October 18, 200816 yr Author New 'Million Dollar Quartet' Musical is a hit! http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/MDQshowax.jpg Opening in Chicago on October 5th the critics have embraced the show, which is driven by period pop numbers including "Blue Suede Shoes," "Fever," "Sixteen Tons," "Who Do You Love?," "Great Balls of Fire," "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." The performances at Goodman's Owen Theatre continue to Oct 26 with the show moving to the Chicago Apollo on Oct 31. A Seattle run preceded the Chicago bow. The show is directed by Eric Schaeffer and Floyd Mutrux from with a book by Mutrux and Colin Escott. Here's how producers characterize the experience: "On Dec. 4, 1956, an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together. The place was Sun Records' storefront studio in Memphis. The man who made it happen was Sam Phillips, the 'Father of Rock 'n' Roll,' who discovered them all. The four legends-to-be united for the only time in their careers for an impromptu recording that has come to be known as one of the greatest rock jam sessions of all time." Expect "a treasure trove of the greatest rock 'n' roll, gospel, R & B and country hits from these music legends." The production stars Levi Kreis as Jerry Lee Lewis, Lance Guest as Johnny Cash, Rob Lyons as Carl Perkins and Eddie Clendening as Elvis Presley, with Brian McCaskill as Sam Phillips and Kelly Lamont as Elvis' girlfriend, Dyanne. (See EIN review of the BMG 'Million Dollar Quartet' CD) http://www.elvisinfonet.com/cdreview_milli...larquartet.html The Apollo Theater is located at 2540 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. Tickets for the Apollo run are on sale through Jan. 4, 2009. For more show information, pictures and videos visit http://www.milliondollarquartetlive.com/#/home/ News, Source;EIN/AP) Wow!! I'd love to see this :yahoo:
October 19, 200816 yr New 'Million Dollar Quartet' Musical is a hit! http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/MDQshowax.jpg Opening in Chicago on October 5th the critics have embraced the show, which is driven by period pop numbers including "Blue Suede Shoes," "Fever," "Sixteen Tons," "Who Do You Love?," "Great Balls of Fire," "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." The performances at Goodman's Owen Theatre continue to Oct 26 with the show moving to the Chicago Apollo on Oct 31. A Seattle run preceded the Chicago bow. The show is directed by Eric Schaeffer and Floyd Mutrux from with a book by Mutrux and Colin Escott. Here's how producers characterize the experience: "On Dec. 4, 1956, an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together. The place was Sun Records' storefront studio in Memphis. The man who made it happen was Sam Phillips, the 'Father of Rock 'n' Roll,' who discovered them all. The four legends-to-be united for the only time in their careers for an impromptu recording that has come to be known as one of the greatest rock jam sessions of all time." Expect "a treasure trove of the greatest rock 'n' roll, gospel, R & B and country hits from these music legends." The production stars Levi Kreis as Jerry Lee Lewis, Lance Guest as Johnny Cash, Rob Lyons as Carl Perkins and Eddie Clendening as Elvis Presley, with Brian McCaskill as Sam Phillips and Kelly Lamont as Elvis' girlfriend, Dyanne. (See EIN review of the BMG 'Million Dollar Quartet' CD) http://www.elvisinfonet.com/cdreview_milli...larquartet.html The Apollo Theater is located at 2540 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. Tickets for the Apollo run are on sale through Jan. 4, 2009. For more show information, pictures and videos visit http://www.milliondollarquartetlive.com/#/home/ News, Source;EIN/AP) Wow!! I'd love to see this :yahoo: I have to win the lottery before January 4th 2009. I will pray everyday, do you think him upstairs will listen to me? :yahoo:
October 20, 200816 yr Author I have to win the lottery before January 4th 2009. I will pray everyday, do you think him upstairs will listen to me? :yahoo: I'll have a word in his ear :yahoo: See if I can win it the week after you :dance:
October 20, 200816 yr Author Future Elvis Show Located At CityCenter CKX, Inc., its subsidiary Elvis Presley Enterprises and Cirque du Soleil have reached an agreement with MGM Mirage to create a permanent Elvis Presley show at CityCenter’s resort-casino, currently under construction on the Las Vegas Strip. The show is expected to open with the resort in late 2009. Cirque du Soleil’s creative team is inspired by this new extravaganza. The creative combination of live musicians and singers, projections, dance and the latest in multimedia sound and lighting technology are stimulating and aim at offering an emotional bond with the audience. The show will bring Elvis back to Las Vegas for millions of his existing fans and create a buzz that will enable the persona of Elvis to reach untold numbers of new fans. A design collaboration between MGM MIRAGE and the world’s foremost architects and designers, CityCenter will open in 2009 on 76 acres between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts. At the heart of the action on the Las Vegas Strip, CityCenter will feature a soaring 61-story, 4,000-room resort-casino; two 400-room non-gaming hotels including Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental; approximately 2,650 luxury condominiums; and The Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district. CityCenter is a joint venture between MGM Mirage and Dubai World. Robert F.X. Sillerman, Chairman and CEO of CKX, Inc., commented, “I am pleased that during this time, when we remember Elvis Presley and celebrate his life, we are able to announce his return to Las Vegas, a place where he truly rose to iconic status. And with the remarkable creative talent of Cirque du Soleil, fans who saw Elvis perform, as well as those who never had a chance to see him, will be able to experience Elvis in an entirely new and exciting way. This will be the first step in establishing a twenty-first century presence in Vegas for the King.” Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil, commented, “This new creative challenge is exactly what we strive at accomplishing in the development of our new productions. Cirque du Soleil is thrilled to be involved in CityCenter and we are particularly honored to be entrusted with this assignment. We are working closely with our partners to ensure the public will have an unforgettable encounter with the King of Rock and Roll. Elvis had a unique relationship with his adoring fans in Vegas and a large part of our mission is to recreate the excitement and the spirit of joy he generated here.” Bobby Baldwin, President and CEO of Mirage Resorts, an MGM Mirage operating division, said, “We are thrilled to partner with our friends and colleagues at Cirque du Soleil, who are known the world over for creating memorable entertainment experiences. With this show we will bring together Elvis, an icon of Las Vegas entertainment history, with CityCenter, a destination that represents the future of this remarkable city.” The announcement represents another step in the creative partnership between CKX and Cirque du Soleil. In May, the two companies announced an agreement for the creation, development, production and promotion of Elvis Presley Projects, featuring touring and permanent shows as well as multimedia interactive “Elvis Experiences” throughout the world. CKX and Cirque du Soleil to open at least one touring Elvis show in Europe and/or Asia, and one “Elvis Experience” outside the United States. Beginning in 2009, at least one Elvis Presley Project will be opened in each of the next six years. Source: ElvisMatters / Updated: Oct 20, 2008 Gonna look forward to the Elvis touring show and would love to have an Elvis Experience :yahoo:
October 21, 200816 yr Author No more official impersonator contests? Rumors in the Elvis world have it that EPE is no longer interested in "official Elvis Impersonator Contests" during Elvis Week. So far, only two editions took place (2007 and 2008). A reason was not given, and the news that we picked up from our sources in Memphis, has not been confirmed. While some fans thought these contests kept the name and image of Elvis alive, others were less pleased with imitations of a man who cannot be imitated. Published: October 21st 2008 12:21 PM. Source: ElvisMatters / Published by: ElvisMatters - Peter Verbruggen . There may well be Elvis fans who supported these IMP contests during Elvis Week, but I, personally wasn't one of them. I'm not decrying all Elvis impersonators as I'm sure there are some really good ones about, but I do feel that Elvis Week should be all about the man himself, and not people impersonating him. For that reason, I hope the rumours are true and EPE will get back to promoting the one and only Elvis during Elvis Week :)
October 22, 200816 yr Author Future Elvis Show Located At CityCenter CKX, Inc., its subsidiary Elvis Presley Enterprises and Cirque du Soleil have reached an agreement with MGM Mirage to create a permanent Elvis Presley show at CityCenter’s resort-casino, currently under construction on the Las Vegas Strip. The show is expected to open with the resort in late 2009. Cirque du Soleil’s creative team is inspired by this new extravaganza. The creative combination of live musicians and singers, projections, dance and the latest in multimedia sound and lighting technology are stimulating and aim at offering an emotional bond with the audience. The show will bring Elvis back to Las Vegas for millions of his existing fans and create a buzz that will enable the persona of Elvis to reach untold numbers of new fans. A design collaboration between MGM MIRAGE and the world’s foremost architects and designers, CityCenter will open in 2009 on 76 acres between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts. At the heart of the action on the Las Vegas Strip, CityCenter will feature a soaring 61-story, 4,000-room resort-casino; two 400-room non-gaming hotels including Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental; approximately 2,650 luxury condominiums; and The Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district. CityCenter is a joint venture between MGM Mirage and Dubai World. Robert F.X. Sillerman, Chairman and CEO of CKX, Inc., commented, “I am pleased that during this time, when we remember Elvis Presley and celebrate his life, we are able to announce his return to Las Vegas, a place where he truly rose to iconic status. And with the remarkable creative talent of Cirque du Soleil, fans who saw Elvis perform, as well as those who never had a chance to see him, will be able to experience Elvis in an entirely new and exciting way. This will be the first step in establishing a twenty-first century presence in Vegas for the King.” Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil, commented, “This new creative challenge is exactly what we strive at accomplishing in the development of our new productions. Cirque du Soleil is thrilled to be involved in CityCenter and we are particularly honored to be entrusted with this assignment. We are working closely with our partners to ensure the public will have an unforgettable encounter with the King of Rock and Roll. Elvis had a unique relationship with his adoring fans in Vegas and a large part of our mission is to recreate the excitement and the spirit of joy he generated here.” Bobby Baldwin, President and CEO of Mirage Resorts, an MGM Mirage operating division, said, “We are thrilled to partner with our friends and colleagues at Cirque du Soleil, who are known the world over for creating memorable entertainment experiences. With this show we will bring together Elvis, an icon of Las Vegas entertainment history, with CityCenter, a destination that represents the future of this remarkable city.” The announcement represents another step in the creative partnership between CKX and Cirque du Soleil. In May, the two companies announced an agreement for the creation, development, production and promotion of Elvis Presley Projects, featuring touring and permanent shows as well as multimedia interactive “Elvis Experiences” throughout the world. CKX and Cirque du Soleil to open at least one touring Elvis show in Europe and/or Asia, and one “Elvis Experience” outside the United States. Beginning in 2009, at least one Elvis Presley Project will be opened in each of the next six years. Source: ElvisMatters / Updated: Oct 20, 2008 Gonna look forward to the Elvis touring show and would love to have an Elvis Experience :yahoo: Elvis "Cirque du Soleil" story on other Elvis websites is old news: Don't get too excited as several other Elvis websites in the last 2 days have repeated a 2006 CKX report about the potential opening of the Elvis 'Cirque du Soleil' show. This news story is unfortunately over two years old and there is still no confirmation of the opening date, nor of recent progress in the development. However potential auditions for the show have been recently advertised. The mention in the other stories of "The announcement of a creative partnership between CKX and Cirque du Soleil" dates from May 2006, not this year. The original story :) http://ir.ckx.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=207734 And cross your fingers that the recent financial woes of CKX do not impact on the project. (News, Source;EIN)
