SOME MISUNDERSTANDING.

First of all, can you confrm if this is the finalized new FTD CD bound to release for Christmas: " Elvis At The International"?

Yes, this IS the cover, Andylon.

Ernst, why did you make a statement for those handful of morans, ( sorry forr my language ) but I was so pissed off, how some Elvis Fans attacked the Producer David Bendeth for the Album Elvis 30 # 1 Hits on the For CD Collectors Only Elvis Website? 

8 million copies sold.... can't be wrong!!!
( read the statement from Ernst on our site yesterday) 

The statement ( a VERY big word for what it is ) was simply to stop people speculating about unimportant stuff, and get back to the real thing - Elvis and his music. 

I agree 100 %, Ernst.

Now, do you still work for BMG , Ernst?

So, do I still work for BMG? 
Good question. On a serious note, we have lost 2 RCA presidents in 9 months. Jack Rovner
in February and Bob Jamieson in November.

Have a nice day, Andylon

2002/11/28 Ernst Jorgensen / Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

MESSAGE LONESTAR IMPORT LABEL.

On the Elvis is Still Active in Norway website we found this posting from the producers of the import label Lone Star. Here it is for your information.

"At the Lonestar Label we know we made a huge mistake with our last release. There has been so much released it is hard to keep up with everything and we do apologize. 

HOWEVER: To all the critics: PLEASE remember that all import releases are released in limited amount and we understand that a lot of fans have missed out on the original release by another label so for those fans this release is still a welcome one and: it has been remastered where the other release wasn't.' 

Anyway: The sources for Soundboards have gone a little quiet lately but we do hope new sources will be found. Now we have turned to some rare audience recordings and are pleased to announce that we have the complete August 14th, 1970 show and we now have heard it after the remastering and the sound is really great!. We are very proud of it and feel that it is justified to release this as EVERY fan likes to hear something rare and Elvis in good shape. So watch out for our release, it's a goodie!

Team Lonestar"

2002/11/28 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

DAVE MATTHEWS SINGS : STUCK ON YOU AND FRANK SINATRA & ELVIS : WITCHCRAFT / LOVE ME TENDER.

From the 'Elvis Lives' Thanksgiving special airing on NBC at 10:00PM ET. 
Dave Matthews Sings ''Stuck on You'' (RealVideo)

From the upcoming PBS special 'Sinatra: The Classic Duets' airing on 11/29. 
Fank Sinatra & Elvis performing a duet of ''Witchcraft/Love Me Tender'' (RealVideo) 

2002/11/28 NBC / PBS / Ep.Gold.Com.

PORTUGUESE UPDATE.

The Elvis 30 # 1 Hits album dropped from No # 26 to No # 38.
ALLC climbed again from No # 9 to No # 7 also this week.

2002/11/28 Burning Star / Ep.Gold.Com.

CAGE, PRESLEY TO END THREE - MONTH MARRIAGE.

Oscar winning actor Nicolas Cage has filed for divorce from second wife Lisa Marie Presley after just three months marriage in a short-lived union even by Hollywood standards.

The 38-year-old star of "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Captain Corelli's Mandolin," cited irreconcilable differences with the only child of Elvis Presley in divorce papers filed in Los Angeles Tuesday.

Cage and Presley were married in a secret ceremony in Hawaii in August, cementing an 18 month on-off romance between two of the more eccentric figures in showbusiness.

Cage declined to comment on the reasons for the divorce. "I did not talk about the marriage and I am not going to talk about the divorce," he said in a brief statement.

It was the third marriage for Presley, 34, a budding singer who was married to superstar Michael Jackson for less than two years and who previously had two children with musician Danny Keogh.

Cage, who once ate a live cockroach for the movie "Vampire's Kiss", is a big Elvis fan. He recorded the Elvis hit "Love Me Tender" for the soundtrack of the 1990 movie "Wild at Heart" and reportedly has a voicemail message using his Elvis voice.

He impersonated Elvis in a scene from the 1992 movie "Honeymoon in Vegas" and his marriage to Lisa Marie took place on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Elvis's death.

Cage, known for his edgy, risky screen characters, split from actress Patricia Arquette in May last year after a six year marriage. He has a son with model Kristina Fulton.

Cage and Presley's relationship was known to be stormy and tabloid newspapers reported blazing arguments between the pair a few weeks ago.

They began dating in early 2001 but announced they had parted ways in January 2002. But by June they emerged as a couple again, appearing together at the premiere of Cage's war movie "Windtalkers."

2002/11/28 Yahoo / Elvis From Poland / Ep.Gold.Com.

MOVIE CLOTHES AUCTIONED.

Together with a reel-to-reel audiotape of Bob Marley playing with musician Jimmy Norman some clothes worn in movies by Elvis will be sold at an auction December 20th in New York City, Christie's auction house said. Elvis wore the clothes in the movies "Speedway" and "Double Trouble".


2002/11/28 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

NEW FTD CD ELVIS AT THE INTERNATIONAL WILL BE RELEASED FOR CHRISTMAS.

This is the NEW FTD CD "Elvis At The International", with the frontcover esspecially released for Christmas.

This is a live show from Las Vegas August 23rd 1969.

Tracking list:

1. Blue Suede Shoes
2. I Got A Woman
3. All Shook Up
4. Love Me Tender
5. Jailhouse Rock/Don’t Be Cruel
6. Heartbreak Hotel
7. Hound Dog
8. Memories
9. Mystery Train/Tiger Man
10. Monologue
11. Baby, What You Want Me To Do
12. Runaway
13. Reconsider Baby
14. Are You Lonesome Tonight?
15. Yesterday/Hey Jude
16. Introductions
17. In The Ghetto
18. Suspicious Minds
19. What’d I Say
20. Can’t Help Falling In Love

Musicians: James Burton (lead guitar), Jerry Scheff (bass), Ronnie Tutt (drums), John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar), Larry Muhoberac (piano & organ), Bobby Morris & His Orchestra. Backing Vocalists: The Sweet Inspirations, The Imperials, Charlie Hodge.

Recorded at The International Hotel, Las Vegas on August 23, 1969 (Midnight Show)

Originally recorded by Felton Jarvis and Al Pachucki.

Mixed for this release by Dennis Ferrante.
Mastered for this release by Lene Reidel at Tocano.


2002/11/27 Ernst Jorgensen - FTD / Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

NICOLAS CAGE AND LISA MARIE PRESLEY FILE FOR DIVORCE

Wedded bliss was not meant to be for Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley -- as ET has just learned that Nic filed for divorce yesterday, stating irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. 

Just over the weekend, Cage and Presley were out together at a screening for Cage's new film, 'Adaptation.' Adding to the surprise, it was only three months ago that the couple tied the knot in Hawaii in a super-secret ceremony, coincidentally on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the death of Presley's musical pop, Elvis. 

Responding to the divorce filing, Lisa issued a statement to ET through her spokesperson saying, "I'm sad about this but we shouldn't have been married in the first place. It was a big mistake." 

Cage and Presley met nearly two years before their wedding at a party; at the time Presley was engaged to musician John Oszajca. Cage was estranged from his wife, Patricia Arquette. By May 2001, the couple was a Hollywood staple, appearing at premieres, parties and charitable events holding hands. Then at a 2002 Super Bowl celebration in New Orleans, Presley was noticeably absent from Cage's side. Soon after, their respective spokespeople released a statement that the two had parted ways. 

But by June they were "on" again, re-emerging as a couple at the Los Angeles premiere for Cage's movie 'Windtalkers.' 

This was Presley's third marriage. Her first to Danny Keough lasted six years, and resulted in two children, Danielle and Benjamin. Less than a month after that split came her union with Michael Jackson -- that relationship completed its circle in about 20 months. As for Cage, he tied the knot with first wife Arquette in April of 1995. He filed for divorce in Feb. 2000, then reconciled with her. Arquette then filed papers in Nov. 2000. 


2002/11/27 Patrick and Beth Hughes / Ep.Gold.Com.

CAGE AND PRESLEY RETURN TO SPLENDOUR

The marriage has left the building. 

The curious coupling of Elvis fan Nicolas Cage and Elvis spawn Lisa Marie Presley (news) is kaput, with Cage filing for divorce Monday in Los Angeles, after just three-and-a-half months of wedded bliss. 

Per usual, Cage cited irreconcilable differences. It's not known exactly what cooled the couple's burning love. 

Presley sounded remorseful--more so about the marriage, than the breakup. "I'm sad about this, but we shouldn't have been married in the first place," Presley said through her publicist, Paul Bloch. "It was a big mistake." 

Speaking on behalf of the Cage camp, publicist Annette Wolf took the high road. "I did not talk about the marriage, and I am not going to talk about the divorce," the rep said. 

Just last weekend, the two appeared to be very much a twosome, putting in a joint appearance for a premiere of Cage's new movie, Adaptation. 

While it seems like only yesterday, it was actually August 10 that Cage, 38, and Presley, 34, were wed in front of Mother Presley (aka, actress/entrepreneur Priscilla) and their respective children from previous relationships at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows in Hawaii. 

The marriage was Cage's second; Presley's third. Cage previously had gone down the aisle, in 1995, with actress Patricia Arquette (news). Their on-again, off-again union ended for good in May 2001. Presley's previous spouses were musician Danny Keough, the father of her two children, Danielle and Benjamin, and Michael Jackson (news). 

In the strange-but-true department, Presley's 1994-96 union to the pop oddity lasted nearly seven times as long as her marriage to Cage. (Her marriage to Keough lasted a relative eternity--from 1988 to 1994.) 

The Cage-Presley romance sprung in the spring of 2001. At the time, the Oscar winner, who has a son, Weston, by an ex-girlfriend, was fresh off his divorce with Arquette; the rock 'n' roll heiress was fresh off her broken engagement with singer/songwriter John Oszajca. 

The two seemed both a good and odd fit. He was a professed Elvis devotee who skydived with the Flying Elvi in Honeymoon in Vegas; she was the lone child of the real Elvis. 

But things soured between the two last February. The split was so final (or, so it seemed at the time) that it was announced in a press release from Cage's publicist. Again, no reason was given. 

But Cage and Presley, apparently, couldn't help falling in love. By June, they were a couple again. At least until Monday, when their relationship was once again marked: Return to sender. 

2002/11/27 Joel Ryan / Ep.Gold.Com.

NBC STORE US RELEASED DVD LOVING YOU AND THE ALBUM CD ELV1S 30 # 1 HITS AS A GIFT - SET.


NBC -Store / NBC Media Mall ecxlusive released in the US the DVD ( region 1 ) "Loving You " paired with the album ELVIS 30 # 1 HITS.

2002/11/27 NBC / Ep.Gold.Com.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM ERNST JORGENSEN.

There's a lot of speculation on the FECC messageboard about the persons involved with " Elvis 30 #1 Hits " CD and other BMG related products. Here's a statement from BMG producer Ernst Mikael Jorgensen about all this.

There is no personnel drama in relation to Elvis 1. The original idea ( not very original-but it works ) was developed by Schmalenbach, Omansky, Semon and Jørgensen back in 2000. When BMG decided to create the HERITAGE division in the summer of 2001, it was decided that The Elvis Presley catalog would go to this division. Obviously Semon and Jørgensen would work for HERITAGE with an immediate brief to develop TODAY, TOMORROW AND FOREVER (Omansky and Schmalenbach left the company). The 1 album remained with RCA since it's whole basis was a MAJOR marketing effort - a task too big for the newly started HERITAGE division -both financially and from a staffing point of view. When RCA president Jack Rovner started working on the project he had to use his own people as Jørgensen & Semon wasn't working for RCA any longer. When Jack Rovner left the company in February, Jørgensen & Semon were asked to come back to work on the project after finishing TODAY, TOMORROW AND FOREVER. David Bendeth was already in the process of producing the album, and Jørgensen & Semon were working in other areas like photo search and clearances, RIAA certifications, legal matters, web-site and much more. There are plenty of real life dramas in the recording business - this is NOT one of them.

