100 days to go!

100 days until EW 08 is here. I can't wait. Vince and I are super excited. We have pretty much got a set schedule, which we will share shortly when we get a few small things ironed out we are working on. Below is a picture from EW 07. This is Elvis Presley Boulevard about three hours before the vigil. It is amazing to see all the people who show up that night. Last year was a damn pile of people, but it was amazing. Wouldn't trade that memory for anything. Even though it was about 198 degrees and I thought I was going go die of heatstroke during the 12 hours I was out there.

Honoring a legend

Otis Blackwell is one of the most underrated song writers ever. Elvis fans know him, but most people do not give him his proper due. He is by far my favorite songwriter ever. Otis was born in in Brooklyn and raised in New York. He grew up a fan of country and admired Tex Ritter. He gave performing a try but was not very successful. He kind of got thrown into song writing. in the mid fifties, at 24 Blackwell scored a big hit with the song Fever. In 1955 Blackwell was in New York and was trying to come up with some money. He sold a few songs, the Hill& Range people happened to be there. The bought a song for $25, it was called Don't Be Cruel. Blackwell did a demo of it along with another song, Paralyzed. Elvis would go on to record both of course. Blackwell would do several songs for Elvis in the 50's including All Shook Up. We all know the story of All Shook up. Blackwell's friend once said "Otis, you can write about anything. Write a song about this(shook up a Pepsi bottle) and call it All Shook Up." That's how that classic came to be. All Shook Up would be the biggest hit of 1957. Don't Be Cruel was the biggest hit of 56, and they both stand as Elvis' most successful singles. Blackwell would also write many other classics in the 50's. One of the was Great Balls Of Fire for Jerry Lee Lewis. Blackwell would also write several songs that would Elvis would record in the 60's including Return To Sender, One Broken Heart For Sale,(Such An) Easy Question, and Make Me Know It. All which are favorites of mine. Blackwell would make an attempt to do his own thing again. He had the album "These Are My Songs" and the tribute album "The No.1 King Of Rock and Roll".

Elvis and Otis never met. It is said it was because Elvis never met any of his song writers, which is false. I guess there was some reason behind it, I just can't say for sure. Blackwell did not mind, they both has a system down and it worked. Though I would have been pissed If I was Otis, he shared the writing credit with Elvis on the first few records. That was Parker's doing. Though When Elvis found out, it stopped. Health problems stopped Blackwell from performing in the early 90's and he could not even talk. He had to communicate by computer. He passed away at his home in Nashville in 2002. Otis is my man, he wrote most of the songs which I consider my all time favorites. All Shook Up was the song that got me into the whole Elvis thing so hardcore. (Such An) Easy Question is on of my all time favorites. Gotta respect the man who wrote the tow most successful songs ever for Elvis.Hey Little Girls and Priscilla are also songs I have loved for a long time by other artist. Of course I am big on The Killer and he is responsible for both Breathless and Great Balls of Fire. Classics, all of them. Also, I would have loved to have heard Elvis do Hey Little Girl. I think he could have rocked that pretty well.

Anyway, lets show Mr. Blackwell some love. For some reason most people do not even know of him. Unless you are up on Elvis are a serious rock historian, you probably have not heard of him. Damn shame, one of the most talented writers ever. Below are some of his songs not sung by Elvis that I dig.

Elvis Is Human

Ive ranted recently on how Elvis is larger than life. With the focus on how much of an impact he brought upon the world, some people lost sight on that he was like you and I. I'll be the first to admit, there will be no other Elvis Presley. When people who despise him only talk about his flaws, he has done alot more good. For example, giving to charaties, giving cars to fans, acknowledging the fans among other things. The reason I felt like ranting is because I just read a negative comment on a website and it just set me off, yes people are entitled to their opinion but make sure what your are basing you opinion off of is facts and not bs. In the future, im gonna blog about all his donations to charaties and even talk about foundations, hospitals and other things that have been set up in his name to help people out. It makes me sick to see people try to make Elvis a monster. Ive selected the picture above because it is one of my favorites. It shows Elvis with his daughter and Pricilla in a family photo. This pic shows Elvis as a human being smiling at his daughter who he was very proud of and just shows him as a family man and not the monster skeptics make him out to be.

