First-Ever Auction at Graceland to Take Place During Elvis Week This August
MAY 28, 2014

Elvis Presley’s Graceland Launches “Graceland Authentication” to Ensure Artifact Accuracy for Elvis Collectors and FansElvis Presley’s Graceland will be hosting its first-ever auction of Graceland-authenticated Elvis artifacts during Elvis Week in Memphis this August.

 This unprecedented “Auction at Graceland” will be the first auction of a limited number of Elvis artifacts authenticated by the archivists at Graceland, and the first-ever to take place at Graceland. The auction is scheduled for Thursday, August 14, 2014, with fans and private collectors from around the world expected to participate onsite and online. 

Graceland also announced the launch of Graceland Authentication, a new professional service for private Elvis Presley collectors, who can now have their artifacts authenticated and appraised by the highly-experienced archive staff at Graceland.

The Elvis Week auction will feature a number of rare and exceptional artifacts from the collection of Greg Page, founding member of The Wiggles and one of the world’s biggest and well-known Elvis Presley collectors, as well as items from other private collectors. Graceland’s exhaustive authentication process for the auction will set a new “Gold Standard” for pop culture artifact authentication, ensuring that every Elvis item is the real thing. 

All of the items in the auction will be offered from third-party collectors and none of the items included in the auction will come from the treasured Graceland Archives. 


The mansion and all artifacts in the Graceland Archives continue to be owned by Lisa Marie Presley and are not for sale.

Graceland Authentication, a new Graceland-owned authentication and appraisal service, will enable the Graceland Archives staff to offer their services to collectors for the first time – not just for auctions, but also to ensure artifact accuracy and the value of privately-owned artifacts. With years of experience in artifact authentication, the Graceland archivists supervise and curate the largest collection of Elvis Presley and Graceland artifacts, memorabilia, clothing, documents and photographs in the world. Graceland Authentication will also be coordinating and authenticating the Elvis Week auction submissions.

Graceland recently brought on Louis Bollman, a seasoned expert with tremendous experience in pop culture artifact and collectable auctions, who will be leading Graceland Authentication, working closely with the Graceland staff to ensure the highest quality authentication services and auctions. 

“Graceland Authenticated will establish an entirely new standard of pop culture artifact authentication and appraisal,” stated Jack Soden, CEO. “Throughout the years, fans and collectors have come to us with amazing Elvis artifacts, asking us to authenticate their items. We’ve also seen Elvis memorabilia sold at auctions, which were not properly authenticated. We’re pleased that Graceland now has the staffing and infrastructure to evaluate these artifacts, determine if they are, in fact, actual Elvis items, and if so, give them the official Graceland Authenticated seal of approval.” 

For more information on how to submit items for consideration for authentication services by Graceland Authentication, and for consideration of items to be included in the first-ever Elvis Week auction, please visit Graceland.com/Auction and sign up to receive updates via email, along with upcoming details on Graceland Authentication service and auction fees.


source: Graceland

CBS Atlanta Names Memphis As "Sights To Behold In America’s Southern Region"
MAY 23, 2014

Families looking to plan the ultimate road trip to explore the southern region of the United States can check out a new itinerary from Atlanta.CBSLocal.com.

Known for our southern hospitality and charm, Memphis is named among several other southern hot-spots to visit during your summer vacation. Home to Elvis Presley's Graceland, the National Civil Rights Museum, Sun Studio and the best barbeque on both sides of the Mississippi River, Memphis is a family-friendly atmosphere enriched with music and history. Other southern cities listed include New Orleans, Nashville, Atlanta, Charleston and Savannah. 

"Known for great food, music and iconic attractions, Memphis is easily one of the best destinations to visit in the South. One of the most important cities in the evolution of American music, Memphis is the birthplace of several prominent entertainers, in addition to being the home to Graceland Mansion, Sun Studio and the National Civil Rights Museum."

Ready to plan the ultimate rock 'n' roll pilgrimage to Memphis? Check out great savings and hotel package deals featured on Graceland.com. Also, be sure to check out other things to do while visiting Elvis' favorite place in the world.  



source: Graceland

Graceland Podcast Features Interview with Joe Moscheo
MAY 29, 2014

Episode #19 - Thursday, May 29, 2014

In this week's Graceland podcast, Elvis Presley Enterprises' Steven Gibbs and Amanda Pannell talk Elvis Week and feature a special interview with recently announced guest Joe Moscheo. 

First, we give fans an update on our soon-to-be released Elvis Week app including features such as creating your own schedule, maps around Memphis, our virtual candle and much more! 

We also talk about the new Elvis A Cappella performances taking place during Elvis Week and our take on some of their practice performances. 

We wrap up this week's podcast with an interview from Joe Moscheo where he talks about how Elvis' Imperials were formed and Elvis' love of gospel music. Recently retired from Elvis’ Imperials, he will return to Elvis Week for a special on-stage guest appearance as well as join Terry Blackwood and The Imperials on Saturday, August 16, for a farewell performance during the screening of "Elvis: That’s The Way It Is" at the Orpheum. 

Stay tuned to Graceland.com for more guest announcements and learn more at ElvisWeek.com.


source: Graceland

Andrea Baker, 54, a dedicated Elvis Presley fan was killed in Memphis after she traveled  from Wales, United Kingdom to Memphis, Tennessee to see Elvis Presley's Graceland and attend for an Elvis Tribute Artist concert. 