2002/11/27 Ernst Jorgensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

THE CHAIRMAN AND THE KING.

In the U.S. PBS will broadcast a Frank Sinatra special on November 29 titled 'Sinatra: The Classic Duets'. This show will also feature the historic video of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley performing a duet of 'Witchcraft/ Love Me Tender'. 

2002/11/27 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

E 1 & NORWEGIAN ALBUM CHARTS.

The Album Elvis 30 # 1 Hits re-entered in the Norwegian Album- Charts this week at No # 26.

2002/11/27 Kenneth Dokkeberg / Ep.Gold.Com.

RUSS HOWE & TOM SALVA PROUDLY PRESENTS AS A PREMIER FOR EP.GOLD THEIR NEW BOOK : ROCK 'N' NASSAU.

Russ Howe & Tom Salva proudly presented us as a World premier there new upcoming photo-book "ROCK 'N NASSAU" , summer of 1973,
Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, Long Island, NY

This is the finalized frontcover.

Many detailed information that coincide this book will be read tomorrow, we will have an exclusive interview especially for the Ep.Gold readers with Russ & Tom, conducted by our columnist Kenneth Dokkeberg.

2002/11/27 Russ Howe / Tom Salva / Kenneth Dokkeberg / Ep.Gold.Com.

DAVID BENDETH PRODUCER ELV1S 30 # 1 HITS:
I AM NOT INVOLVED IN THESE FOUR NEW ELVIS REMASTERED RE-RELEASES

This statement was given 10 days ago by Joe Dimuro US, who is in charge for marketing :
We are planning to re-release Elvis '56 in January (tentatively scheduled for commercial release on 1/703). The record will be digitally remastered in a similar format to what we have accomplished for Elv1s 30#1 Hits and will include a new package ID logo that will call out the current imagery that we have created/posted for the E1 release. Elvis '56 will be accompanied by Elvis Great Country, Heart and Soul, and Can't Help Falling In Love that will all have the same digital sound applications and logo ID look.

Now David, we discussed this about a week ago and you told me you are NOT involved in these four re-released remastered CD's at all.

I remember I asked you : Is there any chance there might be a following up with another album E 1 Volume 2?
Well ,Andylon we have given it a thought, but NO desicion is made yet.

You explained in your last interview with Pierce Beagley how you managed to convert the Monoraul tracks into 5.1 DVD-Adio Multi-Channel.
But I know , you only told half of the secret, how it's REALLY been done...

Yes that's true, I did not give away all my secrets, don't worry.
Soon I will have some great news especially for the Ep.Gold. readers....stay tuned.

2002/11/26 David Bendeth / Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK.

This time we have another picture of the week , a private-shot from Elvis.

Go to the menu : Pic Of The Week or Click Here.

2002/11/26 Ep.Gold.Com.

GRACELAND REVERSES IMPERSONATOR BAN.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Elvis impersonators can continue swiveling their hips and quivering their lips, after Graceland reversed its earlier decision to sever its support of festivals featuring clones of the King.

Elvis Presley (news) Enterprises, the business arm of the multi-million-dollar Presley estate, decided in October to no longer associate with festivals using Elvis impersonators.

But the estate gave back its backing after receiving about 30 letters from festival organizers and fans who were all shook up.

"From reading these, we said, 'Let's forget about the hassles. This is something, frankly, we need to support,'" said Jack Soden, chief executive officer of EPE.

Most Elvis impersonators do "heartfelt" tributes to Elvis, said Soden. "But we've all seen pictures of people who just should not have gone outdoors in outfits like that."

Soden said the idea for the policy change came from some festivals "becoming more about Elvis impersonators than Elvis."

But most impersonators would disagree.

"Everything I'm doing is just to pay tribute to him," said David Lee, a major contender on the festival circuit. "Graceland disliking tribute artists is something I've never understood."

2002/11/26 Elvis Presley From Poland / Ep.Gold.Com.

NATIONAL RADIO STATION & COMPETITION IN FINLAND

A national radio station had a competition in which listeners were asked to choose three of their favourite songs from this new #1 Hits collection. It came as no surprise that Elvis´ beautiful ballads occupied the top of this list - that´s the way it is here in Finland. Here´s the top five: 1. Love Me Tender, 2. Are You Lonesome Tonight, 3. Can´t Help Falling In Love, 4. It´s Now Or Never, 5. Suspicious Minds.

2002/1126 Kari Paju - Finland / Ep.Gold.com.

THE ELVIS FOR EVERYONE DUTCH FANCLUB MEETING IN DECEMBER.

The date for the Dutch Elvis Meeting from the "Elvis for Everyone Fanclub" , changed their scedule December 14th now to December 21th in Hoogeveen.
Soon more details.

2002/11/26 Ep.Gold.Com.

THE VANCOUVER MUSEUM.

The Vancouver Museum has a new wing highlighting Vancouver's history. It will eventually contain artifacts from the 60s and 70s. The first offering is a wonderful and accurate assortment of memorabilia from the 1950s right down to a White Spot drive-in restaurant tray loaded with fast food from that era. A couple of months ago the museum asked me for some photo contributions. I provided photos of teenagers lining up for a movie in 1957 and photos of Elvis' press conference held here in Vancouver that year.

They also have an interactive radio booth. You're provided with a script and notes on how to become a DJ or newsreader. The fun begins when you get the chance to play a role! I give you the instructions and provide some history about the stories you are about to read. The control panel and microphone used in the display is courtesy of SPARC, the Society For Preservation Of Antique Radio In Canada. These volunteers have spent the last few years documenting the history of radio in BC and they are to be congratulated for their good work. Be sure to visit the Vancouver Museum, part of the Museum/Planetarium complex at the south end of the Burrard Bridge. I'm honored to be featured and to be able to provide them with some artifacts from Vancouver's past.

2002/11/26 Red Robinson / Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

CHARITY CD'S APPROVED BY BMG PORTUGAL GET BANNED BY EPE AT THE LAST MOMENT !!!!

The cd's were made for the Elvisfest and they simply told us they couldn't give us permission to sell them as the tribute cd has an Elvis picture and the "Miracle" promo cd has Elvis pictures on the back cover. So, we're stuck with 500 cd's of each. BMG Portugal told us we could make this cd (the "Miracle" one) as it's only 500 copies and the selling is for charity. They said there's no problem about it. The cd's were sponsored by the Cureana Foundation.
The song "Miracle Of The Rosary" was dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal and the festival took place near Fatima. 

2002/11/25 Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold

SOLID GOLD ELVIS AND THE NEW ALLC CD PAGE.

The Great new modernized Elvis Website "Solid Gold Elvis" , has a new topic:
On CD - Corner: The ALLC CD Page, with the updates of every ALLC CD worldWide released.

To view this New Topic go to the Solid Gold Elvis site!

2002/11/25 Harry de Vries / Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS 30 # HITS GOES PLATINUM IN ITALY.

Now the Album 30 # 1 Hits went Platinum in Italy.

2002/11/25 Stefano Bardelli / Ep.Gold.Com.

THE NEW CANADIAN BMG RADIO COUNTRY PROMO COMPILATION # 7

This is the newest Canadian BMG Radio Country 5 track Promo Compilation No # 7
The last track contains Elvis with the song 'Burning Love" , taken from the Album : "Elvis 30 # 1 Hits" .
This Promo has no frontcover included.

2002/11/25 Barry Mc Clean / Ep.Gold.Com.

THE ELVIS 30 # 1 HITS ALBUM BACK IN THE TOP 75 ALBUMS IN THE UK.

Ep.Gold predicted last week that the Album 30 # 1 Hits would crawl back in the Top 75 Albums in the UK.
This week the Album is back at No # 9.

2002/11/25 Ep.Gold.

PIERS BEAGLEY INTERVIEWS EXCLUSIVE THE PRODUCER DAVID BENDETH
ON THE 5.1 DVD-AUDIO MULTI-CHANNEL ALBUM : ELVIS 30 # 1 HITS. 

Piers Beagley ( Vice -President EIN Elvis Website ) interviewed the Producer David Bendeth , completly focused on the new released Album 30 # 1 Hits 5.1 DVD-Adio Multi - Channel for December 10th, 2002.
This indepth interview is very enlightning and Pierce done a great job on this.
To read this complete interview : Visit the EIN Elvis Website.

2002/11/25 Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

E 1 ALBUM CHART UPDATE FINLAND.

The Album E 1 dropped in the eight week once again one spot, this week at No # 4.
The E 1 Album stayed for 2 weeks No # 1 in Finland right after it was released.

2002/11/25 Kari Paju / Ep.Gold.Com.

BUDDY KAYE COMPOSER AND LYRICIST DIED.

Buddy Kaye, a songwriter and lyricist whose work was recorded by Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Barry Manilow and Pat Boone and Elvis Presley, has died. He was 84. Kaye died of a heart attack Thursday at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. He (co)wrote several song Elvis recorded, most of them together with Ben Weisman. Titles are ‘Almost’, ‘Change Of Habit’, ‘Cindy Cindy’, ‘Have A Happy’, ‘Let Us Pray’ and ‘Never Ending’.

2002/11/25 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ELVIS DEDICATED TO HIS MUSICIANS.

I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE THE EP.GOLD READERS TO VISIT THIS NEW INTERNET SITE.

This new site mostly dedicated to the music of Elvis musicians.
Lots of music in Real Audio to listen to, all streaming format only.
There are some rare moments from a 1987 tribute programme with the TCB Band and Roger Daltry from the Who, these are in Real Video.
Lots more to come and he whishes everybody who looks at it a good time.

2002/11/25 Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

GRACELAND CHANGES TUNE ON ELVIS IMPERSONATORS.

By Donnie Snow
snow@gomemphis.com
November 24, 2002

Can you have an Elvis festival without impersonators? 
Festivals around the world were nearly forced to find out when Elvis Presley Enterprises decided in October that Graceland no longer want ed to associate with festivals that dallied with would-be kings. 

The move might have added the Elvis Tribute Artist to the endangered species list, if not for an uncommon move by EPE, which heard the complaints from the Elvis community and Tuesday changed its mind about the policy. 
The kingly crisis began unfolding when organizers of a handful of major EPE-authorized Elvis festivals received memos from EPE stating it would "no longer license any festivals that include tribute shows or talent contests" - in other words, stop using impersonators or stop using Elvis to promote festivals. 

Why? 
Come on, you know why. 

"Probably 99 percent of them are good," said Jack Soden, EPE chief executive officer. "The vast majority is a wonderful, spontaneous tribute to the image of Elvis; it's heartfelt, spontaneous and, God knows, it's universal. 
"But we've all seen pictures of people who just should not have gone outdoors in outfits like that." He tactfully didn't mention bad dye jobs, cemented hair, bold sideburns, gaudy sunglasses and flashy jumpsuits. 
"The genesis (for the original policy change) was the concern that we always have about some aspects of the Elvis impersonator contest phenomenon," Soden said. ". . . Some of the festivals were becoming more about Elvis impersonators than Elvis." 

But ask any serious Elvis Tribute Artist about what they do, and you'll hear the same answer. 
"Everything I'm doing is just to pay tribute to him," said David Lee, a professional Elvis and a major contender on the festival circuit. "Graceland disliking tribute artists is something I've never understood." 

Lee, who placed in both the ETA Super Bowl, Images of the King in Memphis and the world's largest competition, the Collingwood Elvis Festival in Ontario, Canada, could understand Graceland's disapproval if it were simply about the bad Elvis impersonators. 
"There are a bunch of guys that are crap and aren't ever going to get better," he said. "So, why don't they . . . license us because we're not going to go away. 

"I wish somebody could get through to them." 
Somebody did. 
"We told EPE we were prepared to support their decision and would take out all reference to any copyrighted material but would not cut the impersonator component," said Rosemarie Garrity, Collingwood's office manager and its lone paid staffer. "Canceling our festival was never an option." 

