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NEW - Elvis Book: The New Leader In Las Vegas

8/31/2014

 
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The New leader In Las Vegas", a new hardcover 144-page Elvis book.

Foreword has been written by Joe Esposito and with every book comes a 8x10 bonus photo handsigned by Joe Esposito in person.

This is a limited release of 1000 copies worldwide.

CLICK HERE to order from Essential Elvis!

Re-release: 'Young Man With The Big Beat' Limited Edition Boxset

8/31/2014

 
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Young Man With The Big Beat Box set, Limited Edition

Elvis Presley  Format: Audio CD

This title will be released on September 15, 2014. 

Product details
  • Audio CD (15 Sep 2014)
  • Number of Discs: 5
  • Format: Box set, Limited Edition
  • Label: Sony Music Cmg

CLICK HERE to order from Amazon!

Elvis Presley™ Virtually Comes Back To Life - PR Newswire Press Release

8/31/2014

 
Elvis Presley™ Virtually Comes Back To Life - PR Newswire Press Release
     
Tuesday, August 26th 2014

 The King to Appear Digitally for a New Generation
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. and NEW YORK, Aug. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -

Pulse Evolution Corporation (OTC: PLFX) and The Estate of Elvis Presley™ have forged a partnership to develop a virtual "King of Rock 'n' Roll."  By leveraging state of the art human animation technology, Elvis will return to fans in the form of new and exciting entertainment and branding opportunities, including "holographic" performances in live shows, commercials, and more.

"For us, working with Pulse is about the opportunity to present Elvis to a new generation of fans who would otherwise never get to see him perform," said Jamie Salter, Chairman and CEO of Authentic Brands Group, owner of The Estate of Elvis Presley™ in partnership with the Presley family. "Our goals for a digitized Elvis are integrity and authenticity, to provide fans with an experience that they love and are proud to be a part of."

A trendsetter and an early adopter of technology, Elvis owned one of the first mobile phones, a projector TV before the masses and recorded albums live in his home.  Known as the leader of the rock 'n' roll revolution, Elvis was the epitome of a forward thinker.  Adds Salter, "This deal now positions Elvis at the forefront of the digital domain."

"We are thrilled about this partnership because we created Pulse to bring brilliant performers like Elvis to the millions of people who love him.  Through this digitally reimagined Elvis, new and younger audiences will be able to see firsthand why he is called the King of Rock 'n' Roll," said Frank Patterson, CEO of Pulse Evolution.

The Pulse team includes a powerful combination of artists and executives who specialize in character creation and human animation. Among the successes of the executive team are the virtual Tupac Shakur at Coachella 2012 and the award-winning visual effects for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, with supervising roles in high-end visual effects films like Avatar, Divergent, Forrest Gump and more.


About Pulse Evolution Corporation
Pulse Evolution Corporation (OTC: "PLFX") is a creatively driven, digital production and IP Company, established to produce specialized, high-impact applications of computer-generated human likeness for utilization in entertainment, life sciences, education and telecommunication. Founded by the world's leading producers of photorealistic digital humans, Pulse develops "virtual humans" for live and holographic concerts, advertising, feature films, branded content, medical applications and training. Pulse is headquartered in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Please visit www.pulse.co.

About Authentic Brands Group, LLC
Authentic Brands Group, in partnership with Leonard Green & Partners, is an intellectual property corporation with a mandate to acquire, manage and build long-term value in prominent consumer brands. Headquartered in New York City, ABG's mission is to further enhance brand equity through partnering with best-in-class licensees and direct-to-retail partnerships. ABG brands include Marilyn Monroe®, Mini Marilyn™, Muhammad Ali®, Elvis Presley®, Juicy Couture®, Judith Leiber®, Adrienne Vittadini®, Taryn Rose®, Hickey Freeman®, Hart Schaffner Marx®, Palm Beach®, Misook®, Prince®, Spyder®, Airwalk®, Above The Rim®, Vision Street Wear®, Hind®, Ektelon®, Viking®, Bobby Jones®, TapouT®, Sportcraft®. www.abg-nyc.com

About Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE), 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.


source: PR Newswire

How Elvis Presley's death saved over 300 record factory jobs

8/31/2014

 
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How Elvis Presley's death saved over 300 record factory jobs
  • Aug 11, 2014 19:00
  • By David Morton

Pop music lovers in the 1970s were well familiar with the bright orange labels that adorned the discs of RCA Records.

Everyone from the Sweet to David Bowie released records on the famous record label.

But none of the artists on RCA’s roster were bigger than Elvis Presley. The mid-1970s saw the “The King” in full-on Las Vegas cabaret mode, but he remained the brightest star in the pop firmament.

Meanwhile, Washington New Town had been home to a giant factory churning out RCA records since 1970.

A report in the weeks before its opening announced: “The whole mammoth operation will be staffed by local workers.”

Indeed, during the early years of the decade, over 300 local people were employed there.

They helped the factory produce more than 18,000,000 records a year by Elvis, Bowie - and a whole range of pop and classical performers.

However, the changing face of the leisure industry began to take its toll. Sales of vinyl began to fall, and the introduction of the music cassette ate into the record market.

In 1976, only six years after the factory opened, the writing was on the wall.

In July 1977, RCA announced that 94 staff at the Washington plant were set to lose their jobs, with the entire 350 workforce about to be put on short-time working.

Negotiations between unions and bosses were frantic and heated, but there seemed only one ending in sight – closure.

The following month brought news from the United States that shocked the world - but would give the factory a reprieve.

Elvis Presley died on August 16 in Memphis at the age of 42.

As crowds gathered outside his Graceland home, people rushed to record shops around the world and cleared the shelves of every available disc The King had produced.

Word went out from RCA headquarters to its plants across the world that production had to increase, and Washington, being the most modern plant, was in the forefront of meeting the unprecedented demand for records.

Elvis records were effectively sold before they were pressed, and 12-hour shifts became the order of the day as the factory went on to 24-hour working, seven days a week.

A year after the King’s demise there were still 300 working at the factory.

Sadly, the boom was temporary and record sales continued to fall. In 1981 RCA sold up in Washington, and Dickens set about building the biggest DIY complex in Europe at the location.

Today on Washington’s Armstrong Industrial Estate, 37 years on from Elvis’s death, a B&Q home improvement store dominates the site where millions of copies of Jailhouse Rock were produced.

  • Meanwhile, at 5.30pm on Thursday, September 4, Marek Norvid and Ritchie Lattimore would like to welcome anyone who worked at, or was directly associated with, the Washington plant to a small reunion at RPM Music. The Newcastle record shop is situated in 4 Old George Yard, just off High Bridge.  


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

Elvis scarf returned after 32 years

8/31/2014

 
Elvis scarf returned after 32 years
  • August 23, 2014 10:10 am
Associated Press 

FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) — David Whitaker nearly hung up the phone when a caller from Florence started asking questions about his being an Elvis fan.

