Presleys in the Press

Elvis Presley News

October 2007

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mid October 2007

In Europe, a growing fervor for Elvis Presley
By Doreen Carvajal
(International Herald Tribune, October 21, 2007)
PARIS: Along a narrow side street on the Right Bank, a familiar figure in a shiny gold tuxedo looms from a little shop the color of blue suede shoes. The crooked smile, smoky eyes and tousled hair are instantly recognizable but, just in case, the shop owners hail the "King of Rock and Roll" and their petite Graceland in bold gray and red print: "Elvis My Happiness."

Elvis Presley never performed a concert in Europe in his long singing career, but that unfortunate oversight apparently is helping to stoke the burnin' flames of desire for all things Elvis in this Parisian colony and other unlikely outposts, from Elvis Matters in Belgium to the Flaming Star in Norway, where the perennial best seller is a ¤10, or $14, pair of Vegas vintage sunglasses.

When Elvis Presley's septuagenarian backup bands showed up in Europe recently, they rocked a sold-out concert hall in Jonkoping, Sweden, then pressed on to finish up an 18-day European tour in Paris for an original-lineup performance organized by Elvis fan clubs across five countries.

These fans are discriminating aficionados who aren't satisfied with an Elvis impersonator in a white jumpsuit and who yearn for a taste of the original. "They're hungry for anything Elvis," marveled Joe Moscheo, a bass singer with the Imperials, a backup gospel band for Elvis that finished one European tour in October and is returning for a second next month. "They ask a lot of questions and they're very fanatical," Moscheo said. "I hate to use the world cult, but these people are serious. It's not just like they say, 'Let's go to a concert.' They know what he wore, what he ate and what he sang."

Many of these fans don't know enough English to define the difference between Heartbreak Hotel and a hound dog cryin' all the time. But the music remains universal enough to build fan clubs of 4,500 members in France and 1,600 in Germany. There is enough passion in the Netherlands that Elvis's record company, Sony BMG, this year released a CD titled "The Dutch Collection," with a selection chosen by fans, who voted from a list of 150 songs. A reissue of Elvis's "A Big Hunk O'Love" recently clawed up to No. 12 on the BBC's Top 40 singles chart in England, behind 50 Cent and Sugababes.

"It amazes me day after day," said Peter Verbruggen, president of the Elvis Matters fan club, which opened an Elvis store more than two years ago in Turnhout, Belgium, near the Dutch border. The club also runs a store in Antwerp, in the north of Belgium, and is considering opening a third branch. "Everybody is surprised by the success," said Verbruggen, who started his club in 2003 with hopes of drawing 300 people and watched membership soar to 2,200. "One of the reasons that Elvis is so popular is the fact that he's never been here before and he's still a mystery. Another explanation is that Elvis is a universal icon who touches so many different people from all parts of society. He's everything: the rebel, the crooner and the actor."

Elvis's oeuvre is so varied that fans divide themselves by periods, debating the relative merits of '50s Elvis, '60s Elvis and his comeback as Vegas Elvis.

"There is a great difference between most of the American fans and the European fans," said Peter Beines, chairman of the Elvis Presley Gesellschaft in Bonn. "Americans prefer Elvis impersonators while the original musicians for Elvis are more popular in Europe. The Americans prefer music from the Elvis of the '50s, but European fans, especially in Germany, prefer the concert Elvis of the '70s."

The U.S. and European markets also differed in music sales trends after the 30th anniversary of Elvis's death in August. "In the states, there was no huge uplift in terms of Elvis sales. But what we saw in the rest of the world, predominantly in Europe and Australia, is that we were able to get Elvis back to number one for albums in five countries," said Timothy Frafer-Harding, a vice-president of Sony BMG. In life, he noted, Elvis never managed to hit No. 1 in Germany, but 30 years after his death his compilation album climbed to the top of the charts.

All of the major clubs are watching the average age of their membership fall with a new generation of young people in their 20s joining the clubs. The average age of the French membership of Elvis My Happiness, the fan club that operates the Paris store of the same name, is 27 and dropping, according to Jean-Marie Pouzenc, club president. ...

The Elvis My Happiness boutique in Paris, which specializes in Elvis Presley merchandise and serves as a base for fans like Jacky Germain.
(Richard Harbus for the IHT)
Family in spooky spirits
By RICHARD LUKEN
(iolaregister.com, October 20, 2007)
What do Elvis, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and a 10-foot rubber alligator have in common? They're all at the home of Gene and Teresa Weatherbie in rural LaHarpe eager to greet young visitors hoping to get a Halloween thrill.