October 28, 200816 yr Author Elvis Still Top-Earning Dead Celebrity While things might be topsy-turvy in the financial markets above ground, it's still a bull market in the boneyard. The 13 famous names that make up the Forbes Top-Earning Dead Celebrities earned a combined $194 million over the last 12 months. Elvis tops the Forbes annual list once again - and without so much as lifting a finger, the Memphis Flash earned a whopping $52 million in the last year. That's more than some of the music industry's biggest living acts command - Justin Timberlake pulled in $44 million last year; Madonna $40 million. Elvis is the regular Number One in this top-earning list, with his record only tarnished in 2006 by a Kurt Cobain catalogue sell-off. The 30th anniversary of Elvis' death helped boost attendance and merchandise sales at Graceland, and new ventures such as an Elvis Sirius Satellite Radio show add to a long list of publishing and licensing deals. Debuting on the list in third place is Australian actor Heath Ledger, most famous for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight, the latest instalment of the Batman movie franchise. At the time of his tragic overdose in January, the 28-year star seemed poised on the cusp of a lucrative film career. Ledger had reportedly secured a deal for his role in The Dark Knight that included merchandising (think Joker action figures) and a percentage of film revenues. With The Dark Knight grossing $991 million in box office revenue worldwide, we estimate his earnings at $20 million. Also debuting on our list is Paul Newman, who died in September at age 83. His "Newman's Own" line of salad dressings, organic popcorn and spaghetti sauces had sales of more $120 million last year. When he was alive, Newman donated all of his profits from the venture to charity, and his estate plans to continue doing so. Add in the residuals from a lifetime of high-profile movie roles, and we calculate Newman earned $5 million last year. Adding up paychecks of dead celebrities can be a wicked task--after all, they don't exactly sit for interviews. To get to the bottom line, we talked to experts and sources inside their estates and dug up the gross earnings (before taxes, management fees and other costs) from the period of October 2007 to October 2008. Some celebrities, like Charles Schulz and Albert Einstein, are staples on our list. They owe their spots to steady revenue streams from their artistic creations (planning to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown again this Halloween?) and licensing of their names and images (the Baby Einstein brand is expanding to the young adult market this year). But finding other big earners meant scouring the cemetery for posthumous one-hit wonders. Take Marvin Gaye, who lands in 13th place on the list this year, with earnings of some $3.5 million. Gaye had a great year. Coinciding with Motown Records' 50th birthday, two major studios have announced upcoming Marvin Gaye biopics, and some of his classic albums have been remastered and re-released. He is also a hit among hip-hop artists who frequently sample his work--and pay licensing fees to do so. Of course, like the postmortem comeback of troubadour Johnny Cash, who appeared on our list in 2006 with earnings of $8 million but fell off in 2007, this surge in popularity might be temporary. It seems fame can be just as fleeting in the afterlife. For real staying power beyond the pale, the best bet is a face like Marilyn Monroe's or an attitude like James Dean's--marketers are always eager to exploit that kind of iconic fame. This fall, an ad campaign from Mercedes-Benz features the two '50s icons, who pulled in $6.5 million and $5 million, respectively. Both were on the first list of Top Earning Dead Celebrities back in 2001; this is Marilyn's eighth year in a row. The Lucky 13 1. Elvis Presley 2. Charles M. Schulz 3. Heath Ledger 4. Albert Einstein 5. Aaron Spelling 6. Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) 7. John Lennon 8. Andy Warhol 9. Marliyn Monroe 10. Steve McQueen 11. Paul Newman 12. James Dean 13. Marvin Gaye Source: Elvis Information Network / Updated: Oct 28, 2008 Well I reckon we've all done our bit to help Elvis stay top ;) Just wish he was the richest living celebrity :(
October 29, 200816 yr Elvis Still Top-Earning Dead Celebrity While things might be topsy-turvy in the financial markets above ground, it's still a bull market in the boneyard. The 13 famous names that make up the Forbes Top-Earning Dead Celebrities earned a combined $194 million over the last 12 months. Elvis tops the Forbes annual list once again - and without so much as lifting a finger, the Memphis Flash earned a whopping $52 million in the last year. That's more than some of the music industry's biggest living acts command - Justin Timberlake pulled in $44 million last year; Madonna $40 million. Elvis is the regular Number One in this top-earning list, with his record only tarnished in 2006 by a Kurt Cobain catalogue sell-off. The 30th anniversary of Elvis' death helped boost attendance and merchandise sales at Graceland, and new ventures such as an Elvis Sirius Satellite Radio show add to a long list of publishing and licensing deals. Debuting on the list in third place is Australian actor Heath Ledger, most famous for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight, the latest instalment of the Batman movie franchise. At the time of his tragic overdose in January, the 28-year star seemed poised on the cusp of a lucrative film career. Ledger had reportedly secured a deal for his role in The Dark Knight that included merchandising (think Joker action figures) and a percentage of film revenues. With The Dark Knight grossing $991 million in box office revenue worldwide, we estimate his earnings at $20 million. Also debuting on our list is Paul Newman, who died in September at age 83. His "Newman's Own" line