early November 2007
- Theater Review: 'Tupelo' reveals little about Elvis
By Roy C. Dicks
(News & Observer, November 9, 2007)
Creating a new play takes a lot of fortitude these days, what with competition from myriad forms of entertainment, mostly directed to short attention spans. Playwright Paul Newell therefore deserves credit for devoting himself to a subject of some depth in "Tupelo: To Elvis and the Town He Left Behind," now in its premiere production at the ArtsCenter.
Newell's emotional connection to Elvis Presley's music and his fascination with its almost universal appeal led him to research the King's roots in his hometown, which became the play's setting. Based on the idea that music in 1950s Tupelo, Miss., was the great leveler across racial and social lines, the play follows the efforts of several present-day entrepreneurs to make Pressley's birthplace the true symbol of his musical influence and artistry, as opposed to Graceland's crass commercialism.
This lofty aim soon shows its cracks as the participants reveal their greed and self-delusion. Local laundry mogul Dewey (Rick Lonon) wants to redeem his criminal past by giving Elvis his due -- and taking the credit. County commissioner Bob (Phil Crone) professes civic pride in the project but wants his cut. Black banker Otis plays the good old boy but still holds a grudge against former racial injustices.
Marlene (Andrea Powell), Dewey's sometime girlfriend, wants to get beyond her poor education but finds it difficult to break through traditional perceptions. She falls for the enthusiastic young professor Tom (Adam Sampieri), brought in as a consultant on the project, but eventually finds that all is not as it seems, even with him.
Newell's intentions don't translate well to the stage. Instead of a clear theme, he attempts too many strands that don't get developed, the least of which is Elvis' leveling influence. He can't seem to make his mind up about the plot, its emphasis shifting and the climatic moment unforeshadowed. He wastes time with mundane dialogue, then overuses tired devices such as phone calls and letters to deliver great chunks of information and thematic material.
Newell also shifts the tone awkwardly, first asking the audience to laugh at the bumbling efforts of low-rent Southerners, then suddenly asking for empathy when they launch into serious, preachy monologues. He also gives the characters, especially Marlene, conflicting motivations and characteristics, depending on the scene.
Director Paul Ferguson, known for adapting and directing such works as "Good Ol' Girls" and "Killer Diller," does nothing to help the situation. Thursday's leaden pacing and fumbling for lines can be only partially attributed to opening-night jitters. These skilled and experienced actors have been seen to much greater advantage in the past, making Ferguson's direction all the more curiously unsubtle and lifeless.
In the end, "Tupelo" adds little to the understanding of Presley's appeal, nor does it shine any light on social and racial issues that aren't already well established.
- Tucson Time Capsule: Performance kept Elvis alive
By JIM DAVIS
(ARIZONA DAILY STAR, November 9, 2007)
1977 Enthusiastic Elvis Presley fans came to The Embers, at 3424 E. Speedway, to watch the Southern Tornado show on Nov. 10, 1977. The show made several stops in Arizona to keep the king of rock' n' roll alive in the minds of his fans. Performer Kenny Brazeal was dressed in his version of Elvis' stage costume, a silk jumpsuit emblazoned with a tornado from waist to neck, a flowing cape, ducktail-style hair and dark glasses. Brazeal considered his performances a tribute to the recently deceased rock icon. He finished the show with his rendition of "Hound Dog," then left the building. Elvis died on Aug. 16, 1977, at the age of 42.
- High bidder for Elvis memorabilia is from the King's home state
By Cheryl Wittenauer, ASSOCIATED PRESS
(Yahoo! News, November 9, 2007)
Someone from Elvis Presley's home state of Mississippi has placed the highest bid in an EBay auction of memorabilia from a museum devoted to proving that the King is still alive. The bidder had until the close of business Friday to put up the US$8,300 and arrange to pick it up from the Missouri museum, which is shutting down. The auction closed at 5:20 p.m. Thursday. If the high bidder does not emerge, the museum's proprietor can offer the memorabilia to the second-highest bidder at $8,200. As of Friday afternoon, three e-mails to the high bidder had not been returned.
