete with Presley's notes, Alan Osmond told the Deseret Morning News. Butler, in turn, gave it to Osmond, who had her sign that it was authentic. He then gave it to Elder Rex Pinegar, then a church general authority and a relative by marriage, who put it in the archives in 1989. Osmond said Pinegar made a copy of the book, which Osmond sent to Presley's daughter. "I don't have a copy," Osmond said. However, he is building a Web site with some of Presley's quotes: www.elvisbofm.com. ...
- Elvis' stepbrother in town to prep for crusade
By Wayne Crenshaw
(Macon Telegraph, January 25, 2007)
Rick Stanley doesn't mind in the least when people refer to him as Elvis Presley's stepbrother. His mission in life - bringing people, especially the young, to Christ - is bigger than his ego, he says. "I'm thankful," Stanley said. "I'm 53, and I've been Elvis Presley's stepbrother for 46 years. For what I do as a minister, it opens a lot of doors."
Speaking at Chef Audrey's Bistro in Centerville on Wednesday, Stanley recounted how his mother met Elvis' widowed father, Vernon, when the rock 'n' roll star was in the Army, stationed in Germany. Stanley, then six years old, and his two brothers had been in foster care because his real father was an alcoholic, and was abusive when he drank. "She said, 'Boys, I divorced your father and married this man, Vernon Presley,'" Stanley recalled.
Not long after that the 25-year-old Elvis was released from the Army. That's when Stanley moved into Graceland, where the wildly popular singer had ordered his famed entourage, dubbed "the Memphis Mafia," to purchase an obscene amount of toys for young Stanley and his brothers. Elvis welcomed them as if they were part his natural family, Stanley remembered. "He said, 'I've always wanted a little brother, now I've got three,' " Stanley said. "He was the kindest man I've ever known."
... Stanley's role in the crusade is to speak at schools, telling the story of his own teenage drug abuse and alcoholism, along with what he witnessed of Elvis' struggles with addiction. It was after Elvis died that Stanley really started rethinking his own life, he says. A few weeks after the star's death, Stanley went to visit his future wife, Robyn, a devout Christian.
... He recalled getting a phone call from Robyn one night before Elvis died. "She said, 'I had a dream that you died,' and she was crying," Stanley said. He told Elvis about the call. "He said, 'Those are the people that care.' Eight hours later he died. Those are the last words he ever said to me."
- Sympathy for the Devil: Dead Rock Stars Sell Their Souls
By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES
(abcnews.go.com, January 24, 2007)
Jimi Hendrix's Image Will Adorn A New Energy Drink, But Some Profits Go to Charity
In the booming energy drink business, one newcomer promises to help clear the purple haze around your brain: "Liquid Experience" will carry the iconic image of Jimi Hendrix, who died of a drug overdose after a short-lived, rock-studded career. The non-alcoholic drink - produced by New-Zealand based Beverage Concepts and due to hit the market in April - is just one of many products from cars to baby clothing that are capitalizing on the star power of aging or dead rockers.
Celebrity and estate sales accounted for $3.5 billion in licensing ventures in the U.S. and Canada this year, according to Licensing Letter, a tip sheet that provides industry data for executives. "Celebrities and estates are getting stronger - it's not just dead rock stars," said publisher Ira Mayer, a baby boomer who says he watched Hendrix's last performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" in 1970. "We all have our own audiences and emotional connections." Though Hendrix doesn't make Forbes magazine's Top-Earning Dead Celebrities, Hendrix's estate still made $6 million in 2004. The richest dead rock star is Kurt Cobain, with an annual income of $50 million, followed by Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, George Harrison and Bob Marley. ...
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