It was what the Lakeland, Florida, resident called an, "out of the blue call." But Whitaker stayed on the line when the questions turned pointed.


"The guy asked me if I had been given a scarf by Elvis at one of his concerts when I was a kid," he said. "And the fact was, I had indeed been given a scarf, then stupidly gave it up and have been trying to locate it the past 32 years."

That caller was Mike Adams, a local Elvis tribute artist, and he had obtained Whitaker's long-lost scarf.

Adams, a lifelong Elvis fan, has been working as a tribute artist since age 19, averaging 40-50 shows a year. He purchased the scarf in mid-July from a woman in Tennessee and was thrilled to get it. It had sweat stains that, in Adams' mind, made it even more personal. But it was also packaged in a Ziploc bag and had an old photograph of a boy standing in what appeared to be about a 1970s-model living room. With the picture was a handwritten note bearing the name, David Whitaker. The feminine handwriting also noted the words, "Given by Elvis, Sept. 4, 1976."

Whitaker's mother had written the note and inserted the picture for safekeeping in the bag with the scarf. She had taken her son to that Elvis concert for his 11th birthday. She approached a body guard and asked for Elvis to give her son a scarf for his birthday. The guard waved to get Elvis' attention, pointed at young Whitaker and The King reached down with the scarf saying, "Here ya go, son."

Whitaker remembers it vividly. He recalls a group of about 30 women swarming him, even knocking him down to take the scarf. But he held on. Tightly.

Adams' realized his call would seem random to Whitaker, which was why he got straight to the point after realizing from a Google search that he had the right David Whitaker.

"I really didn't want to give up that scarf, but I knew after seeing that photo that this guy, if he was even still around, would want it back," Adams said. "I even told God, 'If the first name on the list is the right one, I'll give it back because I'll know it was meant to be.'

Sure enough, the first call was the one.

"After I realized he wasn't going to hang up on me, I just said, 'Well buddy, I'm pretty sure I have your scarf here.' "

Adams said Whitaker listened to the details of how he came by the scarf, accepted that the call wasn't a hoax and finally asked him the obvious question, if he could buy it back.

"I said 'No sir, you can't buy it. But you can have it, since it's yours.'"

Whitaker, now 48, remembers turning 16, getting his driver's license and a car. Even today he bristles at the memory of selling the Elvis scarf. He sold it to a collector for a mere $150 to put the money into his car, a hand-me-down from his parents.

"It didn't take long until I knew I'd made a mistake," he said. "The guy drove off with the scarf, and I felt pretty bad right away. My parents had told me I shouldn't sell it. Especially my mom, the huge Elvis fan."

Sometime later, Whitaker put an ad in the local newspaper to get it back. He learned a woman living nearby in the Lakeland area had bought the scarf, but had moved. The chance of finding the woman, or the scarf, seemed to be a lost cause. Until Adams called.

"It was a stupid thing I did, made right by a million-to-one odds, that call. And a good person, who went out of his way to do the right thing," Whitaker said. "I'm still amazed at all this. The lady who'd bought the scarf even called me after Mike found me. I think they were as excited about finding me as I was to hear from them. You just don't find people like them these days. This kind of thing restores your faith in mankind."

But there was still the issue of getting the scarf back into Whitaker's possession.

Still an Elvis fan himself, Whitaker always wanted to see Graceland, Elvis' Memphis mansion.

When Adams told him he would be performing in Memphis on the 37th anniversary of Elvis' death, Whitaker knew he had to make the trip. He immediately planned for a three-day excursion to Memphis, taking along his two brothers and nephew.

For Adams, as well as Whitaker, the concert brought the story full circle as Adams presented Whitaker with the scarf, still stained, still accompanied by a photo of a proud 11-year-old.

Whitaker's mother died two years ago at 86. She had always remained an Elvis fan, but never made it to Memphis to see Graceland.

"I just feel like Mom had something to do with all this, divine intervention," he said. "Here I'd beat myself up for all those years, and searched and searched for that scarf, and then Elvis himself calls me up and wants to give it back."

Whitaker, a member of a local Lakeland band called Focus Group, says he does a few Elvis numbers but, "I don't sound anything like as good as Mike Adams doing Elvis."

Whitaker said as he thinks back over the whole scenario and the nearly impossible odds of such a thing happening, he has to ask himself if he would have done what Adams did.

"Yeah, I'd have done the very same thing," he said, with certainty. "My father had polio, and he and my mom always taught me to be kind to people. I try to always be kind. And while I can't be more grateful to get this scarf back, I also have to think that me, Mike and Elvis, we have a lot in common. We believe in doing right by people."


source: http://www.moultonadvertiser.com

Memphis artist created a special gift for Elvis Presley

8/31/2014

 
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Memphis artist created a special gift for Elvis Presley
Michael Donahue Aug 9, 2014

As thousands of fans pass through Meditation Garden at Graceland during Elvis Week’s Candlelight Vigil Friday and Saturday, many will notice the modernistic statue of Jesus overlooking the grave, his arms outstretched, as if to welcome them.

The arresting figure has stood in the garden for decades, but the story of how he came to be, and almost didn’t, or who made him isn’t widely known. It’s a story of love for Elvis, who died on Aug. 16, 1977, and Elvis’ love for the Bible. And at the center is an eccentric sculptor who couldn’t say ‘no.’

Memphis artist John McIntire, who sculpted the piece in the 1960s, still carves marble at age 79 in his crowded Midtown backyard, which is filled with his abstract work, yard sale purchases, street finds, plants and cats. A retired Memphis College of Art sculpture professor, McIntire’s work can be found in private collections and in the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. One of his public sculptures, “The Muse,” stands across the street from City Hall.

In 1965, he was commissioned to make a statue of Jesus as a Christmas present to Elvis from members of the Memphis Mafia, the entertainer’s entourage. McIntire never dreamed he would sculpt a statue for Elvis. And he never dreamed he’d have to make an almost life-size statue in less than three weeks.

Brushing mosquitoes away with his hand as he sat on a metal chair in his backyard, McIntire related the story of how he once was sculptor for the King.

He never met Elvis, McIntire said, but he saw him around town and, on occasion, at the old Memphian movie theater. “He was extremely good looking,” McIntire said. “I thought he was some kind of Greek god. He had that look.”

During that time, McIntire taught sculpture and 3-D design at Memphis Art Academy, forerunner to the Memphis College of Art, and he owned the Bitter Lemon coffeehouse on Poplar. He lived at 2166 Madison in a house referred to as “The Beatnik Inn,” he said.

“Poets, writers and all kinds of weird freaks — and me — lived there. The front room, that was my studio. I lived upstairs.”