... Bill Beeny, 81, placed the memorabilia on EBay late last month. He hoped someone would buy the collection and open a new museum dedicated to the idea that Elvis never died. The collection includes photographs, books, yellowed news clippings and replicas of Elvis' Cadillac and the casket and gravestone from his 1977 funeral - which Beeny believes was a fake. The Baptist minister founded the quirky museum in 1990. Steve Beeny declined to put a value on his father's collection. ...
- Jay-Z Looking To Tie With Elvis
(TeenMusic.com, November 8, 2007)
Rap mogul Jay-Z will tie with Elvis Presley for the most number of albums if his new release, American Gangster, hits number one as expected. The rappyer has claimed nine top spots on the Billboard charts, the same number as the Rolling Stones. The Beatles top the list with 19 number ones.
- Court upholds Elvis memorabilia ruling
By RANDALL CHASE
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, November 8, 2007)
A legal battle over an odd collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia - including a glass device reportedly used to irrigate the King's sinuses before the took the stage - could be nearing an end. The Delaware Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a ruling granting California businessman Richard Long ownership of the collection of items once owned by Presley's physician, Dr. George Nichopolous. The collection includes a black doctor's bag used by Nichopolous containing prescription bottles bearing Presley's name, as well as jewelry, guns, and a laryngeal scope used to examine Presley's throat. ...
- Elvis to take Giuliani's place at party: The politician canceled at the last minute
By JIM FABER
(Beaufort Gazette, November 7, 2007)
Liz Mead is still determined to throw a fine party. And while Rudy Giuliani won't be there as expected, Elvis will make an appearance. Mead, a North Forest Beach resident, was scheduled to host a fundraiser for the Republican presidential candidate and former New York City mayor this morning at her Dune Lane home on Hilton Head Island. But the event was called off Sunday by the national campaign. Giuliani was also scheduled to speak at Sun City Hilton Head today, but that event also was canceled.
"We take every step to make sure last-minute changes don't occur, but sometimes they do," said Elliott Bundy, a spokesman for the Giuliani campaign. The campaign apologized to Mead for the inconvenience and was hoping to reschedule all canceled events, Bundy said. He wouldn't say why the events had been canceled, just that an announcement on replacement events would be made soon.
That apology didn't assuage Mead. Although she wouldn't say how much she spent putting patriotic bunting on her home, painting, landscaping, cleaning, setting aside a rental home she owns to house her six dogs during the event and other preparation efforts, she indicated it wasn't cheap. Mead wasn't even a Giuliani backer. She agreed to host the $250-$500 event at the request of a family friend. "If you can't make it to your own fundraiser, I'll be damned if I can depend on him as a president," she said.
Her preparations, however, won't be wasted. She's hired an Elvis Presley impersonator to entertain at a party starting at 5 p.m. today. "We're having a huge party...," Mead said. "And guess what? It isn't a fundraiser; it's free." This was the second time Giuliani has pulled out of a Sun City visit. He was supposed to speak to the community in October, said Rachel Buie, president of the Republican Club. "It doesn't leave a very good taste in people's mouths," she said.
- Garth Brooks Overtakes Elvis
By Daniel Zugna
(undercover.com.au, November 7, 2007)
Garth Brooks has overtaken Elvis Presley to become the highest selling solo artist in American history, according to the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The industry body claims the country star has shifted 123 million CDs in his career in the States, eclipsing Elvis's 118.5 million. Only The Beatles have sold more, at 170 million. Brooks accepted the accolade outside his star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, where he also received diamond awards for his albums 'Sevens' and 'Garth Brooks'. "This award reflects the magnitude of the country audience and what they can accomplish when they act together," Brooks said.
- GARTH BROOKS OVERTAKES ELVIS IN SALES
(contactmusic.com, November 7, 2007)
GARTH BROOKS has overtaken ELVIS PRESLEY to become the best-selling solo artist in history.The country star, who shot to fame with 1990's No Fences album, has sold 123 million units in his career, compared to Presley's 118.5 million. The Recording Industry Association Of America awarded Brooks two Diamond Awards for his albums Seven and Garth Brooks on Monday (05Nov07), in recognition of each albums' sales, which have exceeded 10 million.T he singer, who is married to fellow country star Trisha Yearwood, accepted the awards at his star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. He says, "This award reflects the magnitude of the country audience and what they can accomplish when they act together."