Andrea, was killed on East Brooks Road on the night of her birthday by a hit-and-run driver. Andrea had just been to see an Elvis Tribute Artist concert by, Joe Kent, at The Clarion moments before she was killed. 

Elvis Tribute Artist, Joe Kent said: 
"We hugged and said our good nights and I left her in the hotel parking lot. "She evidently went back in the hotel and got on their computer in the Lobby. Then she must have gone back outside. That's when it happened. She was killed by a hit and run driver. It's just so sad - I am just crushed."

Andrea left her fellow Elvis fans  to check birthday messages on Facebook from her family and friends back home in Wales. She had made a series of trips to the United States to visit famous Elvis Presley sites - travelling on buses and staying in hostels. She was on an "extended trip" to Memphis to hang out with other Elvis fans and to tour Graceland. Shortly, after arriving in Memphis, Andrea was robbed of her laptop computer and one of her suitcases. 

Andrea was staying at at a nearby hotel on East Brooks Road. She went to see her favorite Elvis Tribute Artist, Joe Kent, who she had seen "dozens of times over the years". He sang "Happy Birthday" to Andrea and did a rendition of her favorite song, "Yesterday, When I was Young".

After the gig, fellow fans offered to walk her back to the hotel - but she said she was going to make her own way. She was crossing East Brooks Road in Memphis when she was knocked down and killed by a driver who then sped off. The driver has not been located. 

Joe Kent and Andrea's other friends have been to visit the scene "where the angels took her" and lay floral tributes. Andrea passed away in a Memphis hospital on May 19th - two days after the smash on her 54th birthday. Her fellow Elvis fans are trying to raise £6,500 to send Andrea's body back to the UK to be buried.

Andrea's daughter Shaz Ahmed, 27, was visited by police who broke the news to her at home in Milford Haven. 

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 
"We were made aware of the death of a British national on 19 May in America. We are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."


source: South Wales Evening Post

Music Industry Veteran Joe Guercio Joins Information Architects 
May 21, 2014

ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - May 21, 2014) - Information Architects today announce the addition of another prolific music industry veteran, Joe Guercio, as Director of Entertainment and member of the board of directors. Mr. Guercio joins the IACH board composed of very accomplished individuals and brings a unique variety of talent, experience, contacts, and knowledge to the company.

Joe Guercio has enjoyed an abounding career in music and entertainment, but he is probably best known and admired for his work with Elvis Presley. He was musical director and conductor for Elvis' concert shows from the summer of 1970 to the summer of 1977 when Elvis made his last concert appearance. Since then Mr Guercio has remained active in the music and entertainment industry.

Joe Guercio's music legacy includes credits on hits by: Elvis Presley, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Supremes, Jim Nabors, Steve Lawrence and many more. Furthermore, Mr. Guercio has been the musical director for such artists as Diana Ross, Florence Henderson, and Diahann Carroll, amongst others. Mr. Guercio's arrangements are featured on hits by many, including: Barbra Streisand, Gladys Knight, and Natalie Cole on stage with her now late father Nat King Cole.

"Mr. Guercio brings to IACH a wealth of knowledge and insight in the entire entertainment arena that will be of great benefit as IACH moves forward with the design, construction, and implementation of our world class theme parks and entertainment resorts," stated William Craig, acting IACH CEO.

Information Architects is engaged in the development of exciting new theme parks and destination resorts throughout the United States.


source: Yahoo
Joe Guercio photo: EPG - Elvis Presley Society e.V 

Former Elvis Presley Band Member and Music Business Icon Joe Moscheo Joins Information Architects
May 15, 2014

ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - May 15, 2014) - Information Architects has announced the addition of long time music and entertainment icon Joe Moscheo as Director of Special Projects and member of the board of directors. Mr. Moscheo has been a fixture in the music business dating back to 1960 when the industry was still in the beginnings of becoming the big business it is today. Mr. Moscheo is still a viable force in the music business and has been an integral part of the changes and growth that have taken place having worked alongside some of the biggest names in the music and entertainment industry.

Mr. Moscheo began his career in the music business as a singer, keyboard player, and arranger for the Gospel group The Prophets, then as a member of The Imperials. In 1964 The Imperials began working with Elvis Presley, Jimmy Dean, Roy Clark, Carol Channing, Pat Boone and many other artists of that time. It is at this time Mr. Moscheo worked with Elvis Presley on his Grammy award winning albums. Then in 1969, The Imperials were invited to back Elvis Presley in Las Vegas where they continued to do so for the next 3 years.

In 1997 Mr. Moscheo was reunited through Elvis Presley Enterprise with the other performers that had worked with Elvis Presley for a big concert where the band played live to a video of Elvis performing on a 35 foot JumboTron. This show went on to tour around the world, several times, and every 5 years the estate gathers all the members back together in Memphis for a reunion show. Mr. Moscheo continues to travel throughout the world with Terry-Blackwood and The Elvis Imperials performing 50-60 concerts per year.

Mr. Moscheo has always been very active in the music "business" as well, with accomplishments including being a member of the founding council of Leadership Music. He has also served as a past President and Trustee of the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS, 'the Grammy people'). He was also a board member (and past president) of the W.O. Smith / Nashville Community Music School. He serves as a permanent board member of the GMA Board of Directors. He is one of a very few people to have been inducted, TWICE, into the GMA, Gospel Music Hall of Fame, once with The Imperials in 1998, and again in 2007, as an Individual who has contributed much time, expertise, and talent to the Gospel Music Industry.

