late June 2008
- Music Review: Elvis Presley - Elvis' Christmas Album
Written by David Bowling
(blogcritics.org, June 30, 2008)
Elvis¹ Christmas Album was released in October of 1957 and spent four weeks at number one. As of a couple of years ago it remained the best selling holiday album of all time. Even my grandfather liked this album, which was rare since he did not like Elvis, Christmas or any music released after 1949. He was one of the 9 million people who purchased the LP. I dust it off every December as it remains one of my two or three favorite Christmas albums. ...
- Fans all shook up over Elvis festival
By Rebecca Turcotte / Sonja Puzic
(Windsor Star, June 30, 2008)
Sequined jumpsuits, sideburns and gold-framed sunglasses were a common sight along Windsor's waterfront over the weekend as singers paid homage to the King.
Hundreds came out for the annual Windsor Elvis Festival to watch the tribute artists shake, rattle and roll. Everyone from teens to seniors shouted out Elvis Presley's hits during performances at Dieppe Gardens and the Chrysler Theatre.
"Elvis has no realm of age. He's an icon throughout the years," said LaSalle's Kevin Bezaire, who sported the famous ducktail hairstyle. Lance Dobinson first performed as Elvis when he was 12 years old. Now 21, the Collingwood native performs professionally as a young Elvis across the United States and Japan. "I love his voice, and he had a thing with the ladies too," he said, smiling. ...
- Elvis fan club will have star its way
By NORM CLARKE
(Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 29, 2008)
A local Elvis fan club isn't feeling a whole lot of love from the Elvis Presley Estate. The cold shoulder includes efforts to obtain a donation for Elvis' celebrity star on Las Vegas Boulevard and silence as far as offering input on where to install the star.
Letters were sent to everyone from Robert Sillerman, who purchased 85 percent of Elvis Presley Enterprises in 2004 for $114 million, to Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley. "We have heard nothing in response," said Sue Laurenz, head of the Viva Las Vegas Club, the fundraising force behind getting Elvis a star.
The club has about $13,000 of the required $15,000. "We're moving on. The fans have made it happen, and it's all fan money," said Laurenz, adding that she's seen donations as small as $2 and $5. The Las Vegas Walk of Stars announced last week that Elvis' star will go in front of the Riviera on Sept. 26, the 27th star on the Strip.
Laurenz said Pete "Big Elvis" Vallee has been a saint in the effort, frequently promoting the fundraising drive during his show at Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon. All the proceeds have been raised since Feb. 28, a good share from foreign countries through the Internet.
The Web site is www.astarforelvis.com.
E-mail astar4elvis@yahoo.com for more information.
- I think I love you. What happens in that first nanosecond that makes us fall for someone
By Ryan Blitstein
(chicagotribune.com, June 29, 2008)
Erika Kokkinos felt like a monkey in a zoo. Technically, she was "dating." At each of 12 tables at an art gallery in Northwestern University's student union, Kokkinos was meeting an eligible college bachelor, some of them quite attractive. But the radio/television/film major had trouble disregarding the tripod-mounted cameras and cucumber-sized microphones. Barely an hour before, she had produced a saliva sample not exactly a sexy exercise - so researchers could analyze her hormone levels. The whole evening of romantic possibility had been set up as a science experiment.
... For thousands of years, thinkers from Plato to Erich Fromm have analyzed love, and everyone from William Shakespeare to Elvis Presley has chronicled the ecstasy of falling into it. But compared with many scientific subjects - the bonds between atoms, for instance - researchers know precious little about how romance works. ...
- Music Review: Elvis Presley - Loving You
Written by David Bowling
(blogcritics.org, June 28, 2008)
So what does a young, charismatic, and good looking singer, who is the most successful musical artist in the country do for an encore? He heads to Hollywood to star in a movie of course.
Loving You was a pieced together affair which included songs from the movie, previously released tracks from an EP, plus a couple more from the studio. It all added up to a very good album but ultimately not of the quality of his first two ground breaking LPs. Nevertheless, released in July of 1957, Loving You would remain the number one album in the country for ten weeks. Even my mother had a copy of this album.
