(Aug.12-14,2001) (On Pink BG Color) Written in Japanese http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~presley/imode/ (Compiled by Haruo Hirose)

Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley at the premiere of "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" in Beverly Hills on August 13, 2001. For more photos, go to

Elvis is alive - and bigger than Godzilla Original live band accompanies jumbo images of The King Greg Quill (The Toronto Star) What does a rock 'n' roll band do when its famous frontman passes over the great divide? If they've got ample big-screen colour footage of him performing his best-known songs, and access to jumbo-sized video image-projection equipment, the band can rock on forever, playing alongside the perpetually youthful image of their one-time master and major breadwinner. "These days, most folks don't get to see the star up close on the stage anyway," says legendary rock and country guitarist James Burton, from his home in Shreveport, La., where he's enjoying a short break from recording-session work before hitting the road again with Elvis. That's Elvis as in Presley, rock 'n' roll's founding father, who died 24 years ago this coming Thursday. The King, it seems, hasn't left the building at all. And he won't be leaving anytime soon, if the managers of the bizarre Elvis - The Concert have anything to do with it. (Not to mention the purveyors of the Presley estate and Elvis Presley Enterprises, and the minds behind everything from Elvis-themed restaurants and memorabilia to Memphis' Graceland Museum and Heartbreak Hotel.) The brainchild of Graceland's creative director, Todd Morgan, the concert spectacle - it comes to the Hummingbird Centre Tuesday, having sold out tours in Australia, Japan, the United States and Europe in the past two years - holds the Guinness World Record as the first live event starring a performer who is no longer living. Even dead onstage, Elvis is an imposing presence, says Burton, one of rock 'n' roll's primo pickers, whose career started in the late 1950s with Ricky Nelson and has included stints with Jerry Lee Lewis, Gram Parsons, Travis Tritt, Randy Newman, Judy Collins, George Jones, Emmylou Harris and John Denver, among others. His greatest fame came with his induction into Presley's TCB (Taking Care of Business, Elvis's motto) Band in 1969, and from his contributions through the next eight years to the King's enormously varied and fascinating repertoire. "I miss Elvis, I really do," he says earnestly. "His music is so wonderful to play. It has great excitement and energy. And this is the band that could drive him. He handpicked these players. And this is the next best thing to playing with him live." Burton is joined on stage by drummer Ronnie Tutt, bassist Jerry Scheff and pianist Glen D. Hardin - all TCB Band originals, along with conductor Joe Guercio - and by a 16-piece orchestra, female backing vocalists The Sweet Inspirations, and former members of Elvis' male backup group, The Imperials. The two-act concert features no fewer than 50 songs synthetically linking the live musical source on stage with mammoth images of Elvis culled from live concert footage (1970's Elvis, That's The Way It Is, 1972's Elvis On Tour and the historic global satellite TV special, Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii.) Those performances, representing the post-Beatles Presley at his best, were chosen because they were live, full-colour, in-concert events that in today's high-tech video age, when live artists are almost completely subsumed by their own images on massive TV screens around and above arena and concert hall stages, easily create the impression that Elvis is still with us, Burton says. "They were also recorded in multi-track audio, which means the soundtracks could be stripped of everything but Elvis's voice, and replaced by us playing live." Multi-track recording on 16 to 64 channels, which came into its own in the 1970s, is what will probably stop Burton from being able to mount a similar touring tribute to Ricky Nelson, with whom he played at the age of 17. "I'd like to do that, and there's hours and hours of TV footage of Ricky. But it's all in black and white and the music was recorded live or on two- and four-track machines. You wouldn't be able to isolate the voice properly." And while there are many performances by Frank Sinatra on colour film and with multi-tracked musical accompaniment, duplicating the Sinatra experience a la Elvis - The Concert would be impossible, Burton says, "because he used so many different bands, big bands, small ensembles. Elvis used the same musicians again and again." And still uses them. "I never get tired of his music," says Burton, who isn't surprised by the enormous success of this peculiar show, neither a mere tribute nor tepid nostalgia. "He sells more records now than he ever did, and a good majority of the people who come to this concert were too young to have had a live Elvis experience. They come out of curiosity, to see what the phenomenon was all about. Some of them come to see this band in the flesh, because we were so close to him."