- Memorial planned for Alex Romero
(Los Angeles Times, November 6, 2007)
A memorial service for Alex Romero, a Hollywood dancer and choreographer who directed Elvis Presley's dancing in "Jailhouse Rock" and several other movies, is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. It will be held in the Dance Theater at Glendale Community College, 1500 N. Verdugo Road. Parking is available in the faculty lot. Romero, 94, died Sept. 8 of natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Fund home in Woodland Hills.
- COMMITTED TO DIGITAL: Malco Speed Deployment in Partnership with Dolby
By Andreas Fuchs
(filmjournal.com, dated October 15, found November 5, 2007)
The King of Rock 'n' Roll recently had one last encore on celluloid at the fourth annual Elvis Film Festival in Memphis, Tennessee, during the 30th edition of the city's official Elvis Week. Although digitally remastered by Warner Home Entertainment, the return of four of Elvis Presley's movies to the big screen at Malco Theatre's Studio on the Square still happened on film. At this classic house, Malco VP of operations and technology Mike Thomson contends, digital deployment "is a little difficult because of how the theatre was built, but we'll definitely do it."
Elvis may have mused "Live a Little, Love a Little", but at Memphis-based Malco, management and audiences love digital a whole lot. Elsewhere at the 17th-largest circuit in North America with 330 screens at 33 locations across the mid-South, film has already pretty much left the building. "Even at 2K resolution", Thomson enthuses, "it is amazing what these pictures look like at Malco. For me, they exceed film already in many, many ways. Our customers are asking for digital presentations. Every screen in the Malco circuit will be Dolby Digital - that is the commitment."
... Adding the same Barco 3000 projector that during this past ShoWest "put something like seven-plus foot-lamberts on that Real D screen at the Jubilee Theater", Thomson envisions the very first dual-digital-projector 3D at his 62.5-foot (19 m) giant Memphis Paradiso screen. "If all that comes together for Beowulf in the way I';m hoping it will, with all the final calibrations done perfectly, we'll have something to compete with IMAX. It will make that 3D image stand out like you would't believe". What would Elvis have crooned about that?
- Elvis poster worth $10,000 to collector
(Musica / United Press International, November 5, 2007)
A 42-year-old man who is trying to collect a poster from every concert Elvis Presley ever did has offered $10,000 for one from a 1967 concert in Norfolk, Va. The Norfolk Virginian Pilot reported Sunday that, while Andrew Hawley's payment offer may seem outrageous to some, it is simply an indication of how dedicated he is to his collection.
"I'm trying to get a poster for every concert that he did," said Hawley. "But I really want to get the one from Norfolk, Newport News and Richmond. I've been chasing them for a long time. I'm sure that someone has one." Other posters Hawley is willing to pay top price for include Bob Dylan's 1966 show at Norfolk Arena and rock 'n' roll icon Buddy Holly's 1958 Hampton Roads appearance. "I figured if I put a big reward on it," Hawley said, "someone would go look in their attic and say, 'I got it!'"
- Garth Dethrones Elvis
By Joal Ryan
(eonline.com, November 5, 2007)
Meet the new king. Not the same as the old King. Garth Brooks, who edged out Elvis Presley in 1999 for the title of best-selling solo artist of all time, only to lose it five years later, reclaimed the crown from the King Monday, according to the tab keepers at the Recording Industry Association of America.
The announcement was made, as such announcements are wont to be made, on the eve of the release of Brooks' latest collection, The Ultimate Hits, due out Tuesday. It also came hours before Brooks was to take the stage for the first performance of his sold-out, nine-night stand in Kansas City, Missouri. Even before the new, three-disc set hits stores, Brooks is in the RIAA's books as having sold more than 123 million albums, more than any other man, woman or band, save for the Beatles. Presley stood at 118.5 million, per the RIAA Website. The next top-selling solo act was Billy Joel, at 79.5 million. Brooks, the country singer with the arena-rock sensibility, and Presley, the rock 'n' roller with the down-home roots, have been fighting for supremacy for years.