The Elvis Conspiracy(alive in 85)

I can't remember exactly when I first learned about Elvis. I can remember being very small and my mom talking about Memphis and Graceland. I had no idea though what Graceland was, Elvis did no register to me really. I can remember the fallowing video. It was from 1992, I would have been nine years old. I had an idea of Elvis by then, but this was my first real memory of learning something about it. It is a shame it had to be something like this. I don't really remember anything about the show other then he was suppose to be alive and I remember the two pictures of Elvis above the stage. They scared the hell out of me! Don't ask me why, I just remember it did.Check them out in the corners at about 42 seconds into the clip. I think it was the mood set by the show and the odd crap on there, whole thing was not right. I can't believe Bill Bixby took part in this. As we all know he stared in two Elvis movies, Clambake and Speedway. Anyway here is a clip of the The Elvis Conspiracy(alive in 85) from 1992.

NOTE- Don't pay any attention to the alive in 85 nonsense, it is a inside joke.

Vince's Top 5

1. When It Rains It Pours
2. Good Rockin' Tonight
3. Shake, Rattle, And Roll
4. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
5. Feels So Right

Mike's top 5

My favorite songs of the moment.

1.Love Me
2.What A Wonderful Life
3.Take Me To The Fair
4.(Such An) Easy Question
5.A World Of Our Own

Movie songs dominated this week with four of the five appearing in Elvis films. It Happened is represented twice. I have been blaring my favorite movies soundtrack a lot this past week. Also I have been watching Fallow That Dream the last few nights after listening to that soundtrack pretty much over and over last week. I am a sucker for the soundtracks, especially the early 60's movies. Easy Questions is an early 60's song even though it appeared in Tickle Me that came out several years later.

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Elvis in Miami rocking out in 1956. I think this was around August of that year.

POLL RESULTS

This weeks question was which song did you like better that Lisa did with Elvis. Don't Cry Daddy took it over In The Ghetto 6-2. I went with Don't Cry Daddy, but really should have picked the option both. I really dig both of them.
It is my turn to pick a question for this week so I have to get to work on that.

Disrespectful

I ran across this picture on the Insiders board. It is a billboard for some oldies station in Iowa who plays 60's and 70's music. This has pissed me off. I have sent a message to them letting them know that I was not happy, the station was second rate, and there is a special place in hell for people who do not like or respect Elvis. I am yelling.

Elvis is ready, ready,ready to rock and roll

It is July and Elvis is the hottest entertainer in the country. He is getting bigger every day. Earlier Ed Sullivan said he would never have Elvis on his show. After Allen killed him in the rating with Elvis on, Ed was calling Parker before the could get out of CBS's studios. So Elvis was signed for three episodes of the Sullivan show. Elvis was to be paid $50,000 for his appearances. Elvis was to make his first appearance on September 9,1956. Sullivan has been in an automobile accident in August and would not be able to host the show. Elvis was not in New York for his frist appearance. He would be singing from Hollywood. Elvis would sing Love Me Tender,Hound Dog,Don't Be Cruel, and Ready Teddy. Elvis is in great form as usual. He really rocks, and goes all out on Ready Teddy. This was a step up for Elvis. It did not get any bigger than Ed Sullivan when it came to television. The host for the evening in Sullivan's place was actor Charles Laughton. He would talk about four gold records he had on stage with him. They were for Elvis, each for a different single selling over a million. Even though Sullivan had Elvis on, I don't think his mind had changed any about him. Some people have said Elvis was buried into the show and did not open the show like most headliners on Ed's show did. Either way it did not matter, Elvis was in most of the country's living rooms that night. Some were amazed and some appalled. Either way it was just one more thing that Elvis knocked out of the park during those years when he truly ruled. Elvis would appear two more times on the show, each better then the last. Also, each would help become even bigger then he already was. This is not up to par with some of the Dorsey Shows as far as entertaining performances, but still is good.
Elvis opened the show by saying this"This is probably the greatest honor I’ve ever had in my life. Ah. There’s not much I can say except, it really makes you feel good". That lets you in on how important this was to Elvis.
Below is the last number Elvis did on the show. After singing three songs and being pretty tame. He tore into Ready Teddy.

Today in Elvis History

April 27th 1967, Elvis completes work on Clambake. What a classic! No not really, but one of my all time favorites.

Time for some Blue Hawaii

It is the middle of the night and I can't sleep. I am up reading some Elvis stuff. I think I am in the mood to watch Blue Hawaii. I have been running it into the ground but I feel the need to watch it again. Off the top of my head I think this will be the fourteenth time I have watched it this month. I am sure if I don't decide to get up and take it out then I will watch it a few more times until the race comes on tomorrow. Nothing puts me at ease more then the song Blue Hawaii. I am off to watch it now.

