late July 2007
- News Tip: Elvis' Mixed Legacy in the Black Community: Thirty years after his death, Elvis is remembered for his icon status, not for musical contributions
(Duke University, July 26, 2007)
As the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death approaches, an expert on black popular culture says that Elvis' enduring legacy among fans both black and white has more to do with his display of "unbridled white male sexuality" than his music.
Mark Anthony Neal, an author and associate professor at Duke University, says some in the black community resented Elvis because he made his fortune popularizing black musical forms and because of a myth that he thought blacks were inferior.
"Elvis, in his own way, attempted to show some sort of respect for the musical forms that he was essentially exploiting," Neal says. "There is no concrete evidence of him being a racist."
Elvis, who died Aug. 16, 1977, enjoyed and was influenced by black music, Neal says. "He emerged at a time when the practice of covers was very prominent. The black version of a song was marketed to black audiences and the white version was marketed to white audiences. 'Take 'Hound Dog.' Everyone knows that Big Mama Thornton recorded the song before Elvis did. What Elvis showed was that you could have a white artist who could record black music and be successful with it.
"He was simply the person that helped popularize rhythm and blues, as well as rock-a-billy and country." Neal says Elvis' popularity, including the proliferation of impersonators and the suggestion that he may still be alive, are about Elvis "the package and the icon" rather than his work as a musician.
"He didn't change the musical landscape. Elvis wasn't an innovator. He didn't bring anything musical to the table. He simply popularized derivatives of R&B and country," Neal says.
- Elvis: The King Has Left the Building But Not the Radio
From Corey Deitz
(radio.about.com, July 26, 2007)
Even though Elvis Presley has been gone since August 16, 1977, his music has never left the radio. Besides still being played on local stations with Oldies formats, Elvis hits have found new life on Internet radio stations, on Satellite Radio and even in Podcasts.
- TV Land Immortalizes 'The King' and Erects Life-Sized Sculpture of Elvis Presley in Honolulu, Hawaii
Source: TV Land
(Yahoo! Business / PRNewswire, July 26, 2007)
Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, TV Land's Larry W. Jones and Legendary DJ and Concert Promoter Tom Moffatt on Hand at Statue Unveiling TVLand.com to Feature Dedication Footage From Unveiling on Friday, July 27
TV Land and the city of Honolulu today honored Elvis Presley with a life-sized bronze sculpture which portrays the King of Rock 'n' Roll as he appeared in his historic 1973 Aloha from Hawaii concert and pays tribute to him during the 30th Anniversary year of his passing. The statue dedication took place among a crowd of hundreds of people at The Neal S. Blaisdell Center, formerly The Honolulu International Center, the site of this concert. Larry W. Jones, President of TV Land, was joined at the unveiling by Honolulu's Mayor Mufi Hannemann and Tom Moffatt, a former DJ and famed concert promoter who was closely associated with Elvis.
"Elvis Presley single-handedly changed the face of music," explains Jones. "He touched an entire generation of people, and TV Land hopes that this statue will serve as a reminder of his amazing legacy which continues to endure." "Elvis was more than an idol to the people of Hawaii, he was an adopted son," said Mufi Hannemann, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu. "This monument of the King not only commemorates Aloha from Hawaii -- one of the greatest performances of his career -- but symbolizes his contributions to the Arizona Memorial, support for tourism and the movie and TV industries, and his genuine aloha for our people. Hawaii loves Elvis Presley." ...
- Elvis statue will be lei-less in Hawaii
By Wayne Harada
(Honolulu Advertiser, July 25, 2007)
When a life-sized statue of Elvis Presley is unveiled in front of the Blaisdell Arena tomorrow, you'll see the iconic pop star in stage regalia, wearing his beaded and studded show jumpsuit and in a singing pose. But he won't be decked out in lei, which traditionally has been part of his "look" in the Islands.
"When you make sculpture, there are, alas, some technical limitations," said Ivan Schwartz, founder and director of Brooklyn-based StudioEIS, which was commissioned by cable channel TV Land to create the memorial. The statue pays tribute to Presley's "Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii" 1973 satellite concert from the site, and also coincides with the 30th anniversary of Presley's death on Aug. 16, 1977. The texture of a lei does not translate well into bronze, said
Schwartz. ...
