late October
- Trace Adkins, Martina McBride Among New Stars on Walk of Fame
Source: Elvis Presley Enterprises
(CMT News, October 30 2008)
Trace Adkins, Martina McBride, Michael McDonald, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Randy Travis and former CMA executive director Jo Walker-Meador will be honored with a star on the Music City Walk of Fame on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. The unveiling will take place in Hall of Fame Park in downtown Nashville, across the street from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The event is free and open to the public. Nominations were open to the public and accepted in the categories of artist, musician, songwriter and producer/music industry executive.
- The Annual Lighting of Elvis' Traditional Christmas Decorations at Graceland to Shine Brighter Than Ever with Martina McBride, Thomas Kinkade, Marlo & Tony Thomas and Patients from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital(R)
Source: Elvis Presley Enterprises
(Yahoo! Finance / BUSINESS WIRE, October 30 2008)
Thomas Kinkade to unveil his new Graceland Christmas painting and St. Jude Patients Join Martina McBride to officially turn on the lights in honor of the new Christmas DUETS CD on which she sings with Elvis.
Marlo & Tony Thomas along with Patients from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital(R) will join the celebration and kick-off the hospital's fifth anniversary of the Thanks and Giving(R) campaign SIRIUS XM Radio will broadcast live coverage of the special holiday event on Elvis Radio SIRIUS channel 13
WHAT/WHO:
Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis will officially begin the holiday season on Friday, November 21 with the annual lighting of the traditional lights and decorations on the mansion property. The extensive spectacle includes hundreds of blue lights along the driveway, a life-size Nativity scene, Santa and his sleigh and much more originally displayed at Graceland by Elvis.
Highlighting the activities will be Martina McBride, who will be joined by St. Jude child patients to 'flip the switch' and officially light the 13.8 acre Graceland Property. Ms. McBride recently finished her participation in an all new holiday CD with Elvis. "Elvis Presley Christmas Duets" features many of today's biggest country artists, including Carrie Underwood, Gretchen Wilson, Sarah Evans and LeAnn Rimes singing classic Elvis holiday songs with Elvis Presley.
Another holiday treat is the unveiling of the new Graceland Christmas Limited Edition release by renowned artist Thomas Kinkade. Mr. Kinkade will be joining Ms. McBride on stage for the ceremony and greeting fans.
Marlo and Tony Thomas, children of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® founder Danny Thomas, will be in attendance on behalf of St. Jude to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Thanks and Giving® campaign. Thanks and Giving is an unprecedented coming together of celebrities, media, retail and corporate partners that asks consumers to "Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not."
SIRIUS Elvis Radio will present special coverage of the 2008 lighting ceremony LIVE from Graceland. Martina McBride will also guest DJ on Elvis Radio SIRIUS channel 13 as she shares her unique experience of recording "Blue Christmas" for the Elvis Presley Christmas Duets album with the help of creative audio engineering. Elvis Radio listeners also will have the chance to meet Martina during her visit to Graceland along with an all expense paid trip to Memphis. Enter now at sirius.com/elvisradio.
The interiors of Graceland mansion will also be decked in Elvis' Christmas decor for the holiday season and include his traditional red velvet drapes and Presley family Christmas artifacts on display around several trees throughout the home, including the famous Jungle Room.
The public is welcome to attend the free lighting event, and paid tours of Graceland will operate the day of the lighting ceremony from 10AM to 6PM. Others from around the world can enjoy the evening live via the "GracelandCam" at www.elvis.com.
WHEN:
Friday, November 21 at Dusk (approximately 6:15PM Central)
WHERE:
Graceland, Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee
- Lisa Marie Presley's chat with her dead father Elvis
By Chris Harris
(New Kerala / ANI, October 29 2008)
American singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley has revealed that she holds talks with her late father, Rock 'n' Roll King Elvis Presley. The 40-year-old holds sessions with a medium, and has even gone so far as to introduce dad Elvis to her newborn twins.
"This was my dad, this was Elvis coming through!" the Daily Star quoted her as saying "I would know his energy anywhere and this was him, I have no doubt. Not only was it his voice, but I could also feel the exact same love that he gave me when I was a little girl. It was so overwhelming that I started to cry.
"The medium comforted me with his words by telling me he was proud of me, the babies were beautiful, he's doing just fine on the other side, he watches over me. After I sort of got acclimatised to all this and dried my eyes, we had this amazing talk. The most comforting thing he told me is that even though he's not here physically any more, he is still with me and he'll watch over the babies too," she added.
- Elvis Presley, Heath Ledger Top List Of Highest-Earning Dead Celebs
By Chris Harris
(MTV.com, October 29 2008)
Forbes list also names Charles Schulz, Albert Einstein, John Lennon, Paul Newman and Marvin Gaye.
What do Elvis Presley, Albert Einstein, Marvin Gaye and Heath Ledger have in common? Well, according to Forbes, they all make more money dead than you do alive. The magazine has released its annual list of the world's top-earning deceased celebrities, and for a second-straight year, the King leads the pack.
Presley raked in $52 million this year, up from $49 million in 2007, much of it due to the thousands who visit his Graceland estate each year and leave with souvenirs. New licensing ventures and the addition of the Elvis Channel to Sirius Satellite Radio's programming list didn't hurt either.
"While things might be topsy-turvy in the financial markets above ground, it's still a bull market in the boneyard," Forbes joked. Elvis earned more in the last year than some of pop's biggest breathing names. By comparison, Justin Timberlake cleared $44 million, while Madonna pulled in $40 million.
