Early 80's footage from Graceland featuring Joe Esposito

Pretty cool early footage of Graceland with Joe Esposito and the other guy, you know the Elvis and Nixon joker. The footage is pretty cool.

How did Elvis Presley's Graceland get it's name? (VIDEO)

According to Graceland.com, the Graceland mansion was once part of a 500-acre farm that was owned by the S.E. Toof family. The land had been part of the family for generations and was named after one of the female relatives, Grace.

According to Graceland history, in 1939, Grace’s niece, Ruth Brown Moore and her husband, Dr. Thomas Moore, built the mansion, which became well-known to the locals of Memphis. The Moore’s daughter, Ruth Marie, was musically accomplished and became a harpist with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Classical recitals in the front formal rooms were common, just as rock ‘n’ roll and gospel jam sessions would be after the next owner moved in.

In the spring of 1957, when Elvis Presley was 22, he purchased the home and grounds for just over $100,000. The previous year had been a whirlwind – it was Elvis’ first year of super-stardom including historic network television appearances, record-breaking live performances and armloads of gold record awards. At the time he bought Graceland, Elvis was working on his second motion picture, “Loving You,” with “Jailhouse Rock” to follow, just the beginning of a long film career for Elvis Presley.

House guests at Graceland included family members and friends at various times – some in the mansion proper and some in residential accommodations elsewhere on the grounds. And although Elvis had various homes in the Los Angeles area and spent a great deal of time on the road with his concerts, Graceland was always home base – a constant in the life of Elvis Presley.

Spa Guy is pretty cool! Subscribe to his page on youtube!

Drone footage of Elvis Presley's father Vernon Presley's home (Video)

This is fantastic! At about 3:29, the drone flies over Vernon Presley’s home and gives an amazing look at the home as well as Elvis Presley’s Graceland. 

It is very sad to see Vernon’s pool in such bad shape with all the overgrown grass. It sure looks like a hazard that needs to be dealt with ASAP!

This home has been in such disrepair. I fear it will one day have to be torn down. My last visit to the home a few years ago, there was no A/C, the car port had to be torn down and there were roaches in the house. Now that was a few years ago, things could have changed?

This is the second home of Vernon Presley and his second wife. The first was on Hermitage Road.
Elvis for sure did not want the second wife living in the home he bought for his beloved mama, Gladys. As if we needed ANOTHER reason to love this man! LOYALTY! 💖

When Priscilla Presley first moved from Germany to be close to Elvis, this is where her parents were told she would live but that ended rather quickly.

When Vernon finally divorced wife # 2, she was awarded the home but Vernon wisely bought the home back from her to keep her from Graceland. Vernon lived here with Sandy Miller until his death.

Will Elvis Presley Enterprises be forced to pay Westgate 9 million to get Elvis artifacts back?

“Graceland Presents Elvis” was a short-lived attraction inside the former International Hotel, an off-strip resort that hosted hundreds of performances by the legend. The exhibit opened in April of 2015, and closed the following February.

The 28,000-square-foot exhibit offered visitors the chance to view 350 pieces of Elvis memorabilia, the largest collection outside of Graceland. The artifacts included stage outfits, jewelry, letters, guitars, and other relics that were loaned to the casino from his estate in Tennessee.

But with the exhibit poorly attended, Elvis Presley Enterprises threatened to abandon its 10-year lease agreement less than a year after opening. Westgate, which claimed to have invested over $9 million in preparing the space for the spectacle, subsequently closed the attraction and locked the memorabilia as ransom.

    Despite a lawsuit filed in March of 2016 that sought for the items to be returned, the Westgate has maintained their possession.

“Everything is safe,” Westgate COO Mark Waltrip said after ‘Graceland Presents’ closed.

While public address announcers often had to inform fans hoping for an encore that “Elvis has left the building,” his memorabilia isn’t quite so quick to make an exit.

Do Not “Return to Sender”

After admission numbers failed to meet expectations, with both sides citing poor marketing and promotional efforts as the primary reason, the Elvis’ estate wanted to cancel the exhibit and bring the relics back to Tennessee.

The arrangement between the Westgate and Elvis Presley Enterprises turned bitter when the resort successfully petitioned Las Vegas into renaming Riviera Boulevard to Elvis Presley Way. The street connects Las Vegas Boulevard with Paradise Road where the Westgate sits east of the Strip. The famed Riv closed in 2015 and was demolished last year.