The cover does Elvis justice. Even at seven years old, I am quite sure I sensed that I was not that good looking. My wife would probably agree today. All right eliminate the word probably.
Elvis would make a seemingly unending string of mostly forgettable movies. They would contain some excellent songs and a lot of what can best be described as filler. Elvis would never have a song nominated for an academy award, even though there were certainly songs from many of his films that should have been so honored.
The album starts out on a strong note. "Mean Woman Blues" is an all out rocker in the classic Presley tradition. "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" is the first of what would become an Elvis performance that would be halfway between rock and pop. It featured a catchy melody with a great smooth vocal and would hit number one on the singles charts. "Loving You" was an effective ballad, both in the movie and on its own. "Got A Lot Of Living To Do" was another driving up-tempo song.
Elvis does as well as he can with "Lonesome Cowboy" and "Hot Dog." The songs are weak and would be forerunners of his future film material. Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, hired writers to churn out material for Elvis' movies. He would retain some of the rights and make millions.
The second half of the album finds Elvis experimenting with material from different styles of music. "Blueberry Hill" is a cover of the great Fats Domino song and while Elvis give a good performance, I miss Fats. "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" had been recorded by The Sons Of The Pioneers and Bing Crosby among others. Here Elvis takes this old warhorse in a country direction and gives a wonderful performance. "I Need You So" by Ivory Joe Hunter and Cole Porter's "True Love" are average performances for Elvis.
Loving You will be forever associated with Elvis' movie material. Taken on its own, however, it does have some excellent moments and is still worth a listen now and then.
- Music Review: Elvis Presley - Elvis
Written by David Bowling
(blogcritics.org, June 27, 2008)
Elvis Presley released his second long playing album, Elvis, on October 9, 1956. Elvis was then a star. His first album, Elvis Presley, and the single "Heartbreak Hotel" had sold millions of copies. In the late summer and early fall of 1956 the double hit single "Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel" had topped the American charts for close to two months. In fact "Hound Dog" would be the first song to top the pop, country and rhythm and blues charts at the same time. Elvis was even reported to be dating Natalie Wood. He had it all - voice, looks, popularity, wealth and charisma.
Eleven of the 12 tracks contained on Elvis were recorded during a three-day period. This album was a tad different than the first. The songs were again selected from rock, country and rhythm & blues but Elvis was settling into his classic and unique vocal style. The rockabilly roots were giving way to straight rock and Elvis was now confident enough to record a number of ballads. RCA continued to leave his big single hits off of his albums as the label wanted them to have a commercial life of their own. Thus there was no "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel" or "Love Me Tender." The CD release of this album would contain these tracks plus "Playing For Keeps," "Anyway You Want (That's How I'll Be)" and "Too Much." These tracks serve to make a very strong album better.
The first two songs are very different yet set the tone for what will follow. Little Richard's classic song, "Rip It Up," is given the full Elvis treatment as he tears through it with frenetic energy. The ballad, "Love Me" follows and provides a wonderful counterpoint. His female fans would always flock to this type of Elvis performance.
Elvis had the confidence to cover three classic country songs. While he remained true to the songs' structures and form, it is his voice that changes them and makes them uniquely his own. Elvis had one of the best vocal instruments in rock music and was able to take almost any song and transform it into his own definitive creation. Bluegrass originator Bill Monroe's "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again," Red Foley's "Old Shep" and Webb Pierce's "How Do You Think I Feel" all find Elvis exploring his country roots and then transforming and ultimately transcending them. Other songs such as "Reddy Teddy," "Long Tall Sally" and "Paralyzed" are all solid. "Paralyzed" gives the writing credit to Otis Blackwell and Elvis. Elvis would only take a writing credit on a small number of songs during his career. It is a testament to his integrity that he would never force this issue.
Elvis has a good feel to it and shows some musical movement and an increasing maturity. This second excellent album by Presley is another critical stop in his musical journey and a fine example of '50's rock 'n' roll.
