Late August
- Man relieved when $20,000 bid falls short
(theglobeandmail.com, August 31 2010)
An Illinois man who bid $20,000 for ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's Elvis statue said he was relieved to lose and soon found an identical statue for $550.
J.R. Bramlett, 67, of Orland Park, said he bid $20,000 for the statue at the Aug. 19 auction in Arlington Heights, which was held after Blagojevich's campaign organization failed to pay back rent on a storage space, but he was outbid by $500, the Arlington Heights Daily Herald reported Tuesday.
However, Bramlett said he was relieved to lose when he discovered he could purchase an identical statue for $550 from a Texas seller and similar statues with different poses for the same price.
Bramlett said his home is now adorned with two of the statues for a total $18,600 less than his bid for Blagojevich's Elvis.
"God looked over to me," Bramlett said of losing the auction.
- The Elvis indicator, attendance scanners, the bedroom dilemma
By Michael Kesterton
(theglobeandmail.com, August 31 2010)
A Kentucky store manager said the return of Elvis Presley impersonators after a year-long lull may be a good sign for the economy, United Press International reports.
Rob Baker, manager of the Doo Wop Shop in Louisville, said Elvis impersonators were absent from the store for about a year until last week, when one came in to buy a wireless microphone and another stopped in later to rent portable show lights, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal reported Monday. "Elvis is a dipstick, of sorts, for our economy," Baker said. "The party business is coming back. People are not thinking twice about having an event. They are feeling a bit more relaxed."
Uric Dufrene, an economist at Indiana University Southeast, said Baker might be on to something by using Elvis as an economic indicator. "The increase in Elvis-related consumption items suggests that discretionary spending might be on the upswing," Dufrene said. ...
- Gallery for Elvis Presley fans opens in Fukuoka
(japantoday.com, August 29 2010)
A gallery for Elvis Presley fans recently opened in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka [Japan], exhibiting his records, posters and other memorabilia. Salon Elvis, displaying more than 1,000 items, including a rare stuffed animal of a dog that Presley gave to music critic Reiko Yukawa, is dedicated to the legendary U.S. rock icon known as "The King."
"This is a place where you can listen to Elvis music and chill out. I hope people will drop by," operator Shinichi Takeda said. The gallery will be open through September 2011.
- Wanda Jackson gives credit to the King: Elvis Presley's girl
By Rich Albertoni
(thedailypage.com, August 26 2010)
Wanda Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. That might never have happened if she hadn't met Elvis Presley in 1955, when she was 17.
Until then, Jackson was making waves in country music. Hank Thompson invited her to sing with his band, the Brazos Valley Boys.
After graduating from high school, Jackson, who performs at the High Noon Saloon on Sunday, Aug. 29, crossed paths with Presley on tour. They became friends and briefly dated.
Jackson, who is now 73, recalled by phone last week how Presley encouraged her to sing rock. She took his advice, mixing rock and country on hit singles like "I Gotta Know." Today, Wanda Jackson is commonly known as the Queen of Rockabilly.
Is there any one conversation or moment that stands out for you during the time you spent with Elvis?
We were just two normal teenagers. Our conversations wouldn't have been too much different from what teenagers talk about today. But I do remember one time when we did a matinee show in Shreveport in 1956 and we had a couple of hours until our next show. A few of us were getting a bite to eat in between, and I remember Elvis came in and said, "Will you step outside for a minute?" We walked out to his car, and he asked me if I would be his girl. I said yes. So he took a ring off his finger and he gave it to me. I wore that ring on a necklace around my neck.
What influence did Elvis have on your career?
Until then, most records were geared toward older people. But Elvis would say, "Young people have money now, and this is the kind of music they want." He wanted me to get in on it. I would say, "Well, you can do it because you're a handsome guy, but I don't think I can." He just kept saying, "Yes, you can." He would play part of a record for me and say, "See if you can sing this part this way." I'm just so grateful, because if it hadn't been for him, I would never have tried that style of music.
- Music ties together new Parsons book
(orlandosentinel.com, August 25 2010)
Elvis Presley, the Louvin Brothers and Mother Maybelle & the Carter Sisters. ...