Come with me
While the moon is on the sea,The night is young
And so are we, so are we

Elvis on Hy Gardner

More tonight on Elvis' appearances on TV in the 50's. On the same night he did the Steve Allen show, Elvis appeared on Hy Gardner's show. It is not a performance but is worth seeing anyway. Any chance to hear Elvis speak at this time is worth seeing. He would call into the show from his hotel room. I am sure most people have seen this many times, but it is here to see again. I find it very interesting.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

Teri Hope is our doll of the week. She plays a jail bait daughter of Elvis' boss aboard a ship he is working on. When she makes advances towards Elvis and he turns her down, she engineers his dismissal. Teri also appeared as an extra in Roustabout. She was a playmate in Playboy in 59. She is only on screen a few minutes in Fun In Acapulco, but it is probably the best minute of the movie. When she walks away from Elvis to go back in the boat, she shows off her killer body. DAMN! She was smoking hot. One of my favorite dolls ever. I am for sure going to watch Fun In tonight!

BILL BURK

Bill Burk has passed away. Bill met Elvis in 1957 and they were friends until Elvis passed away. Bill has written books and countless articles on Elvis. Bill was one of the good guys when it comes to people in the Elvis world. He will be sadly missed. Below is a message from Bill's wife Connie. It comes from Elvis Information Network.

It is with such great and abiding sadness that I am telling you that Bill passed away peacefully today at Baptist Hospital at 10:10 am, surrounded by his 3 children -- Gary, Jennifer, Randy -- and me.
He had irreversable brain damage from cardiac arrest suffered Monday afternoon, and it was his living will that he not be kept alive artificially in a situation like that.

It is terribly painful for those of us left behind, who will miss him so dearly, but Bill is now in a much better place.

Services will be at Memphis Funeral Home, Poplar Avenue. Visitation on Sunday, April 27, 3-6 pm. Service Monday, April 28, 1 pm. Burial at West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery at a later date next week.

We ask that any memorials be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, www.stjude.org, in Bill's name.

Thank you for all your prayers and support throughout Bill's illness. We both truly appreciated it!
Connie

Searching

No real blog tonight. I am busy trying to find a Fun In Acapulco movie poster. I want one really bad. I have been on the lookout for a while. I want a 27"x41" or one close to it. I would take an original or reproduction. Anyway, back to looking. I will be back tomorrow with some thoughts on something Elvis related.

Respecting Elvis

It's about time Elvis got his own license plate for the state of Tennessee. I renewed my tags last week and purchased the new Elvis plate. It was worth the 60 bucks. The plate looks freaking awesome and in return, the money goes towards a good cause, The Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center. I suggest if you are an E fan and live in the state of Tennessee, purchase one and show it off proudly

CHECK OUT ELVIS TODAY!

In our Elvis links section we have a link to the Elvis Today blog. Check it out if you hadn't already. Our buddy Thomas gave us some nice pub and I would like to do the same for him. His blog is pretty interesting and I enjoy keeping up to date on it when I get a chance.

Today in Elvis History...April 23,1956

Elvis would open at the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. He would perform two shows a night. Elvis was billed as the'Atomic Powered Singer' . Elvis was pretty much a flop. His teenage fans could not get in to see him and the older audience did not get into the act. The Colonel had a Saturday show for the kids and it was packed and loud like the usual Presley concerts. Elvis bombed for the first time since hitting the big time and he was upset. This was a very important trip though. Elvis would fall in love with the city. He caught as many acts as he could while there. He went to see Freddie Bell and The Bell Boys. He would hear them sing Hound Dog. They sang it in a different way then Big Mama and with different lyrics. Elvis and the boys loved the song and decided to use it as a show closer. It would go on to be one of his biggest hits ever.
Some of the performances from the gig can be found on disc five of the 50's masters set. It is pretty interesting to hear.

Elvis and Priscilla dolls

Mattel who makes the Barbie dolls is coming out with a Elvis and Priscilla set. They are due out this summer. Rumor has it that they will go anywhere from $70-$100 for the set. I never thought I would say it, but I am going to buy Barbie's and pay a chunk of change for them at that. Barbie has used Elvis before when they had the Barbie loves Elvis series. You can't get those now and they go for big bucks. I will get these as soon as I can. I think these are pretty cool even if that guy does not look like Elvis all that much.