With $33 million earned, "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles Schulz, who died eight years ago, follows Elvis at #2. Meanwhile, Australian actor Heath Ledger, who died in January of an accidental drug overdose, made the #3 spot on the list.
The magazine claims it was Ledger's role as the Joker in this summer's blockbuster Batman flick, "The Dark Knight," that helped him make the cut. Ledger's estate received a percentage of the movie's box office take, as well as the film's related merchandising deals. Add to that the up-front payments he received for his work on the unfinished film "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," and the late actor earned an estimated $20 million over the last year.
German-born physicist Albert Einstein follows at #4 on the list, earning an estimated $18 million. Most of that cash came from the Disney-owned line of Baby Einstein products, Forbes reports, as well as several licensing deals, including one that will be tied to a new line of Kobe Bryant sneakers.
Further down the list, at #7, is Beatles songwriter John Lennon, who was murdered back in 1980 at the age of 40. Lennon's annual income peaked in 2006 at $24 million, but he is still one of the world's top postmortem earners, thanks to music-publishing royalties, merchandising and licensing agreements. The late Paul Newman, who died last month at the age of 83 after a long bout with lung cancer, makes the list at #11, earning $5 million, mostly from film residuals.
Marvin Gaye, who was murdered in 1984, earned $3.5 million last year to land in the #13 position. Motown Records continued to remaster, repackage and rerelease the singer's impressive catalog, and plans for a pair of big-budget biopics helped earn Gaye a spot on the roster for the first time. He also earned money through royalties and from hip-hop artists sampling his work.
- Elvis' girlfriend in 1956 still mystery
By NORM CLARKE
(Las Vegas Review-Journal, October 29 2008)
The identity of a former Las Vegas showgirl is at the center of an Elvis Presley-related mystery.
The Chicago Tribune on Tuesday published an article about the iconic "Million Dollar Quartet" photograph of the jam session in 1956. Gathered around a piano at the Sun Studios in Memphis, Tenn., were legendary singers Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis, Johnny Cash and a young woman.
Over the years, the woman was cropped out of the photo. Historians believe her name is Marilyn Evans, then a 19-year-old former showgirl at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino. Elvis had made his Las Vegas debut, which was considered a flop, at the hotel in April 1956, a little more than four months before his groundbreaking appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
The mystery has flared up again because the play, "Million Dollar Quartet," recently opened in the Apollo Theatre in Chicago. It is based on the quartet's jam session captured for posterity when Sun Studios founder Sam Phillips flipped on his recorder. One of the play's co-writers, Colin Escott, told the Tribune the mystery woman is "one of the few Elvis girlfriends to completely vanish into the ozone."
The woman may have dated Elvis only for a few weeks, according to Peter Guralnick, who authored a two-volume Elvis biography. She never appeared in any article, fanzine or made-for-TV movie, added Guralnick. A female voice can be heard suggesting a song title to the singers. Her photograph can be seen here: www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-102908-elvis-mystery-story,0,2687347.story.
Her name is "Dyanne" in the play, for legal reasons. A fictitious name prevents the producers from being sued if the woman is alive. "The name just doesn't ring a bell," Betty Bunch, a former dancer at the Sahara, told the Tribune. If you can cast any light on the mystery, call or e-mail me.
- ELVIS PRESLEY - PRESLEY STILL ROCKIN' FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE
(contactmusic.com, October 29 2008)
Rock 'n' roll king ELVIS PRESLEY has topped a poll of the highest-earning dead celebrities for the second consecutive year with earnings of $52 million (GBP33 million). The legendary singer died in 1977 - but he has continued to pull in more revenue than any other late star in the past 12 months. Finances were boosted last year (07) by the increase in visitors to his Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee to mark the 30th anniversary of his death.
His earnings, from October 2007 to 2008, overshadow the second-placed star in the Forbes poll - Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz. The animator, who died in 2000, took $33 million (21 million), while tragic actor Heath Ledger came in at number three with $20 million (GBP12.8 million). ...
- Elvis Presley's ghostly protection
(home.nzcity.co.nz, October 29 2008)
Elvis Presley has vowed to watch over his family from beyond the grave after 'meeting' his daughter Lisa Marie's new twins through a medium.
Elvis Presley has 'met' his granddaughters through a medium. Lisa Marie Presley - the late music legend's daughter, who gave birth to twin daughters Finley and Harper earlier this month - asked a medium to introduce the babies to her father and was delighted when the spirit guide contacted the singer.
Lisa Marie is quoted by Britain's Daily Star newspaper as saying: "This was my dad, this was Elvis coming through. I would know his energy anywhere and this was him, I have no doubt.
"Not only was it his voice but I could feel the exact same love he gave me when I was a little girl. It was so overwhelming that I started to cry.
"The medium comforted me with his words by telling me that he was proud of me and the babies were beautiful, he's doing fine on the other side and he watches over me. And I sort of got acclimatised to this and dried my eyes and we had this amazing link.
"The most comforting thing he told me is that even though he's not here physically any more he is still with me and he watches over the babies too."
Meanwhile, Lisa Marie's mother Priscilla - who was the [ex-] wife of Elvis, who died in 1977 aged 42 - revealed it is "a dream come true" to be a grandmother again.
She said: "My daughter just had twins, so that's a dream come true. It's been a real delight entering into the room and seeing these two little babies - it's been pretty terrific.
"Father's a little nervous. He's a first-time dad, so it's the most beautiful thing to watch the way he holds and carries the babies. It's so endearing to watch how delicate he is."
The twins are Lisa Marie's first children with husband Michael Lockwood.
She also has two children by ex-husband Danny Keough - Riley, 19, and Benjamin, 16.
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