The Weatherbies have again transformed their back yard into a Halloween wonderland, filled with a giant maze of hay bales, spooky lights and a trail of terror adorned with myriad Halloween decorations. ... Among the special decorations that line the trail are a pair of wooden witches looking over their fresh batch of brew, an alligator Gene made by carving into an old racing tire - complete with scales and glowing red eyes - and a ceramic statue of the King himself, Elvis Presley. "The alligator was just something that came to me," Gene said. "And we saw the Elvis statue at an auction. We knew we couldn't let him go for a buck."

... The Weatherbies accept free-will donations for their display. To get to the Weatherbiesą farm, go north on U.S. 169 five miles to Texas Road, then west about 31Ž2 miles. To get there from LaHarpe, go north five miles on 2600 Road, then west about one-half mile.
Adams' contributions to music gaining attention
By Rick Greene
(Ironton Tribune, October 20, 2007)
When Elvis Presley took the world by storm in 1954 with releases "That's All Right Mama," "Mystery Train," and his rock 'n' roll version of "Blue Moon of Kentucky," he was putting out a sound nobody had heard before.

Well, almost nobody.

Kentucky native and longtime Flatwoods resident Billy Adams had heard it. In fact, he did more than hear it. He played it, about two years before Presley changed the music world forever. "The perception of Billy Adams over time has changed and people in America are realizing that he was an early player," said Clif Doyle, a booking agent who came to know Adams in 2001 and later joined Adams' band, which still performs occasional shows in Europe and the United States. "In the industry, he's perceived as one of the early Rockabilly artists". ...
What is Elvis doing out there?
By CHUCK DARROW
(Courier Post Online, October 20, 2007)
Cherry Hill pharmacy owner Steve Magaziner poses with the statues of The Blues Brothers and Elvis Presley that stand outside his Route 70 store. He says the life-size tations of the show business icons are designed to give his customers a "happy environment.'

It's a question motorists have undoubtedly asked while driving past Magaziner's Covered Bridge Pharmacy on Route 70 East in Cherry Hill: Why are there life-sized statues of Elvis Presley and The Blues Brothers outside the store?

The answer has to do with the drug store's customers. Its owners wish to provide them with a spoonful of sugar to sweeten the medicine of having to patronize a pharmacy. According to owner Steve Magaziner, 52, the story of the eye-catching show-business-icon facsimiles began when he realized his customers would be happier if he could make waiting in line for prescriptions more pleasant.

"People would get irritated: "How long is it going to take?' " recalls the Cheltenham, Pa., native who now lives in Voorhees. His answer was a take-off on the old "Name That Tune" game show: "I can fill that script in two minutes, or I can fill that script in five minutes," he would joke.

That made patrons smile and took their minds off waiting. Magaziner reasons that "time is a frame of mind," and that got him thinking about other ways to distract customers as they waited.

Magaziner and his wife, Denise, are heavily involved in various charities. One is the G&P Foundation, which helps fight cancer. Another is the Princess Grace Foundation, which supports preventive medicine, pediatric treatment, and training for the arts in Europe and the U.S. As supporters, they have had the opportunity to meet and be photographed with some of the world's most famous celebrities.

Taking a cue from the many New York City businesses that hang celebrity photos on their walls, Magaziner started mounting dozens of photos throughout the store about 6 1/2 years ago. Among them are photos of Donald Trump, Stevie Wonder and Liza Minnelli. Not surprisingly, the pictures -- many of them autographed -- engaged his customers and took their minds off having to wait.

... To decide just who should be immortalized, Magaziner polled customers, friends and others. While Presley was a hands-down favorite, Jake and Elwood Blues, the two fictional Chicago-based musicians created for television's "Saturday Night Live" by the late John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, weren't necessarily slam dunks. But Magaziner is a businessman, after all, and he chose the fictional duo because, "I just figured -- two guys for the price of one." ... Each iron figure is made in Europe and weighs around 450 pounds. Magaziner fixes their value at between $2,500 and $5,000, "depending on negotiations." It is, he insists, money well spent.
'Elvis #1 Hits Performance' DVD in Stores October 30
(indianasnewscenter.com, October 18, 2007)
On October 30th 2007, Sony BMG Music Entertainment will release the first ever "Elvis #1 Performance" DVD. The DVD is comprised of quintessentail performances by the King of Rock 'n' Roll showcasing 15 of his number one hits. Culled from his TV guest appearances, movies, concert films and television specials -- this is Elvis at his best. ...
Like Elvis, 'Viva Laughlin' should leave the building
By Hal Boedeker
(Orlando Sentinel, October 18, 2007)
Hollywood used to bill its musicals as all singing and all dancing. For truth in advertising, CBS should promote Viva Laughlin as unnecessary singing and half-hearted dancing.

The network tries something different with Viva Laughlin, which previews at 10 tonight in the Without a Trace time slot. CBS bills the series, based on the BBC's Viva Blackpool, as "a mystery drama with music."

