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Chart Update: On the ARIA Music DVD Chart dated 1 Sep 2008, the Aloha DVD has exited the Top 40 chart. Meanwhile, Elvis The King of Rock 'n' Roll drops to #39 and at #40 is Elvis: The '68 Comeback Special. (News, Source: ARIA)

Cirque du Soleil Elvis show update: Utah dancers, it's time to slip on your blue suede shoes. Cirque du Soleil, the international performance/circus troupe that has become known for its spectacular-sized productions such as "O" and "Mystère," is designing a new show around the music of Elvis Presley for next year. And renowned Utah choreographer Bonnie Story has been tapped to develop the show's dancing.

Consequently, Salt Lake City is one of four cities that will hold auditions for the show, which plans to hire at least two dozen dancers. Story was hired by theater, film and video choreographer/director Vincent Paterson, who is directing the Elvis show. She has known Paterson for some 20 years, since working as his assistant. "I just know his work, and I know his mind and his way, and he just trusts me," the choreographer said. "We're always on the same page. It¹s like we came from the same school. He¹ll throw out an idea or I¹ll say something, and it will not just be out of left field for him."

Story won an Emmy for her choreography for "High School Musical," and designed the dance sequences of other movies, including the "HSM" sequels and "The American Mall." Details about the production have been tightly held. The show, which will feature Elvis' music in much the same way The Beatles were featured in the Cirque show "Love," is scheduled to premiere in November 2009 at the new CityCenter Resort-Casino in Las Vegas.

"The creative combination of live musicians and singers, projections, dance and the latest in multimedia sound and lighting technology are stimulating and aim at offering an emotional bond with the audience," according to a statement by CKX Inc., the entertainment company producing the show. "The show will bring Elvis back to Las Vegas for millions of his existing fans and create a buzz that will enable the persona of Elvis to reach untold numbers of new fans."

Holding Utah tryouts alongside auditions in New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas is an acknowledgment of the state's growing reputation for talented dancers from the "HSM" movies and reality TV shows such as "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing With the Stars."

"I told Cirque, 'If you guys want to see some major talent, come to Salt Lake,' Story said. "The kids are dedicated. Kids from Utah will want to be in it. They're incredibly trained. Utah is getting such a great reputation now. And it wasn¹t hard. They kind of just trusted me."

In fact, Paterson was in town earlier this month for a workshop with Story for the show, "and he offered five contracts on the spot after we got through," she said.

Story said she's looking for "advanced, very versatile, athletic" dancers for the production, which will offer performers a two-year contract.

"It's a show that people from Utah can be very proud to be in ," she said. "It will be a family show. Whoever comes, they do need to be ready for a very technical audition." (News, Source: Vince Horiuchi, The Salt Lake Tribune)

Retro travel staying at the Heartbreak Hotel: Why not visit the king of rock'n'roll's own hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, staying at Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel (001 877 777 0606; www.elvis.com/epheartbreakhotel), just across the road from Graceland? This has everything, from Elvis-inspired rooms and suites to a cinema where you can watch reruns of Elvis movies, and nearby themed shops such as Love Me Tender Boutique, where you can pick up an Elvis-inspired jumpsuit, should you so wish. You can even renew your vows in the Elvis Wedding Chapel or savour a deep-fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. Thomson Worldwide (0871 230 2770; www.thomsonworldwide.com) offers three-nights from £599 per person based on two sharing, including flights and accommodation. (News, Source: THe Independent)

ETA Contests under scrutiny: Cory Cooper questions the "judging" of ETA contests!

Just reading the page about the Elvis is alive conspiracy. The only real question for the people who think Elvis faked his death, Elvis was very sensitive to his image and how people viewed him. If he was going to fake his death - would he really fake a death in the bathroom and leave the door open for endless "The King died on the throne" jokes?

An Elvis faked death would have been more dramatic - car crash, boat accident - something big, macho and splashy. As for the unclaimed insurance policy - I haven't read it naturally - but there may be a very simple reason why it's not cashed. The terms of the policy may not cover drug related deaths.

Given the Dr. Francisco's superficial claim for the cause of death - heart stopped - the Insurance company would have likely been able to demand the autopsy results - which would have revealed the drug amounts way before 20/20's news story. Heart stopped isn't a cause of death - it's what cause the heart to stop that's the cause of death. As the excellent Thompson and Cole book revealed, Elvis died from a codeine allergy and polypharmacy. Sadly topical because polypharmacy is what killed Heath Ledger.

