mid January, 2008
- Warhol paintings expose his fear of death
(UPI, January 19, 2008)
Self-portraits of Andy Warhol scheduled for auction at Sotheby's in London next month are said to show a dark and more revealing side of the artist.
The unique series, painted six months prior to Warhol's fatal heart attack Feb. 22, 1987, gives a look into his personal fear of death, The Independent reported Saturday. The paintings, which are anticipated to sell for more than $20 million, reportedly are viewed as Warhol's most poignant work partly because of their return to the artist's most famous silk-screen form. Pop art silk-screen portraits of his from the 1960s include images of superstars Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe.
"What's important about his self-portraits is that it marked the rise of his own brand, that itself became iconic. Why these are so important is that he was coming to the end of his life and although he did not know this, he was certainly thinking of his life, mortality and posterity," Sotheby's auction head Francis Outred said.
- 'Elvis' evening at UB a rock-solid show
By Jeff Miers
(Buffalo News, January 19, 2008)
"Blue Suede Shoes: The Ultimate Elvis Bash" was presented Jan. 18, 2008 at the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts, with Elvis impressionist Scot Bruce among the performers
"Blue Suede Shoes" was more than an evening of Elvis impersonation - it was a night dedicated to celebrating a kind of magic, a cult of personality, and a songbook of stellar proportions.
Sure, sneeze at the whole idea of Elvis impersonators. There's enough evidence of absurdity in the bountiful wannabe business to back up your skepticism. However, Friday's show in UB's Center for the Arts (the mantra was "The King is dead; Long live the King") was as good as this sort of thing could possibly get.
Happily, the evening was split in two, with separate performers tackling the bipolar segments of the King's career. Scot Bruce and band opened the evening with an inspired set of what we Elvis snobs like to call "the real stuff." Roughly translated, this refers to the Sun Records recordings, the premovie star period, the era when Elvis was more musician/singer/ rock 'n' roll progenitor than he was bizarre karate-obsessed freak show in a jumpsuit.
Bruce and band captured this era remarkably well, re-creating the groundbreaking hybridization of country, rhythm and blues and gospel that Presley and a handful of others forged into first, rockabilly, and then, rock 'n' roll.
"Heartbreak Hotel," "Money Honey," "Don't Be Cruel," "Devil In Disguise," "Blue Moon of Kentucky," "A Fool Such As" - these were impeccably sung and "acted out" in a manner so Presley-like as to be almost creepy. Bruce was charming and spot-on throughout, offering playful banter to the clearly stoked sold-out crowd in a manner befitting his musical lord and master.
Part 2 of the program found Mike Albert donning a tigeradorned white jumpsuit to pay tribute to "after the fall"-era Elvis. He did so with considerable aplomb, charming the crowd and tossing out sweat-soaked silk scarves to eager fans with a panache that would've done Vegas Elvis proud.
Fittingly, Albert and company captured the shift in the once-great man's career, marking the sea change in style - mirrored by the move from early bandmates Scotty Moore and Bill Black to the likes of Ron Tutt, Jerry Scheff and James Burton - from late '50s/early '60s scruffy rock 'n' roll to late '60s/'70s showband.
There is an incredible amount of soulfulness in the best music Elvis recorded, and it remains a poignant force long after his death, even if he isn't the one singing it.
- It's a wacky world for celebs
By Laura Capitano
(jacksonville.com, January 18, 2008)
So much celebrity excess and extreme behavior, yet so few columns in a week. Here's my pick of the most offensive gossip these days.
- It seems Britney Spears is starring in her very own Truman Show, as so many of us follow her saga like it's an ongoing and award-worthy Lifetime Original Movie. She's stranger than fiction, that one. Media is split between faulting an undiagnosed bipolar disorder for her behavior, and pointing a finger at drug abuse, be it prescription or otherwise.
Based on recent headlines and photos of a ratty-haired, blotchy skinned Spears, I suspect she's on the Elvis Presley downward spiral and will start shooting out televisions any day now. Both the Star and the UK's News of the World report Spears has an affinity for "Purple Drank," and I'm sure the King would toast the pop star with this homemade hooch made of codeine cough syrup, prescription painkillers and Diet Sprite. ...