- Graceland Announces Plans for Elvis Week, August 9-17, 2008
By Jennifer Thomas
(Centre Daily, June 25, 2008)
Tickets Now Available for the Nine-Day Celebration of Elvis' Life Events Include: All-New, Star-Studded "Elvis, from Broadway to Memphis," Two "Music and Movies" Nights on the Front Lawn of Graceland, Fan Club Events, Charity Fundraisers, Celebrity.
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) a CKX, Inc. company, is planning for a special Elvis Week, the annual Elvis celebration at Graceland, the late superstar's home in Memphis, August
9-17. Elvis Week is an annual nine-day gathering of friends and fans from around the world celebrating Elvis' life and career.
The 2008 event will feature several new activities and
entertainment including "Elvis, From Broadway to Memphis." This
first-ever production will include a state-of-the-art, video-projected
Elvis performing with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Broadway stars
Leah Hocking, Austin Miller, 2007 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist winner
Shawn Klush and the rockabilly group The Dempseys. Two shows will be
held on August 16th at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in
downtown Memphis.
Following its overwhelming popularity in 2007, two nights of
"Music and Movies at Graceland," featuring live entertainment and a
movie on the front lawn of Graceland, will be held on August 11th and
12th. Featured artists will include The Imperials, Andy Childs and his
band and Terry Mike Jeffrey and Band. Films shown will be Jailhouse
Rock and Elvis: That's The Way It Is.
For the second year, EPE is presenting the wildly successful
Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest. More than 20 competitions are
being held around the world, selecting the top Elvis tribute artists
that "best represent the legacy of Elvis Presley," to compete for a
spot in the Memphis semifinals on August 13th and finals on August
14th.
Elvis Week kicks off on August 9th at 8 a.m. with the Annual Elvis
Presley International 5K Run to Benefit United Cerebral Palsy,
starting with thousands of Elvis fans and runners in front of
Graceland. It is one of several charity fundraisers scheduled.
Additional events are planned throughout the city, including the
DVD theatrical premiere of Elvis Presley - His Home, His Story. Three
screenings on each day will be held at Malco's Studio on the Square on
August 9th and 13th. The new DVD features photos from the Graceland
archives, home movies and more. The day will culminate with a special
event at Autozone Park as the Memphis Redbirds baseball team welcomes
Elvis fans to town with a special event showcasing Elvis-themed
entertainment, fireworks and more.
- Football is special Father's Day present
By MEL MELCHER
(Hot Springs Village Voice, June 25, 2008)
A special day in Arkansas Razorback football history led to a Father's Day present for Hot Springs Village resident Frank Cathey. A passionate collector, Cathey has a hat collection totaling at least 150, a guitar scratched by Elvis Presley, records, baseballs and footballs.
- Farewell to Elvis fan Eunice
(expressandstar.com, June 24, 2008)
Family and friends paid their last respects to Cannock [Staffordshire]'s great Elvis fan, Eunice Fitch today. The 65-year-old died in April following a heart attack in hospital while recovering from a bowel operation. She had suffered from poor health over recent years but had continued her fundraising efforts right to the end. ... Famed for her devotion to the King of rock 'n' roll, her home is a shrine to Presley with an extensive collection of memorabilia includes statues, neon lights, a gold bust of The King on a plinth in the garden and a stained glass window of him.
... Mrs Fitch was renowned throughout the district for raising thousands of pounds for charity with her extravagant Christmas lights switch on at her home in Danby Drive, Prospect Village, in aid of Cancer Research. She also organised charity concerts at the Prince of Wales Theatre as well as with events where Mr Clay would sing Elvis' top tunes on her front lawn for all to hear.
- Human Resource group honors Root Learning, Right Thing Inc.
By GARY T. PAKULSKI
(toledoblade.com, June 24, 2008)
When editor Alma Reising offered to sew a costume as part of a charity fund-raiser at Root Learning Inc. in Sylvania, mischievous colleagues commissioned an Elvis Presley getup that they then cajoled a salesman to wear into the office. "Everyone has a really good sense of humor," she said. "That's one reason why clients come back to us. They can sense the fun." The firm's relaxed yet productive atmosphere helped earn it the designation of ninth best small company to work for in America. ...