'Viva Laughlin'
Cast: Lloyd Owen, Mädchen Amick, Hugh Jackman, Melanie Griffith.
Where and when: The CBS musical drama previews at 10 tonight on WKMG-Channel 6. It moves to its regular slot at 8 p.m. Sunday this weekend.
Parents' guide: Sexual themes and situations, coarse language.

The mystery and the drama have possibilities. The music sinks the show. Actors sing along with classic performers (Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones) in odd production numbers. The wobbly warbling and baffling presentation doom the setup. ... Viva Laughlin moves to its regular slot at 8 p.m. Sundays this weekend. Its run there should be short because the show is a folly. Elvis doesn't need any help singing.
Viva Laughlin': Think Elvis musical, just not as good
By Robert Bianco
(USA TODAY, October 17, 2007)
If Elvis isn't already dead, Viva Laughlin just might kill him.

The King, of course, survived more than his share of bad musicals, but none so horrid as this totally botched expansion of the British miniseries Viva Blackpool. The moment star Lloyd Owen - offering an egregiously charisma-free performance - kicks into a joyless Viva Las Vegas sing-along, you can almost hear Presley spinning along in his grave.

Not that Laughlin concedes it's a musical; heaven forefend. CBS and producer Hugh Jackman, whose guest appearance tonight is as inert as his show, have gone to great pains to insist that Laughlin is actually a murder-mystery with music. Clearly, they're terrified you'll equate the show with ABC's infamous flop Cop Rock, and they're right to shun the comparison. It's insulting ‹ to Cop Rock, a grandly ambitious failure in which the cast sang songs written for the show and purposely tailored to the characters.

Instead of using original songs, Laughlin plays generic hits and lets the actors karaoke behind the recording artist in desultory, sotto voce fashion. It's the same gimmick as Blackpool with the same dramatic limits - but what the BBC did with exuberance, CBS does with embarrassment. There are many ways to pull off a musical, but all require commitment to the form. At the very least, you'd expect people involved with a casino-based show to realize that you can't win big by hedging your bets. What's missing is any unifying style, not to mention flair. ...
Priest has no problem worshipping God and Elvis
(Yahoo! News / Reuters, October 16, 2007)
Romanian-born Antonio Petrescu believes you can worship God and Elvis at the same time: as a Catholic priest and Elvis Presley impersonator, he finds his spiritual inspiration in the late rock legend.

"People ask me 'How can you reconcile Elvis impersonations with your choice of professional work?"' said Petrescu, who puts on his glittery suits and swivels his hips when not working as a parish priest in the Italian town of Avezzano. Interviewed by Reuters on a church visit to the tiny town of Sorbo -- population, 52 -- in southern Italy, the priest said he believes Elvis is an appropriate inspiration for Christian worship because he sang of "love in general."

The 34-year-old's Web site (www.antoniupetrescu.com) has two separate entries -- one for the priest, another for the artist, which talks about his "fiery voice" and discography including the singles "Lovin' Arms" and "Reach out to Jesus."

The pop doesn't stop at Elvis: Petrescu also incorporates the lyrics of singers like Celine Dion into his sermons. Petrescu feels his responsibility as a priest is to "walk this Earth in love for Jesus Christ," a task in which he is inspired by Elvis's "search for spirituality in his own life."
Victim was ex-butcher
(expressandstar.com, October 15, 2007)
A murder victim whose badly-burned body was found near Wolverhampton Market was a former butcher and a popular member of the city's Elvis Presley Fan Club, it emerged today. ... Darren Guy Eaton ... was set on fire and dumped just yards from the city centre butcher's shop where he used to work. The 42-year-old divorcee had lived in Pendeford but moved to Hydes Road, Wednesfield. He was today described as "charming and fun-loving" by fan club chair Barbara Wilson, of Upper Vauxhall, Wolverhampton. ... Jason John Perks, 36, originally of Stoke-on-Trent but now of no fixed address, appeared before city magistrates on Saturday charged with Mr Eaton's murder. A post-mortem confirmed Mr Eaton died of head injuries. Perks was remanded in custody to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court later this month.
Liberated Paris considers humanity
(ContraCostatimes.com, October 15, 2007)
CAN YOU SPOT the true statement in this pack of lies?
1. A Contra Costa Times' video game reviewer spotted Elvis Presley at Safeway this morning.
2. McDonald's is bringing back the McRib.
3. Paris Hilton is going to Rwanda with a camera crew "for the good of humanity."
If you guessed No. 3, you're right ... and you have a much better impression of her than we do. ...
Let Vegas meet your appetites: How's your luck? Cheap shrimp, penny slots, or caviar parfait
By Beth D'Addono
(Boston Globe, October 14, 2007)
The giddy roller coaster of highs and lows makes Vegas an irresistible destination. Here anything is possible - after all, the Eiffel Tower is across the street from Bellagio and gondoliers make tips in the desert. The Strip is a fantasy world, where living on the edge is not only encouraged, but expected.