of salad dressings, organic popcorn and spaghetti sauces had sales of more $120 million last year. When he was alive, Newman donated all of his profits from the venture to charity, and his estate plans to continue doing so. Add in the residuals from a lifetime of high-profile movie roles, and we calculate Newman earned $5 million last year. Adding up paychecks of dead celebrities can be a wicked task--after all, they don't exactly sit for interviews. To get to the bottom line, we talked to experts and sources inside their estates and dug up the gross earnings (before taxes, management fees and other costs) from the period of October 2007 to October 2008. Some celebrities, like Charles Schulz and Albert Einstein, are staples on our list. They owe their spots to steady revenue streams from their artistic creations (planning to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown again this Halloween?) and licensing of their names and images (the Baby Einstein brand is expanding to the young adult market this year). But finding other big earners meant scouring the cemetery for posthumous one-hit wonders. Take Marvin Gaye, who lands in 13th place on the list this year, with earnings of some $3.5 million. Gaye had a great year. Coinciding with Motown Records' 50th birthday, two major studios have announced upcoming Marvin Gaye biopics, and some of his classic albums have been remastered and re-released. He is also a hit among hip-hop artists who frequently sample his work--and pay licensing fees to do so. Of course, like the postmortem comeback of troubadour Johnny Cash, who appeared on our list in 2006 with earnings of $8 million but fell off in 2007, this surge in popularity might be temporary. It seems fame can be just as fleeting in the afterlife. For real staying power beyond the pale, the best bet is a face like Marilyn Monroe's or an attitude like James Dean's--marketers are always eager to exploit that kind of iconic fame. This fall, an ad campaign from Mercedes-Benz features the two '50s icons, who pulled in $6.5 million and $5 million, respectively. Both were on the first list of Top Earning Dead Celebrities back in 2001; this is Marilyn's eighth year in a row. The Lucky 13 1. Elvis Presley 2. Charles M. Schulz 3. Heath Ledger 4. Albert Einstein 5. Aaron Spelling 6. Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) 7. John Lennon 8. Andy Warhol 9. Marliyn Monroe 10. Steve McQueen 11. Paul Newman 12. James Dean 13. Marvin Gaye Source: Elvis Information Network / Updated: Oct 28, 2008 Well I reckon we've all done our bit to help Elvis stay top ;) Just wish he was the richest living celebrity :( You and me both Carole. :( What i would do, to have him here now, even if it was just for a few minutes. I would never want for anything else ever again :w00t: :yahoo:
October 29, 200816 yr Author An Elvis Presley mystery!: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/MDQSunphotox.jpg In 1956, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash got together for an informal jam session at Sun Records Studio. This well-known "Million Dollar Quartet" photo typically shows only the legendary singers, with the woman at the far right, thought to be named Marilyn Evans and Elvis' girlfriend at the time, cropped out. The mystery: What became of Evans? (Photo:Getty Images). "Million Dollar Quartet," now at The Apollo Theatre, tells the story of the impromptu 1956 jam session of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. What it doesn't divulge is an Elvis-related mystery that continues to confound historians as well as the show's playwrights Only five of the six "Quartet" cast members existed in real life: the singers plus Sun Studios founder Sam Phillips, who preserved the magical '56 meeting in Memphis by flipping on his tape recorders. It's that sixth character, Dyanne, Elvis' girlfriend, who was created because no one knows what happened to the young woman who actually did appear on Elvis' arm that day. "I think she's one of the few Elvis girlfriends to completely vanish into the ozone," said Colin Escott, who co-wrote the play with Floyd Mutrux and who is the author of "Good Rockin'' Tonight: Sun Records & the Birth of Rock & Roll." In fact, unlike other women who told (and sometimes sold) their story of time with Presley, the woman that day--believed to be named Marilyn Evans--has never appeared in any article, fanzine or made-for-TV movie, said Peter Guralnick, author of the authoritative two-volume Elvis biography. Only those there that day have provided the scant information about her: Evans was 19, performed as a showgirl at Las Vegas' New Frontier Hotel and Casino and dated Elvis only for a few weeks. "After that, it's a mystery," said Guralnick, who added that Perkins, before his death, insisted that the woman had a different name. Either way, a woman surely was there at Sun: a female voice, believed to be hers, can be heard on the recordings from that day as she suggests a song title to the singers. Also, an iconic photo from the session, which shows the quartet clustered around a piano, actually includes an image of Evans, although she is usually removed, cropped out of history. And thus, "Dyanne" was born. Escott said he included her because she helps move the story along, but he changed the name for legal reasons, just in case Evans is alive, a fact that would prevent producers from telling her story without her permission. "Given that lawyers govern everything these days, they said, if you don't know where she is, [then] we had to create a fictitious character." Not that he's opposed to her being found--Escott said he'd love to know what happened to her. (If alive, Evans would be 70 or 71.) Given that Evans has kept quiet this long, it seems doubtful she will raise her voice any time soon. Finding her is nearly impossible as well, given her common name, the fact that most entertainers did not stay in Las Vegas and the lack of employment records from that period. Several Las Vegas historians, including a retired showgirl who performed in Vegas in 1956, told the Tribune they haven't a clue where Evans went. "The name just doesn't ring a bell," said Betty Bunch, who danced at The Sahara, just down the Strip from the New Frontier, and who lectured on that era of Vegas' past. "That was the year before it got really big out here, so I should remember her, but I don't." Someone must, of course, know something, so if you're out there and reading this, give us a shout. The Million Dollar Quartet needs your two cents. The Apollo Theater is located at 2540 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. Tickets for the Apollo run are on sale through Jan. 4, 2009. For more show information, pictures and videos visit www.milliondollarquartetlive.com. (News, Source;JasonGeorgeChicagoTribune) Interesting mystery story B)