The festival has been a boon to Collingwood's economy and also helped market Graceland's product, Elvis. The nonprofits make no direct payment to EPE for its approval. 
After receiving close to 30 letters from frustrated festival organizers and fans since the memo went out at the end of October, EPE rescinded the policy change. 
Garrity said that after EPE reversed its decision, E-mail correspondence from EPE cited the Collingwood letter along with letters from the Michigan Elvis Festival and the Tupelo Elvis Presley Festival as being significant. 
"We do read our mail," Soden said. "We received well-reasoned and well-intended letters from fans who have enjoyed these festivals . . . from reading these, we said, 'Let's forget about the hassles. This is something, frankly, we need to support.' " 
In addition to prize money, professional impersonators get more than an ego boost from major festival competitions. Winning or placing in a big festival means more work in between contests. And that work might be teaching the next generation about Elvis. 
"I did a show Wednesday at a high school for 600 kids, and most of those kids didn't know much more than Hound Dog," Lee said. "That's 600 people who probably didn't own an Elvis CD, but maybe now there will be a few who will go out and buy one." 

Frank Sausedo, business manager for perhaps the best-known impersonator in the community, Rick Marino, author of Be Elvis, thinks the impersonators are doing more than that. 
"(The ETAs) are keeping Elvis alive throughout the United States. I think EPE needs to count their money and let everybody else do what they're going to do." 

Lee's gig is essentially grass-roots marketing for Graceland, promoting not just CD sales but good will, which Graceland should consider, said entertainment lawyer and University of Memphis professor David Wray. 
Not that any memo from Graceland would end the impersonator phenomenon any way. 

"If you take all the guys that are doing what I'm doing, it's got to help Graceland somehow," said Lee. "And I know a ton of guys that aren't gonna quit. I'm not gonna quit unless they come and lock me up." 
"We'd just be kidding ourselves if we thought we could control it," Soden admitted, "and when you start making a list of Elvis phenomena that are one-of-a-kind, the impersonator phenomenon is certainly one of those. It's unlike anything else in show business." 

2002/11/25 Donnie Snow / Ep.Gold.Com.

CIRCLE G INVESTOR LINKED TO SECURITIES FRAUD.

A principal investor in the proposed Elvis-themed resort planned for Horn Lake was president of a company targeted in legal action in Florida. In 1996-97, Daniel DelPiano was president of Premier Holidays International when the company conducted seminars seeking investors in the Tampa Bay area. Florida courts are sorting out legal claims resulting from the venture. 

Investors, on Nov. 4 won a civil judgment against DelPiano, Daniel Stetson and Premier Holidays International. They were promised a 16 percent return on their investments, but he said they received nothing. The judgment totals $536,000. 

State authorities have been investigating Premier Holidays for about a year, said Laura Royal, an investigator in financial investments-criminal enforcement with the Florida Department of Banking and Finance. 

In addition to the Florida case, a $4.6 million judgment was entered against DelPiano and Premier Holidays March 20 in federal district court in Atlanta. 

Also, DelPiano, Premier Holidays International and Sentinel Insurance Co. Ltd. lost a $12 million judgment in a federal district court in Massachusetts in 2001. 


2002/11/25 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com

 OUR BIRTHDAY PRESENT FOR ELVIS

 We will celebrate the 68 Th birthday of our king Elvis on the 8th of next January. Such a birthday without a birthday cake and present won't have any  meaning. And of course a present for a king can't be a usual one. So while  we were thinking desperately what to give, the answer suddenly appeared in my ear by one of my favourite Elvis song "If I can Dream" . I yelled "That's  it pal!" Elvis has already told us what he wanted in 1968. he wanted "peace"  that strong winds of promise that will blow away all the doupt and fear. "If  I Can Dream" of a warmer sun where hope keeps shining on everyone.

So that's how the idea to celebrate Elvis'next birthday party with the Greek fans came out.We are two nations so slosed to each other in the means of  culture and geograpy but also so distant politically. It is always easier to  hate someone you never know. So we thought that the best present to please  Elvis would be a step forward by us along the ideals inspired by himself.  This birthday party will be a great opportunity to introduce two countries'  Elvis fans to each other and establish a friendship.

We declared our project to the " Elvis Forever Fan Club" in Greece. And  after all the letters and telephone conversations made with the Elvis  Forever Fan Club administrators Anna & Evaggelos Proios we happily saw that  they are sharing the same ideals as excitedly as we are.

We already invited all Greek fans to our party in Ýstanbul in our last  letter and recieved a positive answer by the telephone conversation on the  22 Th of november. Mr. Proios told us that he started announcing the  invitation to their members and list of the guest will be clear next week.  Also he has surprise for us that a Greek singer who had an appearance in a  Columbia Records album released in 1985 " A Tribute To Elvis Presley "  wishes to take stage in our party. When we have the final list af Greek fans  appearing in this event we will announce his name on our web site  (www.elvisisinistanbulnow.com )

I think if Elvis have lived he would have a great pleasure to watch the wall  of prejudice built by irresponsible politicians, started cracking by the  inspiration he gave to us. Elvis must be watcing us from his stage in heaven  with a big smile on his face. 

Kemal ÖZNOYAN
President of Elvis is in Ýstanbul Now fan Club of Turkey

2002/11/24 Kemal Oznoyan / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS & CARS.

Elvis just loved to give away cars to his friends.
Here some nice private - shots.



2002/11/24 Ep.Gold.Com.

EPGOLD REVIEWS THE ALBUM BLUE HAWAII.

This time the album "Blue Hawaii" is reviewed by our columnist George Nelson.

To read this complete review : Go to the menu BMG CD REVIEWS or Click Here.

2002/11/24 George Nelson / Ep.Gold.Com.

E 1 ALBUM IN CANADA.

The E 1 Album has been at the top for eight weeks on the Canadian Country Album Charts.
The last four weeks, the top 5 Albums stayed at their positions.

2002/11/24 E-Mail / Ep.Gold.Com.

A LOOK AT DVD-AUDIO PART TWO.

Equipment Needed
First off, DVD-Audios will not play on normal CD players. You'll need a DVD-Audio player in order to fully capture the capabilities of these discs. A receiver with 5.1 analog inputs and five speakers (left, center, right, left surround, right surround, and a subwoofer) should also be used to capture the surround-sound capabilities of DVD-As. While pure DVD-As will not play on standard DVD players, most releases (including all the titles produced by Warner, Atlantic, and Elektra) contain a Dolby Digital surround-sound mix, making them playable on any DVD player. Though these discs are primarily audio-only, you'll be best off using them in conjunction with your TV, so you can watch the additional onscreen features (see below) and navigate the menus with ease. It's all a little complicated, but music-loving home theater enthusiasts won't be disappointed! 

Improved Sound
Thanks to a higher sampling rate than that of both standard DVDs and CDs, DVD-As have an incredibly detailed sound. And, when played through a proper home-theater setup with five or six channels (speakers), you'll get to hear your favorite music in a whole new light--in surround sound. Depending on the remastering, the effect of surround sound on your favorite album can be subtle or dramatic, but generally speaking, every DVD-Audio sounds better than its standard CD counterpart.

Additional Onscreen Features
The added onscreen features available on DVD-Audios vary from title to title. DVD-As often have extra unreleased tracks, photo slide shows of the artist performing, song lyrics, music videos, and interviews. But don't expect to get footage of a full concert or videos for every track; DVD-As devote the bulk of their space to high-quality audio-only music. Happy listening!

2002/11/24 Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS TV SPECIAL BELGIUM.

For our Belgium fans. On the Belgium television there will be an Elvis special that focusses on Elvis TV appearances in the programm 'Plankenkoorts'. The firs part will be broadcasted November 24, the second part one week later. 

Station: Canvas (Belgium 2)
Programm: Plankenkoorts "Elvis Presley"
Time: Sunday November 24, 13:00 uur 

Part 2 one week later.

2002/11/24 TTF / ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

TWO NEW IMPORT CD'S : CHRISTMAS WITH MEMORY ! 

Memory Records strikes again with two great new CD's containing unreleased Elvis concert recordings. CAUGHT IN THE ACT (MR 2027-2) contains the spectacular August 26th, 1973 Las Vegas Midnight Show. Elvis is in exceptional form during this concert, and delights the audience with an excellent mix of rock 'n' roll ('Johnny B.Goode'), gospel ('How Great Thou Art'), blues ('Steamroller Blues'), greatest hits ('Suspicious Minds', country ('Release Me') and ballads ('The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'). In the case of 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face', he even includes the verse that was omitted from the studio version! 
A very touching moment is when Elvis introduces his six-year old daughter Lisa Marie to the audience, and dedicates 'Teddy Bear' to her. Sleevenotes for this release were written by Elvis expert Arjan Deelen, author of the excellent CAUGHT IN A TRAP book. 

The second release is SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW (MR 2028-2) and it contains the January 26th, 1974 Opening Show. This release and the first one complement eachother very well; five months after the turbulent August / September 1973 engagement a more subdued Elvis returns to Vegas, and surprises the audiences with new songs from the recent Stax sessions ('Spanish Eyes', 'Help Me'), as well as the completely new 'Let Me Be There'. This concert also marks the debut of bass player Duke Bardwell, who performed with Elvis from January 1974 to April 1975. 

Both CD's contain top-notch audience recordings, copied from the original tapes, and digitally improved using the latest technology. As you've come to expect from our label, both are also excellently packaged with sleevenotes, rare photos and all the necessary info. They are pressed in a limited quantity, so don't wait and order them today!! They sell at the usual MEMORY price. 

2002/11/23 Arjan Deelen / Memory Records / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS' ARMY BARBERSHOP SAVED.

The Fort Chaffee Public Trust eased a few suspicious minds Thursday by vowing never to sell to private investors the barbershop where Elvis Presley got his military haircut. The trust unanimously rejected a Fort Smith man’s $1,000 bid for the old barbershop. The decision was a relief to Fort Smith teacher Jan Honeycutt, whose Beard Elementary School students have been working since 1996 to make the now-empty barbershop a tourist attraction.

Students and former students of Honeycutt’s economics classes have fought to save the barbershop after one of her classes learned the building was scheduled for demolition six years ago.

“It was the site of one of the most famous haircuts in the world, probably next to Samson and Delilah,” said Seubold, who documented the early efforts of Honeycutt’s classes to save Building 803.

The building, located on Terry Street, was among more than 7,000 acres of surplus base property turned over to the trust.

Honeycutt’s classes have a bank account of more than $900 earmarked for restoration of the building. Each year, her class hosts a fund-raiser near the anniversary of Presley’s March 25, 1958, haircut.

Trust Executive Director Sandy Sanders said plans call for the building to be moved and restored near Wells Like near the site of the River Valley Nature Center. The nature center is scheduled for completion in 2004.


2002/11/23 Yahoo news / ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

A LOOK AT DVD - AUDIO.

First, we listened to albums on vinyl, then we had CDs, and now there's something called DVD-Audio. What's the difference? A lot! DVD-A is the latest way to hear multichannel, audiophile-quality albums in your home, using your DVD or DVD-Audio player. A DVD-A can hold up to seven times the data of a normal CD, which results in added features and better sound. Also, with its sampling rate higher than that of average CDs (up to 192 kHz, whereas most CDs get 44.1 kHz), you may hear a lot of details in music on a DVD-A that you'd never discover on an average CD. And, since nearly all DVD-As are engineered for multichannel/surround-sound listening (using five or six speakers), with the right equipment, you'll be able to hear your favorite music in breathtaking surround sound. 

2002/11/23 Ep.Gold.Com.

AMC ELVIS PRESLEY DAY DECEMBER ON DECEMBER 1st 2002.

It may be 25 years since the king of rock 'n roll left us, but the man and his music are still very much alive and well, thank you, thank you very much. In this 25th anniversary year. once again, experience the magic the singer spun on screen. 

