Oct 30 - Kate Bush article in the paper

Any article about Kate Bush's new album has to highlight her Elvis song:And she made her eighth album, a two-CD set brimming with Bush signifiers: plush production, a sweeping musical mix of symphonic, electronic, exotic and Renaissance, and always that tremulous, dramatic, soaring voice.

The songs on the first disc include a pulsating ode to Elvis called "King of the Mountain" and an enigmatic meditation on a washing machine. Disc two is a unified song cycle, inspired by the songbirds Bush treasures, that traces a day from afternoon to dawn.

Oct 30 - Vegas article in today's Calendar section

In an article about alternative rock bands playing Las Vegas comes the following paragraph:For that very reason, this is a golden era for the sort of classic rock bands that once would have lost credibility by being associated with Las Vegas. After all, their boomer audience is here now and wants to see them. The curse of fat Elvis seems finally to have lifted, and no one worries anymore about the stigma of going Vegas. Among the last famous holdouts was Bruce Springsteen, who finally debuted at the MGM in 2000.

Oct 30 - Kurt Russell interview in LA Times

I'm also catching up on last week's Sunday Calendar section -- and of course anything with Kurt Russell usually has a high Elvis content:
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http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/suncal/cl-ca-brief23oct23,0,6461906.story

MOVIES
Controlled chaos with Kurt Russell

His acting career has been all over the map, just as he likes it.
By Susan King
Times Staff Writer

October 23, 2005
"GO, Moj. Go get him, Moj. Do your job."

Kurt Russell is lounging outside the lush Malibu home he shares with longtime companion Goldie Hawn, watching his 3-year-old English bulldog, Mojo, bark as he runs after any birds that dare land near the beach property.

It's hard to believe that Russell, a still-youthful 54, is a 45-year veteran of show business. The son of late actor Bing Russell, he began his career at 11 playing an obnoxious kid who kicks Elvis Presley in 1963's "It Happened at the World's Fair." He went on to play the King 16 years later in the acclaimed TV movie "Elvis."

Russell's gone from a tweener heartthrob in such Disney movies as "Follow Me, Boys!" and "The Barefoot Executive" to one of Hollywood's most durable, dependable leading men. And between acting gigs in the early '70s, he even played minor league baseball.

He may not be on the receiving end of acting awards, but it's rare that he doesn't deliver a solid performance. And over the years, he's worked with such directors as John Carpenter ("Elvis," "Escape From New York," "The Thing"), Mike Nichols ("Silkwood") and Ron Howard ("Backdraft").

His latest project, "Dreamer," which opened Friday, casts Russell as Ben Crane, an embittered, down-on-his-luck Kentucky horse trainer who, with the help of young daughter Cale (Dakota Fanning), nurses a thoroughbred back to health from a devastating injury to see it race in the Breeders' Cup.


So you are currently filming the remake of "The Poseidon Adventure."

I think of it as a Wolfgang Petersen movie [rather than a remake]. I think the experience of watching the movie will be different, but I don't think there is a big difference in what it's about. It was an opportunity to work with someone like that — he has a great eye.

Are you playing the Gene Hackman part?

Well, we never could figure out if it was Gene Hackman or Shelley Winters!

The first movie I ever saw you in was "Follow Me, Boys!" in 1966. You were the child star, and Fred MacMurray was the seasoned veteran. Now here you are in "Dreamer," the established actor working with Dakota, who started acting at a tender age.

We have a similar look at this whole picture world. It was fun to spend time with Dakota, and I still remain close with her. I never talked with any child actor or any young actor about my past, but I did with Dakota because we look at acting in the same way.

And which way is that?

It's a visceral experience, and you sort of get in there and do it.

Was it your choice to go into acting?

We knew I was going to play baseball. We knew that from a fairly early age on. Acting was something I could do that I enjoyed. I was never in the position where I felt I had to do anything or behave a certain way or do certain things. I despised publicity from a very early age because it had nothing to do with the work. When you are a young person, you don't want to go talk about yourself. You want to make the movie part. I can remember hiding up in the catwalks. I used to love to go up there and see the whole set, but most of all it would get me away from the publicist.

How many horses played the lead in "Dreamer"?