November 1, 200816 yr Author Ron Perlman replaces Bruce Campbell for Bubba Ho-Tep sequel: With Ron Perlman (Hellboy; TV's Beauty & The Beast - shown opposite) confirmed for Bubba Nosferatu, Journalist Eric Washington says: "I have this fleeting feeling in my soul that tells me the rest of my life is filled with empty promises about supposed sequels to Bruce Campbell cult classics. Obviously we’ve all heard the Evil Dead IV rumors that pop up on the internet EVERY OTHER FREAKIN’ DAY (but seriously, Sam Raimi, Rob Tappert and Campbell need to talk to one another and get ONE story for their stock answer when someone asks them about it) – and here’s one I bet you haven’t heard mention of in a while: Bubba Nosferatu. What already is known about the project is that old Spruce Bruce will not be returning to reprise his role of Elvis from the 2002 Don Coscarelli cult hit. So who will be filling Sir Bruce’s shoes? According to an interview Ain’t It Cool News had with Paul Giamatti (who is signed on to play Colonel Parker in the flick), none other than Ron “Kid Gorgeous” Perlman! It’s astounding to think that Perlman will replace Bruce Campbell as Elvis as the latter is a fairly handsome man with a prominent jaw line and the former’s face looks like something that jumps out of the Ark of the Covenant. But, hey, it’s Hellboy (which I feel will be my defense for anything Perlman does for the rest of his lifetime—“Officer, let him go. I know he robbed my liquor store. But, hey, it’s Hellboy”). No idea on when Bubba Nosferatu will start shooting but it’s currently got its eyes on a 2009 release. The follow-up to Bubba Ho-Tep, which Ho-Tep writer-director Don Coscarelli will return to in both roles, is said to follow Elvis while shooting a film in Louisiana when he runs afoul of a coven of she-vampires. Sounds like fun to me, thank you very much!" (Celluloid Elvis, Source: Eric Washington, fearnet.com) Must admit, I quite enjoyed Bubba Ho-Tep. This follow up has been a long time coming and wonder what the new guy playing Elvis will be like :blink:
November 2, 200816 yr Author Theater review of Million Dollar Quartet http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/mdq1.jpg Acclaimed critic Charles Isherwood of the New York Times has just put his review online of the Million Dollar Quartet Musical, which began on Friday night for a run through Jan. 4 at the Apollo Theater (2540 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago; (773) 935-6100). CHICAGO — “I ain’t never gonna play that Vegas again,” swears the baby-faced boy with the sweeping sideburns. Who could blame him for complaining? The year is 1956, and this budding rock ’n’ roller has just endured the humiliation of opening for the borscht-beltish Shecky Greene. The roar of laughter that greets this seemingly heartfelt avowal in the musical “Million Dollar Quartet” can be explained simply enough. The boy with the baby face is Elvis Presley, still in the middle innings of his recording and film career, at least a decade away from the peanut-butter-and-banana-sandwich bulges and the rhinestone-encrusted white jumpsuits. Never say ain’t never, Elvis. This pouting youngster is not the only bright-eyed guitar strummer with career problems in this lively little jukebox musical, which boasts a set of gold-plated platters that puts most of the rest of the karaoke competition in the shade. “Million Dollar Quartet” is set in the studio of Sun Records in Memphis during the very hours in which its celebrated stature was cemented. On Dec. 4, 1956, Sam Phillips, the record producer who founded Sun and has been called the father of rock ’n’ roll, hosted a jam session and impromptu recording with Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. It was the only occasion on which all shared a studio, and has entered music history as one of those golden-hued, fantastical hours in which a whole pantheon of gods frolicked together. This slick, fictionalized re-creation of that hallowed night, previously seen in Florida and Washington State (and rumored to be Broadway bound), is what you might call a no-brainer baby boomer money-spinner. It packed audiences into the Goodman Theater’s smaller stage for several weeks this fall (I saw the last performance at the Goodman on Sunday), and began performances on Friday night for a run through Jan. 4 at the Apollo Theater here. As the actors playing the rock luminaries gradually assemble onstage, each bearing a modest resemblance to the fabled performer he is portraying, a faint air of the animatronic threatens to settle over the proceedings. You fear the show will be sort of a Disneyland Rock ’n’ Roll Icons Jamboree. But the performers — some actors who can play guitar, others musicians trying the acting thing — are genial, winning and persuasive without lapsing into hackneyed or overripe impersonation. The songs, a stack of early rock hip-shakers, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lot-ta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” are performed with a vibrant commitment that keeps the sea of gray heads in the audience bobbing, bobbing, bobbing throughout the show’s fleet 90-minute running time. The book, by the rock historian Colin Escott and the movie writer-director Floyd Mutrux (“American Hot Wax”), has plenty of forced transitions and mechanically inserted bits of trivia. At one point a luscious blonde strides into the studio and, with little preamble, grabs a microphone and starts crooning “Fever.” Her presence remains unexplained until the song is over. Turns out she’s Elvis’s girl, although Elvis himself has not yet arrived. Go figure. The chief generator of suspense is the financial peril faced by Phillips (the amiable Brian McCaskill), who steps in and out of the show, annotating the proceedings with lore and background as it goes along, in the process reminding us a little too frequently that he discovered all these boys, “taught them to believe in themselves and made them stars.” About a year before this fateful night Phillips had to sell Elvis’s contract to RCA to keep