Elvis Presley Movie Marathon 
1 Easy Come, Easy Go (1967) Sunday, Dec. 1 6:00 AM / EST 
2 King Creole (1958) Sunday, Dec. 1 8:00 AM / EST 
3 Change of Habit (1969) Sunday, Dec. 1 10:25 AM / EST 
4 Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966) Sunday, Dec. 1 12:20 PM / EST 
5 Roustabout (1964) Sunday, Dec. 1 2:15 PM / EST 
6 Fun in Acapulco (1963) Sunday, Dec. 1 4:10 PM / EST 
7 G.I. Blues (1960) Sunday, Dec. 1 6:05 PM / EST 
8 Blue Hawaii (1961) Sunday, Dec. 1 8:00 PM / EST 
9 Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) Sunday, Dec. 1 9:55 PM / EST 
10 Easy Come, Easy Go (1967) Sunday, Dec. 1 11:50 PM / EST 
11 Change of Habit (1969) Monday, Dec. 2 1:45 AM / EST 
12 Roustabout (1964) Monday, Dec. 2 3:40 AM / EST 
13 Elvis '56 (1987) Monday, Dec. 2 5:35 AM / EST 

A Southern Writer Recalls When the King Rules 
By Jill McCorkle 
Whenever I come across an old Elvis movie on television, I just stop whatever I'm doing and step right in: Hawaii, Acapulco, Las Vegas, New Orleans -- the race-car circuit, a carnival, the military, a clambake. Even before there were impersonators and Elvis sightings, the King himself had already been there, done that. He was a tour guide and a lifeguard, a biker, a pilot, a frogman, a cowboy, a troubled youth with mob connections, a ghetto doctor who helped troubled youths. He played hillbilly identical twins. He was even in the Civil War. But regardless of the time or place or costume, he was always a singer. He was always the star, the hero, the one who got the girl, the one who saved the day, the one who did the right thing. You leave an Elvis movie with a couple of songs running through your head and a rhythm in your walk. 

For me these movies remain like long-lost friends, links to a generation fueled by early rock and roll -- a more innocent and moral time. Now I was a quite a bit younger than the front-and-center Elvis crowd, but it was impossible to grow up in the South during the '60s and '70s without genuine respect for the man. Even in his later Vegas years, there were millions of us clinging to those larger-than-life characters he had portrayed during his prolific movie run. There was no generation he missed. I knew women going on 60 who cried when they heard "Love Me Tender." My parents had his 45s, and my sister and I listened to "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" as much as they did. When I was going to see his movies I was at just the right age to wish that I was Shelley Fabares or Juliet Prowse or Ursula Andress. I wanted to grow up to be the kind of teenage woman Elvis would pull out of the crowd, off the beach, out of the stadium, away from the carnival, into the boat, onto the horse, out of the harem, and so on. In my hometown there were two theaters: The Carolina and the Riverside. Each showed one movie. Each sold jumbo dill pickles for a dime. Charms suckers for fifteen cents. My ticket price during those years ranged from 35 to 75 cents. It was a lot for the money. The show ran without ceasing ... movie credits rolled right back into the cartoon. They didn't clear the theater, which meant that we could go at one and stay until five or six, watch the movie at least two times and sometimes three. It was a great big cozy living room and Elvis was ours all day long. Sometimes we might go back the next afternoon. In the summer, when in need of a cool spot with lots of good snacks, we definitely would. 

I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite Elvis movie. Fun in Acapulco (1963) would have to be up there. Blue Hawaii (1961) absolutely. I love Girl Happy (1965), Roustabout (1964), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) and Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966). I'll admit, the movie plots don't vary tremendously: Elvis plays a nice hardworking guy who somehow is able to right a wrong while also winning the girl while also singing and winning the hearts of old and young alike. You will feel good at the end. You will snap your fingers and wiggle your hips and long for days when the eight track was the most high-tech thing you had ever heard about. 

The last time that I ever saw an Elvis movie on the big screen was Change of Habit in 1969 at the Riverside Theatre. I was eleven and a friend and I went and stayed through two and a half shows. This is the one where Elvis is a handsome ghetto doctor and Mary Tyler Moore is a nun. A close friendship ensues and there is chemistry all over the place. What I remember most aside from how Elvis's teeth are as white as his clean white coat, is the end where we see a torn MTM looking back and forth between the statue of Jesus and Elvis as he sings to the masses whose lives he has touched and saved. She looks back and forth: Jesus. Elvis. Jesus. Elvis. I remember taking a grape Charms sucker from my mouth and leaning in close to the friend beside me to whisper: "Choose Elvis, choose Elvis," which left us rolling in our seats. 

And this leads to my personal recommendation for how to enjoy Elvis flicks. Don't analyze. Don't try to deconstruct his songs or the way he looks at Ann-Margret. Don't begin to philosophize about the different costumes and how he is always quite a bit smarter than the guys he hangs out with. These are movies to simply kick back with and enjoy. They're entertaining and fun. They epitomize youthful fantasy. It's why we used to fight over who got to be Ann-Margret and who got to pretend Elvis was her boyfriend. He was always the first choice, always ahead of Dr. Kildare and Dr. Ben Casey and the Barkley brothers from The Big Valley (1965), which starred Barbara Stanwyck, who also stars in Roustabout (1964), which is about as philosophical as I can allow myself to get. Otherwise it interferes with what is really important: the body, the voice, the smile, the eyes. The man who would be the King. But keep in mind that this is the King before he became the King. This is the boy from Tupelo with many good years still ahead of him. This is the way to remember Elvis. 

Author of six novels and two collections of short stories, Jill McCorkle has written most recently Final Vinyl Days. She also wrote about Norma Rae in the July 1999 issue of AMC Magazine. 

2002/11/23 AMC / Elvis World Japan / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS LIVES THROUGH CHRIS ISAAK AND NBC.

On a recent cold and rainy Saturday evening at the KTLA studios on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, singer/actor Chris Isaak sits down to talk about the man who, for him, started it all.

Isaak has just finished shooting promos for an NBC special called "Elvis Lives," airing at 10 p.m. ET on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28. The set is reminiscent of the bare, square stage used by Elvis Presley in his 1968 TV special, Elvis: One Night With You," and so is the black-leather suit Isaak is wearing.

But for Isaak, it's not about the look. " I know a lot of stuff about him, because, over the years, I've read enough books, but I'm not really what year he was born, what's his birth date. I'm not a baseball-statistics kind of guy."

" But if you ask me what songs, I know the music pretty well, and particularly that early stuff that Sam Phillips and Scotty Moore played on. That, to me, is a really fascinating time. It was really a band of guys who put the music together, who made rock 'n' roll."

" It was Elvis Presley, the voice, the face; Scotty Moore, the guitar, that sound; [bass player] Bill Black; [drummer] D.J. Fontana; and Sam Phillips producing."

" With any one of those guys out of the picture -- if Scotty Moore hadn't been in the picture -- I don't think it would have come out like that. Elvis could easily have been far more country, but Scotty Moore dragged him to some new place."

" Elvis Lives" celebrates Presley's legacy with commentary and performances by such contemporary stars as Bono, Tom Petty, Sheryl Crow, No Doubt, Dave Matthews, LeAnn Rimes and Britney Spears. Along with stories, reflections and archival footage, the special features selected performances by modern artists of four Presley classics from the recent RCA release " Elvis 30 Number One Hits."

Isaak owns his leather jacket and pants, which represent a moment in TV history where Presley tried to recapture the magic he'd had in his early years as a hip-shaking, lip-twitching cultural firestorm.

It's those early years -- raw and wild and unpredictable -- captured by Sun Records in Memphis, Tenn., in the mid-1950s, that are closest to Isaak's heart. " I stood with my drummer in front of Sun Studios," he recalls. " We looked at each other -- and we're the two most sarcastic musicians; everything is a reason for a joke -- and we're like, 'We're on hallowed ground.'"

" I looked at him and said, 'Elvis Presley stood here when he was 18. He walked through this door.' What was special there? Elvis, Sam Phillips and the idea in the heart to do it. No, the microphone isn't magic. The guitar isn't magic. All those things are picked up as the Holy Grail, but there are other microphones and other guitars that sound great. It's just the singer, the songs, the idea."

While Isaak is happy to be host of a special that features new covers of Elvis tunes, he doesn't think the magic has happened again.

" I like Elvis," he says. " There's a little bit of his sound, maybe, in what I do. I've been on different shows where people have done Elvis songs, like this Elvis special. This is not to rag anybody, because I include myself in this, but 20 different people, and we all sang an Elvis song. It's an interesting statement to say about a guy, these are all today's top, biggest stars, and each picked the song they thought they did best, and I don't think any of us did as good as Elvis."

" You just don't improve on what he did."

According to Isaak, it's not about perfection, either. " You put on, 'One Night With You,' you listen to the recording of that -- my band was listening to it -- it's so sloppy. The band was all over the place. And it was so great, because it's so sloppy."

" Today, you would never get that on the radio."

Asked where it all came from, Isaak says, " We were on tour. We were right near where he grew up, Tupelo, Miss. We stopped the bus; we were getting a Foster's Freeze or something like that. I'm talking to my drummer. It's the middle of the night, like three or four in the morning, and I said, 'Kenny, come out here, look around.' It's real hot, summertime, you hear crickets."

" You're looking out at this farmland, and I go, 'We're out in the middle of nowhere, and this is 2001. Imagine how nowhere this was in 1951, when Elvis was growing up.' You're there, you're a kid, and you say, 'I want to dress like this, I want to sing like this.' You just go, 'That kind of talent, put into one person, it doesn't happen very often.'"

Isaak also wants people to know that Presley wasn't a one-man band. " Don't forget the King's men, Bill Black and Scotty Moore. They never made much money out of the deal, but hell, if someone came around and said every musician had to pay 50 bucks to Scotty Moore, I'd gladly give him 50 bucks. We owe him that much for the riffs and the music that he gave."

" Don't forget the King's men; don't forget the King."

2002/11/23 Kate O'Hara - Zap2it / Elvis From Poland / Ep.Gold.Com.

FIVE NEW ELVIS IMPORT CDR 'S RELEASED.

A great new Import CDR of Elvis is released, a following up for Elvis Meets Presley....
Volume 2 with a improved sound quality of the duet Elvis & Lisa :"Don't Cry Daddy". 
Now you are able to listen to this song : Click Here  

For more information on the other Imports :Click Here

2002/11/22 Ep.Gold.Com.

NEW FTD CD ELVIS AT THE INTERNATIONAL.

On November 16th we mentioned on our Hot E News, that this is the New Title for the new upcoming release of the FTD Label :" Elvis At The International" .

But now we are also able to confirm that this CD the Live-song "Are You Lonesome Tonight" , is NOT the famous hit Laughing Version 'Are you Lonesome tonight".

Details: Live Show from the International Hotel on August 23, 1969.
Track List: 
Blue Suede Shoes; I Got A Woman;All Shook Up;Love Me Tender;Jailhouse Rock/Don¹t Be Cruel; Heartbreak Hotel; Hound Dog ; Memories;Mystery Train/Tiger Man; Monologue; Baby What You Want Me To Do;Runaway (Crook/Shannon);Reconsider Baby; Are You Lonesome Tonight?; Yesterday/Hey Jude (Lennon/McCartney);Introductions of Band;In The Ghetto; Suspicious Minds ; What¹d I Say;Can¹t Help Falling In Love 

2002/11/22 Ernst Jorgensen - FTD / Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

NORWEGIAN AWARDS.

After a few weeks of bad chart news from Norway we finally received some good news. the single 'A Little Less Conversation' went Double Platinum and the 'ELV1S 30 #1 hits' is on its way to Platinum, it was already Gold two months ago. The CD started to sell again.

2002/11/22 Flaming Star / ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

DUTCH CHART UPDATE.

In both the Dutch Top 40 album chart and the Mega Top 100 album chart the CD 'ELV1S 30 #1 Hits' dropped from #4 to #9 in its 8th week on the chart. In the Free Record Shop album chart the CD dropped from #11 to #14.

2002/11/22 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com

E 1 CANADIAN CHART UPDATE.

Elvis 30 # 1 Hits dropped this week from No # 5 to No # 7.