We had quite a few — they just all rotated. I have been around horses all my life, quarter horses and ranch horses, every since I was 9, working with horses in movies. But I had never been involved with thoroughbred racers in the racehorse environment. They know what they are doing. They know why they are there. They are an extremely arrogant animal. I have been around athletes all my life, and when they are good and they know it, they carry that stink on them. And these horses do too. They are not easy to work with. When they don't care to be there anymore, that's it.

Your character, Ben, in "Dreamer" is a complicated, angry guy who has a hard time relating to his young daughter. But then, most of the characters you play seem to have a lot of baggage.

I do think I have a tendency to try to find and infuse in a character conflict, because that is what makes people interesting to look at. I have been fortunate in my life that I read and have done things for me on a personal level that were interesting, funny, dramatic, whatever. I thought I could do something with the characters and play things in the person, a behavior, that made the story more interesting and more worth watching, and therefore hopefully more entertaining.

It wasn't easy turning things down. After I did "Elvis," they wanted me to do more Elvis things. After I did "Escape From New York," they wanted me to be an action star — period. I got scripts for, like, 40 action pictures — some big movies that you saw, I turned down.

I defy you to come up with any actor who has played as many roles as I have — the same guy who did "Elvis" did Rudy Russo in "Used Cars," did "Escape From New York." My career has been what I wanted to do. I have done it, and I am going to continue to do it. Somebody once said, "You know, your career looks like a drunken driver has handled it." I laughed and said, "You're right." I won't deny that. My career has been handled by a drunken driver — me. I was a drunken driver out there, being reckless and having fun.


Article licensing and reprint options

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Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times

Oct 31 - Teri Garr photo in People

Okay, so it takes me two days to read an entire issue of People Magazine.... Also there's a big excerpt from Teri Garr's autobiography, including a photo of her dancing behind Elvis -- the captions reads:"This fits right into my master plan," writes Garr of making the chorus line in her first Elvis movie. She went on to dance in nine of the King's movies, inclluding 1964's Roustabout (pictured above)."

October 29 - James Galdofini description in People

There's a photo of Tony Soprano in this week's People magazine in which he is described as wearing Elvis silver sunglasses.

Oct. 28 - Jarhead / Public Enemy

In the film Jarhead (set during the first Gulf War), there's a scene were all the soldiers are dancing around to Public Enemy's Fight The Power song -- and of course the Elvis refrain is heard time and time again.

Oct 28 - Val Kilmer does Elvis

On today's issue of Jonsey's Jukebox, Val Kilmer was the guest and I missed the first part but came in during the part he and Steve Jones were doing Elvis impersonations and singing Polk Salad Annie and Proud Mary. Val, of course, played Elvis in True Romance. He was probably there pushing Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - -but wasn't pushing it hard as I heard at least 15 minutes and he never mentioned it.

Oct. 28 - iTunes Las Vegas Soundtrack

iTunes had the Las Vegas soundtrack on the main page, so I clicked to check it out - -and of course it has the Elvis Little Less Conversation song on it (twice!).

Oct. 27 - Barnes & Noble CD rack

I had to go to the Barnes & Noble in the Grove to buy a copy of Pride & Prejudice, and walking out, I caught out of the corner of my eye in the CD display racks the Elvis CD with the best of the soundtrack songs.

oct. 27 - Jonesy's Jukebox

As always Steve Jones loves to mention Elvis on his radio show. On today's show, he was complaining that one new band sounded too much like the Strokes to him, and then he added that he supposed it was always that way -- that in Beethoven's day, all the piano players were probably trying to sound like him, and when Elvis was big, sounded like Elvis...

Oct. 24 - Three in an hour

Steve Jones played an Elvis song that didn't sound exactly like Elvis (could have it have been an impersonator?), then Jenny McCarthy dressed up like an Elvis impersonator for a promo for Party at the Palms on E!, and then a promo producer's reel included an old E! promo for the E!Online store that included a shot of Elvis in his black leather suit.

Oct. 22 - Charlie Rose guest mention

On Charlie Rose, the guest was one of those New Yorker writers/book writers (who can ever keep them straight?) and somehow they got talking about the DaVinci Code's popularity and yet it being very radically religously in this time when it seems like people are very conservative religiously and the writer guy said it might be the Elvis factor, how he was into the many different religious ways of thinking and maybe most of America is like that too.

