HOME |
RSS | 
Mr. Potato Head Elvis Presley 68 Special – $19.95
Mr. Potato Head has returned and is ready for his big comeback performance, tour, and hopefully extended concert stay in Las Vegas. For a limited time, however, he and his microphone are hanging out at the NeatoShop warehouse. Don’t check into the heartbreak hotel. Get your Mr. Potato Head Elvis Presley 68 Special before it’s too late.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for Mr. Potato Head The Three Stooges and more fabulous Action Figures & Vinyl Toys.
Comments Off
Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website.
It was August 27, 1965. The greatest summit meeting in show business history was about to take place.
The Beatles had arrived in America in February of 1964. They had already met many singers, celebrities, and movie stars. Basically, all they had to do was request it, snap their fingers, and almost literally, anyone could be brought in for them to meet. But according to John Lennon, the leader of the band, there was only one person they had to meet. It was the King himself, Elvis Presley.
The meeting has been documented by several witnesses present, but as we all know, human memory can be fallible. But the following is, in general, what occurred that incredible evening. The first question, after the meeting was agreed to, was who would come to whom? It was quickly agreed upon that the Beatles -the “new kids on the block”- would go to Elvis’ house in Bel Air and pay homage to the King.
After smoking a joint in their limo to calm their nerves, the Beatles pulled up to Perugia Way and were greeted at the door. It was Elvis Presley, their supreme idol, in the flesh! Elvis, dressed and acting super-casual, escorted the boys in. He was watching TV without the sound on (something the Beatles liked doing themselves). The Beatles were amazed -a color TV! And even more incredible, according to Paul, he had one of those weird contraptions, a remote control! They had never seen one before (remember, it was 1965).
The Fab Four sat staring, literally gaping, at their hero. After a few minutes, Elvis broke the quiet ice and said, “Hell, if you’re just going to sit around staring at me, I’m going up to bed.” Everyone laughed and the remark calmed the tense atmosphere.
more …
Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website.
It all happened over 50 years ago: January 6, 1957. The most famous act of “censorship” in television history. Elvis Presley was actually photographed, deliberately, from the waist up only.
Why all the fuss over a then 22-year-old?
Well, It is almost impossible to overexaggerate the effect Elvis Presley had on America (and the whole world) 50 years ago. It is a bit hard for our generation to comprehend all the stir the young Elvis created. We live in the “I’ve seen it all” generation -nothing shocks us anymore. Female mud wrestling, the O.J. trial, the countless sex scandals, snuff films, serial murders, etc. etc. etc. We are all at the almost “impossible to shock” level on this crazy planet.
But in the very staid, conservative 1950s, where the world’s top singers were Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and Perry Como, Elvis came on the scene like a tornado. The hip-shaking, gyrating kid from Mississippi shook up the show biz world in a way no one else ever has, before or since.
The Ed Sullivan Show was America’s #1 favorite family variety show in 1956. A strange marriage of two colossal forces were soon to meet and become show business legend. Ed had previously declared he would never have Elvis on the show, but Elvis just got too big and Sullivan had no choice but to recant.
Elvis appeared on the September 9, 1956 Ed Sullivan Show, hosted by Charles Laughton, who referred to Elvis as “Elvin” Presley. A record audience of 60 million (an 82.5% rating) watched the show, the biggest TV audience of all time at that point. Elvis also appeared a a second time on October 28, 1956. This time his sandy-blondish natural hair was dyed to his “bad boy jet black” shade, the Elvis look we’re all so familiar with. Both appearances were huge, but the “historic” one was yet to come.
Elvis’ swiveling hips and gyrating body movements had caused a massive stir from these first two appearances, not to mention his concerts and other TV guest shots. TV critics, public school teachers, priests, ministers, and terrified parents all railed against this menace to the world’s youth.
And so, for Elvis’ third and final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, it was agreed: he would only be photographed from the waist up!
Incredibly, the people in charge of the Sullivan Show must have thought this would make the legions of worried adults feel safer and more secure with “Elvis the Pelvis,” while the kids of America could still enjoy watching even “half” of their sworn idol.
And so, on that fabled night, the King sang his songs and was indeed only shot from the waist up.
Interestingly, and ironically, Elvis’ last chosen song that night was a Gospel number. Yes, Elvis, the king of rock ‘n’ roll, was a deeply, devoutly religious man, and Gospel was always his favorite musical form. He read the Bible on a regular basis. He did not drink, Pepsi being his drink of choice. And he always addressed his elders as “Sir” and “Ma’am.”