- Shake, Rattle, And Roll(TM) With The King Of Rock N' Roll iPhone(R) App
(news.yahoo.com / AFP, August 23 2010)
The Official Elvis(R) Challenge iPhone App Is Ready For Download. Celebrating 75 years of Elvis, Elvis Presley Enterprises, INC. and USAOPOLY invites you to rock n' roll with their newest game app, The Official Elvis(R) Challenge. This exciting game brings The King to life challenging players' knowledge of everything Elvis with an array of games built for pure fun. Powered by "The Inquizitor" Game Engine, the app will be compatible with all iPhones(R) and iPod(R) touch devices running iPhone(R) OS 3.0 or above. The Official Elvis Challenge is made by USAOPOLY under license from Elvis Presley Enterprises, INC.
- The Jailhouse Nightmare: "Never Again" Vows Karan Johar
(newkerala.com, August 23 2010)
After the trauma that Karan Johar has gone through in filming Elvis Presley's track 'Jailhouse Rock' in his production We Are Family, the producer has vowed to never again touch an international number or film. Earlier Karan had obtained the rights of the song 'Pretty Woman' for Kal Ha No Ho fairly easily. This time, too, getting the original copyright holders of 'Jailhouse Rock' to say yes was easy enough.
The nightmare began later.
Apparently, just days before filming, the official contract arrived from the US. To their horror, producer Karan Johar and director Siddharth Malhotra discovered that they were not allowed to use any image, visual, dance step, or even the words associated with the original Elvis song! At that late juncture, everything from the dance steps, to the set to the lyrics had to be changed.
Says Siddharth with a shudder, "The contract arrived just days before shooting. We got to know that we couldn't use anything to do with Elvis. We had everything ready, the set, the costumes, the songs and words...Most importantly we had images of Elvis splashed all over and we had incorporated the words from 'Jailhouse Rock' into the track. All that had to be scrapped."
For a while Karan and his director contemplated scrapping the song altogether. Says Siddharth, "What is the point of a tribute to Elvis when we couldn't use his face, his dance steps, even his images as props on the sets? We couldn't even replicate any of the lyrics from the original and had to rewrite the words on the spot. So what could we use? It was the most devastating moment of the shooting. First Kajol was three months pregnant and we had to change all her steps. Then we had to change EVERYTHING because we hadn't read the contract."
Matters got worse when the little girl playing Kajol's younger daughter suddenly fell sick with chickenpox.
Shudders Siddharth Malhotra, "We had to rewrite the scene explaining her absence in the song. It was a nightmare. And one we'd never like to go through again." Karan has now decided to swear off all foreign copyright-controlled material. In all probability We Are Family will be his first and last Hollywood remake.
As for Elvis Presley, all of the rock legend's songs are henceforth banned at Dharma Productions.
- Shooting Elvis song was devastating: Siddharth Malhotra
(calcuttanews.net, August 23 2010)
Filming the Indian version of Elvis Presley's track 'Jailhouse Rock' in the forthcoming film 'We Are Family' was more like a nightmare for the crew and director Siddharth Malhotra describes it as the most devastating moment of the shooting.
Releasing Sep 3, the film starring Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal is the Indian version of Hollywood hit 'Stepmom'.
Earlier, producer Karan Johar had obtained the rights to the song 'Pretty Woman' for 'Kal Ho Naa Ho' fairly easily. This time too getting the original copyright holders of 'Jailhouse Rock' to say yes was easy enough.
The nightmare began later. Apparently just days before filming, the official contract arrived from the US. To their horror, Karan and director Siddharth discovered that they were not allowed to use any image, visuals, dance steps or even the words associated with the original Elvis song!
At that late juncture everything from the dance steps, to the set to the lyrics had to be changed and the Elvis' classic song 'Jailhouse Rock' was titled 'Dil khol ke let's rock'.
'The contract arrived just days before shooting. We got to know that we couldn't use anything to do with Elvis. We had everything ready, the set, the costumes, the songs and words... Most importantly we had images of Elvis splashed all over and we had incorporated the words from 'Jailhouse Rock' into the track. All that had to be scrapped.'
For a while Karan and Siddharth contemplated scrapping the song altogether. 'What is the point of a tribute to Elvis when we couldn't use his face, his dance steps, even his images as props on the sets? We couldn't even replicate any of the lyrics from the original and had to rewrite the words on the spot. So what could we use?
'It was the most devastating moment of the shooting. First, Kajol was three months pregnant and we had to change all her steps. Then we had to change everything because we hadn't read the contract.'
Matters got worse when the little girl playing Kajol's younger daughter suddenly fell sick with chickenpox.
'We had to rewrite the scene explaining her absence in the song. It was a nightmare. And one we'd never like to go through again,' said Malhotra.
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