Thomas Kinkade Graceland 50th Anniversary painting.

On Saturday, March 24, Thomas Kinkade and Priscilla Presley attended a special VIP cocktail reception in the Automobile Museuem at Graceland, where Kinkade unveiled his latest masterpeice "Graceland 50th Anniversary." Here, Thomas Kinkade, Priscilla Presley and a fan pose with the masterpiece that was unveiled during the festivities.

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The second volume in the Audionics label "Elvis - Across Country" has been released. This soundboard compilation is the follow up to volume one which was released in the Summer of 2005. This album has a very similar concept and contains portions of four different soundboards from the 1975 - 1977 era.Tracks:Minneapolis, Minnesota, 17.10.1976 (approx. running time 14:34) 01. Sweet Inspiration - 02. Last Time I Saw Him - 03. Introductions of the band and the Sweet Inspirations - 04. Stevie Wonder Medley ("Stevie Is A Wonder" / For Once In My Life / You've Got It Bad Girl / Superstition / You Are The Sunshine Of My Life / Living For TheCity / All In Love Is Fair / Higher Ground) - 05. Closing Announcements. Huntsville, Alabama, 31.05.1975 (8:30 P.M.) (approx. running time 49:52) 06. All Shook Up - 07. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel - 08. The Wonder Of You - 09. Burning Love - 10. Band Introductions - 11. Johnny B. Goode -12. Drums Solo (Ronnie Tutt) - 13. Bass Solo (Blues - Jerry Scheff) - 14.Piano Solo (Glen D. Hardin) - 15. School Day - 16. (**) I Can't Stop Loving You - 15. T.R.O.U.B.L.E. - 16. Hawaiian Wedding Song - 17. Let Me Be There (with reprise) - 18. Why Me Lord - 19. An American Trilogy - 20.Hound Dog - 21. Funny How Time Slips Away - 22. Little Darlin' - 23.(**) I'm Leavin' - 24. Can't Help Falling In Love - 25. Closing Vamp. Johnson City, Tennessee, 17.03.1976 (approx. running time 05:22) 26. (*) What'd I Say - 27. (*) And I Love You So (with break) Orlando, Florida, 15.02.1977 (approx. running time 09:23) 28. If You Love Me (Let Me Know) - 29. You Gave Me A Mountain - 30. Help Me Total CD running time: 79:10


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Elvis Presley Enterprises Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest 2007

Elvis Presley Enterprises is looking for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist.
During 2007, for the first time ever, Elvis Presley Enterprises will hold the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest. The contest is a search for the Elvis Tribute Artist that is the "best representation of the legacy of Elvis Presley."The winner of the contest will receive the title of "The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist," along with official recognition by Elvis Presley Enterprises, a cash prize and more.Preliminary rounds for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest will take place in different locations throughout the world prior to August 2007. Confirmed prelminary round locations and details are listed below. More locations will be announced as they are confirmed. The winner of each preliminary round will travel to Memphis to compete in the qualifying round that will take place during Elvis Week 2007. The top winners of the qualifying round will go on to compete in the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest Finals on August 17 at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Memphis, where the "Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist of 2007" will be selected.If you are an Elvis tribute artist and are interested in competing for your chance at the title of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist of 2007, the preliminary rounds listed below are your only way to reach the Memphis qualifying rounds. If you are interested in holding an Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest preliminary, please email ultimate@elvis.com or call 212-407-9172 for more information.

2007 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest

WALK A GOLDEN MILE IN MY SHOES QUALIFYING HEAT
FRIDAY 8TH JUNE 2007
THE NORCALYMPIA, NORBRECK CASTLE, BLACKPOOL, U.K.
Officially Licensed by ©2007 Elvis Presley Enterprises


Information:
When and where is the Ultimate Contest Qualification taking place?
The Ultimate Contest Qualification will take place throughout the day and evening of Friday 8th June 2007.
The entire contest will be held at The Norcalympia Arena, Norbreck Castle, Blackpool, U.K.