Information Architects is engaged in the development of exciting new theme parks and destination resorts throughout the United States. 


source: http://online.wsj.com

The Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum officially opened the exhibit, “60 Years of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, May 21st 2014. The exhibit is presented by the FedEx Corporation and the Hard Rock Cafe.

The new exhibit features artifacts from entertainers ranging from Elvis Presley, Les Paul, Isaac Hayes and Whitney Houston. 

“Our ’60 Years of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ exhibit serves to transport our museum guests back in time… maybe 10 years, maybe 50 years… to remind them of a few of those world-shaping moments. From there the exhibit invites them to get involved and help to fill an online timeline with hundreds of other ‘must include’ rock ‘n’ roll events," said John Doyle, executive director of the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum.

sources: Memphis Biz Journal and Heritage Auctions

As part of the most amazing musical adventure of modern times Scotty pioneered the role of guitar in pop music with searing solos that inspired and influenced generations of guitar heroes.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the first time that Scotty recorded with Elvis at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, Chris Isaak - who has been a fan of Elvis's singing and Scotty's playing since he bought his first Sun Records single - journeyed to Memphis to meet Scotty and find out more about the man who has played on more hits than any other guitarist.

Back in the studio where the Elvis legend began, Scotty tells Chris how he and bass player Bill Black recorded the song 'That's All Right' with Elvis in 1954 and unwittingly sparked a revolution that changed music forever. As well as being Elvis's guitarist Scotty was also his first manager and was with Elvis every step of the way as his career flourished. While Elvis's vocal style was a combination of hillbilly howling laced with gospel, Scotty's guitar playing combined jazz, blues and country to create a prototype for all rock guitar that followed.

Scotty played guitar on all of Elvis's iconic hits including 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'Blue Suede Shoes', 'Don't Be Cruel', 'Hound Dog', 'Jailhouse Rock', 'All Shook Up' - and dozens of others.

Scotty's was highly influential both in his style of playing and the fact that he became the first rock 'n' roll lead guitarist. In the 50's artistes like Ike Turner, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and BB King played their own lead guitar parts, but Elvis left lead duties to Scotty, who became an inspiration to countless guitarists that followed.
As The Rolling Stone's Keith Richards explains to Chris in this programme, "Everyone else wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty."

sources: BBC

‘Higher Level’

New Graceland hotel resort signals neighborhood’s evolution

By Bill Dries
May 19, 2014


(Daily News/Andrew J. Breig)


Jack Soden talked as the car museum in the plaza across Elvis Presley Boulevard from Graceland began to fill with more than 100 people from the Whitehaven area Thursday, May 15, for the first formal public hearing on the proposal.

The resort-style Guest House at Graceland is a $70 million project whose still-tentative plans include not only a restaurant and sports lounge with the 450 rooms, but also a performance center and meeting rooms.

The development goes to the Land Use Control Board June 12, then to the Memphis City Council.

The plan is to start site work later in June or early July, with a ceremonial groundbreaking during Elvis Week in August and a 12-month construction period.

“That’s a really ambitious construction schedule,” Soden said. “But it’s the goal right now. After waiting for years and years and years, we are going to go like a rocket sled.”

It would be the third-largest hotel in the city, and Soden said it has been on Graceland’s list since the mansion opened for tours in the early 1980s and he became CEO.

“This will take Graceland to a higher level,” Soden told the group.

The proposed Guest House at Graceland would be built on the west side of Elvis Presley Boulevard if Elvis Presley Enterprises gains approval.

It also will signal an evolution in the surroundings closest to the mansion.

The new hotel eventually will replace the Heartbreak Hotel on the west side of Elvis Presley Boulevard, currently Elvis Presley Enterprises’ only hotel venture in the area.

“We’ll keep the Heartbreak Hotel functioning until the new hotel opens,” Soden said. “Sometime not too far after that, the Heartbreak Hotel will probably be taken down. … It physically, mechanically, structurally has many obsolete elements that make it unfeasible to renovate.”

The plaza directly across the boulevard from the mansion will also probably see some changes over the years as it is updated one piece at a time.

Memphis City Council member Harold Collins, who represents the area and has spearheaded the $43 million in streetscape improvements, said there also will be a development overlay that governs the look of future development.

This site plan shows the proposed Guest House at Graceland’s intersection paving that would celebrate Elvis Presley Boulevard. The property would keep many trees for its resort setting.

“What that means is all the buildings, new buildings and new signage will go up on the boulevard and be uniform,” he said.

Soden added the hotel developers will also recruit companion businesses outside of the hotel’s boundaries to improve the business mix.

“We want to have enough of an influence … on the boulevard as the development of the property,” he said. “We don’t want to just sit by while we watch old junk be replaced with new junk.”

Elvis Presley Enterprises bought the 25 acres the hotel will occupy in the mid-1990s. It was an apartment complex that has since been demolished, leaving only the trees. A car lot and a former church building now used as offices sit between the hotel property and the northern wall of Graceland.

There is no word on how those two parcels will be affected, although Elvis Presley Enterprises applied for a $670,000 construction permit in March to build a new “studio building” on the car lot site.

Soden said the plan for the hotel site is to keep the trees and add more, with the hotel itself set back from the street at about the same distance as neighboring Graceland.