Oct. 20 - Trisha Yearwood Lyrics

Listening to random songs on my IPOD random while driving, suprised to hear Trisha Yearwood claim on a song from her new album called If I Ain't Got You: I've got every eight track that Elvis ever made...

Oct. 19 - Elizabethtown

In Elizabethtown, Orlando Bloom goes on a roadtrip to Memphis, visiting Sun Records. Any surprise that Elvis photos show up there? Then he leaves Memphis wearing a pair of Elvis sunglasses.

Oct. 19 - Amazon homepage

Amazon.com is customized to me so it shouldn't have surprised me but it did to see Elvis Aloha special DVD on the front page when I called Amazon up to look for a non-Elvis related CD.

Oct. 19 - TCM ad

Watching TCM, caught their Oct. ad for all things TCM, and there's a quick bit of Elvis & A-M from Viva Las Vegas.

Oct. 19 - GAC ad for Gospel Special

Watching GAC, caught an ad for the screening of the Elvis He Touched Me special.

Oct. 18 - AMC ad

Watched a promo done for AMC, which used Elvis's "A Little Less Action" song.

Oct. 18 - White Stripes on Charlie Rose

On Charlie Rose last night,Jack White of the White Stripes talked about producing Loretta Lynn's album and said the song "Have Mercy" was originally written for Elvis.

October 16 - Tons of mention in the Bono book

Am reading the Bono interview book which is filled with Elvis references -- not just as a rock star but Elvis used as an icon: "Entering my Fat Elvis period" or "Who's the Elvis in this organization?"

October 14 - Pull quote and review in Ent. Weekly

In the article about satellite radio, there's a pull quote on p. 46 stating "It's harder for local and new artists to get on the air," says an FCC commissioner. "Today I wonder: WIll the next Elvis throw down his guitar in disgust because he can't get on the radio?"

Also there's a review of the new Sam Cooke biography by Peter Guralnick, and it mentions he previous did bios for Elvis Prelsey and Robert Johnson.

October 13 - George Jones in Country Weekly

Good old Country Weekly rarely disappoints! In the interview with George Jones and daughter Georgette he talks about his experiences with Elvis during the Louisana Hayride heyday.

Also there's a review of the latest Elvis CD compilation -- Hitstory.

Oct. 12 - Mark Wills lyrics

Heard on the country radio station Mark Wills's old hit "Nineteen-something" with the lyrics "Well, I was a kid when Elvis died and my momma cried..."

Oct. 10 - Robbie Williams again

In a review of Robbie Williams's recent Berlin gig, a Scottish newspaper reported he performed: complete with Elvis pelvic squiggles.

October 7 - Tennessee

Watching GAC, there was a Tennessee promotional commercial, with images of Elvis in his gold lame suit.

October 6 - Robbie Williams mention

In discussing a song on his new album, Robbie is quoted as saying "This is my ‘True Romance’ song," he says, "the one where, like Christian Slater in the film, I like to believe I have direct access to Elvis Presley every now and then."

October 4 - Tony Joe White on Jonesy's Jukebox

Steve Jones's guest on today's radio show was Tony Joe White, who wrote "Polk Salad Annie." Although I missed the first half of the story, Tony Joe White told about meeting Elvis backstage in Vegas (accompanied by Jim Brolin) and inviting him to go fishing. He said Elvis said "I've sung Polk Salad Annie so much, I feel like I wrote it!" The show ended with Steve playing guitar along with TJW as he sang the song.

October 4 - Neil Diamond concert review in Variety

I found a copy of yesterday's Daily Variety, which I read during lunch and in the midst of the Neil Diamond concert review there was mention of him being the "Jewish Elvis."

October 3 - Hollywood Blvd. shop window

Been on vacation, so I have a whole list of Elvis-spotting to compile -- but to keep up to date, here's today's Elvis moment: walking along Hollywood Blvd. heading to the Egyptian for a screening, caught out of the corner of my eye Elvis's driver's license in the window of a shop selling all sorts of celebrity driver's licenses...