- OK, who REALLY wrote that song?
(CNN / AP, July 25, 2007)
Of all the names in music, Chantal Kreviazuk may be the least likely to appear in a headline. Though she recently released her own album, the songwriter usually stays behind the scenes to pen hits with artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne. But earlier this month, Kreviazuk rocked the pop music world by suggesting that Lavigne was a collaborator in name only. Although she quickly retracted her comments and others defended Lavigne, the flap illuminated a long-standing fraud that has become more prevalent than ever: "singer-songwriters" who do much less songwriting than their publicists would have you believe.
... This being the music industry, money is of course a factor, since the writers of hit songs can earn more than the singer over the long term. But today's singers also press for writing credit because it gives them more of a cachet, presenting them as more of a "real artist" in comparison with a star who doesn't write a note "It's a practice that's been going on but now it's really prevalent in every situation," says songwriter Adonis Shropshire, who helped pen the hit "My Boo" for Alicia Keys and Usher, and has worked with Chris Brown, Ciara and others. Shropshire says that many artists will only allow songwriters to work on an album in return for song credit, and "if they do write, they ask for more publishing than they honestly contributed ... it is the way it is."
The practice has been prevalent for decades. Elvis Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, maneuvered to give the King songwriting credits on early hits like "Love Me Tender" even though he never wrote a word. James Brown was sued by an associate over song credits. Lauryn Hill settled a lawsuit by a group that claimed she improperly took sole production and writing credit on her Grammy-winning album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." And Diddy seemed to acknowledge claims that he wasn't really writing his raps in the "Bad Boys for Life" song with the brushoff line: "Don't worry if I write rhymes, I write checks!"
The notion that serious artists have to write their own songs seems to have grown over the past two decades. Today, even the fluffiest of pop acts is credited as having written their own material. ...
- In step with The King: Allison Orr loves Elvis tender, so much that she's reprising her tribute to the late superstar
By Jeanne Claire Van Ryzin
(Austin360.com / AMERICAN-STATESMAN, July 25, 2007)
Allison Orr really, truly likes Elvis Presley.
'The King and I'
When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, Aug. 2-18
Where: Arts on Real, 2826 Real St.
Cost: $15-$20 in advance, $25 day of show
Special show: Tribute performance on the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death, 8 p.m. Aug. 16. Guest appearance by Mayor Will Wynn. Post-show party with Elvis-inspired food. Tickets: $50 ($30 for party only). Tickets must be purchased in advance.
ALLISON ORR'S ELVIS MIX
Her favorite 14 Elvis recordings and the albums from which they came, in ideal mix-tape order:
1. 'Intro' ('Live at Madison Square Garden')
2. 'That's All Right' ('Elvis Presley: The King of Rock 'n' Roll ‹ The Complete '50s Masters')
3. 'Blue Moon of Kentucky' ('Elvis Presley: The King of Rock 'n' Roll ‹ The Complete '50s Masters')
4. 'Suspicious Minds' ('Platinum: A Life in Music')
5. 'In The Ghetto' ('Platinum: A Life in Music')
6. 'If I Can Dream' ('Platinum: A Life in Music')
7. 'Words' ('Platinum: A Life in Music')
8. 'The Wonder Of You' ('Platinum: A Life in Music')
9. 'Hurt' ('From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee')
10. 'I Was The One' ('Platinum: A Life in Music')
11. 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' ('Platinum: A Life in Music')
12. 'The Sound Of Your Cry' ('Platinum: A Life in Music')
13. 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' ('Platinum: A Life in Music')
14. 'Release Me' ('Platinum: A Life in Music')
Sung Park
FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Dancer Allison Orr (zippered leather vest) of Forklift Dance Company
with Elvis impersonator Donnie Roberts as part of her show 'The King and I'
which is Inspired by the music of Elvis Presley.
- Briefs: Reese's goes bananas for the King
(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 25, 2007)
Hershey is honoring the King this summer with the Reese's Peanut Butter & Banana Creme Cups starring Elvis Presley. The cups, which come in four different wrappers featuring images of Presley, celebrate his love of peanut butter and banana sandwiches with a thin layer of banana creme combined with Reese's peanut-butter centers. The wrappers also feature the "Live Like the King" instant-win promotion. One grand-prize winner will receive an overhauled, custom-designed 1957 Cadillac inspired by Elvis' pink Cadillac. Other prizes include a trip for four to Graceland in Memphis, Tenn.; a scarf owned by Elvis; a cancelled check signed by Elvis; and Elvis-themed sunglasses, license plates and more. ...