Elvis Band Keeps `The King' Going By ROGER CATLIN (The Hartford Courant) August 13, 2001 Elvis left the building for good two dozen years ago this Thursday. But he had enough life in him to lead a couple more shows at the Mohegan Sun Casino over the weekend. The crowds are smaller now for "Elvis the Concert" than they were the last couple times the show played Uncasville. The effect - spectacular as it is - may have worn off by now for fans. And those who haven't yet seen it may never be persuaded that seeing films of Elvis singing, backed by the live performance of his original band, still makes for a credible concert. But it's great that "Elvis the Concert" lasted into the new century. Elvis would have appreciated that "The Theme from `2001'" still was opening his show in 2001. And with the fanfare Sunday came the blare of the familiar band - the fussy drums of Ronnie Tutt, the classic twang of James Burton, Jerry Scheff's steady hand on bass, and Glen D. Hardin's tasteful shadings on piano. Behind them, original music director Joe Guercio conducted a swelling squad of strings and horns. And the Sweet Inspirations, still harmonizing with power, are off to the side, along with three members of The Imperials. With all the big concerts this weekend, from Janet Jackson to Rod Stewart, relying so heavily on projected video images, it's not a stretch to see enlarged video of The King above his still-hardworking band. You half expect to look down and see him among them, ageless in his white jumpsuit. But he's never there. And whenever you're startled by a shadow emerging on the sidelines, it's always a cameraman. But that's how exacting the interaction between movie and musician has become on its third trip here. And the power they create together is breathtaking on showstoppers such as "Suspicious Minds" and the stirring "An American Trilogy," which attempts to bind Civil War wounds. In the films, largely culled from Hawaii and Vegas stops, Presley is loose and engaging, his hair almost always a mess. When the production tries to add a bit of extra material to the film, it doesn't always work (a version of "How Great Thou Art" is the only labored match of vocal with footage obviously shot somewhere else). Showing his childhood pictures during "In the Ghetto," for example, recasts the song as if Elvis is the kid gone bad, and his own mother the one who cries. Each of the vocal groups is featured once, bringing an immediacy to the show. The band could have benefited from stepping out and jamming with each other a bit more than the films allowed them to do. But with each member a grandfather's age by now, not even "Elvis the Concert" will be around forever in its current configuration. It's time to cherish the survivors still here, much the way we did Elvis who is not. At least, not in the flesh.

Monday August 13 8:48 AM ET Rockabilly Festival Rescheduled JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) - A rockabilly festival in this city 80 miles from Memphis will be rescheduled next year to precede festivities surrounding the 25th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, organizers said. Jackson, the home of ``Blue Suede Shoes'' writer Carl Perkins before his death in 1998, has staged a music festival for two years, the most recent in June. Henry Harrison, who runs the festival, said it will move to Aug. 8-11 in 2002 in hopes of attracting Presley fans. Each August, events in Memphis mark the anniversary of Presley's death on Aug. 16, 1977. The International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame in Jackson, a one-room storefront museum owned by Harrison, displays the defibrillator and paddles used to try revive Presley the day he died. This year, it will offer four tours a day from Wednesday through Friday, with the hope of attracting tourists in the area for the Presley events. www.rockabillyhall.org

Press Release SOURCE: Graceland Tens of Thousands Worldwide to Join Together Live at elvis.com Web Site for Candlelight Vigil at Graceland Aug. 15 Daily Video Updates are Also Available on the Site Through Elvis Week The Public is Encouraged to Log On Now and Pre-Register for the Two-Anchor, Four-Camera Broadcast From Graceland in Memphis At The elvis.com Web Site LIVE this Wednesday from 8:45-11:30 pm CDT MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Aug. 13, 2001-- Although Elvis died 24 years ago, his presence is very much felt on the web this week as daily Elvis Week video broadcasts are shown on elvis.com. Fans from around the world will also be able to attend the legendary Candlelight Vigil at Graceland on Wednesday, Aug. 15 by logging on at elvis.com, the official Elvis Presley web site. The Candlelight Vigil is a highlight of Elvis Week, Aug. 10-18, an annual event celebrating Elvis' life and career. The evening begins with the traditional candle lighting ceremony -- a torch is brought from the eternal flame at the gravesite in the Meditation Garden to the fans waiting at the gates of Graceland where the flame is passed from candle by candle throughout the crowd. Thousands of people walk through the gates and up the drive of Graceland to the gravesite and back. The Elvis Presley Vigilcast is a four-camera broadcast with two former Memphis newsmen hosting the evening. The two also host the daily updates of activities. Pre-registration for the Vigilcast is now available at elvis.com.