What is the format of the contest?
The contest will be made up of the following three categories-
1950's - Early Elvis
1960's - Movies and '68 Special
1970's - Concert Years
Contestants will compete in the daytime heats and the twenty highest scoring contestants from the daytime heats will progress to the evening qualification finals.
The contestant with the highest score from the evenings finals will progress to the 'Ultimate' contest in Memphis during Elvis week 2007.
All contestants will perform to backing track accompaniment.

Winners and titles ?
Overall winner will receive -
Automatic qualification into EPE's Ultimate contest in Memphis
$2000 B & K Enterprises Gift Certificate
Cash to cover return trip to Memphis Contest*
Official Qualification Contest Winners Certificate
Overall winner automatically wins his chosen category however the remaining two category winners will each receive -
$1000 B & K Enterprises Gift Certificate
Official Qualification Contest Individual Category Winners Certificate
Plus
Every contestant that enters will receive an official Walk A Golden Mile In My Shoes Ultimate Contest Certificate commemorating his performance in the very first EPE contest for Elvis Presley Tribute Artists.

How do I register as a contestant for the ultimate contest ?
Contestants must complete and sign a contestant registration/agreement form and send it to us including their 40 GBP entrance fee.
Please note this fee also covers the cost of your ticket to the entire event.
For entrance forms go to the registration page at this site by clicking here
or contact us on
Tel +44 (0) 1492 547889
Mob +44 (0) 7851 633034

How much are the tickets to the contest ?
Full Day & Evening ticket - 30 GBP
Child under 14 years - 15 GBP

How do I purchase tickets for family and friends ?
Go to the ticket page at this site by clicking here

More info on the Ultimate Contest in Memphis can be found at http://www.elvis.com/ultimatecontest

Elvis: Still Taking Care of Business

Elvis: Still Taking Care of Business is arguably the most authentic, no-holds-barred depiction of the greatest entertainer who ever lived. This is the book that the estate doesn’t want you to read – it’s a balanced, respectful and insightful look by a true Presley insider and carter member of the infamous Memphis Mafia. Sonny West, Presley’s close friend and body guard for nearly two decades, provides a firsthand account of the King’s lavish spending sprees and many charitable acts, as well as the many affairs Presley conducted with his costars. If you’re looking for untold stories and unseen photos, then this book is for you.

Among all of Elvis Presley's close associates, no one tells stories that are more entertaining than Sonny West. He can mesmerize audiences for hours with his Elvis tidbits. Likewise, I have followed Marshall Terrill's budding career as a biographer and he is quickly heading straight to the top. West and Terrill. If this were the New York Yankees, you'd be thinking Ruth-Gehrig and/or Mantle/Maris.Powerful !~Bill E. Burk - Publisher, ELVIS WORLD magazine

Friday Chart Update

The "Essential Elvis Presley" compilation CD has now completed its run in the Australian top 100 ARIA Album Chart. In total the album was on the chart for 7 weeks reaching a high of #33. Weekly chart placings were; 48, 39, 38, 33, 38, 58, 95. The album is currently outside the top 100 at #126 after being #118 last week.After one week "Elvis Lives" fell from the Danish Music DVD Top 10.On the Dutch Mega Charts Music DVD Top 20 "Elvis Lives" dropped From #6 to #8. On the Dutch Free Record Shop Music DVD Top 10 volume 1 of the "The Definitive Collection" remains steady at #12, "Elvis Lives" remains steady at #13 and volume 2 of "The Definitive Collection" climbs from #15 to #14.

Lisa and Priscilla Celebrate St Patrick's Day In Ireland

Lisa Marie and Priscilla have been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. They have been staying in a 17th Century castle owned by Viennese-born artist Gottfried Halnwein, who incidentally is the artist behind Boulevard of Broken Dreams, a reworking of Edward Hoppers Nighthawks. Halnwien is an acquaintance of many celebrities, and his castle was also the setting of Marilyn Manson wedding to Dita Von Teese last year.His new houseguests Lisa and Pricilla were spotted in the Halfway Bar near Ballymacarberry, as Nighthawks themselves, singing and dancing with locals.There have been recent press reports that Lisa was purchasing the $10 million Mallows Castle in Cork, but these have been denied by the auctioneer handling the sale.