And the Insurance Company could probably have reasonably claimed in court that the death could have been a suicide - and not pay out. So, rather than risk exposing Elvis' drug use - and opening up a suicide claim to avoid payment (not saying he did suicide, just that circumstances could be interpreted that way) - the Estate decided to side step the risk of damage to Elvis' image and not make a claim that would be potentially made public and in court.

As for The Presley Commission - despite being a legit non-profit society - anyone can incorporate anything - it doesn't make them official or provide any authority or legitimate standing. If they have actual evidence - documents and the trail of the documents - provide them. Until they do produce evidence and documentation - they are nothing but empty words. They are a self appointment group who have no authority or mandate outside of themselves - and they make a lot of noise about their point of view, but offer no evidence.

Beeny - if your mystery doctor didn't want to get involved with a lawsuit with EPE, then it's not reasonable that he would illegally be in possession of any Elvis medical samples and records - much less be providing them or access to them to people who are not authorized to view them such as yourself. He simply would not have a reason to be in possession and lacks motivation for sharing. Whatever samples you have, you cannot prove are at all connected to Elvis in a substantial and transparent manner.

There were a number of particularly important elements, which over time, made Elvis who he was as an adult.

Exposure to the "Shake Rag" part of town was one such factor...........it was a powerful influence in his performance style as he drew froim its rich and colorful experience of movement and music.

Chart Update: On this week's ARIA Music DVD Chart in Australia, the Comeback Special DVD drops 7 places to #34 while Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii re-enters the Top 40 at #36. The fact both DVDs continue to be certified only 2xP after nearly 50 weeks each on the chart and many weeks at 2xP, is indicative of the relatively low sales of music DVDs in Australia for titles outside of the weekly Top 20. (News, Source: ARIA/EIN)

ELVIS PRESLEY Elvis (1962 Japanese 2nd issue of the 1956
* 12-track LP on the black & silver Victor label, unique
* laminated scalloped flipback picture sleeve variant with
* Japanese & English lyrics on reverse plus the incredibly
* rare 'nipper' obi-strip. Both sleeve & vinyl are in superb
* condition! RA-5064)
* A$954.00 / £450.00

Update on Major Elvis websites blocked in China: On 25 August we reported that two of the world's biggest and most popular Elvis websites, EIN and FECC, were banned by China's Internet Police, i.e. Internet users in China cannot access the sites!

Well, we dug a bit further and found that EIN and FECC are in rare company as the following major Elvis sites are NOT BLOCKED in China: EP Gold...........Elvis Unlimited........Elvis World Japan...........Elvis Matters.

Even in '77 there were moments of brilliance in some of Elvis concerts. In Rochester, Elvis appeared to be in a good mood and in strong voice, giving solid performances of "You Gave Me A Mountain", "One Night", "My Way" and "Hurt" among others. One song that deserves special mention is the title song. For some reason, "Trying To Get To You" was probably the only classic 50s track that Elvis always treated with respect - even in his last months.

The audio-quality of the recording is quite good. As you've come to expect from us, Straight Arrow managed to obtain the ORIGINAL TAPE as recorded by the same person that taped the Richfield '76 concert, which we released earlier this year. The recording was completely restored and the sound was upgraded for the best possible listening pleasure.

It's almost unnecessary to add that Straight Arrow will present this CD with a full-colour, 16-page booklet with approximately 40 photos from the actual concert, incl. some never-before seen ones. The producers note that this concert was previously released from a substandard source, with the rather silly title "Jailhouse Rock Man In Concert" (Great Dane label, 1993). The sound of this CD which also had a couple of glitches and mastering errors is not to be compared with the rich and atmospheric audience sound on our new release. Why settle for a Lada when you can have a brand new, shiny Cadillac? Do yourself a favour and get this little beauty today. Rock with the King, '77 style we assure you, even the cynics among you will be pleasantly surprised!