In a town where nongaming revenues have finally caught up with the gaming kind, rock star chefs, over-the-top accommodations, and big ticket entertainment give the 38.9 million annual visitors plenty of ways to blow through any winnings. If what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, for gamblers that includes their money, to the tune of about $8.2 billion last year.

For the down and out, it can be a town without pity, but if you're on top, living large is what it's all about. Not sure which way the dice are going to roll? Not to worry, Vegas can cover you.

For high rollers . . . In a place known for coddling big money players with complimentary everything, the boom in luxury suites is geared to anybody who can afford a 10,000-square-foot loft overlooking the Strip. While some casinos don't advertise their most luxurious rooms, reserving them for gamers, there are dozens of $10,000-plus-per-night suites in town, spots with amenities like butlers, bowling lanes, and hydraulic beds. If they are available, and you can afford them, these digs can be yours.

High-end suites are nothing new here. Over the course of 800-plus performances, Elvis Presley maintained a 5,000-square-foot suite on the 30th floor of the International Hotel (now the Las Vegas Hilton). Even the King would be impressed with the most expensive penthouse in town: the Hugh Hefner suite at the Palms, $40,000 a night. The Palms celebrity cachet is undeniable: Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan have all stayed in its top suites. ...
Residents of Kauai prove wary of sharing paradise with outsiders: Proposed Hawaii Superferry unpopular with some locals
By Tomas Alex Tizon
(Inside Bay Area / Los Angeles Times, October 14, 2007)
The woman in the sun hat wants to crack someone in the jaw. It's been a bad day. Actually, for Kaiulani Huff, it's been a bad few decades. She has watched her home, the island of Kauai, change from a wild garden of secret places to - in her eyes - an overcrowded amusement park for rich people. ... Kauai was a sleepy, rural, largely undiscovered place until singer Elvis Presley made it famous in his 1961 movie "Blue Hawaii." After that, each tide brought more outsiders. ...
Polish-American group fights for stamp honoring WWII hero Matt Urban: Buffalo veteran tied with Audie Murphy for the most decorations in World War II
By Dan Herbeck
(Buffalo News, October 14, 2007)
World War II hero Audie Murphy got his own U.S. postage stamp. So did Elvis Presley, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Buffalo's most decorated war veteran, the late Matt L. Urban, should get a stamp, too, according to organizers of a nationwide petition drive. The Polish American Congress recently renewed its petition drive and other efforts to convince the U.S. Postal Service to honor Urban with a stamp. The organization argues that Urban and Murphy - both U.S. Army veterans from World War II - are the two most decorated veterans from that war. Murphy's face was put on a stamp in 2001, and the group wants Urban to receive the same honor. ...
Hear Manilow cover . . . Manilow: The legendary pop star wants to make the whole world smile again by redoing his own songs
By Nekesa Mumbi Moody
(Orlando Sentinel / Associated Press, October 14, 2007)
On his last two albums, Barry Manilow tackled songs made famous by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra and other greats. But his new album presented a real challenge: covering himself. "Trying to redo 'Mandy,' trying to redo 'I Write the Songs' -- it was the most complicated thing I'd ever done in my life," he says.

It was inevitable Manilow would end up redoing songs from his own career, given his recent artistic direction. In January 2006, he released The Greatest Songs of the Fifties -- which promptly debuted at the top of the charts and sold more than 1 million copies. Months later, he was at it again, this time with The Greatest Songs of the Sixties, also a top seller. Now he has reached into the past once again with the release of The Greatest Songs of the Seventies, which includes songs made famous by the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, The Carpenters and Carole King.

"These songs that I'm doing on the Seventies album, they were competition," says Manilow. "It was kind of an interesting experience for me, because a lot of these songs, we were battling it out up at the top of the charts. Now I realize how wonderfully written they are." But given that his career-defining hits also helped define that decade, Manilow performs Manilow, as well. "I had to redo mine, and I decided I would do it like an 'Unplugged,' " Manilow says. ...
Port Chester costumer ready for Halloween
By LIZ SADLER
(LoHud.com / JOURNAL NEWS, October 13, 2007)
With her thousands of custom-made costumes, Gina Romano can recreate the likeness of a pirate, Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe.

Tucked away in a compact second-story shop on North Main Street in Port Chester, Romano's mom-and-pop business, The Costume Closet, provides wardrobes for school plays, community theaters and corporate events. This time of year, trick-or-treaters and Halloween party-goers also comb Romano's overstuffed racks for hand-sewn costumes, masks and wigs. The shop is normally open by appointment only, but it keeps special Halloween hours in the fall. ... Romano says the shop will create any costume, unless she considers it "disgusting" or "off-taste." ...

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