A laid-back atmosphere prevailed at The Beatnick Inn. “One night I woke up in the middle of the night and it was (poets) Randall Lyon and Allen Ginsberg trying to get me to get up to go to the river to do mantras.”

Memphis Mafia members Jerry Schilling and Marty Lacker would show up after Elvis went to bed, and hang out. “They’d stay sometimes for hours and hours.”

On one visit, Schilling and Lacker told McIntire they wanted to commission a statue of Jesus to give to Elvis for Christmas. McIntire asked what they wanted it to look like. “Marty Lacker put his feet together and stood with his arms sticking out. He says, ‘Just like this. Straight up and down.’”

They needed it by Dec. 24. “I said, ‘It’s Dec. 6. It takes years. Do you know how long it took Michelangelo to do the statue of David and all his stuff? That’s almost impossible.’”

They said they’d pay him $500. “I said, ‘Five hundred dollars? That’s more than I get paid at the Art Academy.’ I said, ‘OK,’ like an idiot. Here I am teaching all day, then trying to work at night, and contending with all the people at the coffeehouse.”

Memphis Mafia members tried to match their Christmas present to whatever Elvis was into at the time, Schilling said in a phone interview from Los Angeles.

“The year before, Elvis was really into guns, and the first Christmas present I gave him was a gun. I took my whole bonus and bought the gun. The next year Elvis was reading Bibles. He’d gone from shooting ranges to more serious things about life and Bibles and whatever. He had just completed the Meditation Garden about a year before. He was really into meditating and quiet time, so we thought this would be appropriate for a Christmas gift. Something special, unique. Something made especially for him,” Schilling said.

McIntire sculpted the about 5-foot statue of Jesus in clay and then made a 14-piece plaster mold of it. He found two men who had formulated a resin, which they mixed with marble dust to make sink tops and commodes.

He asked the men if they could pour their resin into his mold, to make the statue. They said they’d try anything, so McIntire transported the mold to them in a pickup.

McIntire was shocked when he returned to get the statue. “They didn’t secure the mold. That stuff swells up. It expanded the mold and this stuff oozed out all over the place. I was just sick: ‘There goes everything down the tube.’”

“I hauled this mess back to my front room and laid it on the floor. This stuff was setting up slowly; it wasn’t real crystal hard yet. So, I took scrapers and knives and carved the thing out of that stuff.”

The Memphis Mafia showed up. “I’m still working. Here comes that big stretch-mobile, that big black Lincoln they had. All of them come marching in the house.”

They began to pick up the statue. “I said, ‘Wait a minute, I’m not done.’ They said, ‘It’s Christmas Eve. Elvis has to see it now.’ So, I was running out the door trying to take pictures. They picked it up and carried it out on their shoulders.”

The statue was a success. “Elvis was very touched and pleased with it,” Schilling said. “It was not what he said, it was the look on his face that just said everything.”

George Klein, Elvis’ close friend, also believes Elvis appreciated the statue. “From what I understand, he (Elvis) really liked it,” Klein said. “Elvis was, very quietly, a very religious person.”

He thought McIntire should market copies of the statue. But, Klein said, “He never could get into it: ‘It’s not my schtick.’”

McIntire, who still owns the miniature model for the sculpture, copyrighted the statue and made a few miniature versions, but he never really did anything commercially with it. “I cast three or four bronze ones and gave them away,” he said.

Asked to comment on the statute, Elvis Presley Enterprises public relations director Kevin Kern said they have no “documentation on the statue as to who made it” in their archives.

Shortly after he made the statue, McIntire sculpted a bust of Elvis in clay. He borrowed some scrapbooks of old photos of the King when he was young. “He looked like a young cherub,” McIntire said.

Ten years later, McIntire redid the piece, making Elvis look older. He opened the mold of his new Elvis bust on a hot August afternoon. “I had the radio on. It said, ‘Elvis Presley just found dead.’'


source: The Commercial Appeal

NEW - Elvis Book: 'Elvis: An American Trilogy - Volume 1: "Family" Mississippi To Memphis' - by Dennis W. Forbus

8/31/2014

 
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The King of All Elvis Books? 73 Interviews, 9 Trips to Memphis and Hundreds of Research Hours Lead to Definitive Biography of History’s Most Enigmatic Star.

‘Elvis: An American Trilogy’ is the work of professional Presley impersonator, Dennis W. Forbus. Disgruntled by the abundance of misinformation, misunderstanding and often blatant lies surrounding the life and death of Elvis Presley, Forbus decided to compile a series of books that would set the record straight – with Elvis’ life told through the star’s own eyes. The first volume, ‘Family’, deals with Presley’s tumultuous childhood and the characters that shaped his future. Research was gathered through over seventy interviews (including classmates, family members, and childhood friends) as well as photographs, historical documents and public records.

For Immediate Release

Blairsville, Georgia – While nobody can deny Elvis Presley’s history-changing influence on both music and popular culture, six-hundred-million record sales still result in a man few actually understand. In fact, many career Elvis experts and impersonators such as Dennis W. Forbus are steadfast in their belief that most existing information about ‘The King of Rock-n-Roll’ is misunderstood or skewed. In an effort to showcase the real man behind the music, Forbus has set out on a worlds-first and most unique literary project.

‘Elvis: An American Trilogy’ tells Presley’s accurate and compelling life story, through his own eyes. The three books are poised to clear up the confusion and assumptions made about the legend, while shunning the public’s mold to expose a man whose personal life was equally as fascinating as his extroverted stage presence.

Volume one, ‘Family’, starts right at the beginning.

Synopsis:
Our story takes you on a journey through the eyes of Elvis himself, as he introduces us to his grand grandparents, all the way up to his own birthday. From then on, we find true stories from those that were there and told us many things that happened to or with Elvis in his childhood growing up as a poor boy from East Tupelo, Mississippi. The challenges involved in moving from house to house, a father being sent to prison, becoming the new kid in schools time and time again, are but a few of the problems he faced everyday. Dreams and imagination were his doorways to escape, and music was the vehicle which he used to travel. Readers will discover great areas of his family roots, birth, education, childhood in Tupelo, move to Memphis, his high school years, recording at Sun Studio, and the purchase of Graceland.

“Many of the Elvis biographies that are out today, and even new ones being released, are constructed from existing information, the same stories and photographs. Some even contain misleading information, which only raises more doubts in the minds of others, admits Forbus. “So, I set out to gather primary information directly from the documents and people that knew Elvis the man, not the Icon. My journey spanned nineteen years, taking me on nine trips to Memphis, seven trips to Tupelo and into the homes and offices of over seventy people who knew Elvis best personally including house staff, friends, band members and business acquaintances. All accounts were backed up through countless hours scouring historical documents, school records, public records, and over three-hundred photographs – each of which is printed in the book. I can put my hand on my heart when I state that I have learned more about Elvis than ever before, and wrote this book with integrity not for popularity. My personal rewards have been the added knowledge of becoming an Elvis Historian over the past decade of studying the life of this great person that continues to change our world.”