“It is truly intended to be a resort. We intend to try to save every single tree that we can, and it is about making your houses on Old Hickory even prettier,” he said, referring to the street that runs behind the future hotel, after fielding a question about whether the company might buy the homes on the street as part of the development. “We think we have been a good neighbor and will continue to be. We won’t be able to buy your house, but we may be able to improve the value.”

The properties on Old Hickory are also zoned residential with covenants that prohibit the zoning from being changed.


source: Memphis Daily News

Many ‘Viva Las Vegas’ filming sites remain unchanged

By F. ANDREW TAYLOR
las vegas review-journal

Betty Gripentag wasn’t even aware a movie was being made in the area. So when she zoomed past Elvis, or perhaps a stunt driver doubling as Elvis, she barely noticed. She knew something was up when an angry highway patrol trooper pulled her over, though.

“At the time there weren’t speed limits here; the rule was to drive safe and sane,” Gripentag recalled. “He told me I should know better than to drive like that with my kids in the car, but my husband and I both had a lead foot and we knew the roads.”

It turned out she hadn’t broken any laws. But she figures the trooper was supposed to keep traffic off what is now Lake Mead Parkway so the crew of “Viva Las Vegas” could film the climactic car-race scene.

Having Elvis Presley’s expert-road-racer character passed like he was standing still by a mother of four with a couple of kids standing on the bench seat of a late ’50s Cadillac probably wasn’t the footage they were looking to get that day.

“Viva Las Vegas” was released on May 20, 1964, 50 years ago, but the filming took place primarily in the second half of July 1963. Surprisingly, in a town that implodes and rebuilds itself periodically like the world’s biggest Lego set, several of the filming sites remain and some are relatively unchanged.

The film is similar in plot, mood and implausibility to Presley’s other movies, but it’s widely regarded as one of his best. Presley portrays Lucky Jackson, who comes to Las Vegas to compete in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. He meets and becomes smitten with Rusty Martin, portrayed by Ann-Margret. He assumes Rusty is a showgirl but soon discovers she’s a local woman who works as a swimming instructor. High jinks, misunderstandings and songs ensue, and then there’s the race.

The movie is unusual in that it’s one of the first films to show Las Vegas as a family destination and highlight the idea of Las Vegas locals.

It opens, as many Las Vegas movies do, with a helicopter shot cruising along the lights and wild illuminated signs of the city. But since it was filmed when the casinos on the Strip still had some space between them, the shot is of Fremont Street. You can still see a few of the signs on Fremont Street, but a lot of them have been changed for new technology or to reflect new names. Many of the signs now reside down the street at the Neon Museum, 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

Filming took place at several casinos, most of which have since been drastically changed or replaced, but an early pivotal scene occurs at the Flamingo pool. Lucky tries to woo Rusty with a song. Rusty mocks him and pushes him into the pool. Both the casino and the pool have been completely renovated since the filming, but some of the pools in the current pool complex are in about the same place. The pool near the concession stand is the closest in feel to the pool in the film.

Other casinos have not fared so well. Nothing remains of the Sands but the name on the Expo and Convention center. The Frontier property is home to Trump Tower and a series of attempts to build something on the rubble. A scene shot at the Tropicana featured a skeet range, a concept that today seems unbelievable on the Strip and so close to McCarran International Airport.

Both the airport and the convention center make appearances in the movie, and although both are in the same location, they are all but unrecognizable from their appearance in 1963.

What is now UNLV didn’t have its first commencement until 1964, but you can still walk the same floor that Elvis and Ann-Margret danced on. In the movie, Ann-Margret dances at the stage/gymnasium and a sign identifying the young school is prominent behind her. When Elvis arrives, there are shots from the stage of Ann-Margret and a bunch of young dancers dancing at half court. UNLV has a new gym, but the old building found new life as the Barrick Museum. You can stroll through the art across the old parquet basketball court. Center court is still there and features a depiction of the school’s original mascot, Beauregard, who looks like the Big Bad Wolf in a Confederate uniform.

The film ends (spoiler alert) with the wedding of Lucky and Rusty at The Little Church of the West, which looks much as it did in the film, despite having been moved twice since then, including a long, slow crawl down Las Vegas Boulevard on Oct 6, 1978, to what is now Mandalay Bay. The church was moved once more, across the street to 4617 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

“The chapel is 70 years old. We bought the property so we shouldn’t have to move it again,” said Daniel Vallance, spokesman for the chapel. “The history of the chapel and Elvis’ part in that history is one of the keys to our success.”

Like many Las Vegas wedding chapels, The Little Church of the West offers a few Elvis packages. The difference is it can pitch those packages while pointing at pictures of the real Elvis in the chapel.

There’s only one other place that looks pretty much as it did in the film and is still, more or less, in the same place. In the movie, Ann-Margret’s Rusty lives with her father in a building on the docks of a Lake Mead Marina. Because of shrinking water levels, the docks have shifted a few times. But if you’re out at Las Vegas Boat Harbor & Lake Mead Marina, 490 Horsepower Cove Road, you can see the home.

It was always the second floor of the marina offices, and has remained so the past 50 years, although the ownership has changed hands a few times. The current owner is a longtime valley resident. She and her family used to own another marina on the lake. About 50 years ago, she was driving her kids from there to town in a late ’50s Cadillac, when she accidentally blew past a king.



source: The Las Vegas Review Journal

‘Viva Las Vegas,’ called best Elvis movie, turns 50

By JOHN PRZYBYS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

It’s the story of a guy, a girl and the coolest city in the world. And, hard as it is to believe, it was released 50 years ago this month.

