INTERNATIONAL MOMENTUM BUILDS AS VIVA ELVIS - THE ALBUM BREAKS INTO THE BILLBOARD 200

The King is Back on the Charts!

INTERNATIONAL MOMENTUM BUILDS AS VIVA ELVIS - THE ALBUM BREAKS INTO THE BILLBOARD 200

Legacy Recordings Celebrates Elvis' 75th Birthday Year with a Groundbreaking New Studio Work Inspired by Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas

NEW YORK - Viva ELVIS - The Album, a 21st century celebration of Elvis and his music featuring the voice of the King in a whole new soundscape, is gathering worldwide momentum in the wake of its recent release through Legacy Recordings, in cooperation with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. and Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.  Released stateside on November 9, Viva ELVIS - The Album has debuted in the upper half of the Billboard 200.


Conceptualized and realized by producer/arranger Erich Van Tourneau, Viva ELVIS - The Album

is a multi-faceted audio extravaganza creating a larger-than-life musical portrait of Elvis through newly re-imagined versions of "Blue Suede Shoes," "That's All Right," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Love Me Tender," "King Creole," "Bossa Nova Baby," "Burning Love," "Can't Help Falling In Love" and "Suspicious Minds" as well as instrumental interludes based on "Memories" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" (piano interlude).


Three of the tracks on Viva ELVIS - The Album including "Suspicious Minds," the album's first single, were mixed by Grammy Award winning producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen).  Four of the album's tracks were mixed by Serban Ghenea with the remaining five mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau.


"Suspicious Minds," the first single from Viva ELVIS - The Album, impacted radio in late October and is a bonus track on NOW 36, the latest installment in the best-selling chart-topping Now That's What I Call Music anthology series of contemporary Top 40 smash hits.


USA Today selected "Suspicious Minds" as a Pick of The Week noting that the new version "...dispenses with its signature guitar pattern, starting like a cross between a gospel hymn and 'Everlasting Love' before transforming into something like a U2 anthem."


Overwhelming international response to Viva ELVIS - The Album led to the creation of special regional editions of the album showcasing popular local artists "dueting" with Elvis on "Love Me Tender."  Regional artists participating on non-US editions of the album include Anna Puu (Finland), Lisa Lois (Netherlands), Amel Bent (France), Russian Red (Spain), Thalia (Latin America), Jessica Mauboy (Australia), Dani Klein (Belgium), Marie-Mai (Canada) and Aurea (Portugal).


Viva ELVIS - The Album is already charting round-the-world, going Top 40 or better in Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and France while climbing the charts in Spain, Australia and Germany.


Music critics and other cognoscenti have rallied behind Viva ELVIS - The Album, basking in the record's celebratory delights:



Billboard
                                   
 "It's all inventive and invigorating, offering proof that Presley's music can handle being all shook up"

FORBES.COM
       
'Viva Elvis - the Album' a multi-faceted audio extravaganza creating a larger-than-life musical portrait of Elvis"

MSN MUSIC
 
"You've never heard these tunes like this before... ear-popping collages"

                                
ASSOCIATED PRESS
                               
"A new take on the King"... "'Suspicious Minds' opens with Elvis' soulful, echoing voice and prominent piano notes, then shifts into a guitar introduction that evokes memories of U2's classic anthem  'Bad.' The song has a strong drum and guitar component without losing the sing-along quality of the original."

BLOOMBERG NEWS
                                                            
"A radical mix of his hits"

BLOGCRITICS
                                            
"And we're off to the races as Viva ELVIS -The Album turns up the heat and the velocity as it dashes through a representative sampling of The King's mastery of genres from Delta blues, gospel and
Southern folk to movie soundtracks and Vegas pop"

"You won't be able to help falling in love (with The King) again. Some things were just meant to be!"

 RECORD COLLECTOR
                                      
"I loved it. A great mash up of Elvis, early, middle and late in his career. Great fun!"

                                
Musicians on Viva ELVIS include Elvis Presley (vocals); Erich Van Tourneau (bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano and keyboards); Dea Norberg, Jennlee Shallow, Sherry St-Germain, Stacie Tabb (guest singers); Patrick Lavergne and JS "The Flash" Chouinard (basses); Mike Plant, Steve Nadeau, Martin Bachand and Paul Deslauriers (electric guitars); Olivier Goulet (acoustic guitar); Guy Belanger (harmonica); DJ Pocket (scratch).  The album's horn section includes Jean-Francois Thibeault (trombone), Bruno Dumont (saxophone), David Perrico (trumpet), Jean-Francois Gagnon (flugel horn).


When working on the music for the Cirque du Soleil production "Viva ELVIS," Van Tourneau spent more than 3,000 hours reviewing countless albums, films, concert recordings, interviews and home recordings of Elvis.  More than 17,000 samples of Elvis' songs - the raw material for the show - were made during the process.