Continuing, “All of this is now poured into a new series and available for anyone who wants to learn more about the Elvis Presley, his purpose in life, and the man himself. So many people today, only want to remember Elvis’ struggles with addiction and tend to forget the good things that he did while living. We all suffer with problems and I’ve always felt that folks dwell on Elvis’ personal failures to lessen the load of their own. So, I am now exposing the story of the real Elvis Presley, with the help of many that really knew him. This is his story, and he’s giving you the chance to get to know Elvis Presley.”

Early reviews for this first volume have been overwhelmingly positive. Marian J. Cocke, Presley’s private nurse, comments, “I have finally read, in its entirety, your book. I found it to be very well done, and felt his presence throughout. Well Done. Thank you." 

Presley’s cousin, Mackey Hargett, adds, "Thanks for the time you spent gathering information, spending hours interviewing and learning about our family, and then investigating the stories and photos you chose to use in your book. I'm so proud to be a part of such a wonderful project, and you've done such a great job putting things together.”

The star’s hairdresser and Spiritual Advisor, Larry Geller, sees wide appeal for the book. He writes, “Dennis, I love the book! Everybody has an Elvis book, but I've never seen one designed, laid out, and written like yours. This is a very unique Elvis book and I would recommend it to all Elvis fans and collectors."


‘Elvis An American Trilogy - Volume One Family’, published by DenKar Publishing Group, is available now: http://www.elvisanamericantrilogy.com.

Publisher’s website: http://denkarenterprises.com.

Two further volumes are scheduled for release later this year.

About the Author:
Dennis W. Forbus was born and raised in Anniston, Alabama, to a middle-class Christian family. He grew up with strict morals, going to church, and parents that wasn’t afraid to correct him. He realized a talent he had at a young age of being able to write poetry and short stories. He completed his first published book in 1981, at the age of seventeen, and continues with this project being his thirteenth to go to press. He has been working a job since the age of thirteen, lived on his own since eighteen, and owned businesses for over twenty years. Many times he has worked three jobs at once. He holds degrees in the fields of Psychology, Christian Counseling, and Criminal Justice from Liberty University, and has worked in many areas throughout his life. He worked in local Law Enforcement, started three non-profit organizations, worked with At-Risk youth in the Juvenile system, and is a minister of over 34 years. He calls that experience!

He is married to a wonderful lady, Karen, has four children, three grandchildren, and now lives in the Northeastern Georgia Mountain; a small town called Blairsville, Georgia. It is there that this first book of the Trilogy was completed after spending four years of writing. He enjoys sitting on his cabin porch with his side-kick, Reese, (Shiatsu), drinking coffee, answering emails, and doing his writing. He also enjoys riding horses and watching deer walk and play in his yard.

Many may know him as D. Wayne Forbus, a 2013 Award Winning Professional Elvis Impersonator, also known as the “Alabama Elvis.” He enjoys traveling to shows and book signing events and meeting new Elvis fans and fans of his own along the way. His requests for you, is to come out to one his concerts, or book signing events and say hello and tell him your Elvis story since he is sharing his with the world.

 For personal Book Orders - click here.

Contact: Dennis W. Forbus / dennis@denkarenterprises.com

SEG Events Quits 'Elvis Presley Concert' Shows

8/31/2014

 
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Elvis Express Radio have posted the exclusive news direct from Stig Edgren of SEG Events, that he no longer has any association with the Elvis Presley shows.

In his message regarding the issue, Mr Edgren wrote, "....however, we are no longer involved and you should check the Graceland website for any future touring plans." 

SEG Events have been the team behind the Elvis video Concert Tours since 1994 and 'Elvis Presley - The Tribute', 'Elvis Presley The Concert' and more. 

With the recent European Tour a sell-out even without the participation of the TCB Band this comes as a surprise. Does this mean that EPE are looking for a new partner and better profits?   

As Elvis Express Radio notes, "Now what does that future hold for Elvis Live in the 21st Century?"


source: Elvis Express Radio and Elvis Information Network

NEW - Elvis Book: 'King of The Hilton' by Anne E. Nixon

8/31/2014

 
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King of the Hilton is a book about Elvis Presley in Las Vegas, seen through the eyes of someone who was there.

After many requests from fans, respected Elvis writer and researcher Anne E Nixon, (author of Ten Years After and The Elvis Archives), is for the first time publishing her detailed show reports from the Vegas years.

Anne attended 40 Elvis Presley shows from 1972-1976, and wrote copious notes on each performance. A few of her show reports were printed in books and magazines at the time, but only now has she opened the vaults and every show she attended is given in-depth coverage.

With the help of  Richard Harvey, she has written a text-rich 300 page A 5 sized softback book that will delight all fans of Vegas-era Elvis.  King of the Hilton is an affectionate, and sometimes poignant diary that takes the reader right back to the Hilton Hotel in the seventies, when Elvis reigned supreme.

Crammed with show anecdotes, complete set-lists, musician/celebrity/jumpsuit checklists, and verbatim Elvis dialogue - the authors had access to previously uncirculated private audio - and loaded with never before published facts about the Hilton scene during those heady days. All of this delivered at a fan-friendly price. 


Inside this handsome book you’ll find -
*Complete first hand reports of every show of the final Vegas season in December ‘76.
*The famous 1974 ‘Desert Storm’ closing show as seen from a front booth.
*Over 100 illustrations including Hilton artifacts.
*The '74 monologues.
*Cancelled! The 1975 season.
*In-depth appendix of songs, suits and show times.
*Closing Night '73 'Monkey' show, exactly what happened on-stage .
*Each edition of this limited print run publication will be signed and numbered.



King of The Hilton, will be published October 2014. 

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of 'King of The Hilton' and to order your personally signed copy!

Fashion Icon "Dolce & Gabbana" Domenico Dolce Visit Elvis Presley's Graceland

8/29/2014

 
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The Founder and Owner of the fashion chain "Dolce & Gabbana", Domenico Dolce, visited Elvis Presley's Graceland on August 11, 2014.


source: Graceland

Actress Anna Kendrick Visits Elvis Presley's Graceland

8/29/2014

 
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Actress Anna Kendrick, visited Elvis Presley's Graceland on August 9th, 2014. Anna, was glad to pay her respects to the King of Rock 'n' Roll, while celebrating her 29th birthday.


source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

PHOTO: Shirley Dieu & Joe Esposito Aboard the Lisa Marie Airplane 1976 & 2014

8/29/2014

 
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What an amazing 'double shot'!