'TTWII' Special Limited Edition Box Set was released today in the UK. Both special edition box sets of DVD & Video include a special edition 4-track CD, 5 postcards, an A2 original theatrical poster and a booklet.
CD front	CD back	Booklet + Poster

Card 1	Card 2	Card 3	Card 4	Card 5
Special Box Set is available from Amazon.co.uk or Black Star.

In wide-ranging dialects, Elvis-true echo their loyalties By Daniel Connolly (The Commercial Appeal) Why would someone drive from Kitchener, Ontario, to Memphis for Elvis Week? "Because I think he's the greatest person alive," said Fern Murray, 56. "Dead," said her husband Tom, 58, correcting the slip. The Murrays were among hundreds of visitors at Graceland Sunday afternoon, early in Elvis Week. Several in the multilingual crowd tried for an Elvis look. Kavan Cook, 13, was among the youngest. He sported a slicked-back black pompadour, red shirt and black-and-white saddle shoes. His mother, Lisa Cook, 36, said he had performed as an Elvis impersonator near his home in Columbus, Ohio, and in Las Vegas and Montreal. The outfit is only "for when I'm doing Elvis," he said. He said watching Elvis movies as a child piqued his interest. This is their ninth trip together to Graceland. Todd Morgan, director of media and creative development at Elvis Presley Enterprises, did not have an exact visitor count but said the early turnout was "a lot stronger than we were expecting." It was the first visit for Jean-Pierre Bouvier, 56, who grew up in France and has lived in the United States 30 years. "I grew up with Elvis music even before I came to this country," said Bouvier, who lives in Salisbury, Md.

Still More Elvis Releases - The Casino Recordings By ROGER CATLIN (The Hartford Courant) Two dozen years after Elvis Presley's passing, a prodigious amount of his material continues to be released, with a few new titles each year. The latest is a four-disc overview of his casino recordings, "Elvis: Live in Las Vegas" (RCA, $69.97), a field one would think has been pretty well covered, especially with the release of the three-disc "Elvis: That's the Way It Is - Special Edition" to coincide with the recutting of the concert film of the same name. But because Presley played two shows nightly for his stints of up to four weeks, there are scores of different performances of some songs. And, says Michael Omansky, senior vice present of strategic marketing for RCA who oversees the Presley catalog, "the hard-core fans want every performance. Any variation of a song is almost a new song to them." Of the 86 recordings on the "Live in Las Vegas" set, 53 of them have been previously unreleased. And two songs have never appeared on any Elvis recording previously - a cover of Bobby Darin's "You're the Reason I'm Living," in March 1975, and a version of Ed Ames' "When the Snow Is on the Roses," from what seems to be an audience recording in August 1970. There's history there, Omansky says. "Unless you were there in Las Vegas, you didn't hear them before." Though he had his greatest successes in 1969 and the early '70s, the box includes a handful of recordings from his less successful 1956 stint, when as a 21-year-old at the top of the charts he and his spare band were opening for Shecky Green. The boxed set starts with a complete show from Aug. 24, 1969, that represents what Elvis says is "my first appearance in nine years live." "I appeared dead a few times," he adds, sardonically, "but this is my first live performance." Much of the Elvis material was professionally recorded, but some of the tracks came from unusual sources. "We're constantly looking for unreleased stuff, Omansky says. "We're always acquiring more tapes people find that have walked away from the studio somehow." Some newly found tapes were acquired earlier this summer, he says. "We're on the case to pick up 16 tapes of studio work from the '50s to the '70s." With what it has already amassed, RCA can keep issuing recordings with previously unreleased material until 2006, Omansky says. The next one, however, "50 Elvis Love Songs," a double-disc album due out next month, is aimed at a more mainstream audience. Among the TV marketing plans is an appearance by Omansky on the QVC network, taking advance orders for the set on Thursday, the 24th anniversary of Presley's death. In the wake of the 7 million-selling success of "The Beatles 1," RCA will be issuing its own collection of 30 No. 1 Elvis hits on one disc next year. Sure, many buyers will have had the hits already, Omansky says. "But to have it all in one place at one time is pretty appealing." Besides the traditional Elvis audience - "which skews female, and skews Southern" - there is every indication that Elvis is getting new fans. "Statistics at Graceland show that the attendance there by those 18 and under has been up for the last five years, which means their parents are indoctrinating the next generation of fans." Also, Elvis marketing has broadened. A two-disc gospel collection sold at Christian bookstores has sold 200,000 copies. A number of other sales were marked in the first single-artist series offered by Time-Life. There are no live Elvis performances to help boost sales, but coming closest is "Elvis the Concert," which incorporates footage of the singer with the surviving original '70s band. The tour, which plays the Mohegan Sun casino Saturday and Sunday, has become a sensation overseas, where Elvis never toured. One of the things Omansky did when he took over the catalog five years ago was to streamline the number of titles to avoid overwhelming customers. Among those cut were the "Essential Elvis" series of studio outtakes and chatter, which he says served such a rarefied audience, "it was a niche of a niche."