- Elvis photo destroyed, defendant says
By JANE MUSGRAVE
(Palm Beach Post, June 24, 2008)
Elvis is still dead, and so is the famous photo of him laid out in his coffin, according to recently filed court papers. "The Elvis Photo was destroyed," say the attorneys representing a New York man who is accused of snatching the picture from the anthrax-tainted former headquarters of the National Enquirer. Further, they say, they have another photo to prove it.
In a federal lawsuit filed last month, a Boca Raton developer who bought the tabloid's former headquarters is demanding a return of the photo, which he says is worth at least $1 million. In the lawsuit, developer David Rustine says the photo was stolen by John Y. Mason, head of a New York company hired to decontaminate the building in the wake of a 2001 anthrax attack.
Late last week, Mason fired back. Not only is he saying he did not swipe the photo, he is suing Rustine for defamation of character for alleging he did. "Mr. Mason has never threatened to steal or otherwise withhold the Elvis Photo from Mr. Rustine," wrote Boca Raton attorneys Robert Hunt and Debra Klingsberg, who represent Mason. In fact, they say, the photo was destroyed when Mason's company, Sabre Technical Services, fumigated the building after it was infected with anthrax in 2001. The still-unsolved anthrax attack killed tabloid photo editor Bob Stevens.
As evidence that the photo was destroyed, Mason's attorneys included a grainy picture of a man wearing a white hooded jumpsuit and a gas mask. The man, whom they identify as tabloid in-house counsel Daniel Rotstein, is holding the photo that produced a record 6.5 million sales for the Enquirer when it was on the cover of the tabloid shortly after Elvis Presley's August 1977 death. The picture of Rotstein was snapped shortly before the Elvis photo and hundreds of others were shredded, the attorneys contend. Rotstein, they say, oversaw the shredding.
Officials at American Media Inc., which owns the Enquirer, the Star and other tabloids and magazines such as Men's Fitness, said they don't think the man in the blurry photo is Rotstein. But, they said, they don't understand the battle royal over the photo of "The King."
Even if it exists, it's worth little, said Mike Antonello, an AMI attorney. The key isn't who owns the photo or even the negative, but who owns the copyright, he said. While Rustine may have inherited thousands of celebrity photos when he bought AMI's $10 million headquarters for $40,000 in 2003, he doesn't own the copyright on them, Antonello said. While Rustine can sell the photos, he can't publish them or whoever owns the copyright can sue, Antonello said. "If he tries to sell it for $1 million and he says the copyright goes with it, he would get sued," Antonello said.
He said he didn't know who owns the copyright for the photo that a former Enquirer editor says was shot for the tabloid by one of Presley's many cousins. The tabloid paid the cousin $18,000 to snap the photo, former Editor Iain Calder revealed in a book he wrote about his years at the Enquirer. Antonello said he couldn't figure out what was fueling the lawsuit over what he described as "a non-issue."
Neither Mason nor Rustine's attorneys returned telephone calls. However, in separate court claims, they blast each other over how the infamous photo has been used in their business dealings. In his lawsuit, Rustine says Mason took the photo hostage to keep him from canceling Sabre's contract. Mason contends that Rustine filed the lawsuit over the photo to force him to resolve a $10 million claim he filed against Rustine after the contract was canceled.
Royce Emley, a former promotion manager for AMI, said the negative of the Presley photo - one of five shot of the dead rock-and-roll icon - was kept in a vault. He suspects top editors grabbed the negatives before they evacuated the building during the anthrax attack.
"Can you think of an asset the National Enquirer had that was more valuable than the Elvis photo?" he asked. "I can't."
A man identified by defense attorneys as a tabloid employee holds the photo before, the attorneys say, it and others were shredded
- Famed Elvis casket photo at heart of Boca lawsuit
By Sally Apgar
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel, June 24, 2008)
A HARLEY-Davidson golf buggy once owned by the Elvis Presley Foundation has found its way to the fairways of Wodonga. Originally built two years after Presley's death, Wodonga resident Noel Whiffin has given the buggy a new lease of life. ...