“Viva Las Vegas,” the 1964 musical directed by George Sidney and starring Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley, is considered by aficionados of Elvis’ cinematic oeuvre to be one of the best, if not the best, film he ever made.

“Viva Las Vegas” has it all. A kinetic, frenetic look at Las Vegas at its hippest. Ann-Margret, the only leading lady who ever could match Elvis’ charisma and smoldering sensuality on screen. A score that spawned a song that everybody knows, every band covers and nobody can get out of their heads once he hears it.

“Viva Las Vegas” is a great movie, and the story behind it is pretty good, too. 

Like most of Elvis Presley’s cinematic output, the plot of “Viva Las Vegas” is as flimsy as a showgirl’s feather: Race car driver Lucky Jackson hits town to compete in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. His engine goes bad. Needing bucks, he gets a job and meets part-time lifeguard/singer/dancer Rusty Martin. The adjectivally named couple flirt, fight, dance and sing before, of course, (spoiler alert) marrying.

But, as with every other movie musical Elvis acted in over the 14 years that he cranked these things out, the important thing isn’t the plot but, rather, how it all comes together. And, in “Viva Las Vegas,” it’s director George Sidney who so adroitly creates an iconic whole.

Sidney was an award-winning Hollywood veteran whose major-musical credits are so impressive — “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Pal Joey,” “Show Boat” “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Anchors Aweigh!” among them — you’d think the only reason he’d agree to direct a Presley movie is that he lost a bet.

For Elvis, Sidney was the perfect director at the perfect time. Before “Viva Las Vegas,” Elvis had acted in a mostly forgettable string of movies, most of them formulaic musicals, and by the time “Viva Las Vegas” started filming in Las Vegas in 1963, Presley’s cinematic star had fallen.

“We don’t realize it, but this is at a lull in his career, because (his) movies have not been successful and the bloom is off the rose,” Clark explains.

That, he continues, is why MGM “came to George, because he’s one of the most accomplished musical directors of the time.”

Sidney “was one of the big dogs,” Clark says. “So they came to him and said, ‘We want you to do this, George.’ ”

Sidney liked Las Vegas and visited here often, says Clark, who became friends with Sidney after the director’s retirement, when he moved here and began working regularly with UNLV film students (the college’s Nevada entertainer/artist hall of fame award is named the “Sidney,” after the director, who also was its first recipient).

Sidney “knew the days of the, quote, MGM musicals were gone,” Clark says, and he already had begun filming movies outside of Hollywood. And, Clark says, “George always loved a challenge.”

Corinne Sidney, George Sidney’s widow, recalls, too, that the director was very close friends with her first husband, Jack Entratter, and the Sands executive encouraged Sidney to make a movie that would show off Las Vegas.

“George loved Las Vegas,” she says, “and he said, ‘Why not?’ ”

Studio executives had told Sidney that the way to put Elvis’ cinematic career back on track would be to “pump up the production values,” Clark says. “He said: ‘No, you need to give him a leading woman.’  ”

Giving Elvis a strong leading lady would go against the template that had been established in the singer’s films up until then.

“His handlers were always, ‘You cast somebody sweet and forgettable who wouldn’t overshadow Elvis,’ ” Clark explains. “It was George who said, ‘Get Ann-Margret.’ ”

Ann-Margret recently had worked with Sidney in “Bye Bye Birdie” and the director knew she could give the film a dynamic, hip energy. Elvis’ camp had qualms, but Sidney stood behind his choice. When the falling fortunes of Elvis’ movies went head to head against Sidney’s talent and reputation, there was no contest.

“It was simple: They had gone to this formula, and it was just barely a notch above bad TV,” Clark says. “They were just serving his personality, and it was George who said, ‘Ann-Margret changes everything.’ ”

Paul Casey, a former Elvis impersonator and now Las Vegas show producer, agrees. Seeing a strong leading lady in an Elvis movie “was a rarity, because most female co-stars with Elvis were just pretty,” he says.

“Some of them in the beginning were serious actors — Carolyn Jones in ‘King Creole’ or Debra Paget in his first movie (‘Love Me Tender,’ 1956). The problem is that, after a while, they got to be cookie-cutter.”

Ann-Margret was different, Casey says. “When the two of them are on screen, there’s an energy there. I think it was because they had a mutual admiration and fondness for each other.”

Sidney’s acumen for sharp casting also extended to the rest of the movie’s cast. For example, William Demarest — boomers know him best as Uncle Charley from “My Three Sons” — was cast as Ann-Margret’s father.

Demarest “was always a great comic foil,” Clark says. “The interplay with Ann-Margret and her dad is very well-crafted.”

“Viva Las Vegas” takes full advantage of the lights and color of the Strip and the city’s resorts, but also shows off Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Mount Charleston and other parts of the city. Clark says Sidney also tweaked the structure of the traditional movie musical for the film.

In a traditional musical, “the songs take over when there’s an overflow of powerful emotions,” Clark says. “So we can give to a song that which we will not (express) in dialogue.”

That’s not uniformly true in “Viva Las Vegas.” While a few songs do allow characters to express emotion, “in an odd way, in ‘Viva Las Vegas,’ some songs are there because they seem like a good place for a song,” Clark says.