Tracklist: 01. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from "2001 A Space Odyssey") - 02. Opening Vamp / C. C. Rider - 03. I Got A Woman / Amen (medley) - 04. Love Me - 05. If You Love Me (Let Me Know) - 06. You Gave Me A Mountain - 07. Jailhouse Rock (with reprise) - 08. O Sole Mio (by Sherrill Nielsen) / It's Now Or Never (medley) - 09. Little Sister - 10. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel (medley) - 11. Tryin' To Get To You - 12. Danny Boy (by Sherrill Nielsen) - 13. Walk With Me (by Sherrill Nielsen) - 14. One Night (by request) - 15. My Way - 16. Band Introductions - 17. Early Mornin' Rain - 18. What'd I Say - 19. Johnny B. Goode - 20. Drum Solo (by Ronnie Tutt) - 21. Bass Solo (Blues - by Jerry Scheff) - 22. Piano Solo (by Tony Brown) - 23. Electric Piano Solo (by Bobby Ogdin) - 24. School Day - 25. Hurt - 26. Hound Dog - 27. Can't Help Falling In Love - 28. Closing Vamp & Announcements. Approximate running time: 68:00 (News, Source: Elvis News/FECC)

All Shook Up as Elvis world record attempt fails!: ELVIS Presley fans tried to break the world record for the biggest gathering of lookalikes — but failed when dozens arrived without a proper costume.

More than 170 wannabes turned up to sing Viva Las Vegas as part of the record bid. But 63 were banned for not dressing up enough. One man’s “costume” consisted of a pair of sunglasses. Others simply turned up in jeans and T-Shirts — with their hair combed into a quiff.

Organisers had hoped to gather more than 147 Elvises to beat the existing record — set by Australians in 2001. But Pauline Giles, who ran the event in The Ship Inn at Par, Cornwall, admitted only 110 were “up to scratch”.

She said: “It wouldn’t be right to claim we’ve broken the record.

“But it was great looking out of the pub and seeing dozens and dozens of people wandering down the road all dressed up as Elvis.” (News, Source: Alex West, The Sun)

More details on SHM-CD Re-issues in Japan: Due for release on October 22, 2008 from BMG Japan on the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (fully compatible with standard CD) are five Elvis titles. They most come with bonus tracks.

Bonus tracks on each album:

Elvis Presley: Heartbreak Hotel, I Was The One, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Shake, Rattle & Roll, My Baby Left Me and I Want You, I Need You, I Love You

Elvis Golden Records: My Baby Left Me, I Was The One, That's All Right, Baby Let's Play House, Mystery Train and Blue Suede Shoes

Blue Hawaii: Steppin' Out Of Line, Can't Help Falling In Love (Movie), Slicing Sand (Take 4), No More (Take 7), Rock-A-Hula Baby (Take 1), Beach Boy Blues (Movie), Steppin Out Of Line (Movie) and Blue Hawaii (Alt Take)

Aloha From Hawaii: Blue Hawaii, KU-U-I-PO, No More, Hawaiian Wediing Song and Early Morning Rain

That's The Way It Is: No bonus tracks. (News, Source: Elvis News)

EPE's shop merchandise: Elvis Week 2008 merchandise is now available at ShopElvis including t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs, magnets, buttons, and more!

For our final Elvis month promotion, August 25 - August 31, with the purchase of any 2008 Elvis Week t-shirt, you can save 15% on ALL 2007 Elvis Week & 30th Anniversary merchandise. There are limited numbers of 2008 Elvis Week t-shirts so act now to get one while they are still available!

Bogus Elvis quits Vegas with tons of tenants cash: It is typical of the kind of property scams happening across the United States, currently facing one of the worst mortgage crises in history. But this case has a special Las Vegas twist.

Nevada police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are on the hunt for an Elvis impersonator who also poses as a lettings agent.

Elvis Nargi, who sports lamb-chop sideburns, white track suits and a hefty collection of gold chains, allegedly broke into dozens of foreclosed homes in the Las Vegas area. He then changed the locks, and rented them out to unsuspecting customers. Nargi operated from a respectable-looking office called American Executive Realty set in a Las Vegas shopping mall. Authorities know he rented out at least 70 properties – and believe there may be hundreds more they have not found yet. Estimates of his earnings run as high as US$300,000 (Dh1.1 million) a month.

“Two of my brokers discovered him,” said Harry Hall, a Las Vegas property agent. “They went to show one of our listed properties and found the locks had been changed and the ‘for sale’ sign taken down.”