Elvis throughout the years to me

When I watch concerts, TV Show Appearences or Movies, I really don't know which Elvis era I like best. I'll like the late 60's one week, 50's the next and even dig the 70's on occasion. Tonight I watched an Ed Sullivan appearence with Mike and just to see him have so much talent just with his style was truely amazing. I think what sticks out the most to me about Elvis in the 50's was his style. There is know doubt anyone else on this planet can pull off the look that he did and thats what makes 50's Elvis freaking cool to me along with his songs which are too many to mention. The 60's era was a fresh start for Elvis, he was fresh out of the army, his rawness from earlier years were gone and he was clearly respected more by older folks because he did his duty of serving time in the army. The thing about the 60's era to me is when Elvis' music became more colorful and not as raw as Hound Dog, Don't be Cruel, or That's Alright Mama. in the mid 60's his songs consisted of pretty much soundtrack songs to his movies. By the late 60's, he was over his movie making and ready to start recording again but first he had the 68' Comeback Special which reinvented him as an entertainer. By the time the seventies rolled around, music had changed and so did Elvis. He seemed to be more colorful with his famous jumpsuits and had the big band sound. The 70's era had a high point with the Live from Via Satillite Aloha From Hawaii Special which attracted more than one third of the planet watching the concert live. All in all Every Elvis Era had huge impacts on the world whether it was good or bad, Elvis was and still is the biggest enigma that has ever been on the face of this planet.

Random Elvis Song Of The Week

Vince's Top 5

1. Blueberry Hill / I Can't Stop Loving You (Live From Memphis)
2. Suspicious Minds (TTWII)
3. Mystery Train / Tigerman (TTWII)
4. You Don't Have Say You Love Me (TTWII)
5. Just Pretend (TTWII)

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Mike's top 5

Favorite Elvis songs of the moment.

1.Love Me(56)
2.Blue Moon(54)
3.Blue Hawaii(61)
4.I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine(54)
5.I Need Somebody To Lean On(63)

THE SHELL

The above picture is what the new Overton Park Shell could look like. A firm working on the project made this and shared it through Scotty Moore's site. I can't wait until this project is done. To see the Shell get took care of is very important. I wish I could have got some pictures of the Shell years ago when I was in Memphis for my photo books. For some reason I did not have a camera that day. Anyway, I am glad something is going to get done to this historic site. Anyone that is a fan reading this knows all about it. If not, you need a history lesson! I am going to blog about this place one day anyway. I have always found it very interesting and have studied up on it's history in the past.

Elvis diamond

Currently on eBay is a half carat diamond apparently made from authenticated hair from Elvis. The fallowing is took from the listing.

You are bidding on the ONLY .5 ct Blue, Round Cut, Cultured Diamond that will be created from the actual hair containing the mitochondrial DNA of Elvis “The King” Presley. The hair samples being used are a combination of two separately authenticated samples acquired from two different reputable sources as a way to ensure authenticity. Each diamond will come with numerous documents and certifications of authenticity. The hair sample will be reduced to it's basic element…carbon and a real diamond will be created using the HPHT process (high pressure high temp.). Cultured Diamond are real diamonds exhibiting the same identical properties of naturally mined diamonds. The Elvis Diamond will be laser engraved along the girdle with an identity number and Elvis “The King” Presley.

Bids start at $50,000 and is expected to go for as much as $300,000. I guess in a way it is kind of cool. It does not really appeal to me. No way in hell I would pay that money for it. A lot of other Elvis stuff I could buy for that money that would please me more.

The King of cool

I am going to talk tonight some more about the performers who influenced Elvis. Dean Martin was some Elvis really held in high regard and wanted to immolate him when he was trying to break into the business. One the night Elvis recorded That's All Right, he has spent most of the night singing ballads and stuff of that nature. I have read it is possible he even tried a Dean Martin song. This would not surprise me a bit. Elvis even did a number at Sun that Martin did,I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine. That song is personally one of my favorite Elvis tunes from the Sun era.