- Leading Memphis companies make airport area top priority
By Joe Birch
(wmctv.com, January 18, 2008)
With FedEx, Memphis has the number one cargo airport in the world. And it turns out the airport and the surrounding area are this region's true engine for economic growth. That's why leading Memphis companies have made improving the airport area a top priority.
Back-hoes remove debris from what will be a new bus terminal at Airways and Brooks within sight of the airport: "This will be a true multi-modal facility where Greyhound will come in, city buses and it'll be...hopefully in the future...a hub for a larger light rail system," John Lawrence of the airport development corporation said.
John Lawrence serves as director of the new Memphis Airport Area Development Corporation. It was created by top airport area companies to solve a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. How to set the stage for business growth with enhanced beauty and safety in a hodge-podge unlike any other.
... The focus is now on improving things. Creating a new master plan for growth from the airport, cleaning up Brooks Road all the way to Elvis Presley Boulevard and then South to Graceland.
"I want to give you a comfort level that nothing's changing," Priscilla Presley said. Priscilla assured Elvis' birthday fans last week that the inside of Graceland mansion will remain undisturbed.
But all around Graceland, it's a much different story! "There are investors all up and down this street looking for new hotel properties," Lawrence said. The old Howard Johnson's motel is being town down.
And just this week, Elvis Presley Enterprises announced the purchase of the Royal Oaks Apartments adjoining Graceland. It's all part of billionaire Robert Sillerman's plan to transform the area into a Disney-esque mecca. The ultimate Elvis experience. It's all about growth at Graceland and airport area companies like Medtronic, which has a 180,000 square foot office building in the works.
Just the kind of development Lawrence was hired to encourage. "Much of what we're doing throughout 2008 is master planning Brooks Road and Elvis Presley Boulevard, creating an identity and a communications plan for this area to let people know they've arrived someplace," Lawrence said. Taking back this neighborhood might just create the jobs that help Memphis' economy expand and take off! If your business is near the airport, the Memphis Airport Area Development Corporation wants your help planning the future. You can call 396-1564 for more information.
- Is local Presley estate next Graceland? With legal battle behind him, new owner reveals plans for future
By Katie Ruark
(Desert Sun, January 17, 2008)
If a local man has his way, fans soon will be able to see where Elvis kicked off his blue suede shoes. The King's Palm Springs home is being revamped to become a tourist attraction. The Elvis Estate - one of only two homes the King owned when he died in 1977 - is free from legal battles and wants to rock fans as the next Graceland.
"I want this to be Elvis of California," said Reno Fontana, who won ownership of the home in November with his wife, Laura Whittier Fontana. That could be good news for Palm Springs tourism. "I get asked probably six times a day to see the inside of the Elvis house," said Bill Davis, owner of Celebrity Tours in Palm Springs. "In fact, last week I had a woman from Poland, and all she could say was: 'inside Elvis house,'" he said. "People want to see what's inside."
More than 600,000 people visit the Graceland mansion in Memphis annually - making it one of the five most-visited home tours in the United States and the most famous home in America after The White House, according to Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Elvis already has a place in Palm Springs' history and a presence in its tourism industry.
The Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway, at 1350 Ladera Circle, brought in 600 guests for this year's Elvis Weekend. The three-day event celebrating Elvis and Priscilla Presley's honeymoon in Palm Springs enticed a woman to travel all the way from England, according to Leonard Lewis, the hideaway's caretaker.
"There are Elvis fans of all ages that go places other than Graceland," said Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism spokesman Jim Dunn. "He's always had that following."
What you'll find
Elvis and Priscilla Presley bought the home at 845 W. Chino Canyon Road for $85,000 in April 1970. The Presleys and their young daughter, Lisa Marie, lived there part time. When the two divorced in 1972, Priscilla signed over the home to Elvis with a quitclaim deed. After his death, Elvis' personal lawyer, who represented him during his divorce, took control of the estate.