- Project fit for a King, perhaps
By Arnold M. Knightly
(RGT Online / Las Vegas Gaming Wire, July 24, 2007)
Elvis lives. At least along part of the south Strip. A real estate company with licensing rights to the estate of Elvis Presley, which recently took complete control of 18 acres on the southeast corner of Harmon Avenue and the Strip, plans to develop a mixed-used project stretching from the Harley-Davidson Cafe to the Smith & Wollensky building just north of the MGM Grand.
The company, New York-based FX Luxury Realty, said an Elvis theme will play a part. "We intend to pursue a retail, hotel, casino and residential project on that property," said Ed Tagliaferri, spokesman for FX Luxury. "It is likely the property will be used, in part for an Elvis-themed development given that Elvis was the embodiment of Las Vegas." The company did not release a time for any development. ...
- Viva Las Vegas! Elvis' First Vegas Venue on Auction Block; Los Angeles-Based Great American Group To Conduct Auction
(Yahoo! Business / BUSINESS WIRE, July 24, 2007)
Assets of Historic Frontier Hotel on Sale July 26
The New Frontier Hotel, where Elvis Presley's first Las Vegas performances were held, will go on the auction block July 26, 10 a.m. (PST) as the historic casino has been closed to make way for a new hotel property. A live webcast auction will be available at www.greatamerican.com. The auction of the property assets will be conducted by the Great American Group, a leading asset conversion company based in Los Angeles. Great American also handled the auction of the Stardust Hotel in November 2006 and the Nevada Landing casino, Jean, Nevada, in July 2007.
The auction will include all of the assets of the property including signage, tables, and commemorative cards and dice from the gaming rooms, as well as equipment from the restaurants, hotel and facility. Elvis appeared at the New Frontier from April 23-May 9, 1956. During those two weeks, the single "Heartbreak Hotel" and his first album, "Elvis Presley" both hit number one on the billboard pop charts. The Frontier also was the site of the final concert of Diana Ross and the Supremes, on January 14, 1970, and was home for long-time Vegas superstars Siegfried and Roy for the debut of their "Beyond Belief" spectacular. ...
- Love him tender
(montgomeryadvertiser.com, July 24, 2007)
Aug. 16 marks the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. Are you a fan? Tell us why you "love him tender" and why you think his legacy continues to endure. Also, share photos of you with your Elvis memorabilia, trips taken to Graceland -- anything that shows your admiration for "the King." Send your e-mail to music@montgomeryadvertiser.com.
- Tell us about your encounter with Elvis
(news-press.com, July 23, 2007)
Famed singer and performer Elvis Aaron Presley died on Aug. 16, 1977 at age 42. Since then, adoration among his fans has only grown. Did you ever have a close encounter with The King? If you got to meet Elvis or had some other interaction with him, we'd like to hear from you for upcoming coverage of the anniversary of his death. E-mail Tammy Ayer at tayer@news-press.com with details of your encounter with Elvis. And if you happen to have a photo of Elvis and you, let us know.
- 'Elvis' gives McDonald's staff send-off fit for King
By Tony Sapochetti
(pantagraph.com, July 23, 2007)
Elvis not only lives, but he's hungry for some Big Macs. Managers and representatives of McDonald's restaurants in the Bloomington/Normal area were shocked when the king himself showed up at the Greater Peoria Regional Airport at 7:30 a.m. Sunday to give them a proper farewell before their flight to the annual McDonald's convention departed for Las Vegas.
Tom Orrick, director of operations, supervisor Vicki Berg and eight managers from the different McDonald's in the area were serenaded with the classics "That's All Right (Mama)," and "Viva Las Vegas," by an Elvis Presley impersonator before boarding the plane. ...
- Elvis License Plates Saved by SIRIUS Satellite Radio Listener
(radio.about.com, July 23, 2007)
Elvis fans are devoted and this story proves it. According to a story by the Associated Press and reprinted by wmcstations.com, Tennessee was on the verge of issuing a new Elvis license plate but was waiting for the required 1,000 pre-paid users to sign up for it at $35 apiece. That's the rule there for new specialty plates.