Many people do not realize just how much Martin influenced Elvis. Elvis sang a lot of Martin's while trying to catch on around Sun. If you notice Elvis' style of singing ballads in the 50's you can certainly hear the Martin influence. Elvis would go on to sing many songs in his time Martin recorded at one time or another. Martin wanted Elvis to be on his first TV show in the 50's but Parker wanted a ton of cash and Dean was not having that. It is a shame it did not happen. That would have been something really important to Elvis. In a book about Martin, it tells a story that you can absolutely believe about Elvis. in the 60's Elvis used to ride by Dean's house all the time, but never got gather the nerve to go up to see him. Elvis was the shy type, and probably would have been scared to death. Even though Elvis was the biggest thing ever, he had his own hero's. Dean Martin was one of his biggest. Once in 1970 during a Vegas concert Elvis noticed his idol in the audience and broke out into Everybody Loves Somebody. I have never heard this, but would love to get the chance. As important as the influence of Gospel, Blues, and Country are, the crooners can't be over looked. Elvis wanted to be a balled singer long before he became a rock and roller. Dean Martin was one of those singers Elvis greatly admired. Below is the version of I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine. It is brilliant. Also I can't do a blog about Martin and not post my favorite song as well. Please watch both and enjoy the King of Cool, Dean Martin.

You can tell Elvis was certainly doing his version with Martin's in mind. Also just notice his delivery and such. Then listen to some of Elvis' ballads from the 50's.

That song has always been on of my favorites of all time.

Coming Soon!

Mike and I here soon are going to brainstorm on ideas how to make the blog better. Ideas that we have floating around are chats, more videos, pics, new look and "Live from Elvis Week" when it rolls around. as I see the counter we have over 200 hits since March which is awesome. If you have any more ideas, please let us know.

- Vince

The Trouble With Girls

"The Chautauqua" was the original title for "The Trouble With Girls". This movie would be Elvis' next to last feature film. Set in 1927, Elvis stars as Walter Hale, the manager of "The Chautauqua" (Which is a festival that travels around the US). When one of Hale's employees get accused of murder, people stop coming to the festival putting it in jeopardy. Hale finds the real killer and pretty much saves the show by performing himself. Elvis sings an awesome version of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and one of my personal fav movie songs, "Clean Up Your Own Backyard". Surprisingly Vincent Price also plays a role in the movie as "Mr. Morality". Although he was also in the movie, Vincent and Elvis never met. Overall the movie is ok, Elvis doesn't have a huge presence in the film but when he does he looks cool in the white suit. Definitely a must have if your a collector.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

I am going to post my doll of the week tonight since I am leaving for Nashville and will not be on here tomorrow. Pat Priest is the doll this week. She appeared in the 1967 film Easy Come, Easy Go. She played the part of Dina, a girl with money out to have a good time. She plays around with Ted as he tries to get to his sunken treasure. She was a knock out and just about stole the show strutting around on her boat with her friends clad in bikinis.

POLL RESULTS

For this weeks poll we had the question which movie set in Hawaii is your favorite. Blue Hawaii was the winner with four votes.
Girls!Girls!Girls! had two and Paradise,Hawaiian Style has two as well.
Thinking about this poll got me in a Blue Hawaii mood. I have watched Blue Hawaii every night this week. I would say I am going to go watch it again tonight. Song below is one of my all time favorites.

We are going to present you with the new Elvis Presley tonight

On July 1,1956 Elvis would appear on the Steve Allen show. It was a natural movie after appearing on Berle and the Dorsey Brothers. This was the big time when it came to television, only Sullivan was bigger. Elvis had caused such a uproar over his last appearance on TV that Sullivan had shortly before said he would never have Presley on. Allen was going to tone Elvis down and said that this would be a show the whole family could watch. Elvis would appear in a tuxedo and would not be moving around. Elvis would sing I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, and Hound Dog. Allen would give Elvis a giant roll of paper that has 18,000 signatures saying they wanted to see Elvis on TV again. After Berle's show, critics, reporters, and parents said he should never be shown again. Allen joked it looked like a giant roll of toilet paper, an attempt to make Elvis look bad. Allen hated rock and roll, and did not like Elvis. This whole damn show was to make Elvis look like an idiot. Ironically a few years later the killer would appear on his show and get better treatment. Anyway after Elvis and I Want You, Allen brought a basset hound out for Elvis to sing Hound Dog to. We all know how much Elvis hated this, but this was truly a bunch of crap. Allen would later talk Elvis up good, but he really wanted to make him look like a fool. Elvis and his band was treated badly that night. The night would end with a sketch featuring Elvis, Allen, Imogene Coca, and Andy Griffith. The show thought turned out to be a huge hit. It was the best showing NBC had in years. Allen also killed Ed Sullivan in the rating, which never happened. You knew this was coming as far as how the show played out. Allen was going to try to tame down Elvis. Even though Elvis hated it and despised doing it, it was an important part of his path. Parker knew that if Allen blew Sullivan away, Ed would come a calling. Sure enough Sullivan was calling Elvis' people before they even left the studio that night. That would lead to the appearances on Sullivan later in the year. The next day Elvis was off to the studio to record and he was greeted by irate fans. This time instead of the people bashing him telling him he was vulgar, it was is fans wanting the "real Elvis " back. Elvis would head back home to Memphis to put on a fourth of July concert. He would tell his fans "those people in New York ain't going to change me none, I'm going to show you the real Elvis Presley tonight". He was right they hadn't. Elvis was changing things for them though. Even though he was still under fire and getting criticized, people wanted to see him for various reasons. So they had to put him on TV. Tom Parker was playing this game better then anyone could ever imagine and turning Elvis into the biggest star the world had ever saw. This is probably the least inspired TV performance, and my least favorite. Though it was the ultimate springboard to the biggest stage of them all for the time, Sullivan. This would always be the one time Elvis really thought he sold out. He was really embarrassed by it. Though it worked out better in the long run for him this way. He probably never realized that. That is why Parker was so great though. He understood this and knew how to capitalize on it.Below is the footage from this show. It is almost painful for me to watch the Hound Dog take, but the I Want You is great.