his record company alive. (He received just $40,000 for it — ouch! — but, as he informs us, wink-wink, he did invest some of the money in a little outfit called Holiday Inn.) Now the contract of his current chart-topper, Johnny Cash, is about to expire. Phillips has a new one on hand, and plans to spring it on Johnny when the whiskey’s flowing and the boys are trading guitar licks and reminiscing about the desperate days when they were touring the South in the back of a flatbed truck. The characterizations are economical but adequate. The hot-headed, loud-mouthed Jerry Lee Lewis (Levi Kreis) is new to the label and wants to prove his mettle. Mr. Kreis just about pounds a hole in the stage floor with his Converse high tops when he starts flailing away on the keyboard. Jerry Lee’s cockiness antagonizes Carl Perkins (a charismatic Rob Lyons), who is also sore because his records aren’t selling and because Phillips had allowed Elvis to sing Perkins’s hit song “Blue Suede Shoes” on television. Johnny, gracefully played by Lance Guest, is the courtly country gentleman, pained at having to break bad news to the man who jump-started his career. Eddie Clendening, who plays Elvis, is obviously not a trained actor, but he gives a gentle, likable performance. His honey-coated vibrato is perfectly suited to the songs. While the book and the songs are not particularly well integrated — after a little banter and maybe a flashback to the rough old days, somebody will just step up to the mike and break into a familiar tune — the directors, Mr. Mutrux and Eric Schaeffer, don’t ease up on the gas pedal long enough for you to complain. And Mr. Mutrux and Mr. Escott have come up with a few sharp zingers to warm things up between numbers. Johnny, unhappy about Phillips’s shambolic organization, grouses about his latest record sales, “If they really want to stop the spread of Communism, they ought to let Sun distribute it.” Published: November 2nd 2008 09:18 AM. Source: New York Times / Published by: ElvisMatters - Peter Verbruggen . - Photographer: New York Times This looks good! Now where's that lottery win when you want it :yahoo:
November 3, 200816 yr Theater review of Million Dollar Quartet http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/mdq1.jpg Acclaimed critic Charles Isherwood of the New York Times has just put his review online of the Million Dollar Quartet Musical, which began on Friday night for a run through Jan. 4 at the Apollo Theater (2540 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago; (773) 935-6100). CHICAGO — “I ain’t never gonna play that Vegas again,” swears the baby-faced boy with the sweeping sideburns. Who could blame him for complaining? The year is 1956, and this budding rock ’n’ roller has just endured the humiliation of opening for the borscht-beltish Shecky Greene. The roar of laughter that greets this seemingly heartfelt avowal in the musical “Million Dollar Quartet” can be explained simply enough. The boy with the baby face is Elvis Presley, still in the middle innings of his recording and film career, at least a decade away from the peanut-butter-and-banana-sandwich bulges and the rhinestone-encrusted white jumpsuits. Never say ain’t never, Elvis. This pouting youngster is not the only bright-eyed guitar strummer with career problems in this lively little jukebox musical, which boasts a set of gold-plated platters that puts most of the rest of the karaoke competition in the shade. “Million Dollar Quartet” is set in the studio of Sun Records in Memphis during the very hours in which its celebrated stature was cemented. On Dec. 4, 1956, Sam Phillips, the record producer who founded Sun and has been called the father of rock ’n’ roll, hosted a jam session and impromptu recording with Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. It was the only occasion on which all shared a studio, and has entered music history as one of those golden-hued, fantastical hours in which a whole pantheon of gods frolicked together. This slick, fictionalized re-creation of that hallowed night, previously seen in Florida and Washington State (and rumored to be Broadway bound), is what you might call a no-brainer baby boomer money-spinner. It packed audiences into the Goodman Theater’s smaller stage for several weeks this fall (I saw the last performance at the Goodman on Sunday), and began performances on Friday night for a run through Jan. 4 at the Apollo Theater here. As the actors playing the rock luminaries gradually assemble onstage, each bearing a modest resemblance to the fabled performer he is portraying, a faint air of the animatronic threatens to settle over the proceedings. You fear the show will be sort of a Disneyland Rock ’n’ Roll Icons Jamboree. But the performers — some actors who can play guitar, others musicians trying the acting thing — are genial, winning and persuasive without lapsing into hackneyed or overripe impersonation. The songs, a stack of early rock hip-shakers, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lot-ta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” are performed with a vibrant commitment that keeps the sea of gray heads in the audience bobbing, bobbing, bobbing throughout the show’s fleet 90-minute running time. The book, by the rock historian Colin Escott and the movie writer-director Floyd Mutrux (“American Hot Wax”), has plenty of forced transitions and mechanically inserted bits of trivia. At one point a luscious blonde strides into the studio and, with little preamble, grabs a microphone and starts crooning “Fever.” Her presence remains unexplained until the song is over. Turns out she’s Elvis’s girl, although Elvis himself has not yet arrived. Go figure. The chief generator of suspense is the financial peril faced by Phillips (the amiable Brian McCaskill), who steps in and out of the show, annotating the proceedings with lore and background as it goes along, in the process reminding us a little too frequently that he discovered all these boys, “taught them to believe in themselves and made them stars.” About a year before this fateful night Phillips had to sell Elvis’s contract to RCA to keep his record company alive. (He received just $40,000 for it — ouch! — but, as he informs us, wink-wink, he did invest some of the money in a little outfit called Holiday Inn.) Now the contract of his current chart-topper, Johnny Cash, is about to expire. Phillips has a new one on hand, and plans to spring it