Sidney, who liked to operate his own camera, also devised some creative ways to get what he needed. For instance, the studio balked at paying extras for the race scenes, Clark says, “so they basically said, ‘Want to be in a movie? Come and stand on the sidewalk,’ and then they drove the cars right through.”

And that song? Written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, “Viva Las Vegas,” released as the B-side of “What’d I Say” from the film’s soundtrack, became a classic, covered by everybody from Bruce Springsteen to the Dead Kennedys.

“To this day, wherever you go, if you’re from Las Vegas, they start singing that to you,” Casey says.

The “Viva Las Vegas” movie was released on May 20, 1964, and was, depending on whose figures one uses, around the 14th top money-earner of 1964 worldwide. The buzz on its release was international, Clark says.

Elvis made 16 more musicals after “Viva Las Vegas,” but almost all of them reverted to forgettable pre-“Viva Las Vegas” form. None was directed by someone of Sidney’s talent or stature. None featured a leading lady as sexy or as talented as Ann-Margret. And none would become as fondly remembered as “Viva Las Vegas.”

“The great thing is, it showed the diversity of Elvis,” Casey says. “Not only did he have, I believe, star presence that was always there, but he could be on screen with somebody with equal charisma but a female (actress), and it wasn’t threatening to him or to the audience.”

Presley confidante Joe Esposito considers “Viva Las Vegas” to be one of the best films Elvis made, and says Presley agreed.

“It was definitely one of his favorite films,” Esposito says in a recent phone interview. Elvis and Ann-Margret “got along so good together. They just clicked, and they were great, and became very, very good friends after the movie was over.”

“(The movie) only works if it really clicks with the two of them together,” he adds. “If somebody else did ‘Viva Las Vegas,’ would it have made a difference? Well, we’ll never know that. But they clicked together. They were really good together.”

Why didn’t Elvis and his camp continue the winning formula Sidney had devised? “Because George was a sweet man who had a way of getting what he wanted, and the Elvis people liked the way they liked things done,” Clark says. “So we go back to ‘Clambake.’ ”

What did Sidney think of the film? Corinne Sidney recalls visiting the Department of Motor Vehicles to get license plates not long after she and her husband moved here.

While waiting, “I asked, ‘What are you going to put on yours?’ ” she says. “He said, ‘I don’t know.’ I said, ‘Why don’t you get, ‘Viva Las Vegas’? He said, ‘Oh, God, Corinne. It’s the worst movie I ever made.’

“So we get in, and I said I’ll just have a plain plate. He said to the woman, ‘I want V LAS V’ — he said ‘to let everyone know I did that horrible movie.’  ”

Clark recalls that Sidney’s phone messages often would include some variation of the phrase “Viva Las Vegas” because “he knew he had something popular with that alone. That phrase just falls off the lips. It’s the perfect title.”

George Sidney died May 5, 2002, but Corinne Sidney is reminded regularly how endearingly popular “Viva Las Vegas” is.

“I get a residual every month,” she says with a laugh. “I must get five dollars every month. And, I get fan letters to George.”



source: Las Vegas Review Journal

source: Elvis Matters

Elvis Presley's Grand Piano from his Holmby Hills mansion has sold for $50,000.00 at Debbie Reynolds' Auction. The Auction was held May 18th.

This vintage Baldwin brand walnut Grand Piano with double-column pillar legs, includes the piano bench pictured. This grand piano was present in Elvis’ two-acre Holmby Hills home, which he and Priscilla Presley purchased in December of 1970. After five years, Elvis sold the house, including this grand piano in 1975. Baldwin has been a leading manufacturer of pianos since 1895. Measuring 72 x 38.5 x 57.5 in., this grand piano was present in Elvis’ two-acre Holmby Hills home located at 144 Monovale Drive. Auction Pre-sale Estimate was:  $12,000 – $15,000

The third and final Debbie Reynolds' auction has just concluded, earning the entertainer just a little over $2 million. The auction was held at her dance studio by the auction house Profiles in History on May 18, 2014, in North Hollywood, Calif. Getting top bids were several vintage movie cameras, a collection of tuxedos owned by the members of the Hollywood rat pack, Orson Welles fur coat and Elvis Presley's piano. 


sources: http://www.examiner.com
http://www.profilesinhistory.com

The Pontiac Silverdome was the place Elvis played on December 31st 1975. 

A marvel of 1970s-era engineering, the stadium covered by a 10-acre, Teflon-covered roof supported by air once was THE place to see big events - the Super Bowl, the NBA finals, the World Cup, WrestleMania. Nowadays, the 80,000-seat venue north of Detroit is a shell of its former self. The unforgiving Michigan weather shredded its roof, long strands of which hang from high above or are crumpled on the stadium floor.

The elements have wreaked havoc. Without electricity, the stadium's innards are dark and mold-infested. The weed-covered turf, on which Sanders once made tacklers look silly, is floating on a foot of water like an oversized lily pad. Workers scared off a pair of foxes living underneath the roof remnants that cover a section of Honolulu blue chairs in the lower bowl.

The Silverdome's current owner - an investment company that tried to revive interest by holding events such as soccer and boxing in recent years - is determined to cash in before it's too late, putting pretty much anything and everything inside up for auction starting on Wednesday.

"Every item starts at $5. If we don't get that, it goes in the garbage," said Jim Passeno of RJM Auctions, which is handling the online auction that runs through May 29.