Visitors won't find a jungle room, Elvis's animal-themed play room in Graceland. The five-bedroom home with a pool and stunning eastern views surprisingly is understated. The most outrageous part - if one can even call it that - is a sunken tub with red-and-black tiles in one of the seven bathrooms.
Today, if someone knocks on the door, Fontana will show them around the house for free.
There's no furniture, yet. When it's decorated - in the King's style - formal tours will be given for a fee.
For a lifelong, "unashamed fan" like Fontana, having a connection to the King is special.
"The first time I heard an Elvis song was Dec. 24, 1961," Fontana recalled. "It was 'Blue Hawaii' at my grandparents' house for a Christmas dinner." When the house came up for sale, he bought it "site unseen." "We may have our names on the deed, but we are the caretakers," he said. "This house belongs to Elvis fans around the world."
Other plans for Elvis Estate
But Fontana is also a businessman hoping to capitalize on a home that very few have seen - and hard fought for recently. A chapel, lagoon, banquet hall, pool and recording studio are in the works so the house can be used for weddings, parties and making more music, he said.
Palm Springs City Manager David Ready said plans have not been submitted but would need to meet the zoning ordinance codes for the residential area. "We look forward to his proposal, but it must be in compliance," Ready said.
- Elvis' childhood church added to Tupelo birthplace
(Clarion-Ledger, January 17, 2008)
The church that the king of rock 'n' roll attended as a child will become part of the Elvis Presley Birthplace attraction in Tupelo.
Dick Guyton, executive director of the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation, which owns the birthplace, said Wednesday that the foundation will restore the building to what it looked like in the '40s and open it to the public in August. It will be placed about 100 feet south of the chapel.
The First Assembly of God Church building was moved Wednesday to its temporary home behind the memorial chapel. "Elvis was probably more influenced by his church and black church music than anything else," Guyton said. "The chapel was his desire for a memorial. This will give a total concept to the visitor of Elvis' music - where it started and how it ended."
Six years ago, the foundation added the statue of Elvis at 13 to the grounds of the birthplace. This past week, a Blues Trail marker was unveiled. The foundation plans to build a walkway around the two-sided sign soon.
The church project is being funded by ticket sales and gift shop purchases and by a $40,000 donation from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.
Al Servati, division manager for the Carpenter Co., which has a manufacturing plant in Tupelo, said the Carpenter Foundation decided to get involved because this is "something that will attract people to Tupelo and attract new businesses." "It will benefit the entire community and hopefully Carpenter as well," he said.
For the past 42 years, the church has been Lawrence Stanford's home. He said he would have people come by his house every year and take pictures of the building.
He's remodeled it over the years, but the additions were stripped down to reveal the original siding and flooring from Presley's day. "I hate to see it go. I got used to living in it," he said.
Guy Harris, an Elvis childhood friend, said the musician "would be well-pleased with this deal. This is part of him and something he did. Same with Gladys and Vernon (Elvis' mother and father) because they went here too."
Presley was born in Tupelo on Jan. 8, 1935. Presley died at his Graceland mansion
in Memphis, Tenn., on Aug. 16, 1977. He is buried in a small garden beside the famous white-columned house.
- Investigation of fire at Elvis Presley Lake
(Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal,, January 17, 2008)
State and county fire officials are investigating a December arson that burned down a pavilion at Elvis Presley Lake. Lee County Fire Marshall Ed Fugitt said the incident happened on Dec. 5 at about 6:25 a.m. The pavilion, worth about $100,000, was found burned to the ground. Fugitt said a day prior to the fire, some grass fires were reported in the area and he thinks those are related to the fire at the lake. Because Elvis Presley Lake is on a state park, the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is also investigating
- Presley Costumer Bill Belew Dies at 76
(WHBQ FOX13 myfoxmemphis.com, January 17, 2008)
Costume designer Bill Belew, known to Elvis Presley fans as "the man who dressed the King," has died in Palm Springs. He was 76. Belew designed the black leather outfit Presley wore in his 1968 comeback TV special as well as his trademark colorful jumpsuits. He had been battling diabetes.