In 1999, the RIAA declared Brooks the 20th century's most successful male recording artist, and indeed, its biggest selling solo artist. At the time, Brooks clocked in at 89 million albums sold. Presley, who was lauded for releasing the most gold- and platinum-selling albums, came in behind Brooks, and ahead of Barbra Streisand (the top-selling female artist), with 77 million. (All figures reflect only United States sales.) But then Brooks, who made it big with the help of "Friends in Low Places," retired. And in 2004, the dead but still-working-it Presley was named the RIAA's top solo act, with 117.5 million albums sold.
That announcement was made, as such announcements are wont to be made, on the occasion of what would have been Presley's 69th birthday. It followed a new count of Presley's old albums. Meanwhile, Brooks took time away from Leisure World in 2005 to seal a deal with Wal-Mart to exclusively peddle all of his recorded wares, including his then-new collection, Garth Brooks: The Limited Series. With the about-to-be released Ultimate Hits, Brooks has released five albums since vowing to enjoy his golden years.
And on Monday, his hard retirement work paid off with the solo sales title.
"I am proud for country music and take honor in playing a part bringing this milestone to rest under the flag of country music," Brooks, 45, said in a statement. For the love of rock, it sounds as if it's time for dead Elvis to get back in the studio.
- Book early for Miss Priscilla Dinner 2008
(Parkes Champion-Post, November 5, 2007)
TransTank have announced sponsorship of the 2008 Miss Priscilla Dinner at the ClubsNSW Parkes Elvis Festival. "Once again, TransTank are thrilled to be the major sponsor of the Miss Priscilla Dinner," said Neil Harrison, Director of Transtank. "The inagural event was fantastic and we have been busy planning a bigger and better event for 2008 and we hope to see you there."
The Miss Priscilla Dinner will be held at the Parkes Services Club on Thursday, 10 January. The two main features of the night are the sashing of the 2008 TransTank Miss Priscilla and the Priscilla Hair competition. The Miss Priscilla competition is open to females over the age of 18 and will be judged on the costume, make-up, hair style and overall likeness to Priscilla Presley.
Miss Priscilla will be the official face of the festival and will make appearances at key events over the weekend. The winner of the 2007 Miss Priscilla Competition was Lucinda Glenn who will be attending the dinner to hand over to the 2008 winner. The hair competition will showcase the best Priscilla hair-do and entry is only open to hair salons in Parkes and its surrounding towns. ... In 2008, the judging panel will include an international hair judge and senior representatives from major hair product brands. ...
- Hair museum holds history lock by lock
By Rhiannon Ross - The Examiner
(ljworld.com, November 4, 2007)
Says the owner, 'Never underestimate the value of a piece of hair'
Tucked along the candy-coated cars parked along the Miracle Mile, in an unassuming little shop of hair, reside the ghosts of Abe Lincoln, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Ronald Regan. Cock your ear and you almost can hear:
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation ..." "Ha-ppy Birth-day Mr. Pre-si-dent ..." "Don't you step on my blue suede shoes ..." "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Leila Cohoon oversees this museum of famous, and not so famous, ghosts.
Their stories and DNA are embodied in wisps and locks of elaborately crafted hair wreaths and hairwork jewelry at Leila¹s Museum of Hair, 1333 Noland Road. The museum is in two rooms of her cosmetology school.
"This is the only part of these human beings that are still here in the world," says the 76-year-old, petite platinum blonde, sweeping her hand around the room. Her long fingernails are painted Halloween orange. "It's genealogy done with human hair before the camera was invented." More than 400 of these family tresses encased in shadow boxes line the walls, ceiling to floor. Hair wreaths are horseshoe-shaped and composed of strands or locks of hair woven with wire to form flowers. Often, beads, colored embroidery floss and artificial stamens are worked into the pieces. Crosses woven from hair, old black and white photos and ancestors¹ names often appear above wreaths. Hair crafts also are created as remembrance or mourning pieces.
More than 2,000 pieces of hairwork jewelry - including rings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches, watch chains, hair pins and hat pins - also are on display. Cohoon wears a sepia ring and brooch - jewelry depicting detailed scenes painted with hair. "Hair is pulverized into a very fine powder and mixed in with paint," she explains. ...