This is a photo of Shirley Dieu and Joe Esposito in the Lisa Marie Airplane. The first photo was taken aboard the Lisa Marie in 1976 and the second photo was captured during Elvis Week 2014. 

source: Elvis Matters

Future of Elvis Presley's Airplanes: the Lisa Marie & the Hound Dog II Jet-Star

8/29/2014

 
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This past August week a listing on the aircraft purchasing website Controller.com, lists the sale details for Elvis' Airplanes, the Lisa Marie and Hound Dog II Jet-Star. 

The Airplanes are not owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises and Elvis Presley's Graceland. The Airplanes are leased to Graceland by the owner by KG Coker, in Memphis of the OKC Partnership. The lease for the airplanes at Graceland will end April 26th 2015.  

Click here to read the listing from the Controller

According to Elvis Presley Enterprises President and CEO Jack Soden, and Elvis' former wife Priscilla Presley, negotiations are being made to keep Elvis' airplanes at Elvis Presley's Graceland. Elvis' Daughter Lisa Marie Presley, has also made a statement. The Airplanes, have been on exhibition at Elvis Presley Graceland since the mid 1980's.

Lisa Marie Presley, on August 27th made a statement via the social media website Twitter. The screen capture of Lisa's tweet is seen below.

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CLICK HERE to read Elvis Presley Fans of Nashville's summary article regarding the airplane situation!

Elvis Presley Screenwriter and Veteran Hollywood Director, Michael A. Hoey, has passed away

8/29/2014

 
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LEFT: Michael Hoey, Michele Carey and Elvis Presley on the set of "Live A Little, Love A Little."
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Michael A. Hoey, who wrote several the screenplays for Elvis Presley films and was the architect behind the 1966 cult science-fiction movie The Navy vs. the Night Monsters, has died. 

Hoey, passed away Sunday, August 17th, 2014 from cancer, at his home in San Clemente, California. He was 79 years old. 

Hoey, the son of English actor Dennis Hoey— who played the bumbling Inspector Lestrade in the 1940s Universal Pictures series of Sherlock Holmes films. 

Hoey penned the scripts for the Presley films Stay Away, Joe and Live a Little, Love a Little, both released in 1968. For the latter, he worked with director Norman Taurog, who also helmed the teen comedy Palm Springs Weekend (1963), a film that Hoey produced.

Born in London and raised in Beverly Hills, Hoey began his Hollywood career as an editor, working for such top-notch directors as John Ford, George Cukor and Fred Zinnemann. Studio head Jack Warner made him a producer for Palm Springs Weekend, which starred Troy Donahue, Robert Conrad, Stefanie Powers and Connie Stevens.

Hoey later would direct episodes of Dallas, Falcon Crest, Murder, She Wrote and Crossroads Café; wrote for the shows The Rat Patrol, Get Christie Love! and McCloud; and served for years as executive producer of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

He also wrote the books Elvis, Sherlock and Me: How I Survived Growing Up In Hollywood; Sherlock Holmes and the Fabulous Faces: The Universal Pictures Repertory Company; and Elvis’ Favorite Director: The Amazing 52-Year Career of Norman Taurog.

He served two four-year terms as a governor on the board of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and the WGA honored him with its prestigious Morgan Cox Award in 1997.

Hoey asked that his film books be donated to the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he taught editing as an adjunct professor.

In addition to his son Dennis, a former Hollywood makeup artist and producer of TV commercials, survivors include his daughters Lauren and Karin.

The family plans a small memorial service, with his ashes scattered at sea.



source: Hollywood Reporter

The King's Third Act

8/29/2014

 
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August 20, 2014
The King's Third Act

Elvis Presley in Amazingly Dynamic Form and At the Height of His Formidable Powers Performance is what drives the 2001 edit of 'Elvis: That's the Way It Is.' 

    By WILL FRIEDWALD

Within the span of a few months in 1970, the short-lived film genre known as the "concert/documentary movie" reached its apogee with three releases that each marked a turning point in artistic evolution. "Let It Be" was the final major appearance of the Beatles; "Woodstock," the first big blockbuster concert movie—boasting one classic rock band after another—amounted to the zenith of the form, still yet to be surpassed. But "Elvis: That's the Way It Is" was something else entirely: It captured the King of Rock 'n' Roll at the very moment he was reclaiming his throne and beginning a new phase in his electrifying career, a remarkable third act that would eclipse everything he had previously done.

This new incarnation—Elvis Presley as a touring concert artist (following his emergence as a 1950s rock 'n' roll radical and his second act as a 1960s Hollywood hitmaker)—would find him returning to his roots as a live performer, encompassing a wider range of material as he appeared before ever-larger audiences. This renaissance was unfortunately brief; by the mid-1970s, Presley's substance abuse and self-destructive tendencies would catch up with him. He would be a bloated mess in the final months of his short life, but in 1970, he was in peak physical condition and artistically at the top of his game.

Copious evidence of this is now offered in a new package from Sony Legacy, which features two DVDs in addition to eight compact discs; it includes all the audio from the run of concerts at the International Hotel in Las Vegas that were filmed for the project as well as a splendidly illustrated 80-page booklet. (The first CD is actually the original 1970 LP released in conjunction with the theatrical film and bearing the same title, even though it's a collection of mostly studio tracks recorded in Nashville.)

The DVDs contain two very different versions of the 1970 feature: the original theatrical edit and the 2001 "restoration." In 1970, director Denis Sanders, not satisfied with capturing Presley in performance on stage, felt the need to make a true documentary. While the copious rehearsal footage is often fascinating, other behind-the-scenes moments are far less so. The 1970 edit presents too much interview footage with Elvis fans, most of whom were too young to have experienced Presley during his 1950s breakthrough—as if to prove that his audience extended beyond his original rock 'n' roll following. The 2001 edit is a vast improvement, offering more footage of Elvis in action and omitting nearly all of the tedious fan interviews.

It's his performance that drives "Elvis: That's the Way It Is." At the start of his career, Presley was widely perceived as a divisive figure in American culture. No entertainer did more, even inadvertently, to create the generation gap. RCA Records marketed his songs specifically to teenagers—and if the music annoyed their parents, so much the better. Yet in the final and, in many ways, the most rewarding phase of Presley's career, the singer entered into what seems, in retrospective, like a musical crusade to bring people together. In this, his major asset was his versatility as a performer, which empowered him to be an old-school entertainer in the tradition of Frank Sinatra (as opposed to a singer-songwriter, who was limited to doing his own compositions). Presley sang any song in any genre that suited him.

After roughly a half hour of behind-the-scenes footage (and watching celebrities like Sammy Davis Jr., Cary Grant, George Hamilton and even Xavier Cugat and Charo filing in), the concert starts with a medley of two early Elvis blues numbers, "That's All Right" and "Mystery Train." Like Sinatra alternating between classic Cole Porter and something more contemporary or written expressly for him, Presley hops from genre to genre, imbuing it all with his majestic voice and dynamic personality.