In his nearly 50-year career, Belew designed costumes for many stars of stage, screen and television, ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Gloria Estefan. Presley costume historian Butch Polston says Belew changed the face of rock 'n' roll fashion.
- Elvis Presley clothing designer Bill Belew dies at 76
(Ashbury Park Press / Associated Press, January 17, 2008)
Costume designer Bill Belew, who created Elvis Presley's jumpsuits and the tight black leather outfit he wore on his 1968 television special, has died. He was 76.
Belew died Jan. 7 at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Calif., after battling diabetes, his longtime companion, Paul Dafelmair, told the Los Angeles Times.
In his nearly 50-year career, Belew designed costumes for many stars of stage, screen and television, ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Gloria Estefan. But it is his work with Presley for which Belew will be best remembered. "Bill Belew changed the face of rock 'n' roll fashion," Presley costume historian Butch Polston said. After creating the jumpsuits for Presley, "everybody wanted to dress like Elvis," Polston said. "(Belew) designed stuff for the Osmonds, the Jacksons, just numerous celebrities."
His collaboration with Presley began in 1968, when Belew was asked to design the wardrobe for the hourlong TV special that that became known as Presley's "comeback."
"It always seemed like people assumed he wore black leather, but he never did," Belew recalled in an interview with Salon.com in 1999. "He may have worn a leather jacket, but that's about it." But the tight black leather outfit became an instant hit.
In the 1970s, Presley began wearing Belew-designed, bejeweled jumpsuits. They included a tall collar, pointed sleeves and bell bottoms, plus a matching cape and wide belts.
"I think when he got to the '70s, Elvis did have complete confidence in Bill's designs. Bill said they'd made the point about Elvis' masculinity and didn't have to worry about that," Julie Mundy, author of the book "Elvis Fashion," told The Associated Press in 2003.
- Bill Belew, who designed costumes for Elvis Presley, dies at 76
(fresnobee.com, January 17, 2008)
Bill Belew, a costume designer known to Elvis Presley fans as "the man who dressed the King," has died. He was 76. Belew, who designed the black leather outfit Presley wore in his 1968 comeback TV special as well as his trademark colorful jumpsuits, died Jan. 7 at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs after battling diabetes, Belew's longtime companion, Paul Dafelmair, told the Los Angeles Times.
In his nearly five-decade career, Belew designed costumes for many stars of stage, screen and television, ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Gloria Estefan. But it is his work with Presley for which Belew will be best remembered. "Bill Belew changed the face of rock 'n' roll fashion," Presley costume historian Butch Polston told the Times. After creating the jumpsuits for Presley, "everybody wanted to dress like Elvis," Polston said. "(Belew) designed stuff for the Osmonds, the Jacksons, just numerous celebrities."
His collaboration with Presley began in 1968, when Belew was asked to design the wardrobe for the hourlong TV special. "It always seemed like people assumed he wore black leather, but he never did," Belew recalled of Presley in an interview with Salon.com in 1999. But the tight black leather outfit became an instant hit.
Two years later, Presley began wearing Belew-designed, bejeweled jumpsuits. They included a tall collar, pointed sleeves and bell bottoms, plus a matching cape and wide belts. "I think when he got to the '70s, Elvis did have complete confidence in Bill's designs. Bill said they'd made the point about Elvis' masculinity and didn't have to worry about that," Julie Mundy, author of the book "Elvis Fashion," told the Associated Press in 2003.
Belew's survivors include his niece, Margaret Hagin; a grand niece and grand nephew; and his longtime companion, Paul Dafelmair. A memorial service is pending.
- Elvis Lives - at Fairfield Park
Press Release: Nelson Media Agency
(Scoop [New Zealand], January 17, 2008)
There's no comfy seating, the temperature control is random, the movies are seriously dated and you bring your own popcorn - but people right around the region are flocking to see Summer Movies al Fresco. Event director Antony Hodgson says a record crowd of over 500 turned out last week at Fairfield Park for Frankenstein and he's expecting a record crowd this week for Elvis Presley in Love Me Tender.