Hmmm …some menace.
After the legendary show, Sullivan came out and told the TV audience, “This is a real fine boy,” as if trying to reassure the nation’s adults.
As we watch the black and white film clips of the early 1950s Elvis, we are almost amused. Is this what the fuss was all about? Elvis’ performance was definitely great, but “shocking?” Amusing, interesting, electric- yes, but shocking —ho hum.
I guess it makes us wonder about something else, though. What the heck will future generations, fifty years from now, think when they watch films of us and the world we’ve become so accustomed to? And the way things are going, what will the world be like at that time?
Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website.
At the age of two, little Elvis Presley cried for two days when his pet rooster died. Elvis always had a fondness for animals, even stuffed ones, including his beloved teddy bear, which he named “Mabel.” Elvis had a huge collection of teddy bears in the early days of his career; they were sent to him by swooning girls by the score.
He even had a model of “Nipper,” the RCA dog, which he kept in his bedroom in later years. In 1957 in L.A., Elvis simulated a sexual act onstage with a stuffed version of “Nipper,” which got him plenty of severe criticism.
Elvis had several pet dogs over the years. As a boy, he looked after two small dogs that he named “Woodlawn” and “Muffy Dee.” When he was serving in the army and was stationed out in Germany, he kept a poodle named “Champagne.” (Image credit: Flickr member ilovememphis)
He liked giving dogs as gifts to the women in his life he loved. He gave his beloved mother, Gladys, a dog called “Sweet Pea;” he gave a toy poodle named “Little Bit” to his early girlfriend, Anita Wood; he gave a poodle named “Honey” to his wife Priscilla; and he gave “Foxhugh,” a Maltese, to one of his last girlfriends, Linda Thompson.
By the end of 1960, Elvis’ pet collection at Graceland included a monkey, spider monkeys, peacocks, chickens, pigs, poodles, and a Great Pyrenees dog called “Muffin.” Elvis had a chow called “Get Low” in the seventies who outlived his master by a year.
Elvis wasn’t so fond of cats, although stray that turned up on the Graceland grounds would be found new homes. He did reputedly have a pet cat called “Wendell,” named after his co-star in his movie Loving You, Wendell Corey.
When Elvis and his family moved to Graceland mansion in 1957, the barns were stocked with pigs and chickens. That year, Elvis drove out to the country, filled the back seat of his Cadillac with geese and brought them back to Graceland to keep the lawn trim.
Elvis also kept a few donkeys he had been given in the drained Graceland swimming pool when he first moved in, until work was finished on the fence around the property. Thought the larger farm animals were gradually pensioned off, Elvis retained a hen house at Graceland for a supply of fresh eggs. At one time or another, Elvis also had goats and turkeys (one called “Bow Tie”).
Elvis donated a wallaby to the Memphis Zoo after receiving it as a gift from Australian fans in 1957. He became a serial wallaby donator by repeating the gift in 1962.
Horses at Graceland
Elvis was briefly a cattle rancher when he bought the Circle G Ranch in 1967. He bought horses for all his entourage and his wife Priscilla. Elvis loved riding his horse “Rising Sun.” He often went out riding with Priscilla, he on “Rising Sun” and she on “Domino,” the horse Elvis bought for her. Once “Rising Sun” got upset and started running amok with Elvis on him. Elvis couldn’t so anything to stop him. Finally, after a wild, uncontrolled ride, “Rising Sun” came to a stop. Most people would have been scared in such a situation, but Elvis was furious. According to a witness, Elvis jumped off the horse and -literally- punched him in the face (much like the famous scene in the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles a few years later). (Image credit: Flickr member Geir Arne Hjelle)
For a while, he had a peacock on the Graceland grounds, but the bird started damaging the cars, after which it was given away. He also owned myna birds, one of which could say, “Elvis! Go to hell.”
The Graceland menagerie included mules at one time.
Snakes that happened to venture onto Graceland had a rough time. A maid remembers Elvis blazing away with a rifle at a tree after a snake was seen slithering up the trunk.
Scatter and Elvis
He acquired his first monkey, a spider monkey called “Jayhew” back in 1956, to liven up his home. His pet known pet was a very fresh, mischievous chimpanzee called “Scatter.” Elvis loved this crazy monkey, but hardly anyone else shared the King’s affinity. Elvis enjoyed walking around and carrying “Scatter” on his shoulder and often brought him out to Hollywood when he was filming movies in the ’60s. “Scatter” liked to wear clothes, drink whiskey, and tear up rooms. Elvis bought him a wardrobe of suits and ties. “Scatter” had the annoying (at least to the women involved) habit and penchant for pulling up women’s dresses. When drunk, he had no qualms about about engaging in public masturbation. “Scatter” was reputedly poisoned in revenge by a maid he had bitten. Other sources pin his demise on alcohol-related liver problems.