Tony Stewart to air live from Graceland

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart will do his weekly radio show on SIRIUS live from Graceland on May 12. Tony has a serious car collection with over 40 vehicles. He is going to talk about all the stuff in the automobile museum at Graceland discussing Elvis' love of cars while playing some Elvis tunes. SIRIUS has an all Elvis channel and Tony will be a gust DJ on Elvis radio channal 13 then do his show afterwards that usually airs on channal 128. Tony is pretty key but I wish Dale Jr could do this seeing he is a real deal Elvis fan. Impossible though since he has a show on XM, and Tony plays in with the SIRIUS angle seeing he does a show for them already. Hopefully he does well and pays respect to Elvis. Maybe once they merge the two satellite providers, Junior can guest DJ sometime. That would be the coolest, and he would be entertaining to hear.

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Always one of my favorites.

Mike's 5 this week

favorite Elvis songs.

1.Love Me(56)
2.Don't(57)
3.Go East,Young Man(65)
4.Girl Happy64)
5.The Climb(63) back up

Random Elvis Song Of The Week

Vince's Top 5

1. Too Much
2. Don't be Cruel
3. Mess Of Blues
4. Fame and Fortune
5. Love Me

1955 Fleetwood Pink Caddy

The first things that come to my mind when I think of Elvis is, Sideburns and Cadillacs. Elvis gave away many different kinds of cars to friends and total strangers, the 1955 pink and white Cadillac Fleetwood (originally blue in color) is said to have been his favourite and the one car he never sold or gave away. Elvis bought it for his mother (although she never drove) in July 1955. According to to the man that painted the car, who lived next door to Elvis in Lamar St in 1955, he made the pink paint for Elvis and is the only one who knows the formula, he named it "Elvis Rose." in Sept. of 1955, $1,000 damage was caused to the car in an accident just south of Texarkana. The top of the car was painted white around March 1956. This car is siply one of the coolest cars Ive seen and id like to get my hand on a die cast model of this car.

COCO PALMS

One place I have always wanted to visit is Hawaii. I have been very intrigued with it ever since I first saw Blue Hawaii many years ago. I have always said If I ever did get married, it would for sure be in Hawaii. The Coco Palms resort is a place that I really want to see. Coco Palms is a resort that opened in the early 50's on the island of Kauai. It is famous for it's lagoons and coconut groves. It was a very beautiful place at one time. It was made very famous by the movie Blue Hawaii. Chad Gates takes his clients there to stay. Remember the line " what is this? game night at coco palms?". Of course all Elvis fans know about Coco Palms and it's significance. The last scene in the movie where Chad and Malie get married, that was filmed in the lagoon at the resort. Sadly in 1992 the whole island was hit by a hurricane and it pretty much tore the resort up. Coco Palms is the last hotel to still be damaged and unfixed. Plans to rebuild and reopen it has been in place for a long time now. Different things have got in the way before. From what I understand they have had some pretty extensive plans. Hotels, condos shops, and restaurants. Though I do not think it had been givin a go yet, and it is not looking good for the original location from the way I read it. This important and beautiful location deserves new life. To find out more visit the website cocpalms.com. When and if this ever happens, I will for sure start planning a trip. It might be several years, but I will get there one day. Hawaii and Coco Plams ranks right up there with Seattle and the Worlds Fair site as the places I most want to see. Late on in another blog I might go into further detail more things I find fascinating and want to see in Hawaii.