2002/11/22 Email / Ep.Gold.Com.

DJ JXL EQUIPMENT STOLEN.

Devastating news!

Tom's live gear has been stolen from his studio in Amsterdam, only two days before his grand performance at the Dutch Dimension-event at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam! Under these sad circumstances the event has been cancelled. It is not clear how Junkie XL's gear has been stolen, but we're asking all music lovers and Junkie XL-fans in Holland and around the world to look out for the following gear: Akai MPC 4000 in a rugged case (Nook), Yamaha AW 4416 (power button is missing and the red master fader is loose), also in a rugged case (Nook), MPC 2000 XL (the power button is missing) and a black hardbag with cables and feeding (plastered with a Soulfly-sticker). For the person who can lead us to the stolen gear we offer a reward of € 2500,-. Please mail all information to: findjunkiexlgear@hotmail.com 

2002/11/22 JXL / Ep.Gold.Com.

OPENING AUTO MUSEUM TUPELO.

Anticipation grows daily for the opening of the Tupelo Automobile Museum. All the cars are in place - including Elvis Presley's 1976 blue-and-creme Lincoln Mark IV complete with a copy of the $13,386.69 check to Kumpf Motor Car Co. in Denver - and await their first (droolers) visitors. 

A good many of the speakers describing each of the cars - at least all 110 that will be on display - are already hooked up and running. The carpet in the entrance of the building has been laid, and the rest rooms are all shiny and operable. 

The $3.25 million, 120,000 square-foot building that will be the permanent home to Frank Spain's amazing $11.2 million car collection has drawn attention from all over everywhere. 

2002/11/22 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS 30 # 1 HITS GOLD IN BRAZIL.

Elvis 30# 1 hits got the gold certification here in Brazil, with 180.000 copies sold. To achieve the gold status here in Brazil, the artist have to sell 100.000, so Elvis is almost 2x gold. The MTV magazine of november has a little article about this and also says Elvis is the best seller International artist this year, beeing ahead of Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Alanis Morissette. Also, BMG and MTV are doing a contest that will give away a free Elvis cd ( 30# 1) and a Volkswagen Polo Elvis. The car has the same color of the cover of the cd and has ELV1s logo on doors and front.

2002/11/22 Sergio Luiz / Ep.Gold.Com.

CHRISTMAS AT GRACLEAND 2002.

Following is an alert issued from EPE to the news media today:

GRACELAND TO SHINE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH ANNUAL JENNINGS OSBORNE LIGHTS SPECTACULAR AND ELVIS’ TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS 

Live Web GracelandCam To Showcase Lights at www.elvis.com

WHAT: Graceland will officially begin the holiday season on Friday, November 29 with the annual lighting of the traditional lights and decorations on the mansion property. The extensive spectacle includes hundreds of blue lights along the driveway, a life-size Nativity scene, Santa and his sleigh and much more originally displayed by Elvis. For the fourth year, Arkansas philanthropist Jennings Osborne and his family have constructed expanded spectacular displays of over two million lights in the backyard of Graceland mansion and in Graceland Plaza. For the third year, a view of the spectacle can be enjoyed anywhere in the world via the LIVE GracelandCam at www.elvis.com.

WHEN: Friday, November 29 at Dusk

WHERE: Graceland, Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee

SPECIAL NOTES:
The Osborne displays are in addition to Elvis' traditional interior and exterior Christmas decor which Graceland still presents as always. Arkansas philanthropist Jennings Osborne and his family became nationally famous with the extravagant holiday lighting they created for their home in Little Rock Now the Osbornes provide lights for over 32 cities and sites in Arkansas as well as Disney World and Graceland. Their lighting displays are a gift to the communities that enjoy them.

2002/11/22 EPE / Ep.Gold.Com.

PORTUGESE CHART UPDATE.

The E 1 Album dropped from # 18 to # 25 this week in the Portugese Album Charts.
And also "A Little Less Conversation", dropped one spot from # 8 to # 9 in the Singles Charts.

2002/11/21 Burningstar / Ep.Gold.Com.

BILLBOARD CHARTS.

The CD 'ELV1S 30 #1 Hits' is dropped two places on the Hot 100 chart to #21. The album climbed one spot on the internet sales and moved up up from #4 to #3 on the Country charts. 

The CD 'It's Christmas Time' climbed up to #5 on the Pop Catalogue charts.

2002/11/21 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

CATCHING UP WITH .....RONNIE MC DOWELL.

Ronnie McDowell celebrates his 25th anniversary in music at the same time he’s remembering the 25 years since Elvis Presley’s death. That’s not exactly a coincidence – in fact, the connection is downright eerie.

Ronnie launched his career by writing and recording a tribute to Elvis, “The King Is Gone,” shortly after Elvis’ death in 1977. The heartfelt ballad, sung in a deep, Elvis-like tone, hit the Top 20 on both the country and pop charts. Ronnie went on to score over a dozen Top 10 country tunes and even a pair of No. 1s, “Older Women” and “You’re Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation.”

“It is kinda weird to me,” admits Ronnie, “that I got started because of Elvis’ death. But I wrote that song from my heart, because I was the world’s biggest Elvis fan. I meant it sincerely.”

Not everyone shared his conviction, though.”People magazine named it the Worst Song of the Year,” Ronnie remembers with a generous laugh. “I actually thought that was pretty funny.”

But Ronnie’s totally serious about his new album, Ronnie McDowell: A Tribute To The King, which commemorates Elvis’ legacy with Ronnie’s take on 24 of his biggest hits, including “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Love Me Tender.”

“I did the album with some of the guys from Elvis’ original band – Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana and the Jordanaires,” notes Ronnie. “That makes it really special.”

Ronnie has two other projects on his plate: an album of ’60s “beach music” with pop icons The Drifters, and another upcoming country CD. He’s also helping guide the career of his talented 12-year-old son, Tyler. “He wants to sing for a living,” declares the proud dad. “I think there are some lessons I can pass along to him.”

Ronnie remembers learning his the tough way. “Some people looked at ‘The King Is Gone’ as a novelty record and thought I was a one-dimensional artist,” he says. “After that, I had a little trouble getting played at radio.

“I realized at that point,” he continues, “that I had to be a good entertainer. You have to give people a show – and thank God I figured that out early in my career. I think that’s why I still have a strong fan base.”

And fans are seeing a re-energized Ronnie these days. “I’m in better shape physically than I have been in a while,” he notes, running a hand through his hair.

“I feel good about everything

I’m doing.”


2002/11/21 Elvis Presley From Poland / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS INSPIRED FASHION.

Record company BMG Europe has rallied support from international fashion designers to create clothing and accessories, inspired by the King of Rock and Roll, to raise funds for The Prince’s Trust in a charity auction at Sotheby’s Olympia in London on Thursday 5th December 2002.

BMG Europe, the record company of artists like Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston and the Foo Fighters, has gathered together an amazing group of designers to create fashion based on the icon of pop culture, Elvis Presley. Inspired by the success of ELV1S 30 # 1 HITS, Elvis’ latest album that has soared to the top of the charts in 26 territories worldwide, the top designers will create clothes, belts, sun glasses and much more.

Among them to date: Cat Swanson,Ozwald Boateng, Marjan Pejoski, Wale Adeyemi, Temperley London, Betsey Johnson, Tata Naka, Pringle Scotland, Scott Henshall, Ben de Lisi, Julien Macdonald, Ghost, Arkadius, Levi Strauss, Joe Casley-Hayford, Max Azzria BcBG, Rifat Özbek, Karen Walker, YMC and Paul & Vinti Andrews and many other top designers. The pieces will be auctioned by Sotheby’s on 5th December 2002 with proceeds going towards The Prince’s Trust Fashion Initiative.

Announced by Prince’s Trust President, HRH The Prince of Wales in February 2001, the Fashion Initiative is a partnership with the fashion industry to help disadvantaged young people get a foothold in fashion, helping them maximise jobs and skills opportunities. Currently eight per cent of the young people The Prince’s Trust sets up in business are in the fashion and design industry.

"When thinking about how to position Elvis as a contemporary icon, FashionMusic and I came up with the idea of asking top fashion designers to design pieces inspired by Elvis Presley and based on one of the 30 number one hits on the ELV1S 30#1 HITS album. They all loved the idea and everybody has begun to work. Best of all is the fact that we have Sotheby's on board and The Prince's Trust for the charity. It's fantastic!" says Marcel Swagers, Senior European Online Marketing Manager of BMG Europe.

FashionMusic, working in close collaboration with BMG, has been responsible for developing the Elvis auction concept and has forged new relationships with designers and managed the development of some twenty Elvis inspired creations. Additionally Fashion Music has been instrumental in negotiating the Prince's Trust involvement in the project.

Wayne Hemingway, Prince’s Trust Ambassador and Designer added: "I am delighted The Prince's Trust will benefit from the Elvis inspired auction. The money raised will be used by The Prince's Trust to help nurture young creative talent in Britain. I'm sure that if Elvis had still been with us he would have been a Prince’s Trust supporter, but sadly he’s not around so I am doing the honours.“

Kerry Taylor, Head of Theme Sales at Sotheby’s, Olympia commented: “We are thrilled to be involved in this auction that promises to be a really exciting occasion bringing together fashion and music and most importantly benefiting The Prince’s Trust“.

Nearly 6 million copies of Elvis Presley’s ELV1S 30#1 HITS have been sold worldwide as of October 2002. Released on September 24, the album has reached the top of the charts in 26 territories

The auction of Elvis inspired clothing and accessories will take place on Thursday 5th December 2002 from 7pm at Sotheby’s Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London W14. Catalogues, costing Ł15 each, admit two people to the auction. To order a catalogue phone Sotheby’s catalogue subscripton on +44(0)207293 6444.

Additional Information

Following is the list of the designers onboard so far and the song(s) each has chosen as a theme for an existing or specially created item to place in the auction:

Cat Swanson - "Heartbreak Hotel"
Ozwald Boateng - "Don't Be Cruel"
Marjan Pejoski - "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear"
Wale Adeyemi - "Hard Headed Woman"
Temperley London - "One Night"
Betsey Johnson - "Stuck on You"
Tata Naka - "Can't Help Falling in Love"
Pringle Scotland - "It's Now or Never"
Scott Henshall - "All Shook Up" & "Big Hunk o' Love"
Ben de Lisi - "Suspicious Minds"
Julien Macdonald - "A Little Less Conversation"
Ghost - "Love Me Tender"
Arkadius - "You're the Devil in Disguise" & "Crying in the Chapel"
Levi Strauss -"Jailhouse Rock"
Joe Casley-Hayford - "Good Luck Charm"
Max Azzria BcBG - "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"
Rifat Özbek - "Surrender"
Karen Walker - "In the Ghetto"
YMC - "Burning Love"
Paul & Vinti Andrews - "Too Much" & "Return to Sender"

2002/11/21 BMG Europe / Ep.Gold.Com

PRESLEY PLACE UPDATE.

Following is a press release from MIFA with updates about Presley Place:

Presley Place, the housing community named after late entertainer Elvis Presley and his family, continues to make a difference in the lives of homeless families by providing shelter and a nurturing environment where residents can learn the skills and get the education they need to be independent and productive members of society.

Presley Place is a joint venture between the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation and the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) that houses dozens of families annually. The complex consists of two four-bedroom apartments and 10 two-bedroom apartments and is part of MIFA’s Estival Communities with 77-units providing homeless families with transitional housing in south-central Memphis.

Since it opened in July 2001, Presley Place has been home to more than 13 adults and 32 children who were forced from their homes by fire, eviction or domestic violence. Presley Place gives these families a safe environment to live in while they get the job skills or the education and training they need. Without Presley Place, these families would have no place to go.

“Presley Place is providing children and families the opportunity to grow both mentally and socially,” said Margaret Craddock, MIFA Executive Director. “Without the support of the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation and the thousands of devoted fans that contribute to the cause, we could not provide this valuable service for the homeless in Elvis’ hometown.”

The Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association unites all faiths, ages & cultures to meet human needs and develop lasting solutions that help our neighbors live with hope, independence and dignity.

2002/11/21 MIFA / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVISFEST CAN LET IT SHAKE AGAIN.

Elvis blinked, and the Michigan Elvisfest will go on complete with impersonators, rhinestones and its good name. Elvis Presley Enterprises, guardian of all things Elvis, decreed two weeks ago that every Elvis celebration must either dispense with imitation Elvises or stop using Elvis' name and likeness. 

That left Ypsilanti's Elvisfest caught between a hound dog and a fire hydrant. There's not much point to an Elvis festival without Elvises, and "Michigan Deceased Rock Singer from Tupelo Festival" takes too long to say. 

Then, Tuesday morning, Elvisfest director Tracy Briggs awoke to an e-mail from EPE declaring it had changed its corporate mind and would "license all festivals once again." 

"Every now and again, the little guy comes out ... well, I won't say 'on top,' because they came out on top as much as we did," Briggs says generously. But the pleas and arguments from affected Elvis festivals -- along with heaps of bad publicity -- won the day. 

Briggs says she pointed out that without supervision from Graceland, cheesy festivals could run rampant across the landscape. There also was the whole incongruity of EPE putting the squeeze on nonprofit civic celebrations in the name of someone who used to give Cadillacs to virtual strangers. 

At EPE in Memphis, the director of worldwide licensing says she was won over by the fundamental sincerity of the 20 or so Elvis festivals it sanctions. As for the initial problem, Carol Butler blames those pesky, troublemaking Canadians. 

The Collingwood, Ontario, Elvis Festival draws 70,000 people to the Georgian Bay area every July. Its imitators spawned imitators, Butler says, including festivals in Brantford, Ontario; Penticton, British Columbia; and some others she couldn't think of right off hand. 

"One festival would call and complain about another," Butler says: The dates or locations were too close together, or one festival wasn't playing fair, or one festival was touching the other festival's stuff. 

"It was like handling small children," she says. "We were taking our maps out, trying to figure out the distance between one place and another and how long it would take to drive if you wanted to go to both." 

The new directive from the King's court tells the festivals to work those things out themselves. In Ypsilanti, meanwhile, where everyone gets along just fine, Briggs says things are back to normal. 

Organizers are lining up musical acts and fried banana sandwich vendors and all the other things that make up an Elvisfest. They're making grand plans for their expanded space at Riverside Park, across the street from the smaller Frog Island Park where they drew 7,000 people last year. 

The dates are July 11-12, Briggs says, and y'all come, because Elvis lives. 

(By Neal Rubin / The Detroit News)

2002/11/21 Yahoo News /ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE WORLDWIDE FAMOUS WRITER ON BIOGRAPHY BOOKS MARSHALL TERRILL.

Marshall Terrill is also known as a writer in the Elvis World for his latest two books: 
Barbara Leigh's "The King, Mc Queen and The Love Machine, "Sergeant Presley" : Our untold Story of Elvis' Missing Years.

And now working with Sonny West "Taking Care Of Business" .

Read this exclusive interview conducted by Andylon Lensen for Ep.Gold.
Go to the Menu Interviews or Click Here

2002/11/21 Marshall Terrill / Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

2002/11/20 Andrew Hearn -Essential Elvis / Ep.Gold.Com.

DINNER AT EIGHT

I wondered if anyone noticed the spelling mistake on the new FTD "Dinner At Eight" , Elvis sings Poke Salad Annie instead of Polk Salad Annie?

2002/11/20 Keith Flynn / Ep.Gold.Com.

NEW PROMO BURNING LOVE FROM CHILI.

BMG has released in Chile the single "Burning Love" and the above picture is the promo CD including this track. The 30 #1 Hits is the biggest seller CD in Chile. The CD was #1 in the chart for 7 weeks, and now dropped at # 2. The new site of the Official Chilean club will be open next Saturday night with a great party/show with the club members. Our new site is www.elvischile.cl and new mail elvischile@elvischile.cl

2002/11/20 Mario Silva Fajardo / Ep.Gold.Com.

GREAT ELVIS WEBSITE ELVIS IN PERSON FROM POLAND.

We would like the EPGold readers to invite and view a great Elvis website from POLAND, "Elvis In Person".
It's a bi-langual site with lots of interesting topics.

To visite this site, click on the banner!

2002/11/20 Tomek Michalczyk - ELVIS IN PERSON / EPGold.com

ELVIS VS JXL ON NEW BMG AUSTRALIA "SO FRESH" RELEASE.

Elvis vs JXL On New BMG Australia "So Fresh" Release
BMG Australia releases its latest compilation album of hits, So Fresh - The Hits Of Summer 2003 plus The Biggest Hits of 2002, on 25 November, 2002. Elvis vs JXL is the first track on disc 2 of the double album. 

Disc 1 :1. The Ketchup Song (Asereje) - Las Ketchup, 2. Down Boy - Holly Valance, 3. Don't Turn Off The Light - Enrique Iglesias, 4. Cinderella - Shakaya, 5. Outside Of Me - Killing Heidi, 6. The Logical Song - Scooter, 7. Papa Don't Preach - Kelly Osbourne, 8. Two Wrongs - Wyclef Jean feat. Claudette Ortiz, 9. Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous - Good Charlotte, 10. James Dean (I Wanna Know) - Daniel Bedingfield, 11. Unbreakable - Westlife, 12. All Eyez On Me - Monica, 13. I Love It When We Do - Ronan Keating, 14. Electrical Storm – U2, 15. Round Round - Sugababes, 16. No Matta What (Party All Night) - Toya, 17. I've Got You - Marc Anthony, 18. What You Got - Abs, 19. Symphony Of Life - Tina Arena, 20. Just The Way You Are - Milky

Disc 2 : 1. A Little Less Conversation - Elvis vs JXL, 2. Freeek! - George Michael, 3. Insatiable - Darren Hayes, 4. U Got It Bad - Usher, 5. Something More Beautiful - Nikki Webster, 6. Hot In Herre - Nelly, 7. Murder On The Dancefloor - Sophie Ellis Bextor, 8. Hey Baby - DJ Otzi, 9. No Such Thing – John Mayer, 10. Hero - Chad Kroeger, 11. Way Love's Supposed To Be - Selwyn, 12. Livin' It Up - Ja Rule, 13. Girlfriend - Alicia Keys, 14. Caught In The Middle - A1, 15. Wherever You Will Go - The Calling, 16. Heaven - DJ Sammy & Yanou feat. Do, 17. Hide U - Kosheen, 18. Get The Party Started - Pink, 19. It Just Won't Do - Tim Deluxe, 20. Superman (It's Not Easy) - Five For Fighting

2002/1120 EIN / Ep.Gold.Com.

THE FOUR NEW DVD'S US PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT.


These are the for new DVD's from US Paramount Home Entertainment
Release Date January 7th, 2003. Region 1 - NTSC. 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound mono.
The Titles are : "Girls, Girls, Girls,", "Fun In Acapulco", "Paradise Hawaiian Style" and "Easy Come, Easy Go" .

2002/11/20 Paramount Home Entertainment / Ep.Gold.Com.

YOUR DAILY THOUGHT....FOR THE EP.GOLD.READERS....

Inner Strength

If you can start the day without caffeine or pep pills,

If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, 

If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,

If you can overlook when people take things out on you when,
through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can face the world without lies and deceit,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without liquor,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

If you can do all these things.......

Then you are probably the family dog. 

2002/11/20 Bob Hayden / Ep.Gold.Com.

LILO AND STITCH SOUNDTRACK NOMINATED.

Hip-hop and rap dominated when nominations were announced in Beverly Hills Tuesday for the 30th American Music Awards, as Ashanti, Eminem and Nelly led the field with four nominations each. The link to Elvis is the nomination of the 'Lilo And Stitch' soundtrack for favorite movie soundtrack (with 'The Scorpion King' and 'Spider-Man').

'Lilo And Stitch' is coming out on DVD December 3rd, but is still playing in 232 cinemas in North America (Canada/USA). 

2002/11/20 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

E 1 PLATINUM IN GERMANY.

According to the album chart overview in Germany the CD 'Elvis 30 N#1 Hits' is Platinum in Germany. At the moment the CD is at #12 from #6. 

2002/11/20 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS HAIR SELLS FOR OVER $100,000. 

A wad of Presley's jet black locks, about the size of a baseball, sold at auction Saturday for $115,120. The bidder was anonymous. MastroNet Inc., a suburban Oak Brook Internet auction house, listed the hair in a sale that began last month and ended about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, november 16th. Bidding started at $10,000. Thirty-two bids were placed, said Julie Stoklosa, spokeswoman for MastroNet. "As soon as one bid would be placed, it would get hit again. It was quite fun," she said. A hair sample from a favorite celebrity gives a fan "an association much more personal than that of a simple autograph," a catalog from the auction said. The Elvis locks were collected by the king of rock 'n' roll's former hairstylist, Homer "Mr. Gill" Gilleland, said Brian Marren, MastroNet vice president of acquisitions. Gilleland, now deceased, gave the hair to friend Tom Morgan, who sold it through the auction house. The clippings, which Gilleland had in a plastic bag, are now kept in a jar with a vacuum seal. 

2002/11/19 Arjan Deelen / Ep.Gold.Com.

NEW DVD RELEASED IN BRAZIL.

This new DVD "Aloha in Hawaii" , is released on November 13th, 2002.

This DVD is Region 0 - ( Region free )

2002/119 Elvis Club Berlin / Ep.Gold.Com.

SANITY HAS LEFT THE BUILDING.

Here's how much we've evolved in this country over the past 40 years: In 1962, a young truck driver named Elvis Presley had become a rock superstar singing about hound dogs, tender love and his mama, whom he apparently loved.
In 2002, Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, has become the country's hottest recording star rapping about rape, drugs and his mother, whom he apparently hates. She sued him for $10 million. He called her a slut in one of his songs.

In both cases, polite society cringed. Elvis was blatantly sexy and a danger to so-called nice girls. Eminem's lyrics are so corrosive and coarse that many stores refuse to sell his CDs to minors. Yet young Americans flock to Eminem - 70% of those who paid to see his new movie are under 25.

Elvis, of course, had a profound effect on young Americans. Millions of young boys slicked back their hair and adopted Elvis moves on the dance floor. I was one of those boys.

Eminem has left his calling card as well. Two school teachers here in New York told me it is not uncommon for 10-year-old boys to call little girls in their classes bitches and ho's (whores). Movie chains report that tens of thousands of teens and pre-teens have been turned away from Eminem's R-rated flick.

The Vivendi Corp. of France is the force behind Mathers, gleefully counting the money as their boy rolls out songs about sexually transmitted diseases and beating up women and homosexuals. The mouthpieces for Vivendi and its U.S. subsidiary, Universal, say he is producing satire or "giving voice to the disenfranchised," whichever rationalization pops into their minds first.

Elvis was controlled by Col. Tom Parker, who stole him blind by taking half his income and selling him out to a cynical Hollywood for cinema classics like "Clambake." Presley allowed it to happen but was really guilty only of being incredibly dumb. Eminem has a lot more to answer for.

Any way you slice it, he sells degenerate behavior to kids. The entertainment industry, long devoid of any social conscience, provides him with cover and calls him a creative genius and a sensitive soul. Students of history will remember they called Caligula that once as well.

The problem I have is that the regular folks, people with kids, have not risen up and scorned Eminem and his enablers. I mean, Ed Sullivan almost broke a blood vessel when Elvis swiveled his hips on Sullivan's Sunday night TV program. Now, Marshall Mathers can threaten to kill his mother and we Americans just shrug. What has happened to us?

The answer is that we have become shell-shocked. We have seen too much over the past 40 years, and we have run out of outrage. The baby boom generation embraced Elvis but then went progressively off the deep end. Drugs became chic, rebellion against authority a fad. Greed became good, and self-indulgence ruled. And now we're surprised our lax social attitudes have produced an army of degenerates like Eminem?