Flickr user MrsWoman knitted this wig that will make any man look cool, like The King. Sadly, she doesn’t provide any instructions on how to make your own. But at her site, you can examine similar crafts that she’s made.
Link via The Presurfer | Crafter’s Website
Comments Off 
Forget Plato! If you want to know the wisdom of life, you should listen to Elvis instead. Here are 30 Things I Know I Learned from Elvis, over at MissCellania’s:
RELATIONSHIPS
1. When inviting a young woman to dance, you may increase your chances by noting that chicken is being served in the barn.
2. If rejected by the older sister in a family, by all means have a crack at her little sister, who may have matured more than you at first noticed.
3. Women named Marie are naturally duplicitous.
4. It’s OK to date your cousin, providing she’s a distant cousin
"but not too distant with you".5. Girls named Daisy tend to drive you crazy.
Read more here: Link
The following is an article from Uncle John’s Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader.
Since his death in 1977, Elvis’s popularity has grown. Once he was just a singer. Now he’s an icon with his own church (The Church of Elvis), and his own holy site (Graceland), It’s an amazing phenomenon-but it hasn’t been entirely accidental. Behind the scenes, a handful of people have orchestrated Elvis’s return from the dead for their own benefit. Here’s part of the inside story. For a more complete story, we recommend Elvis, Inc. by Sean O’Neal. It’s entertaining bathroom reading.
BACK FROM THE DEAD
Ironically, the tale of Elvis’s resurrection begins with the story of a vampire.
In 1960 Universal Studios dusted off a number of its classic horror films and released them for TV broadcast. It was the first time baby boom kids had ever seen the original Frankenstein (starring Boris Karloff), The Wolfman (starring Lon Chaney), or Dracula (starring Bela Lugosi)-and the films were phenomenally popular. In fact, a huge “monster” fad swept America… and Universal cashed in by licensing its characters for t-shirts, posters, lunch boxes, etc. One of the most popular images was Bela Lugosi in his Count Dracula costume.
Courting Universal
When Lugosi’s widow and son found out about the merchandising deals, they filed suit to block them. Their argument: Lugosi’s name and likeness should be passed on to his family, as his worldly assets had been. At the very least, they had a right to share in the profits.
The Lugosis won their lawsuit. But Universal appealed the decision.The second time around, the appellate judges reasoned that if the name and likeness of famous people could be inherited, the relative of all public figures-past and present-could sue for royalties. Even George Washington’s descendants could charge the federal government for the right to use his image on the $1 bill. The judges ruled in favor of Universal.
Laurel and Hardy
In 1975, after Laurel and Hardy’s old films became popular on TV, the heirs of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy filed a similar lawsuit against Hal Roach Studios. This time, the heirs won, throwing the entire issue of posthumous “intellectual property” into chaos.
Based on legal decisions, it was impossible to tell who owned the rights to a dead celebrity’s image-the public… or the celebrity’s family.
ELVIS PRESLEY
That was the situation when Elvis died from a drug overdose on August 16, 1977. His death was announced at 3:30 that afternoon; within a few hours, newspapers were speculating about his estate’s value.
(Image credit: Flickr user Travis Nep Smith)
The media figured the King had to be worth a bundle: in his more than 20 years as a performer, he’d recorded 144 Top 40 songs, starred in more than 30 films, (at one point he was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood), performed in hundreds of sold-out concerts, and sold more than 600 million records. No other recording artist had ever even come close to his accomplishments.
Estimates of Elvis Presley’s fortune were as high as $150 million. (When John Lennon was assassinated three years later, he left an estate valued at more than $200 million). But they were way off.
The Awful Truth
more …
Several items of Elvis Presley paraphernalia were sold at an auction yesterday in Memphis. These included a jar full of his hair kept by Elvis’ barber:
The most talked about item, Elvis famed white piano, failed to sell Saturday night. It had a starting price of half a million dollars and was valued at up to a million dollars. Auction organizers say they think the economy kept people from bidding.
When it was all over, the Elvis gear up for auction brought-in more than $650,000. Someone bought a jar of Elvis’ hair for nearly $17,000.