The original photo of the famous National Enquirer picture of Elvis Presley lying in his open casket was shredded during a six-year anthrax decontamination effort on the tabloid's former Boca Raton headquarters, according to the newest twist in a federal lawsuit.
The front-page photo, which sold a whopping 6.5 million copies in 1977, is the center of a dispute between Boca Raton developer David Rustine, who bought the contaminated building at a bargain-basement price in 2003 while it was still sealed and quarantined, and John Y. Mason, whose company, Sabre, was hired to decontaminate it.
In a lawsuit filed in May, Rustine, who values the photo at $1 million, said Mason held the photo hostage in a dispute between the two over the cleaning. Rustine wants him to return the image or pay for it.
The photo is part of rock history. For years, it fueled fan-frenzied stories that "The King" was not dead, that it was all a hoax because the man in the photo didn't look like their iconic rock daddy with attitude. But a 2004 tell-all book by former Enquirer editor Iain Calder laid to rest some rumors when he spilled that the paper paid one of Presley's cousins $18,000 to secretly take the snapshot of the really dead King.
In October 2001, then-Enquirer photo editor Bob Stevens opened a letter containing weapons-grade anthrax spores that killed him and contaminated the building owned by Enquirer parent American Media Inc. The attack has never been solved.
In 2003, Rustine's company, Broken Sound LLC, bought the building once valued at $10 million for $40,000 from AMI. In December 2003, Rustine's Broken Sound and Mason's Sabre entered an agreement to clean and decontaminate the building.
On May 17 or 18, 2005, Rustine alleged Mason said "he would lose the Elvis photo" if the decontamination contract were not extended past a May 31, 2005, deadline. Mason's countersuit, filed Friday, said Rustine doesn't even own the photo. He said AMI still owns the rights to that photo and millions of other celebrity photos that were contaminated and entombed in the building. Mason said that AMI's rights to photos and documents in the building were recognized in the decontamination agreement.
According to Mason's countersuit, Sabre began destroying documents and photos in February 2004 at the direction of AMI in-house counsel Daniel Rotstein. Mason's Sabre argues that it was ordered to destroy all documents and photos until a late 2004 agreement but that by then the Elvis photo was in ribbons.
- Buggy with legendary history
(Gloucester Advocate, June 23, 2008)
A HARLEY-Davidson golf buggy once owned by the Elvis Presley Foundation has found its way to the fairways of Wodonga. Originally built two years after Presley's death, Wodonga resident Noel Whiffin has given the buggy a new lease of life. ...
- Resurrect Elvis!
(Yahoo! News UK / Dotmusic, June 23, 2008)
Elvis Presley has been voted the historical figure people would most like to see resurrected. The King came out on top in a poll which questioned 2000 people, earning a 23 per cent score in the survey. The top three was completed by Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe, with William Shakespeare and King Henry VIII also in the Top 10. Queen's Freddie Mercury and Kurt Cobain from Nirvana were the other musical icons to feature. The survey predicted that Elvis would be a judge on "American Idol" and Shakespeare a songwriter for the likes of Amy Winehouse, if they were still alive. The Top Ten is as follows: 01 Elvis Presley 02 Princess Diana 03 Marilyn Monroe 04 King Henry VIII 05 Bobby Moore 06 William Shakespeare 07 Freddie Mercury 08 Albert Einstein 09 Winston Churchill 10 Kurt Cobain.
- Presley and Monroe top revival poll
(Yahoo! News UK / Press Association, June 23, 2008)
King of rock'n'roll Elvis Presley, Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe are the stars British people would most like to bring back from the dead, according to a poll. Wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill and football World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore also made the top 10 in a survey of 2,000 people by Warner Home Video.
Respondents were asked to vote for the person they would most like to bring back to life and 23% opted for Elvis. Diana, Princess of Wales, came second with 20% of the votes, while Monroe was placed third. People were also asked to choose what they thought the stars would be doing if alive on Monday and six in 10 thought Elvis would be a judge on American Idol. ...
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