on Johnny when the whiskey’s flowing and the boys are trading guitar licks and reminiscing about the desperate days when they were touring the South in the back of a flatbed truck. The characterizations are economical but adequate. The hot-headed, loud-mouthed Jerry Lee Lewis (Levi Kreis) is new to the label and wants to prove his mettle. Mr. Kreis just about pounds a hole in the stage floor with his Converse high tops when he starts flailing away on the keyboard. Jerry Lee’s cockiness antagonizes Carl Perkins (a charismatic Rob Lyons), who is also sore because his records aren’t selling and because Phillips had allowed Elvis to sing Perkins’s hit song “Blue Suede Shoes” on television. Johnny, gracefully played by Lance Guest, is the courtly country gentleman, pained at having to break bad news to the man who jump-started his career. Eddie Clendening, who plays Elvis, is obviously not a trained actor, but he gives a gentle, likable performance. His honey-coated vibrato is perfectly suited to the songs. While the book and the songs are not particularly well integrated — after a little banter and maybe a flashback to the rough old days, somebody will just step up to the mike and break into a familiar tune — the directors, Mr. Mutrux and Eric Schaeffer, don’t ease up on the gas pedal long enough for you to complain. And Mr. Mutrux and Mr. Escott have come up with a few sharp zingers to warm things up between numbers. Johnny, unhappy about Phillips’s shambolic organization, grouses about his latest record sales, “If they really want to stop the spread of Communism, they ought to let Sun distribute it.” Published: November 2nd 2008 09:18 AM. Source: New York Times / Published by: ElvisMatters - Peter Verbruggen . - Photographer: New York Times This looks good! Now where's that lottery win when you want it :yahoo: I will be praying to god again this week, to let me win the lottery :yahoo:
November 4, 200816 yr Author nice info guys!! :) Our pleasure, Johndean -we try to keep up with the latest news Elvis wise :D I'll Remember You New FTD Title? Available for pre-order from Amazon UK is the Follow That Dream 2CD release "I'll Remember You". This CD should be available December 8, 2008, the same date which is set for the postponed "In Person" re-issue. Elvis World Japan lists the content as a live recording from February 1973, recorded in Las Vegas. We have asked Ernst Jorgensen for confirmation, but we have not yet received an answer. Source: Various / Updated: Nov 3, 2008
November 5, 200816 yr Author December FTD confirmed The title and content of the 5" FTD december release is confirmed by Ernst Jorgensen. 'I'll Remember You' will contain a concert from February 1973 at the Las Vegas Hilton. In stead of two discs - like announced by Amazon - it will be a single disc release. Published: November 5th 2008 11:01 AM. Source: Elvis Unlimited / Published by: ElvisMatters - David Hamal .
November 6, 200816 yr Author Details December FTDs Here are the coverart and tracks of the upcoming December releases by FTD. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/cd_illrememberyou_ftd.jpg I'll Remember You Soundboard recording from February 3, 1973 in Las Vegas, NV. 1. Also Sprach Zarathustra 2. See See Rider 3. I Got A Woman / Amen 4. Until It's Time For You To Go 5. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 6. Steamroller Blues 7. You Gave Me A Mountain 8. Fever 9. Love Me 10. Blue Suede Shoes 11. Love Me Tender 12. Johnny B. Goode 13. Hound Dog 14. What Now My Love 15. Suspicious Minds 16. Introductions By Elvis 17. I'll Remember You 18. I Can't Stop Loving You 19. American Trilogy 20. Can't Help Falling In Love Bonus Song : Sweet Caroline Elvis In Person http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/cd_inperson.jpg Double CD edition of the album Elvis In Person, including bonus songs recorded live in Las Vegas in August 1969 and the complete dinner show from August 22, 1969. CD 1 Original album • Blue Suede Shoes • Johnny B. Goode • All Shook Up • Are You Lonesome Tonight? • Hound Dog • I Can't Stop Loving You • My Babe • Mystery Train / Tiger Man • Words • In The Ghetto • Suspicious Minds • Can't Help Falling In Love Bonus songs - originally released on On Stage - February 1970 • Runaway • Yesterday Rare performances • This Is The Story • Inherit The Wind • Rubberneckin' • Reconsider Baby • Funny How Time Slips Away CD 2 The complete August 22, 1969 Dinner show • Blue Suede Shoes • I Got A Woman • All Shook Up • Love Me Tender • Jailhouse Rock / Don't Be Cruel • Heartbreak Hotel • Hound Dog • Memories • Mystery Train / Tiger Man • Monologue • Baby, What You Want Me To Do • Runaway • Are You Lonesome Tonight? • Yesterday / Hey Jude • Introductions • In The Ghetto • Suspicious Minds • What'd I Say • Can't Help Falling In Love Source: Elvis Unlimited / Updated: Nov 6, 2008
November 11, 200816 yr Author Mystery of missing girlfriend solved: (update on story from last month) On Dec. 4, 1956, Marilyn Evans entered--and exited--rock 'n' roll history. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/MDQSunphotox.jpg That was the day Elvis Presley stopped by Memphis' Sun Studio and recorded an impromptu session with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Historians have long believed Evans was there too because she was dating Presley then and a voice assumed to be hers appears on the recording. Also, a local newspaper photographer captured an image of the brunet alongside the famous foursome, which the paper dubbed the Million Dollar Quartet. "That lovely creature sitting on top of the piano," the caption for the photo read in the next day's newspaper, is "Marilyn Evans, who dances at the New Frontier in Las Vegas. She is Elvis' house guest thru Friday." Unlike some other Elvis exes, Evans didn't make a career out of her companionship with The King, and Elvis enthusiasts have long wondered what happened to her after her week in Memphis. Colin Escott, a music historian and co-author of the play "Million Dollar Quartet," now playing at Chicago's Apollo Theater, has called her the "the least known of Elvis' girlfriends," which was true.Until today. Two weeks ago, the Tribune ran a story about the missing-girlfriend mystery, explaining why the "Million Dollar Quartet" show features a fictitious Elvis girlfriend, "Dyanne." "Given that lawyers govern everything these days, they said, if you don't know where [Evans] is, [then] we had to create a fictitious