Lorraine Tinney 
May 19, 2014

American martial arts man Bill ‘Superfoot’ Wallace — who was Presley’s bodyguard and personal trainer. 

Mr Wallace, 68, was visiting the Scottish Taekwondo Academy in George Square on Thursday to lead some coaching sessions. The veteran karate and kickboxing champion lifted the lid on how he worked with the superstar singer from 1974 until his death in 1977 — and gave a rare glimpse of the man behind the legend.

When the Tele asked him about the Elvis connection, he said: “He was a wonderful person, a nice guy. It was fun working out with him too but you couldn’t hit him too hard."

“You couldn’t punch Elvis in the face but it was fun beating up his Memphis Mafia.

“He was very good at martial arts, he worked out very hard. I can’t think of a better person to publicise martial arts!

Bill says Elvis had a circle of close friends he used to hang out with.

He recalled: “We used to go to the movies on a Saturday night, down town Memphis, around 15/20 of us. The last one we saw was Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia.”

Bill says the star had a good sense of humour but also had short fuse.

He said: “He could crack the jokes like the rest of us but he had a temper.

“I remember he bought a 1974 Pantera, an Italian sports car, and he asked us to go along to see it.

“It wouldn’t start and he jumped out and came back and emptied a 45 automatic pistol into it — it still didn’t start.

“It was hilarious.”

Bill revealed that Elvis’ favourite song was Unchained Melody and after he and wife Priscilla parted, he used to listen to Climb Every Mountain.

Elvis also splashed the cash with gifts for his friend through the years, including a station wagon and motorcycle.

Bill said: “He gave me a station wagon in 1975. I kept it for a year, then I traded it in. I didn’t know he was going to die the next year and when I became world champion in 1974 he gave me a motorcycle.”

Bill, who still has some cherished photographs given to him by the singer, spoke of his shock when he learned that Elvis had died.

He said: “My wife and me were taking a vacation and an Elvis song was playing on the car radio.

“I turned the channel and another Elvis song was playing. I knew something was wrong. I called Graceland and his cousin, who was his gatekeeper, told me he had died that morning.”

Bill said: “He was a boy from Tupelo Mississippi, he was doing something that nobody else did, you didn’t have an Elvis Presley before that. It was like the Beatles in England.”


source: http://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk

New Heineken Ad Features Elvis' "Bossa Nova Baby"
MAY 19, 2014

A new Heineken television spot features a young man on a unique journey, set to the music of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Elvis Presley's "Bossa Nova Baby" sets the tone for a glimpse of a single man's journey to find a mysterious woman. The new ad is being broadcast in countries around the world and Elvis fans can watch the complete online version (below) or by visiting Heineken.com. 

Originally written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the song was recorded for Elvis' 1963 film "Fun in Acapulco." Recorded in RCA's Studio B in Nashville, the song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart and #20 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart in 1963.

The spot's description states the following:

A single man embarks on a city adventure with only the missing cards of a mysteriously beautiful woman to guide him. Each card takes him deeper into the neon heart of the city but will his wild woman-hunt eventually lead to the girl of his dreams? Of course it will, but that doesn't mean it won't be a blast finding out how.

Want to learn more about the king? Check out our biography section or plan a trip to Graceland! 



source: Elvis Presley's Graceland

Friday, May 16th 2014

The LakeGeorge.com Elvis Festival announced today that Lowell Hays, jeweler to Elvis, will make a rare appearance at this year's event. Hays will offer his exclusive jewelry collection to festival goers. 

To learn more about Hays and his unique creations, visit http://www.elvisjeweler.com

"We're beyond excited to have Lowell Hays at this year's event," said Jason Sherry, president of Sherry Management, LLC, and festival director. "Don't miss this opportunity to meet Lowell and take a look at his beautiful collection of jewelry, some of which is based on actual pieces that Elvis owned and wore."

Hays got into the jewelry business with his father, Lowell Hays Sr., in Paducah, Ky. Hays joined his dad in 1961, doing jewelry repair and custom design. He met Elvis around 1968, and they remained close friends until Presley's death in 1977. Hays and his wife traveled with Presley as he performed throughout the country, riding in his private jet, the Lisa Marie. Hays always carried a briefcase full of jewelry because Presley was constantly buying special gifts for friends and fans. Some of Hays' other notable clients over the years have included Isaac Hayes, Al Green, T.G. Sheppard and the country music band Alabama. 

Lake George, "the Queen of American Lakes," is the picturesque site where more than 5,000 fans are expected to gather for this year's festival. 

For complete information about the event and tickets, visit http://www.LakeGeorgeElvisFest.com

About Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. 
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE), a division of Authentic Brands Group LLC., is based in Memphis, with additional offices in Los Angeles. In addition to Graceland and its related attractions in Memphis, including the Heartbreak Hotel, EPE is aggressively involved in a worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing, and television, film, video and Internet projects. For more information on EPE and Graceland, visit www.elvis.com. 

About the http://www.elvisfestival.com Series of Events -
The ElvisFestival.com series of events is produced by Sherry Management, LLC, under a licensing agreement with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. Festivals include the LakeGeorge.com Elvis Festival, the Las Vegas Elvis Festival, the Sao Paulo, Brazil, Elvis Festival, the Pocono Mountains Elvis Festival and the Elvis FANtasy Fest in Portage, Indiana.


source: Press Release

"The Guest House at Graceland" will be constructed on the property north of Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion, at the corner of Elvis Presley Boulevard and Old Hickory Road. 