Link via Nerdcore | Photo: Heritage Auctions
With the passing of musical legend Michael Jackson, the game of comparative history can begin: who do you think is the biggest musical icon of the past century – Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, or Frank Sinatra?
Asylum blog has the low down comparing The King, The King of Pop, and the Chairman: Link
|
Are you lonesome tonight? If Elvis is your hunk of burning love and he's got you all shook up, here are some neat tender lovin' facts about The King. But if you don't like this article, then don't be cruel because you're so square and baby, I don't care. Tiny ElvisWhen Elvis left the building permanently in 1977, he was considerably overweight. (Some estimates had him tipping the scales at 250 lbs.) But at birth, the 20-inch Tiny E was significantly underweight, at 5 lbs. Today, research has linked low birth weight to an increased risk of cardiosvascular disease and obesity - both problems for Elvis later in life. In fact, his official cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia, which could have been brought on by heart disease. Of course, it was more likely brought on by the 14 prescription drugs Elvis had in his system at the time. A Word on the NameContrary to popular belief, the name Elvis is not unique to Elvis Presley. Well before the King ever shook things up, many men in the South shared the name. In fact, it dates to at least the 6th century C.E., to an Irish-born bishop named St. Elvis. The Liberace ConnectionYou wouldn't think it, but Elvis and Liberace were great friends with plenty in common. Both came from poverty; both had a twin who died at birth; and both blossomed into ostentatiously dressed, sideburn-sporting Las Vegas performers. And although Elvis got a little jealous when Liberace scored a "celebrity-customized" Cadillac in 1962, the two always remained close. Elvis sent the flamboyant piano player guitar-shaped flower arrangements before every Vegas opening, and Liberace returned the favor by sending a similar arrangement to Graceland upon Elvis' death. Under One CountryLooking to expand his fan base, a young Elvis Presley landed a month-long gig at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. Unfortunately, the booking didn't last. After just one performance (on October 2, 1954), the management threw Elvis out onto the street because he wasn't singing country "correctly." Born in the NRA
Elvis was known to shoot out his TV set anytime Robert Goulet or Mel Torme came on the screen. (At least one such-damaged set was later sold as a collectible.) That isn't all he pointed his gun at, though. He also shot his car when it refused to start. (Photo: Elvis Presley News) Presley by the Numbers
The Legend of Undercover Elvis
The Photo: While most people recognize the iconic photo of Elvis meeting Nixon in 1970, many don't know the exact reason for the visit. Elvis desperately wanted to become an undercover agent. Concerned about the increased drug use in America, he petitioned Nixon in a handwritten letter proposing he be named "Federal Agent at Large." Elvis wrote, "I have done an in-depth study of drug abuse and Communist brainwashing techniques and I am right in the middle of the whole thing, where I can and will do the most good." The Visit: Elvis then showed up at the White House unannounced, packing two handguns - one for protection, the other as a gift for the president. After some thinking, officials let him inside with both guns in tote. At the extensively photographed meeting, Elvis showed Nixon his family photos and a collection of law enforcement badges. Later, Nixon awarded him a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge, which listed Elvis' position as "Special Assistant." The Conspiracy?: Soon after Elvis' White House visit, the FBI gave him permits to carry firearms in every state so that he could take care of business whenever the mood struck. Pretty remarkable, considering that earlier in Elvis' career, J. Edgar Hoover had the FBI track the singer extensively. In fact, his FBI file ran more than 600 pages. A popular conspiracy theory suggest that Elvis finally got his Federal Agent wish in 1977, faking his own death in order to go undercover. The Rock Star Takes a Licking
In 1992, the U.S. Postal Service announced its plans for a 29-cent Elvis stamp and invited the nation to vote on which portrait to use. The choice was between a 1950s Elvis wearing a tie and gripping an old-fashioned mic, or a 1970s Elvis in a sequined jumpsuit. on June 4, 1992, the results were announced, and Young Elvis won in a landslide. Of course, after the stamp was released, thousands of fans put them on envelopes marked with fictitious addresses, hoping to get their mail back stamped "Return to Sender." |
|||
 |
The article above appeared in the Scatterbrained section of the May - June 2007 issue of mental_floss magazine. It is reprinted here with permission. Don't forget to feed your brain by subscribing to the magazine and visiting mental_floss' extremely entertaining website and blog today!
|
||
The
King had a thing for the Second Amendment. One day in 1970, after a concert
where fans had gotten a bit too close, Elvis went out and bought several
thousand dollars worth of guns from a Beverly Hills sporting goods store
- troubling, because he also had a temper. 
