Elvis

Showtime: Will King of Pop Rule Movie Theaters?

Published October 26th, 2009 by Karen
Michael Jakson - This Is It
Creative Commons License photo credit: Michael Jacksonfan

What’s the biggest question in the entertainment industry this week? It has be how well the Michael Jackson concert film “This is It” will do when it opens on Wednesday.

(IDOL: Adam Lambert Time for Miracles Video Leaked)

Advance ticket sales have been Continue reading »

Elvis’ Hair Sells for $15K at Chicago Auction

Published October 19th, 2009 by Karen
Elvis Impersonator On Toronto Shelf
Creative Commons License photo credit: antrophe

A clump of hair that was supposedly trimmed from Elvis Presley’s head when he entered the army in 1958 sold for $15,000 at a Chicago auction house over the weekend, according to an Associated Press report. The buyer also had to spend an additional $3,300 in auction house fees for the prize.

According to the AP, 200 Elvis items were on the block at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in the Windy City Sunday, including a shirt that once belonged to the King, which sold for $52,000.

Other items on offer included scarves, photos from the reception of Presley’s 1967 wedding to Priscilla, Christmas cards he sent and lots of records. Elvis dolls and Elvis Pez dispensers were also available.

The memorabilia belonged to the late Gary Pepper, who ran an Elvis fan club and was friends with the King. Pepper, who had cerebral palsy, died in 1980.

In other celebrity auction news, a robe worn by Barbra Streisand in “The Way We Were” fetched nearly $6,000 in an auction in Los Angeles over the weekend.

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LISTEN: Michael Jackson Estate Admits “This is It” Stolen From Another Song
TROUBLE: Rock Star Offends Entire Country During Concert
MONEY: Musician Suing Starbucks for Over $5 Million

New Carly Simon CD: “I’m going to do what Elvis should have”

Published October 11th, 2009 by Wendy
Elvis in Concert
Creative Commons License photo credit: Cristina Gehlen

Talk about anticipation.

Singer/songwriter Carly Simon is set to play some concert dates in Europe early next year for the first time in her 38-year career, according to a Reuters report.

“I’m going to do what Elvis should have done,” Simon was quoted as saying, referring to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s noted failure to Continue reading »

"R.I.P Pop star. / Albin Ndoja"
  Albin Ndoja | Swedish singer

Michael Jackson Funeral, Burial=Worst Birthday Ever

Published August 19th, 2009 by Karen
Close-up of Shark
Creative Commons License photo credit: Samdogs

Michael Jackson will be buried in a private ceremony for friends and family on August 29, the date that would have been the pop star’s 51st birthday, according to a Reuters report.

The 10 a.m. PDT burial will be held at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in a suburb of Los Angeles, a family spokesman told Reuters.

The “Thriller” singer died suddenly on June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest. But the reason why Jackson’s heart stopped, if anyone knows, has not been made public. The autopsy report has been sealed pending an investigation of Jackson’s drug usage, and the role his doctors played in the administering of potentially lethal drugs.

Dr. Conrad Murray, who was with Jackson when he died, said in a personal video posted on YouTube yesterday that he was “afraid to return phone calls” or use e-mail due to the controversy over Jackson’s death. “I have done all I could do,” Murray told supporters. “I told the truth, and I have faith the truth will prevail.”

RIP Les Paul: RIP Les Paul, Electric Guitar Innovator, 94
VIDEO: A Classic Performance by Les Paul and Mary Ford
RIP Layne Staley: Alice in Chains Replaces Dead Singer with…Elton John?
RIP Michael Jackson: Performances from Michael Jackson Memorial/Funeral Concert
RIP: Elvis Fans Remember Anniversary of King’s Death


"[...] RIP Les Paul: RIP Les Paul, Electric Guitar Innovator, 94 VIDEO: A Classic Performance by Les Paul and Mary Ford RIP Layne Staley: Alice in Chains..."
  Michael Jackson Funeral, Burial=Worst Birthday Ever | Music Vixen Blog

Elvis Fans Remember “Suspicious Minds” This Weekend

Published August 16th, 2009 by Wendy
Elvis Presley grave
Creative Commons License photo credit: Hendricks Photos

Elvis Presley fans descending on Memphis this weekend to remember the day the King died are also being encouraged to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his last ##1 hit, 1969’s “Suspicious Minds,” according to an Associated Press report.

The tune was recorded at American Sound Studio which, in its heyday was home to recording giants like Neil Diamond and Dusty Springfield, and was responsible for over 100 hit records. The studio closed shop in 1972, and the building was later torn down. In its place is a beauty shop and a crumbling parking lot.

The 1969 sessions marked the first time Elvis had recorded in Memphis since leaving the Sun label in 1955. He had spent the previous few years recording tracks for his largely forgettable movies.

During the overnight sessions Elvis recorded “In the Ghetto,” a departure in that he rarely undertook social commentary, and “Suspicious Minds,” which became a centerpiece of his live Las Vegas performances that would begin that year.

Elvis never lived to see another ##1 song. He died on August 16, 1977.