"It's not just about the movie - it's the shared experience of the big screen under the stars in your local park, with a group of friends, enjoying a picnic, watching the sunset and basking in the movie nostalgia," Antony says.
Summer Movies al Fresco, shown in association with Forsyth Barr, is about half way through the season with screenings still to come in Nelson, Richmond, Takaka and Motueka. The Amplified Picnics are also back this year before several of the movies. Starting at 6pm families can come along to the park, enjoy sounds mixed by local DJs and have some fun with hula hoop, jump rope, poi and big ball volleyball until it gets dark enough to show the movie (around 9pm). These activities are free, but remember to bring gold coins if staying for the movie. ...
- Rein lopps off the Elvis look
By Jessica Wright
(Canberra Times, January 16, 2008, p. 12)
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's sideburns have been given short shrift by wife Therese Rein. As pointed out in yesterday's column, Rudd had been sporting what looked like two furry caterpillars inching their way down to his chin. The length of the sideburns has attracted much attention in the last 24 hours, with some commentators jokingly comparing the Prime Minister with Elvis. But while visiting Rein, at Brisbane's Mater Private Hospital, where she was recovering from an operation to have a gallstone removed, he was promptly instructed to lose the sideburns and and get a haircut. "The good thing about that Christmas/New Year period is you can avoid going to the hairdresser as well," Rudd told reporters in Brisbane. "But a sure and early sign of Therese'srecovery was when she suggested I head off to the hairdresser's ... which is what happened."
- Rudd's new look channels Elvis Presley
(Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania, January 16, 2008)
HE'S enjoyed a summer break at a harbourside Sydney mansion, whiling away the hours at the cricket and having dinner with Nicole Kidman - and now a pair of sideburns have appeared in front of the prime ministerial ear lobes. Kevin Rudd appears to be ushering in a colonial version of Cool Britannia, that heady period in the late 1990s when British Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair was at the centre of a rising tide of popular culture.
Chris Smith of Sydney radio station 2GB was first to spot the length of the sideburns, which began tracking their way down the side of Mr Rudd's face soon after the election victory.< Smith suggested the new look might be evidence of an Elvis influence, as in "a hunka hunka burnin' Rudd".
Regardless, there was a spring in the step of the nouveau-cool PM yesterday as his wife Therese Rein was given the all-clear after surgery for a recurring gallstone problem. ...
- Elvis' Childhood Church Moves to Museum
(wcbi.com, January 16, 2008)
The Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation in Tupelo announced Wednesday it bought the building that once housed the First Assembly of God Church in Tupelo, where Elvis and his family once attended services. Wednesday workers removed the building from it's foundation on Berry Street and moved it over to the museum. Coordinators said the church may bring in new visitors and draw in some returning patrons.
"It'll bring a lot of people who have been to our place, now that we have a new venue they'll come back and see it as well and being the original church makes it even more interesting," Dick Guyton, executive director of the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation said.
The building has been a house for the past 50 years; coordinators said they have a lot of work ahead of them to renovate the building to look how it did when Elvis attended the church. Guyton said it should be ready just in time for Fan Appreciation Day in August.
- Police the music? Don't try
By Tom Bell
(Salina Journal, January 16, 2008)
Music from every generation has bugged old folks. In the 1950s Elvis Presley shocked them with his hip-grinding performances. The '60s brought us the Beatles and long hair. The Twist was reviled from pulpits as decadent. Nudity and drug use were commonplace at the 1969 Woodstock festival. Jimi Hendrix played a screeching rendition of our national anthem and anti-war themes flowed from artists of every stripe -- from rhythm and blues to rock and roll. On and on we go through the decades. Acid rock. Demonic symbols on album covers. Profanity. Sex.
Older folks in each of these eras were outraged and tried to do something about it. In 1991 Cardinal O'Connor asked Rome to excommunicate music superstar Madonna. Labels on albums and CDs warned of indecent language.
We know how young people reacted to those efforts. They ignored or scoffed.
... Let's put lawmakers' energies to use in areas that will make a difference for Kansas. Shaking our fingers at any music form doesn't fill that bill.
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