This is what happens when standards die and money rules. Why are we surprised when 10-year-old Timmy calls his baby sister a bitch? Timmy hears that word and worse all the time. He sees his idol being praised by adults on TV. Timmy knows what the F-word is, knows what pot is and knows he can say anything he wants if it rhymes. Heck, he might get paid for threatening to beat a pregnant woman, as Eminem does in his music.

If you think this Eminem person is harmless, you are astonishingly wrong. Like Elvis, he will leave his mark on America. But unlike Elvis, the legacy Mathers will leave is one that will injure many children, especially those without much parental guidance.

Elvis just wanted to be our teddy bear. Mathers wants your kids to hate you. 

2002/11/19 Bill O' Reilly - New York Dailey News / Ep.Gold.Com.

PIKE WOMAN HAS OWN PRESLEY STORY TO TELL.

Friday, Aug. 16, 2002, marked the 25th anniversary of the death of the most incredible, talented, kind and generous man, Elvis Presley. 

Pike Countians remember him for his Jackson benefit concert and contribution of more than $100,000 to help local rebuilding after the killer 1975 tornado that destroyed parts of McComb. 

Elvis is known by many as the most generous man of the 20th century. It has been said he is more famous now than when he was alive. 

I will share with you memories and depths of feelings of my discovery of the "Golden Voice" while visiting my first cousin John "Rick" Logan and his parents, my aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Logan in Lauderdale Courts in Memphis in the summers of 1949-'52. 

Gladys and Vernon Presley, Elvis' parents, lived next door to Aunt Ruth and Uncle Robert for many years. The "King" grew up at their house, as Rick and Elvis were classmates at Humes High School and in grammar school. 

One day while I was visiting at the age of 14 in the summer of 1949, Aunt Ruth and I were in her kitchen and I asked, "Is that the radio playing?" 

She said, "No, that's Elvis singing in the living room with Rick." 

I opened the living room door. Elvis was on the sofa bent over a guitar, and Rick was in the chair - the only furniture. Rick told me to come in and sing with them. 

Elvis had the most gorgeous voice I'd ever heard. For many years, my dad, (Aunt Ruth was his sister) took me to visit Aunt Ruth for two weeks out of every summer, and Elvis would be visiting from next door. He and Rick were close, like brothers. Gladys did my aunt's hair for many years and they remained friends even until the day Gladys died. 

As a student at Humes, Elvis performed in West Memphis, Ark., but the Presleys didn't even have a car, so my aunt and uncle took them there. Elvis dedicated his first song, "Milk Cow Blues," to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Logan. 

After college, etc., I began to see headlines in the Memphis Commercial Appeal detailing how famous Elvis had become. One day, I was having my wedding portraits done at Speer Studio in Memphis and a pink Cadillac drove up with all the Presleys, and we all greeted each other. 

They told me they were buying a home in Southhaven, Tenn., called Graceland, because they had been ousted from their home in an exclusive neighborhood because Gladys had hung her clothes on a clothesline outside. 

Around 1975, my mom was in Baptist Hospital in Memphis. Her doctor was out of town, so I called the nurse station to see if there was a doctor available. The nurse said, "Dr. Nick," Elvis' doctor, was on the floor because Elvis was a patient there. In a few minutes, Dr. Nick, in his cowboy boots, flanked by two bodyguards, came to Mama's room and treated her. 

Elvis' death deprived our country of the most irreplaceable youth ambassador of rock and roll. 

Many years have past and I regret I should have publicized this before now. However, as I fight a fatal illness, my family memories hold dearer to me. 

Elvis gets and stays in people's hearts. To those who loved and love him still, may you always know he loved you more.

2002/11/19 Miriam Sneed - djournal.com / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELV1S GOLD PROMO BOXSET AUSTRALIA.

This is the Elv1s 30 # 1 Hits BMG Australia staff only gold box-set containing the Australian pressing of E1, the one track Burning Love promo, the Patrick Humphrey's E1 book & the E1 t-shirt.

2002/11/19 Evan Mueller / Ep.Gold.Com.

QUESTION???

I have a question. Did Elvis play LEAD GUITAR on ONE NIGHT (1958) and BLUE CHRISTMAS? I can't find any backup or source for this. But the guitar playing has to be Elvis. Only Elvis plays like that, around the A (top) string of the guitar. Scotty Moore never played like that. Only Elvis played guitar like that. I remember someone once wrote that Elvis played LEAD guitar on ONE NIGHT. But I can't find the source.
I think only Elvis could have played lead on ONE NIGHT because it was a UNIQUE Elvis guitar sound.

If any Ep.Gold readers would like to react, e-mail to the topic Readers Comment. Click Here.:

Carl Savich

2002/11/19 Carl Savich / Ep.Gold.Com

1 comment

I would like to add, I can't recall the source where I read that Elvis played lead guitar on ONE NIGHT. But all you have to do is just listen carefully to the record. It is the EXACT same guitar lick on BLUE CHRISTMAS and MILKY WHITE WAY and is the SAME lick Elvis played on BABY WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO and ONE NIGHT at the 68 COmeback Special when Elvis took Scotty's Gibson Super 400 '63 guitar and began playing lead guitar! So the evidence is pretty obvious! Only Elvis could have played that lick! Scotty Moore never played guitar like that...ever in his life on any record! It is pretty bizarre that I can't find any substantiation for this. But Elvis is pretty much dismissed as a moron by the experts. He didn't know anything according to them and he didn't play anything. Elvis just sang good and looked good. That's about it. The other guitar Elvis played on the 68 Comeback special is a Hagstrom Viking electric guitar, the cherry red electric on the cover of FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS. This is one of those questions that no one knows the answer to either. Hagstrom stopped making guitars in the 80s. But that is what Elvis played in 68. Just a bit of trivia. I am sure we will get someone to confirm the above facts. Best regards, Carl Savich

ELV1 30 # 1 HITS GOLD IN POLAND.

Elvis 30 #1 Hits is now GOLD in Poland, the first time ever for Elvis. It will be presented on November 23, 2003 at RAISED ON ROCK - Elvis in Fan Club from Poland meeting.

2002/11/19 Tomek Michalczyck / Ep.Gold.Com.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

Again we have another Pic Of TheWeek 
From the Private Collection : Erik van den Berg. 
Go to the Menu : Pic Of The Week Or Click Here :

2002/11/19 Erik van den Berg / Ep.Gold.Com.

GOLD AND PLATINUM RECORDS UPDATED.

CLICK HERE!

2002/11/18 RIAA / EPE / Ep.Gold.Com.

WILL ELV1S 30 # 1 HITS ALBUM STRIKE BACK IN THE UK TOP TEN NEXT WEEK?

The Elvis 30 # 1 Hits album went this week from No # 15 to No # 12 in the Top 75 Albums in the UK.

2002/11/18 Dot Music / Ep.Gold.Com.

THIS IS THE FINALIZED NEW FTD FRONT AND BACKCOVER DINNER AT EIGHT.
      
On other Elvis web-sites some claimed the frontcover that Ep.Gold showned on November 15th,2002 was NOT the finalized frontcover.

But we have to stress that this is the FINALIZED cover of the new FTD CD "Dinner At Eight".

2002/11/18 Ernst Jorgensen - FTD / Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS INSPIRED FASHION.

Record company BMG Europe has rallied support from international fashion designers to create clothing and accessories, inspired by the King of Rock and Roll, to raise funds for The Prince's Trust in a charity auction at Sotheby's Olympia in London on Thursday 5th December 2002.

BMG Europe, has gathered together an amazing group of dsigners to create fashion based on the icon of pop culture, Elvis Presley. Inspired by the success of ELV1S 30 # 1 HITS. The top designers will create clothes, belts, sun glasses and much more.

Among them to date: Collette Dinnigan, Ozwald Boateng, Pringle Scotland, Scott Henshall, Ben de Lisi, Julien Macdonald, Ghost, Arkadius, Levi Strauss, Joe Casley-Hayford, Max Azzria BcBG, Rifat Özbek, Karen Walker and Paul & Vinti Andrews and many other top designers. The pieces will be auctioned by Sotheby's on 5th December 2002 with proceeds going towards The Prince's Trust Fashion Initiative.

The auction of Elvis inspired clothing and accessories will take lace on Thursday 5th December 2002 from 7pm at Sotheby's Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London W14. Catalogues, costing £15 each, admit two people to the auction. For further details please contact Suzy Littlejohn on +44(0)20 7543 7447 or email suzylitt@princes-trust.org.uk.

To order a catalogue phone Sotheby's catalogue subscripton on 44(0)207293 6444.

2002/11/18 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARTS.

Today (Nov 14), dotmusic joins in the celebrations as the UK singles chart marks its 50th anniversary.

Half a century ago, the first singles chart of 12 tracks was published by NME co-founder Percy Dickins who sadly died earlier this year. Al Martino had the honour of being the first artist to hold the No.1 spot with 'Here In My Heart'.

Initially conceived as a novel way to attract readers, the chart was compiled by canvassing the opinion of music industry insiders. Today the chart is a more accurate reflection of sales collated by the Official UK Charts Company from 5,000 retailers.

With nearly a thousand No.1 hits registered, the charts are an institution that chronicle the UK popular music scene since the fifties from the dominance of Elvis and The Beatles to the one-hit wonders, comedy records and charity landmarks like Band Aid who have all held the coveted No.1 spot. 

Who can forget the seemingly endless runs at the top by Bryan Adams, Whitney and Wet Wet Wet when it looked like they'd never be displaced or the classic records that made it to No.1 and the ones that didn't? 

Recently, the whole structure and importance of the chart has been called into question after it was revealed that sales of singles slumped to a ten-year low. Whatever the future holds for the charts - whether it's an adoption of the US airplay/sales system or a continued demise - people will strive to be the weekly No.1. 

2002/11/18 Dot Music / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELV1S 30 # 1 HITS GOLD IN POLAND.

The CD "ELV1S 30 #1 HITS" gold has received the golden status in Poland. 

2002/11/18 Tomek Michalczyk/ Ep.Gold.Com.

DVD THE DEFINITIVE NEW GUINESS WORLD RECORD.

Hello!!

Well,today is a big day for Elvis,me and the staff of "The Definitive Elvis" Video Series. I just recieved a certificate and letter from The Guiness Book of World Records,it reads as followed:

CERTIFICATE:

THE RECORD FOR THE LONGEST VIDEO DOCUMENTARY IS A DOCUMENTARY ON ELVIS PRESLEY,CALLED THE DEFINITIVE ELVIS COLLECTION,PRODUCED BY PASSPORT INTERNATIONAL PRODOCTIONS,CALIFORNIA,USA. IT HAS A DURATION OF 13 HR 52 MIN (INCLUDING TITLES) . FEATURING OVER 200 INTERVIEWS,WITH ELVIS' FRIENDS,FAMILY,FANS AND CO-STARS,PRODUCTION BEGAN IN JANUARY 2000 AND I! T WAS RELEASED ON DVD/VHS ON 16 JULY 2002

KEEPER OF THE RECORDS
GUINESS WORLD RECORDS LTD

SOPHIE WHITING

I am proud of the series and I feel Elvis would be too,since everyone spoke from their heart about this great man,God blessed us with and lives on in our hearts ~ Elvis Aaron Presley.

TCB,

Don Wilson
Production Consultant
"The Definitive Elvis"


Soon Ep.Gold. will have an exclusive interview with Don Wilson Production Consultant from The Definitive Elvis conducted by Andylon Lensen.

2002/11/18 Don Wilson -Production Consultant The Definitive Elvis / Ep.Gold.Com.

E 1 FINNISH CHART UPDATE.

Seventh week on the Finnish album chart, and Elvis 30 #1 Hits is now on the third place, down one place from last week´s # 2.
Also, I noticed that on EPE´s list of 26 territories where this album has been # 1, Finland isn´t included. 
The album spent two weeks at the top of our album chart right after its´ release.