- Elvis Presley Tribute Coming to Ryman
(cmt.com, November 2, 2007)
The music of Elvis Presley will be celebrated with a tribute concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Feb. 12, 2008. The concert will feature Vince Gill, Amy Grant and other celebrities singing Presley's songs. A fundraiser for Belmont University's music business scholarships, the concert will be hosted by George Klein, a Memphis radio DJ and close friend of Presley's. Tickets are $35 and $100. Patron tickets, priced at $500, include a party at the historic RCA Studio B, where Presley recorded many of his hits.
- In Sight: Shaking up the Elvis experience like nobody else can
By HIROKO NISHIMURA
(Asahi Weekly, November 2, 2007)
Had Jamie Aaron Kelley's father, Larry, been a pro baseball player or a police officer instead of an Elvis tribute artist, young Jamie's life would have turned out very different. He likely would have received baseball gloves or toy pistols to play with. But instead, the 3-year-old tot was handed a microphone. Soon, all he wanted to do was join his daddy on stage, singing his heart out just like the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
"Well, at 3, I really wasn't thinking, 'I want to be an Elvis tribute artist.' At that age, I was just drawn to Elvis' music, and I naturally wanted to sing that style of music because I liked it so much," the 27-year-old American singer-songwriter and actor recalled in a recent e-mail interview ahead of his Tokyo concerts next week. ...
- Parker bringing Elvis gospel show to Altus Nov. 18
(Altus Times, November 2, 2007)
On stage, Elvis tribute artist Kraig Parker likes to joke that Elvis loved a lot of things. "He loved Cadillacs, his Mama, peanut butter and banana sandwiches and women" Parker said, "but Elvis really loved gospel music and would often stay up singing gospel songs into the early morning hours." ...
- Elvis is Alive Museum is leaving the building
(Kansas City Star / Associated Press, November 1, 2007)
If Elvis was here today, he might say “Thank you, thank you very much” for an odd Missouri outpost’s 17 years of making the case that the King never died. But the burden of proof soon will fall on someone else’s shoulders. ... [as below]
- The Elvis Is Alive museum is dying
By CHERYL WITTENAUER
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, November 1, 2007)
If Elvis were here today, he might say, "Thank you, thank you very much" for the 17 years that an odd Missouri outpost has been making the case that the King never died. But the burden of proof soon will fall on someone else's shoulders.
Bill Beeny, the 81-year-old proprietor of The Elvis is Alive Museum, said he has placed his Elvis Presley memorabilia on eBay in hopes that someone else will take up the cause. His collection includes photographs, books, FBI files, replicas of the Cadillac the King drove and of the casket and gravestone from his 1977 funeral, even a painted Elvis head. Beeny, a self-described "western Kentucky hillbilly" Baptist minister who wound up in Missouri 50 years ago, is selling the contents of his roadside attraction, a transformed coin-operated laundry 55 miles west of St. Louis that he opened in 1990, to satisfy something else that drives him. ... He hopes someone will buy the collection and open a new museum dedicated to the theory that Elvis lives - although the look and feel of Beeny's place could be hard to duplicate. ... David Beckwith, a spokesman for Elvis Presley Enterprises, which manages Graceland, the King's estate and mansion in Memphis, Tenn., said the company has no comment.
- Minister to close Elvis Is Alive Museum
(United Press International, November 1, 2007)
A Baptist minister in the Show Me State of Missouri has shown Elvis Presley memorabilia the door, closing his museum to the King to open a mission. Bill Beeny is selling off his Elvis paraphernalia at the Elvis Is Alive Museum, which he has operated in Wright City, Mo., for 17 years, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported Thursday. In the 4,000-square-foot space he said he will operate a mission and food pantry and use proceeds from the memorabilia sale to get the mission running.
Elvis items were posted for sale on eBay Tuesday and will be available for purchase until late next week. Beeny said he wants to sell the collection as one unit to someone who may want to open an Elvis museum. Items include a casket containing a mannequin resembling Presley and DNA evidence purporting Elvis is not dead, the newspaper said. ...
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