Elvis’ estate didn’t want his likeness on a street name, especially one that might aid the Westgate in attracting visitors to its resort.

Last spring, a judge said Elvis Presley Enterprises could post a $9 million bond to recover its items. Instead, the estate and Westgate decided to take the case to arbitration. A mediator is expected to issue a resolution in the coming days.
 
Viva Elvis Presley

Following a seven-year hiatus from performing live in favor of making Hollywood films, most of which were decried by critics, one exception being “Viva Las Vegas,” Elvis Presley returned to Nevada for a residency at the newly opened International Hotel in July of 1969.

Built by the late Kirk Kerkorian, Elvis performed 58 consecutive sold out shows, and lived in the resort’s penthouse suite on the 30th floor. He would go on to play hundreds of concerts at the International, and was scheduled to return in 1978 before his untimely death.

    Aside from the nearby namesake street, Elvis’ presence today at the Westgate is basically nonexistent. It appears the resort has little interest in continuing to celebrate The King.

The expected conclusion to the memorabilia case will be his estate paying Westgate for the items in exchange for the termination of the lease agreement.

Graceland, Elvis’ mansion in Memphis, is the second-most visited home in America behind only the White House.

A look inside the Elvis exhibit at Westgate.
Source – Casino.org

Alice Cooper claims to have held a gun to Elvis Presley (Video)

As he held a loaded .38 revolver on Elvis Presley, Alice Cooper recalls, “The little devil on my shoulder said, ‘Shoot him. What a great story. Don’t kill him, just shoot him.’”

The king of shock shooting the king of rock ‘n roll in 1971 would have, no doubt, made international headlines. But seconds later, Cooper said, he found himself on the floor in Elvis’ hotel suite kitchen, the gun knocked far away and Elvis saying, “That’s how you take a gun out of somebody’s hand.”

Cooper recounted this first meeting with Elvis during an interview with The Clarion-Ledger.
Cooper recalled pantomiming Elvis in front of a mirror years before he joined a rock band and says Presley was a musical and theatrical influence, as were the many Southern blues musicians who influenced other top rock acts of the 1960s and ‘70s.

“I had a great relationship with Elvis,” Cooper said. “… In 1971, I was in Las Vegas, and I get a call: Elvis wants to meet you … I went to the Hilton, got in an elevator and in the elevator is Liza Minnelli, Chubby Checker, Linda Lovelace and me … We get up there and (Elvis) comes walking in and says, ‘Hey man, you’re the kid with the snake, right? That’s cool man. I dig that makeup, dig that whole thing.’

He takes me into the kitchen and says, ‘I want to show you how to take a gun out of somebody’s hand.’ “Elvis and I had this very strange kind of mutual admiration kind of thing for each other,” said Cooper, who took shocking audiences — and parents — to levels of which Elvis probably never dreamed.

“He liked that I was doing something he had done — shock the kids, shock the audience. He loved the fact that somebody was still doing it.” Cooper, 69, is still doing it.

Elvis Presley's Audubon Drive home fire damage estimated at 100 grand (Drone Video)

Video – If you forward to 5:38, you will see some amazing footage of the back of the home as it appeared just ONE WEEK before the fire. Pretty Cool!

According to The Commercial Appeal, Saturday morning’s fire caused “extensive” damage to the former home of Elvis Presley on Audubon Drive, but ongoing renovations meant no Presley artifacts were in the house at the time of the blaze.

Memphis Fire Lt. Wayne Cooke said the department responded to the home just after 7:30 a.m. The fire was under control by 7:52, he said. Fire personnel were on scene for several hours. The cause was electrical, Cooke said, and started in the wall between the living room and dining room.

The one-story home was unoccupied and undergoing renovations. Rhodes College is the steward of the house, now owned by music industry veteran and philanthropist Mike Curb. As an extension of the Curb Institute for Music at Rhodes, the home hosts small VIP events and private music concerts.

John Bass, executive director of the institute, said he stopped by the house Saturday afternoon but wasn’t able to get inside because the fire department had secured the property.

 “It seems pretty extensive,” Bass said of the damage. The fire department did not have an official damage estimate.  Damage has since been estimated at 100 grand.

Curb purchased the house for $1 million in 2006. The house was undergoing repairs after a water pipe burst in January, Bass said. As a result, almost all the furniture in the house was in a storage unit in the driveway. The few artifacts that remain from when Presley lived in the house were secured on Rhodes’ campus during the renovations, Bass said.

 “The mission is to really research Memphis music in a variety of ways, so we use that house, or we have in the past, as a resource for our students,” Bass said.