Elvis fan Shinji Tamura performs in front of a statue of Elvis Presley in Tokyo, Sunday, Aug. 12, 2001, commemorating the 24th anniversary of the Elvis' death on Aug. 16. (AP Photo/Tsugufumi Matsumoto)

The E-newsletter from (12 AUG 2001) Elvis Songs To Be Featured in New Disney Animated Feature Lilo & Stitch

Six Elvis recordings will be featured on the soundtrack of the next major animated film from Disney. The film is Lilo and Stitch, which is to premiere in the summer of 2002. The Elvis recordings are: Hound Dog, Devil in Disguise, Burning Love, I'm Coming Home, Stuck on You and Heartbreak Hotel. EPE, RCA and the music publishers for these songs are all very excited and happy to cooperate with the producers' request for Elvis songs in this delightful family film. To learn more about the film and to stay up to date with its development, visit the Lilo and Stitch web site. EPE looks forward to collaborating with the film company on the promotion of this film. More details to come as things evolve.

Friday, August 10, 2001 Fans from around the world gather to honor Elvis Museum founder McComb honored By Sandi Pullen (Tupelo Daily Journal) Elvis fans from around the world gathered in Tupelo Thursday for "Fan Appreciation Day" held at the performer's birthplace. "This is just excellent," said Veronica Donnellan, visitor from Manchester, England. "I've never felt so welcome. It's very laid back." Constant rains kept the fans indoors - the opening ceremony and later presentations were held across the street from the birthplace at St. Mark United Methodist Church. "Elvis Presley put Tupelo on the map of the world," said Henry Dodds, president of the foundation board. "Everyone knows the name of Elvis Presley and most know his birthplace." The highlight of the opening ceremony was the unveiling of a portrait of Janelle McComb, who donated pictures, letters, clothing and other memorabilia on display at the birthplace museum. Local artist Bruce Bigalow painted the portrait. "We would not be here this day if it were not for her," Dodds said of McComb. "There would not be a museum if not for Janelle McComb." After her introduction, McComb took to the stage to thunderous applause. "Elvis is here," McComb said. "He's on the grounds every day." The portrait will be hung in the foyer of the museum. Dodds also announced a Dutch sculptor has been commissioned to do a life-sized statue of Elvis at age 13, wearing overalls and holding a guitar at his side. "We will have it on the grounds by this time next year," Dodds said. The gift shop will also be expanded, and renovations made to the restrooms, he said. "I like Tupelo," said Joy Bailey of Hartfordshire, England, who has visited the birthplace four times. "I think it's quaint, peaceful. I like it better than Memphis." "We're interested in remembering the man and the music," said Tupelo Mayor Larry Otis. "It means a lot to me to be able to live in a town where Elvis grew up."

Visions of Elvis

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