2002/11/18 Kari Paju / Ep.Gold.Com.

IN THE GHETTO PROMO FROM THE 30# 1 HITS DVD-AUDIO RELEASE.
BMG IS NOW STARTING TO PROMOTE THE DVD-AUDIO ELV1S 30 # 1 HITS.

In Australia the Radio-Airplay started with the 1 track promo "In The Ghetto", to promote for Christmas the DVD- Adio Elvis 30 # 1 Hits.
This is the facinating 1.31 minutes of the unreleased vocal-outtake of "In The Ghetto".
This promo is manufactured in the EU.

Details : Only 50 copies of this 1 track promo "In The Ghetto" were two months ago issued.
(September 23,2002 No # 74321-973202 made in the UK by Disctronics.)


2002/11/17 BMG / Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS '56 REMASTERED WITH EXTRA TRACKS.

We are planning to re-release Elvis '56 in January (tentatively scheduled for commercial release on 1/703). The record will be digitally remastered in a similar format to what we have accomplished for Elv1s 30#1 Hits and will include a new package ID logo that will call out the current imagery that we have created/posted for the E1 release. Elvis '56 will be accompanied by Elvis Great Country, Heart and Soul, and Can't Help Falling In Love that will all have the same digital sound applications and logo ID look. Look out for more information on these reissues as well as our E1 DVD 5.1 Audio. 

AND FOR LATER IN 2003, THE CD'S : ELVIS GREAT COUNTRY, HEART AND SOUL AND CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE IN SAME FORMAT AS ELV1S 30 # 1 HITS.

2002/11/17 Kevan Budd / Ep.Gold.

ELVIS PRESLEY 20th CENTURY FOX DVD BOX-SET RELEASE

This 20th Century Fox Box-set contains 3 DVD's:
Love Me Tender, Flaming Star and Wild In The Country.

2002/11/17 Elvis World Japan / Ep.Gold.Com.

ESSENTIAL ELVIS OUT NOW.

We received the latest issue #25 of Essential Elvis, and again it is fully packed with some great articles. In this issue we have an interview with the Hollywood legend Tony Curtis, "Just for the record" discussing the latest BMG situation and promoting, "Make me know it - The FTD label" Ernst Jorgensen and Roger Semon give a complete insight into the FTD label, "Elvis in Argentina" and much more. Also Essential Elvis announced that they did an interview with Cliff Richard and he gave his most candid interview ever about his views on Elvis. That interview will be on the next issue of Essential Elvis. It's only a reason more to subscripe to this great magazine. For more info to subscribe to this magazine you can go to the Essential Elvis website. 

2002/11/17 Andrew Hearn - Essential Elvis / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELV1S 30 # 1 HITS CHART UPDATE.

Elvis 30 #1 Hits is: 
# 2 on World Album chart (after 5 weeks at #1!)
#19 on Billboard Album chart
# 4 on Billboard Country chart
#15 on Billboard Internet Sales chart
# 7 on ARIA Album chart in Australia
# 4 on Mega Top 100 Album chart in The Netherlands
# 4 on Album Top 100 The Netherlands
#13 on Belgium ultratop Album Top 50
#25 on the Hitlisten Album Top 100

It’s Christmas Time: #15 (up from #44) on Billboard Pop Catalog chart.

2002/11/17 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS PRESLEY HAIR CLIPPING SELLS FOR OVER $ 100.OOO US DOLLARS.

Oak Brook, Illinois-AP -- Somebody is the new owner of a hunka-hunka hair from "The King."
A chunk of Elvis Presley's jet-black locks sold early this morning to an anonymous bidder for 115-thousand-120 dollars.
It was listed by the Internet auction house MastroNet of Oak Brook, Illinois. Bidding on the hair started last month at ten-thousand dollars.
The auction house says the locks were collected by the king of rock 'n' roll's former hairstylist.

2002/11/17 WQAD, IL / Ep.Gold.Com.

ROCKING AROUND THE CLOCK

THE first Top Ten of popular hits was published on November 14, 1952, by the New Musical Express after staff asked 53 record stores to divulge their sales returns.
The first chart-topper was Here In My Heart by the former bricklayer Al Martino. Radio quickly picked up on the chart as the most accurate gauge of listeners’ tastes, with Pete Murray presenting the rundown on Radio Luxembourg during the Fifties.
Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock heralded the rock‘n’roll revolution in 1955 but it took BBC Radio until 1962 before Alan Freeman was asked to present a Top Ten rundown.

Top Of The Pops, the BBC’s first chart-based television programme, was launched on New Year’s Day 1964 with the Rolling Stones first to perform.
By 1960 the chart had been extended to a Top 50 and the current list of 100 singles was introduced in 1983. Elvis Presley has spent more time in the UK charts than any other artist — 1,185 weeks.

Sir Cliff Richard is in second place with 1,153 chart weeks. A posthumous number one from Elvis Presley earlier this year means that he has had 18 chart-toppers, one more than the Beatles.

In 1985 there were 250 shops contributing their sales to the charts, making the list vulnerable to rigging.
Men were paid to drive up and down the M1, buying up multiple copies of failing singles. They would either dump them or sell them back to distributors.

Today 5,500 shops contribute to the charts and the industry believes that manipulation is a rarity. Computer software detects abnormal sales patterns and records are removed from the rundown if there is suspicion of foul play.

2002/11/17 Adam Sherwin, The Times / Elvis From Poland / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS #1 TV SPECIAL.

From one of our visitors we received two posstings from a Chris Isaak messageboard on the new Elvis TV special. It gives a first idea of what to expect. 

Chris Isaak hosts this intimate look at Elvis and his remarkable impact on our world, yesterday and today. This tribute to Elvis - who in 2002 had both a #1 album and #1 single - includes performances by No Doubt, U2, Norah Jones and Dave Matthews, plus commentary from athletes, actors, musicians, politicians and others.

The first posting one is a request to Chris Isaak fans to be in the audience for this special, the second one is a description of one fan's experience. Both postings give an idea of the set-upof the special. 

The request:

Hi Chris Isaak fans,
NBC's Elvis Tribute Los Angeles, CA November 9th, 2002. We are looking for 150 lucky Elvis fans to be a part of NBC's Elvis Tribute in Los Angeles, CA on November 9th, 2002. Some never-released Elvis songs will be performed by today's stars. Chris Isaak and LeAnn Rimes will be performing some of the new songs live and we need an audience of 150 people to be a part of it. That's right, only 150 people will see this event and they will all be liota people. If you want to be a part of this historic event, please register. Log on to www.1iotaproductions.com
Musts- 
You must submit a photo during registration 
You must appear to be between the ages of 20-30
You must be available from 2:30PM until 5:30 PM on November 9th. No exceptions!
You must live in the Los Angeles area.

The experience:

"It was a great performance. They made a replica of the stage that Elvis used during the "68 Comeback Special". The crew hand picked about 40 people to sit on the stage on these little steps. I was one of those lucky people. Chris and the band came out and jammed on a few songs "Judy", and "It Wouldn't be the Same Without You". They sounded great. 

Then Leann came out and the crew said that they were ready to tape. They did a duet of "(You're the) Devil In Disguise" It sounded amazing. They did about 7 takes, each take was getting better and better. During takes Chris was flirting with Leann and making funny comments (as he always does). and they would jam on other Elvis tunes, such as "One Night". It was a great performance. Hershel sounded great. He has the most amazing tone.

That's it. It lasted about a good hour, they thanked the crowd and left. It'll be on Thanksgiving night at 10pm on NBC. Nobody should miss this performance.

2002/11/16 E-mail from Robin Van Cleef / Ep.Gold.Com.

SUMMARY OF COUNTRIES IN WICH ELVIS 30 # 1 HITS HAS HIT NO # 1.

Below is a list of the 26 territories in which ELV1S 30 #1 HITS has hit #1 on a significant pop chart. Once all the chart action has subsided (and that might be a while), we hope to compile a summary report with the names of various charts and the record's impressive chart achievements in various territories, not just pop and not just #1s. For instance, it has also hit #1 in Internet sales and on Billboard's USA country albums chart, and there have been top five and top ten peaks on various charts around the world. For now, here are the 26 territories referred to in the announcement of E1's #1s:

Belgium
Denmark
Hungary
Ireland
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Sweden
Switzerland
UK
Australia
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
New Zealand
Singapore
Taiwan
United Arab Emirates
Lebanon
Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Mexico
Canada
USA 

2002/11/16 EPE / Ep.Gold.Com.

NEW FTD CD : ELVIS AT THE INTERNATIONAL.RELEASE DATE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

The next FTD CD will be a "live" show from the International Hotel on August 23, 1969. Were guessing that the ARE YOU LONESOME may be the "laughing" version! 
Blue Suede Shoes; I Got A Woman;All Shook Up;Love Me Tender;Jailhouse Rock/Don¹t Be Cruel; Heartbreak Hotel; Hound Dog ; Memories;Mystery Train/Tiger Man; Monologue; Baby What You Want Me To Do;Runaway (Crook/Shannon);Reconsider Baby; Are You Lonesome Tonight?; Yesterday/Hey Jude (Lennon/McCartney);Introductions of Band;In The Ghetto; Suspicious Minds ; What¹d I Say;Can¹t Help Falling In Love 

2002/11/16 Ernst Jorgensen / Andylon Lensen / Paul Dowling - Worl Wide Elvis / Ep.Gold.Com.

1 comment

I don't think this will be the laughing version of Are You Lonesome Tonight? on the new Vegas FTD as that version was sung at the Aug 26 Midnight Show. Keith Flynn.

NEW RELEASE THE VIBES OF THE 50's & 60's and 4 PACK BOX SET.

This new DVD features :

Marrilyn Monroe, The Beatles, President Kennedy, Elvis Trailer "Jailhouse Rock" and Elvis as guest in The Timex : "The Frank Sinatra Show" and others.
Regioncode : 2.

This DVD The Vibes From The 50's and 60's , is also packaged in Germany as a 4 pack Box-set with the DVD's from Elvis: Center stage - The Man And THE Music and From The Waist Up.
Regioncode 2.

2002/11/16 Ep.Gold.Com

NEW FTD FRONT AND BACKCOVER.
      
Here is the new FTD CD shown the finalized front and backcover

This is a "live" show from Las Vegas (dinner) on Dec 13, 1975. The interest in this (besides the really great sound!) is Elvis doing WOODEN HEART which was very unusual for him to do in concert! Plus Ernst tells me that AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL is the best version he's heard!Different to most of what we call "soundboards", this concert was recorded on a reel-to reel tape, and not the usual cassette. The show is still in mono though, and there are a few tape problems along the way, but in general it sounds good.
See See Rider;I Got A Woman - Amen;Love Me; Help Me Make It Through The Night; Trying To Get To You;And I Love You So ;All Shook Up;Teddy Bear - Don't Be Cruel;Wooden Heart ;You Gave Me A Mountain;Polk Salad Annie;(intros);How Great Thou Art ;Softly As I Leave You;America The Beautiful;Mystery Train - Tiger Man;Blue Christmas;Can't Help Falling In Love 

2002/11/15 FTD / WorldWide Elvis / Ep.Gold.Com.

SWEDISH CHART UPDATE.

The '30 #1 Hits' "turned up" again on the Swedish album chart, from #6 to #3 on it's 7th week. 'A Little Less Conversation' dropped 3 more places on the single chart, from #23 to #26 on the 22d week.
In Sweden, every year in november (for the last 5 or 6 years at least) a compilation CD with the years top hits is released. One track on this years edition is the JXL remix of 'A Little Less Conversation'. And on the main national TV channels (SVT1 and SVT2) they are using 'Little Less Conversation' as "jingle" in almost every trailer for up coming programs. 

2002/11/15 Taking Care of Elvis / ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

CHOCOLATE CD IN CANADA.

Available in Canada now is a series of Chocolate Elvis CD's from Russell Stover Chocolate. Don't put these in your CD player ...

2002/11/15 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.