Kid

I was too busy to blog tonight. I am dead so I am going to curl up in a ball and pass out while watching a movie. Click below on the video to check out a few minutes of what I am watching tonight. Kid is a very underrated movie and one of Elvis' better efforts all the way around. I have been craving some Lola Albright as well. I hope I can make it far enough into the movie to see her before I pass out. Enjoy the clip.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

Requel freakin Welch. One of the most beautiful women ever! She is one of my favorite dolls ever period. She did have a small part in Roustabout as a girl in the background of a club. You would could watch the movie over and over and never spot her if you were not looking for her.She played small parts in movies until hitting it big in the late sixty's and would go on to have a very long and successful career. Even today in her late sixty's, she is still going strong. She is still very beautiful for her age. She is so damn hot we have to have two pictures of her today. Now I have to go dig my copy of One Million Years B.C out!

Something I really want.....but should not even look into

gottahaveit.com is having a online auction with some rare memorabilia from Elvis, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, and many other stars. The highlight of a auction is going to be an Elvis jumpsuit,"Peacock". Though that is not what has got me interested. They are also offering the Clambake millionaire suit. I do not know what that is going for, but that would be the coolest thing ever to have. I am a huge fan of Clambake. I am almost tempted to seriously look into this. I am sure it is a lot of money, but if it was half way reasonable, Id buy it even though I don't have the money. I still think I am going to shoot an e mail to the site and gather more info on it.

Poll Results

Rubberneckin' barley edged out ALLC in the poll this week for best remix.
Results
ALLC-3
Rubberneckin'-4
Baby Lets Play House-1
none of the above-1

Elvis bumps on grinds on Berle's show

Continuing with my thoughts on Elvis on television I am going to talk about Elvis's second performance on Milton Berle's show. Elvis would appear in June of 1956. Elvis sang two songs, Hound Dog and I Want You, I Need You, I Love You. I Want You was on of the first things I can remember about seeing old Elvis footage. For some reason It is not shows as much as some of his other TV stuff, but I think It is pretty good. It has always been on of my favorite performance's. The video below is of Elvis doing Hound Dog.Elvis bumps and grinds like never before on TV and truly causes an uproar across the country. I think it is one of the most important events of his career because it got him so much attention. That would lead to his other TV appearance's that would make history. Elvis would add an extra verse on the end of this song, that was totally unplanned. The band had no idea, but you could never tell. Overall this is one of my favorite Elvis appearance's on TV.This would also be Milton Berle's last telecast after being the Kings of Television comedy for many years.

Vince's Random Song Of The Week

Vince's Top 5 (Flippy....Real Flippy)

1. Don't Be Cruel
2. Such A Night
3. Fame and Fortune
4. Can't Help Falling In Love
5. Blue Hawaii

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Elvis in 1960 during the press conference held at Graceland.

Mr. Mike's top 5

My favorite songs of the week.

1.Love Me(56)
2.Blue River(63)
3.Moonlight Swim(61)
4.Lover Doll(58)
5.Polk Salad Annie(70 from TTWII disc 2)

Memphis trying to prove they are the king of the jungle

No time for a real blog tonight. I am busy watching the women's semifinals. The Memphis Tigers men's team has made it to the finals. They will play Kansas tomorrow. If my Gators can't win it, then Memphis would be my second choice since I love the city and coach Cal is pretty key. Graceland of course is bathed in blue lights. In honor of the Tigers I am going to post the video below for them.

The story of Getlo

Getlo was a pet chow that Elvis had. Elvis was very fond of the dog. The picture shown here is when Elvis brought the dog on stage during one of his performances in Vegas. Getlo had a serious kidney aliment and Elvis flew the dog on the Lisa Marie to Massachusetts to get the very best care possible. Still the dog would die a few months later at Graceland. Elvis had spent thousands of dollars trying to get it help. Getlo is mentioned on the Jungle Room Sessions CD which is from the recordings done at Graceland.