From basic 12-bar Delta-style blues, he moves to the Gospel-infused soul music of Ray Charles's "I Got a Woman." Before the evening is through, he also sings the contemporary country classic "I Can't Stop Loving You" and Simon & Garfunkel's folk-rock spiritual "Bridge Over Troubled Water." In addition, the Dusty Springfield hit "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," which was originally recorded by co-composer Pino Donaggio as "Io che non vivo (senza te)," reflects Presley's fascination with Italian music. And two Beatles songs also turn up in the rehearsals and the concert, "Something" and "Get Back." All of which is in addition to the many Elvis signatures that he reprises, both old ("Hound Dog," "Heartbreak Hotel") and new ("Suspicious Minds," "In the Ghetto"). A few years later he would attempt to bring all of America together with his "American Trilogy," which juxtaposed a song from the North, the South and an African-American spiritual.

The 1970 concert is essentially one climax after another, not only because the editors assembled the footage from six different shows, but because Presley himself—in what has become his trademark white jumpsuit—is in amazingly dynamic form and at the height of his formidable powers. One of the heart-stoppers is the great Brill Building anthem "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"; thanks to the King's unstoppable energy, sheer chops and overwhelming passion (not to mention effortlessly hip kung-fu moves), he makes everyone else who ever sang the song, including the Righteous Brothers, seem like mere pretenders. And yet, as searingly dramatic as Presley is, he doesn't lose his sense of humor; when he gets to the line "Baby, I'd get down on my knees for you," he shouts the aside "if this suit wasn't too tight!"

Even the 10-disc box doesn't amount to the whole story: Warner Bros. released a two-disc Blu-ray set of the film, again with the 1970 and 2001 edits, but with a different selection of outtakes and extra footage. (Even more footage from the individual concerts was issued on a 3-DVD bootleg a few years ago.)

Theatrical concert movies were pretty much wiped out by MTV in the mid-1980s as kids were getting pop-music videos at home 24 hours a day. Yet special spectacles are now edging their way back into cinemas, and this week the restored "Elvis: That's the Way It Is" will be shown nationally in movie theaters. Elvis may be singing about having lost something, but this remarkable film, like the singer himself, has only gained in stature over the past four decades.


Mr. Friedwald writes the weekly Jazz Scene column for the Journal.


source: http://m.us.wsj.com

Barbra Streisand and Elvis Presley Duet ‘Love Me Tender’ 

8/29/2014

 
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In her upcoming duet album Partners, Barbra Streisand pairs up with some of the world’s greatest male vocalists.

One of the most breathtaking tracks on the album is her virtual duet with Elvis Presley to his 1956 ballad “Love Me Tender.”


Here’s the full track list for Partners:

  1. It Had To Be You (w/ Michael Bublé)
  2. People (w/ Stevie Wonder)
  3. Come Rain Or Come Shine (w/ John Mayer)
  4. Evergreen (w/ Babyface)
  5. New York State Of Mind (w/ Billy Joel)
  6. I’d Want It To Be You (w/ Blake Shelton)
  7. The Way We Were (w/ Lionel Richie)
  8. I Still Can See Your Face (w/ Andrea Bocelli)
  9. How Deep Is The Ocean (w/ Jason Gould)
  10. What Kind Of Fool (w/ John Legend)
  11. Somewhere (w/ Josh Groban)
  12. Love Me Tender (w/ Elvis Presley)


source: http://parade.condenast.com

An Elvis Hologram is Coming

8/29/2014

 
An Elvis Hologram is Coming
Ryan, USA TODAY
August 26, 2014

Pulse Evolution, who resurrected Michael Jackson's image for a holographic TV performance at the Billboard Music Awards in May, announced a partnership with The Estate of Elvis Presley Monday, with plans to bring The King of Rock 'n' Roll to live performances and commercials as a hologram, according to Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers.

A concept and venue for the 60- to 90-minute live shows has not yet been determined, although Pulse has already begun work on the project, which could take 18 to 24 months to complete, said company executives. The late icon's estate will also decide if the holographic image will resemble a younger or older Presley, Pulse CEO Frank Patterson said.

Jamie Salter, CEO of Authentic Brands Group, which manages Presley's estate, said there are talks of Elvis' holographic image playing four-night residencies in Las Vegasand Macau, and even performing with Michael Jackson's hologram, according to Adweek.

Salter added that Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley support the technology, AdWeek said.

When USA TODAY spoke with Pulse executive chairman John Textor about Jackson's holographic image in May, he mentioned Elvis, Frank Sinatra and Bob Marley as obvious candidates for holographic treatment.

"We're hearing from a lot of estates and promoters saying, 'We're ready for a concert,' " Textor told USA TODAY, before cautioning that "if we're going to bring a Michael or an Elvis back into this form of stage entertainment, it must be story-based. You can't have Elvis sitting on a stool singing 20 songs. That won't work."


source: USA Today

Photographs: Architectural Renderings - The Guest House at Graceland

8/29/2014

 

 Architectural Renderings of the Guest House at Graceland. 

Photographs are courtesy of the Hnedak Bobo Group.

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Guest House at Graceland Hotel Designed by Memphis Talent

8/29/2014

 
Guest House at Graceland Hotel Designed by Memphis Talent
By Andy Meek

When designing a hotel that effectively expands the footprint of the most famous home in Memphis, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the design team for the project is stacked with local talent.

Memphis-based architecture firm Hnedak Bobo Group worked with Elvis Presley Enterprises for years to study and research the hotel project, which entails building a 450-room resort-style hotel called the Guest House at Graceland north of Presley’ Graceland mansion in Whitehaven.

And the firm’s design team included three experienced designers who brought to the project their years of experience designing a variety of prominent buildings and landmarks in the Memphis area.

Those projects include everything from the FedEx World Headquarters to the Main Street Mall Downtown and the Westin Memphis Beale Street Hotel.

Leading the team of HBG designers is Mark Weaver, a 30-year veteran of the firm who says he was especially drawn to the historic legacy surrounding the new hotel project, for which officials, including Presley’s wife, Priscilla, broke ground earlier this month during the annual observance of the singer’s death.

And once it’s finished, the hotel project will represent the largest such project in Shelby County in 30 years, according to Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau president Kevin Kane.

Weaver said the design team has been “acutely focused” on capturing the essence of the atmosphere Presley instilled at Graceland. The firm’s design team also worked closely with Priscilla Presley to capture the singer’s and his mansion’s style – and to incorporate it all into the hotel.

“We’ve focused on creating even more of a sense of intimacy between the guest and property,” Weaver said.

Weaver’s past work for HBG includes convention centers in Orlando and Dallas, helping cement the firm’s reputation for national hospitality work. Since its founding in 1979, HBG has had a passion for the entertainment and leisure market, and today the 95-person firm is ranked among the top hotel design firms in the country.