 “Elvis was 21 when he lived there, around the same age as our students, so we use it as a space to inspire our young students of today,” Bass said.

Neighbor Ron McCrarey, who had been in the home once before, said he was able to get a look inside the house from the carport after the fire was put out Saturday. “All the walls are blackened,” McCrarey said.

 McCrarey said he was outside at 7 a.m. and didn’t see any signs of a fire across the street. But 45 minutes later, he said, smoke was pouring from the roof and fire trucks filled the street. Firefighters climbed onto the roof to vent the smoke, he said. “You couldn’t actually see the flames, just the smoke,” McCrarey said. 

Source – Commercial Appeal 

Westgate STILL holding Elvis Presley artifacts HOSTAGE!

Hundreds of Elvis Presley artifacts and memorabilia are still being held by a Las Vegas casino, a year after the King’s estate filed a lawsuit to get those valuables back from a short-lived exhibit.

Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino’s chief operating officer Mark Waltrip said Wednesday that the items — including stage outfits, jewelry and letters, among other artifacts from the career, home and wedding of Elvis — remain locked up at the casino site where the now-shuttered “Graceland Presents Elvis” attraction once stood.

The dispute stems from the 10-year leasing agreement that Westgate alleges the exhibit defaulted on when it vacated the off-Strip casino space.

A judge ruled in May 2016 that Elvis Presley Enterprises, which runs the Graceland attraction in Memphis, Tennessee, could get them back by posting a $9 million bond while the leasing issue was pending.

All parties instead agreed to take the case into arbitration. Waltrip said a judge’s decision is expected in the next month.

The Presley estate didn’t return calls and emails seeking comment.

Westgate took control of the items in February 2016 when the attraction, which included a museum exhibit, wedding chapel and theater, shut down. The operator abruptly announced it was quitting, a move the casino suggested was caused by poor attendance and poor marketing and promotional efforts.

Westgate at the time also said that the exhibit was defaulting on its lease. The casino said it spent millions of dollars outfitting the space and was holding the items to recoup money owed as part of the leasing agreement.

The estate responded by filing the lawsuit to retrieve the items that it said Westgate aggressively seized without a legitimate legal basis.

The attraction was open less than a year but had debuted with great fanfare in the same casino where Elvis performed several hundred shows, back when it was known as the Las Vegas Hilton and The International. It was billed as the largest display of Elvis memorabilia outside of his famed Graceland.

The Las Vegas attraction included a 28,000-square-foot exhibit that featured a rotating display of Elvis items, including the $1 million-a-year tablecloth contract that Elvis inked to perform at what is now the Westgate and the two-piece black tunic and single-button black suit that he wore for his first performances there. There was also an Elvis Presley wedding chapel on site, which was featured on NBC’s “Today Show” when it hosted its first ceremony with the King’s ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, as the bride’s surprise matron-of-honor.

BIM: This is a sad state of affairs! And what’s at stake? Elvis Presley HISTORY! 
In previous stories, we have heard from employees at West gate that these items are being stored in an unsecured area which also has leaks. So who suffers the most? The LEGACY of Elvis Presley! 

This deal sounds worse than the deal they made with the former Elvis Presley’s Memphis building on Beale St.

Yet another bad business deal. Who would do business with these folks anyway? Does anyone have google? Does anyone do research? Check out these links and see for yourself!

http://backinmemphis.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-queen-of-versailles-vs-king-of-rock.html

http://backinmemphis.blogspot.com/2016/04/more-troubles-for-westgate-other.html

Source: Chicago Sun Times

Curing Jekyll – Calling ALL Animal Lovers and Elvis Family!

Hi Friends,

I have a special favor to ask of you. One of our fellow Elvis family members needs our help. So many of you know Laura Levin from her amazing book, Elvis and You. She is a die hard Elvis fan who put her blood, sweat, and tears in that book. It IS written by fans and FOR FANS. She is a dear friend of many of us.

Laura, like many of us is an animal lover. She is dog mommy to Jekyll, one of the sweetest boys you will EVER meet. Trust me, I have met this handsome devil. He is one of the best! He had a rough start in life but things changed when he met his momma Laura. They are both hopelessly devoted to one another.

Jeks has a curable form of cancer and he needs our help for his treatments. Please if you can donate anything. No amount is too small. Our animal lovers know just how expensive this can be. Two years ago, my boy Presley underwent very expensive cancer treatments. I understand what Laura is going through. As do many of you. So I am asking any animal lovers out there, Please if you can help!