character," Escott said at the time. As it happens, Evans, now Marilyn Knowles-Riehl, 71, saw the article and contacted the Tribune. For 52 years she has hidden in plain sight, a living, missing link to one of America's most magical music moments. Here is her story. When a promoter called Marilyn Evans in summer 1956 and asked her to join the chorus line at Las Vegas' New Frontier Casino, she could hardly contain herself--this teenager from Fresno, Calif., lived to dance. "I thought it was probably the most sophisticated thing that had ever happened in the whole world," she said last week with an easy laugh. She came to a Las Vegas in its infancy, a relatively innocent place, where the dancers enjoyed good pay--$135 a week--sports cars and soirées with such headliners as Mickey Rooney and George Chakiris. "It was just very exciting: two shows a night, seven days a week," she said. "I was loving it." Between shows, the dancers would gather in an employees-only coffee shop within the casino. It was there that Elvis walked in one night and sat at their table. "Wow," Evans thought. "He's beautiful--really, truly." Within an hour, Elvis had slipped Evans a scrawled note on the back of a napkin. It read: "Can I have a date with you tomorrow night or before I leave?" Evans nodded in excitement and shock. "He called backstage that night, set a time," she remembered. And so, for the next couple of weeks she and Elvis explored Las Vegas, driving around, hanging out and walking through the casinos. (Neither enjoyed gambling, she said.) Asked why he picked her, she giggles and shrugs. "I think he probably liked that I wasn't 'out there.' I was respectable," she said. "I still am respectable, you know!" And what did this respectable teenager's parents think about her dating Parental Enemy No. 1? Evans' father had died when she was in high school, but to head off any trouble she wrote her mother a letter that began, "Don't flip, mama, but I've become acquainted with Elvis Presley." Momma did flip, a little; that is, until Evans put the young star on the phone. "He seems like a very nice person," her mom, L.E. Evans, informed The Fresno Bee in December 1956, after word of the relationship leaked. "Elvis told Marilyn he likes her because she doesn't act like a show girl, because she's real." Like Evans, Elvis too was performing at the New Frontier--his first Vegas engagement--but when he left, the couple kept in touch by telephone. Then one day, he called Evans and asked her to come visit and stay at his Memphis home. She said yes. And so, 52 years later, what does she remember most about the house? "I remember that phone just rang and nobody answered, which was odd." In Memphis, Elvis and Evans spent their days riding motorcycles, going out to eat and watching rented movies at Elvis' house, a luxury the girl from Fresno could hardly believe. "He was relaxed. He was comfortable there," Knowles-Riehl recalled. And at night she slept ...... not with him. He was extremely honorable. He was young; I was young." On Dec. 4, 1956, the couple, along with some of Elvis' friends, cruised around Memphis, as usual. But on this day Elvis stopped at Sun, where he had made his first record only three years prior. It was there, over the next few hours, that fate (and a tape recorder) would allow a rare glimpse of the musical passions of these four future legends, as they jammed on gospel, country and blues. It was a seminal session of rock 'n' roll's origins ... and one that Knowles-Riehl barely recalls. "I remember that outfit I was wearing was all wool," she said with a shrug of apology. "A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then." The fact that the session meant so little to her might help explain why she said she felt fine when the relationship faded a few weeks later. "I always preferred classical music," she explained. "We were just into different things, not that one's better than the other. It was great, I loved it, it was terrifically exciting and wonderful, but I had other things I wanted to do," said Knowles-Riehl who, the next year, began attending the University of Utah. Asked why she never broadcast her brush with stardom, Knowles-Riehl said she never thought it among her life's highlights. Instead she prefers to gush about her two husbands--her first died--her son and a dancing career that includes 13 years as the director of the Fresno Ballet. "It's like people whose high point of their life is their senior prom," she explained. "My senior prom was good, but a lot of stuff has happened that's been great since then." Such as ...When it's not driving me crazy, I enjoy genealogy," said Knowles-Riehl, who divides her time between Carmel, Calif., and Salt Lake City. She also continues to dance--thanks to the fitness of a 40-year-old-- and she runs her own belly dancing troupe. "It's pretty much the opposite of all my training, but I love it," she said. Until last week, Knowles-Riehl had never listened to the recording session from that day in Memphis. But when she did, she quickly nixed the popular theory that she's the one who requested the song "Farther Along." "That's not me," she said, as the female voice on the recording speaks with an obvious drawl. "I wouldn't pick up a Southern accent that fast," she said, chuckling. And yet, in listening to the rest of the album from that day's session Knowles-Riehl stumbled upon another female voice, this one requesting "End of the Road." "That's me," she said, as her wide brown eyes grew wider. "It's like otherworldly," she said of hearing herself, "out of body." With the headphones still on, Knowles-Riehl appeared in that moment as she does in the '56 photograph: Her face bright and blushing, wondering how could it possibly get any better than this. (News, Source: Jason George, Chicago Tribune Great to have more info
November 12, 200816 yr Author My Happiness Acetate For Sale? In 1953 Elvis Presley made his first vanity recording for 4 dollars. The songs he recorded on the one-time acetate were "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin". The acetate disc was given to a friend, Ed Leek who had attended the same High School as Elvis. The historic recording vanished from sight till 1988 and was released through BMG. The original disc is now up for sale according to an Irish blogger. Source: Ireland Too / Updated: Nov 11, 2008 Can this really be true :unsure:
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