In addition to Weaver, other members of the HBG team who’ve worked on the hotel’s design are Rob Jurbergs and HBG’s lead interior architect and interior designer Aron Ramage.

Specific features of the Guest House at Graceland, meanwhile, will include a grand stairwell connecting two floors in the lobby that harkens back to the main staircase at Graceland itself. The hotel, scheduled to open in fall 2015, also will include Jungle Room-inspired prints and accents, plus a sports bar and lounge that recalls the design of Graceland’s billiard room.

Other design touches include the separation of the hotel façade into three components to give it the feel of three separate residential-scale hotel buildings added over time.

The HBG team’s goal was to make the hotel look like it was built around the same time as Graceland, according to the firm, which is evident in everything from the hotel’s main entry door to its columned entry portico. After stepping into the hotel, they’ll be greeted by touches that include a lobby ceiling pattern inspired by Presley’s signature capes.

The hotel’s public spaces also will feature oversized sofas and chairs and whimsical lighting features that all reflect Presley’s style.



source: Memphis Daily News

Guest House at Graceland - Groundbreaking Ceremony Media Reports & VIDEO

8/29/2014

 
Michael Sheffield 
Staff writer-Memphis Business Journal

Ground was officially broken on The Guest House at Graceland, the 450-room $75 million hotel that was announced this spring. The hotel is expected to be completed by sometime in 2015. Preceding the Guest House at Graceland, EPE has also opened the Graceland Archives Studio, a $1 million, 200-seat facility that houses a wealth of Elvis movies, performance videos and music, most of which has never been seen. Plans for another 200,000-300,000-square-foot facility for even more Elvis-related attractions are part of a master plan EPE officials discussed with the Memphis City Council last week. At that time, the Economic and Development and Tourism Committee of the Memphis City Council approved the master plan and a tourism development zone that will be created around 120 acres of undeveloped property around Graceland.

MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS

To Replace the Tattered Heartbreak Hotel, Ask One Question: What Would Elvis Do?

8/29/2014

 
To Replace the Tattered Heartbreak Hotel, Ask One Question: What Would Elvis Do?
By Belinda Lanks  August 14, 2014
  
It’s Elvis Week, a time when diehards make a pilgrimage to Graceland, the king’s home-turned-tourist attraction in Memphis. For decades the annual event has filled the rooms at the nearby Heartbreak Hotel. The Elvis fanatics who rarely quibble about the faded charms of Graceland—recently updated with iPad-guided tours narrated by the actor John Stamos—have mixed feelings about the old Heartbreak. The hotel garners praise for its location and campiness alongside barbs for its outdated air conditioning and well-worn décor.

“It was built under the concept of how inexpensively you could build a hotel,” says Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Graceland Holdings, which is developing the new hotel. Heartbreak was originally built in 1985 as a branch of the Wilson World hotel chain, developed by Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson. Elvis Presley Enterprises, the business arm of the musician’s estate, purchased the hotel in 1999 and rebranded it as an official Elvis destination.

Now Heartbreak will be “going away,” Weinshanker says, to be replaced by a $70 million, 450-room hotel designed to modern standards. The new facility will echo the Grecian-style portico found at Graceland, which is about a quarter mile away and draws about 600,000 visitors a year.

Weinshanker says that the project was approached with one question in mind: What would Elvis want? “Elvis loved visitors,” he says, “and he used to send them down to a motel when he couldn’t house them. What would he have done when it got to the point where there were so many people, and he didn’t want to send them down the block? He’d build a guesthouse.”

The new hotel, dubbed the Guest House, will have a full-service restaurant, a sports bar, and a conference center. The goal is to keep all the clientele who turn out for stays at the Heartbreak, which still does brisk business. During Elvis Week the 120-room hotel has an “infinite wait list,” according to Weinshanker. “The only time a [new] person comes in is when someone else, unfortunately, passes away.”

Elvis Presley Enterprises tapped local architects Hnedak Bobo Group to design an upscale extension of the Graceland experience. Gone are the kitschy furnishings and vintage feel of Heartbreak; in their place are the usual trappings of a comfortable if somewhat generic hotel. 

Rooms at the Guest House, slated for completion in the fall of 2015, will cost an average of $160 a night—$20 more than the Heartbreak’s average. So what will happen to the older hotel once the bigger one opens? “There are people bidding on hitting the plunger,” Weinshanker says of the old hotel’s likely demise. But the hotel’s exact fate is still to be determined: “It’s like taking a horse out to pasture. We’re just trying to figure out a humane way to do that.”



source: http://www.businessweek.com

Results from First Ever Graceland Authenticated Auction

8/29/2014

 
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The first-ever Auction at Graceland took place on August 14, 2014, at the Graceland Archive Studio. 

All of the items in the Graceland auction items were offered from third-party collectors and none of the items included in the auction came 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. 

All of the Items included in the auction were authenticated by Graceland Authenticated, a new Graceland affiliated authentication and appraisal service for collectors and fans. Graceland Authenticated sets a new standard for pop culture authentication and appraisal to ensure pop culture artifact accuracy and provide evaluations of privately owned collections.

Among the items in the auction were rare and unique artifacts from the collection of Greg Page, founding member of The Wiggles® and one of the world’s biggest and most well-known Elvis Presley collectors. Page’s items included Elvis’ 1977 Cadillac Seville, a Martin D-28 and Elvis’ copy of the original script for his first film, “Love Me Tender.”


source: Graceland


Graceland Auction Items & Winning Bids. 
Not all items are seen in slideshow, only highlights.


Click here to watch the entire Graceland Auction, via a Livestream!

Click here to view the PDF of the Graceland Auction results!

Circle G Ranch - Phase 1 Restoration Plans Announced

8/29/2014

 
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CLICK HERE to sign up for the Circle G Ranch E-Mail List!

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circlegranch.com
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photo is copyright: Caroline Pratt - Elvis Presley Fans of Nashville


Press Release from circlegranch.com

Horn Lake, Miss. (August 12, 2014) – Phase 1 of restoration has commenced at Circle G Ranch, formerly owned by Elvis Presley.

Plans include the relocation and restoration of the historic Honeymoon Cottage to the interior of the property near the horse stables, which will also be restored. An arena will be created next to the stables for horse and pony rides, shows, and equine therapy, to help those with developmental challenges. Elvis’s barbecue pit will be recreated in its existing location, using the remaining original bricks. The 55-foot cross and the bridge across the 14-acre lake will be refurbished and repainted.

A dynamic water feature will be installed within the lake, as well as a stage for performances, located on the west side of the lake. A grassed terrace seating area will be available for approximately 500 guests to enjoy multimedia water, light and music shows in the natural environment. A parking area and walking paths will be established to access the attractions. The destination will be a paid attraction.