Well, the deadline was approaching and the list was still 100 short. Luckily, an anonymous donor stepped forward from New Jersey and sent $3500 to the state to cover the shortage. The donor heard about the plate's plight on an Elvis program hosted on SIRIUS Satellite Radio by George Klein, a longtime friend of Presley.
- Only memories remain for once-bustling arena
By ROD LOCKWOOD
(toledoblade.com, July 22, 2007)
Elephants stomped on the Toledo Sports Arena floor and Elvis Presley gyrated across its stage.
It was a giant bowling alley, a huge swimming pool, a big dirt pile, and a sweat box. Men and women shed blood in its boxing rings and on its ice, they graduated there, saw their first concerts, shopped for cars, and marveled at acrobats, clowns, and dancing bears.
With the process of dismantling the arena scheduled to start tomorrow, six decades of controversy and endless wrangling over where a new arena should be located in Lucas County will officially come to an end.
All that will remain are memories of events that ranged from the elegance of Duke Ellington to the decadence of Marilyn Manson and from the happy innocence of Holiday on Ice to the raw violence of a Toughman contest. ... The list of entertainers who played the arena spans generations and is a who¹s who of an entire era in the show business industry. Starting in the ¹50s, there¹s Elvis Presley, of course, but also Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Duane Eddy, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, and even Gene Autry. ...
- Sympathy for the revels: He's taken the drama of Diana and the genius of Elvis, and set them to dance. Now Peter Schaufuss is making ballet out of the Stones
By Robin Eggar
(Sunday Times, July 22, 2007)
Fourth song in, and the ticktack drum beat, yelps and grunts that open Sympathy for the Devil paralyse the packed theatre. Forty years on, the opening line, "Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste", still chills the bones. Except that there is no Mick Jagger on the stage in Aarhus. This is Satisfaction, 25 Rolling Stones songs old and new, classics, forgotten gems and the odd questionable choice, reinterpreted and danced by Peter Schaufuss Ballet.
... Schaufuss has used rock music as an in-joke - he reimagined the work of Denmark's preeminent 19th-century classical choreographer, August Bournonville, to David Bowie's Let's Dance. He has also created a Beatles show and The King, a piece about Elvis Presley that reaches a climax with Wagner, because "Wagner is about gods and Elvis is almost a god". He wanted to bring The King to London, and so he flew to Los Angeles to meet Presley's people. Once there, however, he was told by a man festooned with gold chains and surrounded by pictures of himself sitting on Elvis's lap that it could not happen because the show was not their idea.
"Fortunately, we didn't have any problems getting the rights with the Rolling Stones, as they own all their songs," Schaufuss says. "Elvis doesn't, and nor does Paul Mc-Cartney." He is also fortunate that licensing Scandinavian performing rights is relatively cheap, so he can put on shows that might be prohibitively expensive in London. ...
- Mountie spies monitored John Lennon's peace festival plans: new documents
By JIM BRONSKILL
(Yahoo! News / Canadian Press, July 22, 2007)
Spies from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police kept close watch on Beatle John Lennon's ill -starred plans for a massive peace festival near Toronto, newly declassified records show. Documents obtained by The Canadian Press reveal the RCMP Security Service monitored efforts by the iconic musician and wife Yoko Ono to stage the three-day concert in early July 1970 at Ontario's Mosport Park. A heavily censored Dec. 30, 1969, report by the Mounties notes the organizers planned to invite other members of the Beatles as well as rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley. ... Lennon intended the Canadian festival, which never happened, as a massive advertisement for peace, beamed around the globe from a country "with all these vibrations" that, unlike the United States, was trying to stay out of foreign wars. ...
- Bill attempts to protect dead stars' images: A state Senate bill would give control of dead celebrities' likenesses to the heirs the stars had chosen. Opponents predict legal challenges
By Patrick McGreevy
(Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2007)
Forty-five years after her death, a dispute over who controls Marilyn Monroe's image has a former actress enlisting colleagues in the California Legislature to protect the blond bombshell and other dead celebrities from being improperly exploited. State Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), a television star in the 1960s, has won preliminary approval of legislation that would bolster the "postmortem right of publicity" held by the heirs of famous people to control the use of their images, voices, signatures and likenesses for commercial purposes.