The plan is to invest $70 million into this property, to build a six-floor, 450-room hotel on 25 acres. The hotel will occupy a space previously occupied by an apartment complex and an automobile dealership. The hotel will have a resort feeling with a large swimming pool, event center and outdoor event space, as well as more than 400 parking spaces for guests. The Elvis Presley Boulevard traffic light will be moved near the entrance of the hotel and the speed limit will be reduced on Elvis Presley Boulevard. 

Plans for "The Guest House at Graceland" include a restaurant, sports lounge and some Elvis-themed suites. According to architectural drawings released by Elvis Presley Enterprises, "the Guest House at Graceland" will be modeled after  Graceland mansion, with similar roofing, interiors and colors. 

Preparation for "the Guest House at Graceland" is scheduled to tentatively begin June 2014. The official ground breaking will possibly take place in August 2014. The tentative opening date for "the Guest House at Graceland" is August 2015, hopefully in time for guests at Elvis Week 2015. After "the Guest House at Graceland" is completed, the Heartbreak Hotel will eventually be torn down, but the RV park will remain for now. 

The project will be funded privately, and Elvis Presley Enterprises already owns the land the hotel will occupy. The plans were presented during a town hall community meeting at the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum at Graceland on the night of Thursday, May 15th. 

Elvis Presley Enterprises was acquired in November 2013 by Authentic Brands Group LLC and National Entertainment Collectibles Association for $130 million.



sources: MyFoxMemphis, Memphis Business Journal and Action News 5

2014 Elvis Lives Poster Contest Now Available for Basic and PLUS Insiders
MAY 16, 2014

We have posted instructions on how to enter this contest in the Elvis Insiders CONTEST section, which is only accessible to Basic and PLUS members.

In celebration of our website and our brand new Elvis Lives poster campaign, ten lucky winners can enter to win all three editions (below) of the 2014 Elvis Lives poster collection. These posters are only available on-site here at Graceland, where visitors can check-in via Facebook andFoursquare and receive one free Elvis Lives poster anytime in 2014. Our Basic and PLUS Insiders now have the opportunity to win all three limited-edition colors which include three different iconic photos of the king. This year is an exciting time for Graceland and the city of Memphis as we get ready to celebrate 60 Years of Rock 'n' Roll. Save over $120 off your trip by booking your 60 Years of Rock 'n' Roll Package today!

Not an Elvis Insider? Find out how to join! Get exclusive access to rare photos, video, and artifacts at Graceland. Want to plan the ultimate rock 'n' roll pilgrimage? Check out great savings and hotel package deals on Graceland.com.


source: Elvis Presley's Graceland

Joe Moscheo Added as Elvis Week 2014 Guest
MAY 15, 2014

We are excited to announce Joe Moscheo of Elvis’ Imperials will be a special guest during Elvis Week 2014. Recently retired from Elvis’ Imperials, he will return to Elvis Week for a special on-stage guest appearance as well as join Terry Blackwood and The Imperials on Saturday, August 16, for a farewell performance during the screening of "Elvis: That’s The Way It Is" at the Orpheum. 

Joe's appearances are as follows:

Conversations on Elvis
Friday, August 15; Elvis Week Main Stage
Joe will take the stage with fellow Elvis’ Imperials member Terry Blackwood to talk about filming and being a part of "Elvis: That’s The Way It Is" – as well as share some of their favorite memories and stories about Elvis. 

Elvis: That’s The Way It Is Screening
Saturday, August 16; Orpheum Theatre
In addition to enjoying a special screening of "Elvis: That’s The Way It Is" at the Orpheum, fans will also be treated to a special performance by Elvis’ Imperials members Joe Moscheo and Terry Blackwood, along with Darrell Toney and Lynn Royce Taylor. This will be a special farewell performance by Joe Moscheo who recently has retired from the group.


source: Elvis Presley's Graceland

May 15, 2014 
By Lynnanne Nguyen, Reporter
MyFoxMemphis

Many had a first look at plans for the proposed new 450-room hotel "The Guest House at Graceland," coming possibly in 2015 to Elvis Presley's Graceland in Whitehaven.

"The Guest House" will go up on the property north of Elvis' Graceland mansion.

The community got a first look at the plans. The meeting took place inside Graceland's car museum.

The plan is to invest $70 million into this property to build a six-floor, 450-room hotel. It's going to go at the corner of Elvis Presley Boulevard and Old Hickory Road and all of it will be funded with private dollars.

The land of the proposed hotel currently holds an old car dealership but Elvis Presley Enterprises has already started tearing down old apartment buildings to make way for the new hotel.

Plans for "The Guest House at Graceland" include a restaurant, sports lounge and some Elvis-themed suites. The hotel will also be modeled after the Graceland mansion, with similar roofing, interiors and colors.

Memphis city leaders say $70 million project will bring jobs and improve property values in the area. They're also hoping to recruit other businesses to develop around the new hotel.
 
Residents say it's a win-win for Whitehaven. 

"I'm excited about the development of Graceland," said Keith Williams. "Particularly knowing it will attract industry and restaurants and the kind of of amenities we so richly deserve out here."

Residents who live right behind the proposed site are concerned about issues like lighting, parking, and traffic, but they tell us from what they've seen it's been so far, so good.


source: MyFoxMemphis