The investors, led by managing partner, Buddy Runnels Jr. of Real Estate International, Inc., are striving to preserve the features from Elvis’s ownership, and will nominate these elements to be in the National Register of Historic Places. Projected completion for Phase 1 is summer 2015.

For more information, visit circlegranch.com or find Circle G Ranch on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.


About Circle G Ranch
Circle G Ranch is a 231-acre tract, of which 163 acres is most notable for being once owned by Elvis Presley and wife Priscilla. Located just ten miles south of Graceland in Horn Lake, Mississippi, Circle G Ranch sits on the corner of Highway 301 and Goodman Road. The property is rich in historical features including the Honeymoon Cottage shared by Elvis and Priscilla, the stables where Elvis kept his horses, a 14-acre lake and a prominent 55-foot cross. The future holds exciting plans for restoration at Circle G Ranch since the acquisition by a group of investors led by Mississippi native, Buddy Runnels Jr., of Real Estate International, Inc. This culturally inspired entertainment destination will strive to embrace the local community as well as to ignite an international movement to make a positive impact on aspects that Elvis felt most passionately towards, such as children with special needs, charitable causes, as well as active military and veterans.


source: Circle G Ranch.com

FOX13 News, WHBQ FOX 13
From Fox 13 Memphis News:


HORN LAKE, Miss. (FOX13) -Circle G Ranch, the Horn Lake ranch where Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned, is being restored. Phase one for restoration was unveiled this week. Part of the plan for the ranch is to rustle up a lot of money, for a lot of good causes.

According to Mayor Allen Latimer the development at Circle G ranch will certainly have the city of Horn Lake saying thank you, thank you very much for your tax dollars.

“I am hoping that when they come in to pay their respects to Mr. Presley that they will remember that he and Priscilla spent their honeymoon night in Horn Lake and visit us," Latimer said.

MORE: Florida firm buys former Elvis ranch

But beyond any dollars generated by tourists Mayor Latimer says he is impressed by plans to use the ranch to raise money for charitable causes, including helping veterans and special needs children with disabilities.

"Not only will it provide retail space but there will be talks about Elvis' heritage in the area and my understanding is they will hold events on a permanent basis to help those with disabilities," the mayor said. "So not only is this an economic boom and a cultural boom but it will do a lot to help a lot of people in a lot of ways also." 

As for Elvis fans and whether they will visit Circle G, they already do. Alexandra and Irina made the 27-hour flight from Romania.

"I want to see everything about Elvis we were in Tupelo and Graceland and we want to see more," the two said.Here is a sneak peak of what's to come for the Circle G: plans include the relocation and restoration of Elvis' honeymoon cottage; an arena will be created next to the stables for horse shows; Elvis' barbecue pit will be recreated in its existing location, using the remaining original bricks; and a new water feature will be added to a lake on the property.

Phase one of restoration is expected to be complete by Summer 2015.


source: Fox 13 Memphis

Elvis Memorabilia at Hard Rock Cafe Memphis - 126 Beale Street

8/29/2014

 
The Hard Rock Cafe, has been a staple on Memphis' world famous Beale Street for many years. During the month of July 2014 Hard Rock moved to 126 Beale Street, inside the historic 109-year old Lansky building. 

Lansky Brothers Men's Clothing, is where Elvis Presley and numerous other entertainers purchased their flashy show business clothing. It is a huge deal for Elvis fans to have the opportunity to step foot inside the iconic Lansky building. After Lansky Brothers Clothing relocated to The Peabody Hotel, in the mid 1980's the building became used as Elvis Presley's Memphis Restaurant in the late 1990's, and later EP Delta Kitchen. 

Elvis, has a predominant presence at Hard Rock, where his photos and clothing and other memorabilia adorn the restaurant walls. In addition to Elvis, there is a photo and autograph from Elvis' Daughter Lisa Marie Presley, a pink guitar played by Elvis' TCB Band member, James Burton and something from TCB Band member Drummer, Ronnie Tutt. Upstairs includes an Elvis room which contains Elvis memorabilia. Downstairs near the dinning area features Lansky branded clothing and products. Lansky, continues to have their main store at the glamorous, Peabody Hotel. 

Below is a slideshow featuring photos inside the new Hard Rock Cafe. Photos are copyright: "Caroline Pratt - Elvis Presley Fans of Nashville."

2-for-1 American Queen Elvis Cruise Special

8/29/2014

 
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2-for-1 American Queen Elvis Cruise Special
AUGUST 28, 2014

Put on your blue suede shoes and save 50% off an Elvis-themed cruise aboard the American Queen Luxury motor-coach. The"Memphis to New Orleans: 9-Day Journey" will take place December 5 – December 13, 2014. Get two voyages for the price of one* if you book by October 31, 2014. This offer is only valid on new, paid-in-full bookings by U.S. and Canadian residents. Call 1-888-749-5280 or your travel agent to take advantage of this great offer!

Begin your cruise with a Graceland Platinum tour, which includes an interactive iPad tour of the Graceland Mansion and time to explore all of the outlying museums, plus grab lunch fit for a king at one of Graceland’s Elvis-themed eateries. Get ready to travel down the mighty Mississippi as memory flows deep and sentiment eddies and swirls along its banks. The romance of the antebellum era and lively Cajun culture are found everywhere you turn. 

Featured Entertainment:
  • Brad Birkedahl and the Burnin' Love Band – expert performers of Elvis’ rockabilly hits
  • Terry Mike Jeffrey – performs hits from Elvis’ entire career, a regular at Elvis celebrations
  • Andy Childs – performs hits from Elvis’ entire career, a regular at Elvis celebrations


Featured Speakers:
  • Marlyn Mason – Co-star of "The Trouble with Girls"
  • Sam Thompson – Elvis’ longtime body guard and friend
  • Chris Noel – Elvis’ co-star in the Hollywood film "Girl Happy"


View a complete itinerary, voyage description, fares, and more by visiting AmericanQueenSteamboatCompany.com. 

2-for-1 American Queen Elvis Cruise Special*
*Offer valid on U.S. and Canada resident bookings only. 50% off based on regular double-occupancy cruise fare OR no single-supplement. Offer is only valid on this 12/5/2014 American Queen voyage.  Offer expires October 31, 2014 and is valid on new, paid-in-full bookings only. Full payment at time of booking is required to redeem this offer. Offer is not valid on Group bookings or existing reservations; cannot be combined with other promotions or discounts. Offer is based on cabin availability and only while inventory lasts. Promotional fares are capacity controlled, may vary by sailing and may be withdrawn without notice. Fares quoted are in U.S. dollars, are per person and do not include taxes, port charges, insurance, gratuities, land transportation or airfare. Additional terms and conditions may apply - call for details.


source: Graceland
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