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Jerry Schilling - Book Release In The UK

Elvis close friend Jerry Schilling’s book Me And A Guy Named Elvis is released in the UK at the end of May. From the press release: In the 30th anniversary year of Elvis’ death comes an extraordinary biography from his closest friend. ‘Jerry Schilling has captured the beauty of my father’s spirit in a way that has never been done before.’ (Lisa Marie Presley) ‘Jerry had the keys to the kingdom, the keys to the King’s houses, to the King’s cars, to the heart of what made Elvis a King in the first place. Here he unlocks every door and his own heart to boot.’ (Bono) On a lazy Sunday in 1954, twelve-year-old Jerry Schilling wandered into a Memphis touch football game to discover that his team was quarterbacked by a nineteen-year-old Elvis Presley, the local teenager whose first record That’s All Right, had just debuted on Memphis radio and was already burning up the local airways. This meeting was the start of a life-long friendship. * Jerry’s 23 year friendship makes him uniquely placed to write this intimate portrait of Elvis. * In 1964 Elvis asked Jerry to come and work for him as part of his famous ‘Memphis Mafia’. * Jerry worked for Elvis for thirteen years in various capacities - from bodyguard and personal trainer to film editor and co-producer. * Elvis gave Jerry his own room at Graceland * Jerry was the person Elvis trusted to drive him and Priscilla to the hospital when Lisa-Marie was born * Elvis tried LSD once in his life, Jerry was part of the small group that joined him * When Elvis received a death threat before his performance in Vegas, it was Jerry he called to be by his side * Jerry was with Elvis during the famous ‘Lost Weekend’ when he met President Nixon * On the only weekend of his professional life when Elvis got away from family and employees to be by himself, he spent the time with Jerry * Jerry was a pall-bearer at Elvis’s funeral Me and a Guy Named Elvis looks at Presley from a friend’s perspective and includes insights into the creative frustrations that lead to Elvis’s abuse of prescription medicine and his complex and much misunderstood relationship with his manager Colonel Parker. It also brings to life the man behind the myth, a sensitive generous soul who loved playing practical jokes on people, enjoyed yoga and karate and was a huge fan of Monty Python. Jerry Schilling has spent over 40 years in the entertainment business working as an actor, a film editor, a producer, and a manager. Jerry has his own Management Company and has managed Billy Joel, The Beach Boys and Jerry Lee Lewis. He conducted the marriage of Lisa-Marie and Michael Lockwood and counts Priscilla as one of his dearest friends. Jerry lives and works in Los Angeles, in the house Elvis bought for him.
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Song Allegedly Co-written By Elvis Relisted On eBay

Although recently sold on eBay, the song "Just Like Rolling Up Hill", allegedly co-written by Elvis and Paul Terry King has been relisted. Apparently the original buyer failed to comply wityh the auction terms.


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Replica Of Elvis' House Teaches Difficult Students Skills

Students of the Academy for Change (AFC serves students who have been suspended or expelled from other schools, or aren't succeeding in traditional education for one reason or another) are working on an idea of Ron Reed, public defender for Butte County, to build a replica of Elvis Presley's birth home. Reed sees a lot of juveniles in court in his job as a public defender for Butte County, but he prefers to see them swinging hammers, drilling holes and painting. Reed presented the idea to Bernard Vigallon, the school's director, and immediately got a “yes”. He researched the project, taking measurements at the house personally, when he visited his sister in Tupelo, Miss. The skeleton of the 19-by-30-foot house stood on blocks, plywood covering its floor and a roof framed above, the ends of each eave painted a clean white. The work is being done the way Elvis's father would have done it when the house was built in 1934. As part of the project, the students learned the geometry required to figure out roof angles, and they studied the history of the original house and of the Depression. They will write about the house and the era in language art classes, as well. If all goes according to plan, the new birth house will be ready by May.


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