ELVIS/Mariah/Maddona

As we all know by now Mariah Carey scored her 18th number one on the Billboard charts putting her in second place with E. It is a great achievement for her and she might even pass The Beatles. Actually, I really hope she does. Anyway, she will never touch Elvis as a pure singer or even an entertainer for that matter. At least she knows whats up. When she was asked about the achievement she said "I really can never put myself in the category of people who have not only revolutionized music but also changed the world". Even though I do not care for her music, I respect that she has done something right for a long time to get this record.
Also a brew ha ha has occurred over Madonna passing him with top ten hits. She is not there yet despite what is being reported. Elvis has forty top ten hits. She will probably will get there though. I do not really dig Madonna's act either but she is a great performer and she has lasted for a good length of time. If anyone is going to break that record, might as well be her. She is a fan of Elvis. She loves Elvis and would consider that one of the highest honers she could achieve if she did.
At the end of the day either one of these artist can hold up to Elvis. They will never have the impact on the world as Elvis did. Fifty years from now they might have some things said about them. Elvis will still be talked about though one hundred years from now. Also Elvis holds a lot of records still no one will ever pass. My favorite one I think is that Elvis has had 150 different albums and singles that have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He probably has more and research hopefully will prove it seeing the right people make sure it happens. He has far and away more then anyone. I am going to stop my rambling about that, I am going to go into a heated rant talking about some of these things though. So the point of the post I guess is, records are going to be broke. No one of the last fifty years though can touch Elvis. He set the bar high, and I do not think I will ever see another artist come close to doing what he did.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

The doll of the week is Tuesday Weld. Tuesday appeared in the 1961 film Wild In The Country. I have always had a thing about her. She was hot and she was wild. Elvis and her would have a fling but it was nothing serious. She was eighteen at the time, but always had relationships with older men. She appeared in the movies Sex Kittens Go To College, High Time, and The Cincinnati Kid among others. She is also famous for some of the great roles she turned down. She was offered a part in the movie True Grit. She turned it down. It has became a classic and John Wayne won an award for the role. True Grit is one of the best movies ever, I can't imagine how great it would have been with Tuesday playing the part of baby sister.

Elvis and the girls

I ran across this by pure accident tonight looking for something else Elvis related. I will admit it, I am a fan of the Golden Girls. That shows has always cracked me up. I was watching this video and totally lost it during this first scene when talking about seeing Harum Scarum over fifty times. Who the hell has seen Harum Scarum over fifty times? Alright, I have seen it that many times or more. Also at the end of the clip there is a scene with all the Elvis impersonators. Quentin Tarantino plays the young Elvis in the back row. He actually appeared in a few episodes of Golden Girls as Elvis.

Elvis Remixed

With the release of ELVIS 30 #1 Hits a remixed version of "A Little Less Conversation" was added to the cd. Composed by JXL, the remix is really cool but Elvis' voice is almost flooded out with the music. After that, 2nd To None was released with a remixed version of "Rubberneckin" was added at the end of the cd. Composed by Paul Oakenfield, this actually the first version I ever heard of "Rubberneckin" and thought it was freakin awesome. Recently there has been a another remix release of Spankox "Baby Let's Play House", Ive heard it a couple times and thought it was pretty cool but I wanna hear it more to get a full judgement of the song. In conclusion, not anyone can mix Elvis songs without ruining them, you'll see alot of versions on the net but these 3 are definately the ones that haven't butchered his songs. Ive attached the videos of each song ENJOY!!!!

Elvis rocks out on the USS Hancock

I am going to talk more about the television appearances made by Elvis in the 50's. These appearances would help Elvis rocket to super stardom. After a serious of appearances on Stage Show, Elvis would appear twice on The Milton Berle Show. Elvis' first appearance would come on April 3rd of 56. The broad cast would come from the deck of the USS Hancock which was docked in San Diego at the time. Mostly service man were in attendance with some of there family. A group of young girls were brought in and put in front of the stage. Elvis would sing Shake, Rattle Roll, Blue Suede Shoes, and Heartbreak Hotel. Elvis would also perform a skit with Berle where Milton played Elvis' twin brother. Which was probably a little bit odd for Elvis, but he was a good sport about it anyway. This is a pretty good performance but lacks a little of the excitement as some of the stage show appearances in my opinion Elvis. Elvis was getting more attention at this point, and his record was doing pretty good. Though the next appearance on Berle's show would be the one that caused such a uproar and make the world notice him. I will do a separate blog about that on a later date. Check out the video below of Elvis signing one of his songs from the April visit to Berle's show.