If you can not afford a donation, I ask that you at least share this with your fellow Elvis friends and animal lovers. And that you say a prayer for Laura and Jeks during this difficult time. Let’s give our positive thoughts and support to a fellow Elvis family member!

Here is the link:

https://www.gofundme.com/curing-jekyll

Love you guys,

Megan

HBO Big Little Lies – Elvis connection – A MUST Watch!

If you haven’t seen Big Little Lies on HBO, you are missing out!

It stars Reese Witherspoon and  Nicole Kidman.

And True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgård!

Mercy! No one looks as good in black leather since Elvis himself!

It is 7 episodes and there’s always a touch of Elvis in each episode.

In one of the first, Elvis’ Pocket Full of Rainbows from G I Blues is featured.

The very last episode is full of drama and suspense and so much Elvis!

This is a MUST SEE! You can binge watch it currently on HBO on Demand or HBO Go.

Synopsis

In the tranquil seaside town of Monterey, California, nothing is quite as it seems. Doting moms, successful husbands, adorable children, beautiful homes: What lies will be told to keep their perfect worlds from unraveling?

Told through the eyes of three mothers – Madeline, Celeste and Jane – Big Little Lies paints a picture of a town fueled by rumors and divided into the haves and have-nots, exposing the conflicts, secrets and betrayals that compromise relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, and friends and neighbors.

Based on the New York Times number-one bestseller of the same name by Liane Moriarty, this seven-part limited series is a subversive, darkly comedic drama that weaves a tale of murder and mischief as it explores society’s myth of perfection and the contradictions that exist beneath our idealized façade of marriage, sex, parenting and friendship.

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club, for which he received an editing Oscar nomination; Wild; Demolition), Big Little Lies is written for television and created by David E. Kelley (seven-time Emmy winner for Picket Fences, LA Law, The Practice and Ally McBeal; Goliath).Nicole Kidman was once engaged to Lenny Kravitz, the father of her co-star Zoë Kravitz.

Written by David E. Kelley, based on the novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty. If you would like to read the book or other books by the same author, follow the link below. Great beach reading!

The real break out star of this show is Iain Armitage.

He is a brilliant actor just starting his career. But this young man is going to be a major Hollywood Star!

Check him out on his you tube page:

I am not recommending this just because they feature Elvis, it is sooo good.

If you love a good suspense, this is for you!

I do however, appreciate that they do not disrespect Elvis or poke fun at him. And all the music featured in this series is great! 

Check it out on spotify:

Lisa Marie Presley feels ex is tipping off Paps

TMZ reports Lisa Marie Presley’s estranged husband arranged for paparazzi to make him look like a doting dad … so claim people connected to Lisa Marie. Michael Lockwood was photographed at a flea market, the beach, Target and dinner with their twin girls. Sources connected with Lisa Marie tell us Lisa Marie is convinced this was a setup … that paparazzi didn’t just happen to find him. She believes he called them to make it appear he’s an involved dad … something she believes is fiction.

The day BEFORE, DailyMail reported Michael Lockwood stepped out with their eight-year-old twin daughters, Harper and Finley, in Southern California as the couple is locked in a bitter divorce battle. The trio was spotted at a local flea market in Los Angeles, as Lockwood was photographed trying on different clothes and checking out jewelry with his daughters. The girls, who wore leggings and different colored t-shirts, seemed to be enjoying the outing with their father, who kept it casual while sporting a denim shirt and jeans. Harper and Finely, who are Elvis Presley’s granddaughters, were both seen leaving the flea market with vintage dolls that their 55-year-old musician father likely purchased for them. After finishing up the afternoon of shopping together, the father-of-two took his daughters to lunch at a restaurant in Hollywood. Their outing on Monday comes as a court has ordered his 49-year-old estranged wife to pay a portion of his legal expenses as she divorces him.

The smile says it all, Lovin it!

BIM:
I personally have felt this way and stated so many times. Lisa is on to something here. It would not be the first time this has happened in Hollywood. It happens for many reasons. Some celebrities such as Tori Spelling and her winner of a husband have been accused of tipping off paps to profit from selling pictures. In this case, sources say Lisa feels the ex is doing it to look like a doting dad in public. I wonder if he enjoys the spotlight mixes in that theory as well. Time will tell.
Lisa, you will do much better! Find a MAN, a real GENTLEMAN just like your daddy. #TeamLisa