BELOW: Bad fashion, great song: Elvis performs “Suspicious Minds.”
Continue reading »

"Silly comment. FACT in the 3 weeks after Jacko died he sold only 300,000 units. According to Billboard Elvis sold 20 million in the US and 19 million..."
  Charlie

Could Michael Jackson Merchandise Out-Sell Elvis?

Published August 5th, 2009 by Karen

ABOVE: Do you want to dress like Michael Jackson? MJ t-shirts, jeans and fashions are just a few of the ways companies are hoping to cash-in on the singer’s popularity after his death.

Don’t look now but Michael Jackson jeans may soon be in a store near you.

According to an Associated Press report, Michael Jackson products may become a reality if a probate judge signs off on a merchandising deal with the singer’s estate. The proposed contracts give an indication of how the King of Pop may be merchandised in the coming months and years.

Among the items bandied about are trading cards, T-shirts, calendars, lighters, stuffed animals that play Jackson’s music and digital games, as well as denim products and high-end clothing lines, according to the filings.

Despite a tainted legacy while he was alive, some believe Jackson will even top The King, Elvis Presley, in annual merchandise sales. Presley’s estate generated $55 million in revenue last year, $14 million of which came from retail sales.

"I owe my genital herpes to you Dean Westlake."
  Dean Westlake

Bono’s Elvis Poem a Mess of Racial Slurs, Insults

Published May 14th, 2009 by Karen

Above: Bono embarrasses himself, and Elvis, though bad poetry, slurs and insults.
After the jump: Read Bono’s entire poem.

It seems that even Bono’s friends in the British media are having trouble defending his newly-broadcast poem about Elvis. The 14 minute ordeal finds the U2 frontman dusting off an epic list of facts, fictions, slurs and back-handed compliments targeted at the reigning King of Rock’n'Roll.

Throughout the poem, Bono manages to call Elvis everything from a saint and sinner to a nigger, hillbilly and fat.

If this is how he speaks of his idols, what does Bono say about his enemies?

After over a decade on the shelf, BBC saw fit to broadcast this self-indulgent nonsense as part of the kick-off for poetry season. Poetry season? Sure, why not.

Bono’s rambling mess was previously trimmed and made into the song “Elvis Presley and America,” which appears on 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire. That song is plenty horrible, but the unabridged poem titled Elvis: American David is even worse.

Sample:

Elvis
drove a truck

Elvis
had a monkey named bubbles before anyone

Elvis
wore eye make up, just hangin’ out


Elvis
the white nigger
ate at burger king
and just kept getting bigger

 
We expect so little from Bono, and yet he still manages to disappoint.

Good job.

Keep reading for the whole 800+ word catastrophe…it gets worse. Continue reading »

"Actually, if you know anything about U2, that 'poem' is actually the lyrics of a very old U2 song..."
  Acrobat

Bonotheism and Bono’s Elvis Poem Blur Line Between Reality, the Onion

Published May 11th, 2009 by Karen

Above: If U2’s nightmarish “Get On Your Boots” didn’t scare you away from the radio, Bono is hitting the airwaves with something even more frightening

Once again, reality and the Onion have come too close for comfort.

Last week it was reported that U2 leader Bono will be the subject of a CNN program dubbed Bonotheism during which Bono, “illuminates the path to righteousness in [a] new weekly program…” intertwining music and theology.

Last week it was also reported that Bono will take to the airwaves to read a 10-year-old poem he wrote about Elvis.

So which one of these stories is true? Continue reading »

Tupac is Alive? See the New Photos and Judge for Yourself.

Published April 30th, 2009 by Karen
Tupac - Asakusa, Tokyo
Creative Commons License photo credit: Toots Fontaine

We don’t normally read this junk, but this headline sort of caught our attention.
(Give us a break, we can’t worry about swine flu all day, can we?)

Anyway, a popular/questionable gossip site has just posted some new photos that it claims will prove that Tupac is still alive.

Maybe he’s hanging out with Elvis. Go check out the photo evidence and judge for yourself.

We’re not 100% convinced by the photos, but it is interesting to know that people still think Tupac is alive and hiding somewhere (apparently, New Orleans?). We didn’t realize there was any doubt that the popular rapper had died after being wounded during a drive-by shooting in 1996.

Do you think Tupac is dead? What about Elvis? Andy Kaufmann?

"Aretha Franklin sucks ass she is just a fat pic of shit that can't sing. Meat Loaf should have been in the top five and to say she is better that Elvis..."
  Ryan

Aretha Tops Elvis? Another Reason Rolling Stone Sucks

Published November 12th, 2008 by Karen

In the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone set to be released on Friday, the magazine is publishing a list of the top 100 singers of the rock era.

The most shocking aspect of this survey is that the King of Rock’n’Roll, Elvis Presley, has been dethrowned. That’s insane! Who is better than Elvis?!

Well, apparently Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles who scored the number one and number two spots, respectively, with Elvis ranking third.

While the list is sure to be obnoxious and off balance, as most stories in Rolling Stone are, the only consolation is that the skewed nature of this poll makes perfect sense once it’s revealed that the people voting on this list included an array of  (mostly lame) music stars such as James Hetfield (Metallica), David Crosby and James Blunt (seriously).

Do you agree that Aretha is better than Elvis?
Who would you declare the greatest rock singer ever?
Leave a comment and tell us!