The bill would apply such rights to celebrities who died before 1985 and would retroactively allow them to be passed to nonrelatives. Opponents of the legislation say that it could retroactively nullify publicity rights that have been in the public domain or held by relatives of hundreds of dead actors and artists, and trigger a flood of lawsuits.
If it becomes law, "this is going to cause pandemonium in the courts," said Surjit Soni, a Pasadena attorney representing a company founded by the late Milton H. Greene, a Monroe photographer.
Kuehl introduced her bill after a federal judge in California decided in May that the right to control publicity does not apply in cases of celebrities who died before 1985, when California adopted a law recognizing such a right. The courts have also found that such a right does not extend to anyone except relatives of the celebrity, even if authority was granted in the celebrity's will.
... Heirs of celebrities - usually family members or charities - typically charge a licensing fee for the use of the celebrity's image for commercial purposes. Often the images can be used for artistic or news purposes without charge. Disputes over the use of images of singer Elvis Presley, comedian Groucho Marx and horror-meister Bela Lugosi have led to precedent-setting lawsuits, said Carole Handler, a Los Angeles attorney whose specialties include entertainment and copyright law. ...
- Optometrist eyes Elvis-Harley market niche
By JANE ROBERTS
(globegazette.com / Scripps Howard News Service, July 22, 2007)
In a few days this spring, Graceland Harley-Davidson sold 25 limited-edition Harleys - copies of a bike Elvis owned in 1957 - for $58,815 apiece. That same weekend, 400 bikers turned out for the first Elvis Rock 'n' Roll Ride for Life, raising $100,000 for the American Diabetes Association.
If you need more help connecting the dots between Memphis, Elvis and Harley-Davidson, ask Lisa Wade, 47, longtime optometrist who quit a VP job at the Southern College of Optometry to capitalize on an untapped market for people passionate about Elvis and Harley-Davidson. ...
- Planning your trip to Memphis
By Robert Hilburn
(Los Angeles Times, July 21, 2007)
Elvis, Aretha and of course, barbecue. Tennessee's twin cities may be different, but both are rich in places to see and music to hear. Here are some highlights.
Compared with Nashville, Memphis is more a working-class river town with a blue-collar vibe ‹ except for lavish Graceland.
GETTING THERE
From LAX, Northwest flies nonstop to Memphis. American, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Northwest, United and US Airways offer connecting service (change of plane). Restricted round-trip fares begin at $228.
WHERE TO STAY
Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, 3677 Elvis Presley Blvd.; (877) 777-0606, www.elvis.com . Doubles from $110.
The Peabody, 149 Union Ave.; (800) 732-2639, www.peabodymemphis.com . Doubles start at $245.
WHERE TO EAT
Arcade, 540 S. Main, (901) 526-5757, www.arcaderestaurant.com . Closes at 3 p.m. except Fridays (8 p.m.) and Saturdays (4 p.m.).
Neely's Bar-B-Que, 670 Jefferson Ave., (901) 521-9798, www.neelysbbq.com . Not much atmosphere, but the "wet" ribs and special sauce are standouts. Rib dinners: $10.99 to 19.99.
ACTIVITIES
Graceland, 3764 Elvis Presley Blvd.; (800) 238-2000, www.elvis.com . Get the platinum ticket at Elvis' mansion, above, so you can also see his two custom airplanes, and automobiles and memorabilia displays. And leave time for the souvenir shops. Website also has Elvis Week details. Platinum tour: $30 for adults. Graceland tour only: $25. Reservations suggested.
Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, 191 Beale St.; (901) 205-2533, www.memphisrocknsoul.org . The museum has ties to the Smithsonian. Adult admission: $10.
National Civil Rights Museum, 450 Mulberry St., (901) 521-9699, www.civilrightsmuseum.org . Adults: $12.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music, 926 E. McLemore Ave., (901) 946-2535, www.staxmuseum.com. Great trivia: Aretha Franklin was born just blocks away. Adults: $10.
Sun Studio, 706 Union Ave.; (800) 441-6249, www.sunstudio.com . Be sure the tour guide shows you how Johnny Cash first got his odd percussion sound by placing a dollar bill over his guitar strings. Adults: $10.
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