Working with tens of thousands of samples of Elvis' voice, Van Tourneau often wove several sequences and sounds into the same songs, sometimes changing details such as the key and tempo. In creating Viva ELVIS - The Album, Van Tourneau was looking to accentuate and boost the emotional charge of the songs with the incorporation of ragga, punk or hip-hop elements into classic recordings. In all cases, however, the goal was to respect and understand the essence of the original recordings.


"I would like to acknowledge all of the incredible composers, musicians and technicians responsible for making this music with Elvis originally," said Erich Van Tourneau.  "The album Viva ELVIS would not be what it is today if not for their remarkable contributions."


The postmodern studio masterwork invokes the spirit and essence of Elvis from a contemporary perspective while furthering the revolutionary impulses of Elvis' sound. Viva ELVIS - The Album re-imagines the king's own vocal performances in a broad variety of new musical settings. This new sound echoes Elvis' own versatility and ability to master all music genres, from Delta blues to rockabilly, from raw soul to gospel, from Southern folk to Vegas pop, while incorporating elements of garage rock, punk, urban and hip-hop.


In celebration of all eras of Elvis' musical genius, Viva ELVIS - The Album includes songs from Elvis' rise to fame in the '50s, his movie soundtracks, his triumphant return to the stage in the "'68 Special," and his ground-breaking appearances in Las Vegas.


Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil, a harmonious fusion of dance, acrobatics and live music, opened earlier this year in a specially designed 1,800 seat theater at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.  A tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley, Viva ELVIS focuses on the essential humanity of the one superstar whose name will forever be linked with the history of Las Vegas: Elvis Presley.  Significant moments in his life - intimate, playful and grandiose - blend with timeless songs that remain as relevant today as when they first hit the top of the charts.


Elvis lives on Viva ELVIS - The Album, a 21st century venue for rock's first and biggest superstar.

EPE Licensee In Trouble With The Feds!

Feds Crack Down on Lead in Glasses
Vandor, a 53-year-old private company that merchandises products with a pop-culture tie-in, is at the center of a federal probe into drinking glasses that may be contaminated with lead.
Tests commissioned by the Associated Press found high levels of lead in glasses featuring characters such as Wonder Woman and Superman. The glasses, which were made in China, were sold online by Warner Bros.
Vandor—which imported the products featuring images of Star Wars, Elvis Presley, The Wizard of Oz, The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Barbie, DC Comics, and more—said the glasses were meant for adult collectors. But the U.S. Consumer Protection Agency didn't buy that argument and today announced it is conducting its own testing, according to spokesman Scott Wolfson.
Vandor, founded in 1957, is based in Salt Lake City but operates in China, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. It's a reminder that companies that do business abroad are held accountable to U.S. safety standards, regardless of where they source their products.
Today's announcement follows news last week that Coca Cola would stop selling 88,000 glasses made by Arc International, of France, because they appeared to be contaminated with the heavy metal cadmium.

Flaming Star Contact Sheets Up For Auction

An Elvis Presley group of never-before-seen black and white contact sheets from "Flaming Star"
20th Century Fox, 1960. Four separate sheets, each with 20 candid images equaling 80 shots of Elvis and other actors outdoors on location.

Shot between and during scenes, Elvis looks serious and contemplative in most of the 66 shots in which he appears.14 x 11in; Each individual image: 2 3/4 x 2in

Estimate: $300 - 320

Entertainment Memorabilia including Animation Art, takes place on December 13, 2010 at 7601 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.

Viva Elvis @ NASCAR 2010 Cup Series

Cirque du Soleil will perform a portion of Viva ELVIS at the 2010 Sprint Cup Series awards ceremony Dec. 3 at Wynn Las Vegas, NASCAR announced Monday.
The special performance -- featuring dance, acrobatics and live music in celebration of the king of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley -- will be broadcast live on SPEED at 9 p.m. ET, as part of a special entertainment lineup.

NASCAR takes Vegas by storm Additional performances slated to commemorate the 2010 NASCAR season include country music vocal group Rascal Flatts and comedic host Frank Caliendo.
Viva ELVIS will entertain NASCAR fans in front of an audience that will include 2010 Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and other drivers who finished in the top 10 of the final series standings. The performance will present popular Presley songs in a contemporary form that includes the voice of the superstar. Since its world premier earlier this year, Viva ELVIS has received critical acclaim from top entertainment and news outlets with its powerful, exciting and larger than life exhibition of dance and acrobatics set to Presley's timeless songs.
Viva ELVIS is offering NASCAR fans a special holiday offer of only $75 per ticket to experience the show at ARIA Resort & Casino at CityCenter in Las Vegas. Fans can call (877) 25-ELVIS and mention "HOLIDAY" for the discount.

Memphis Meet & Greet In January

The Memphis Meetup's Meet N Greet
Friday, January 7th, 2011
12 Noon - 2:00 PM
Memphis Marriott's Blue Shoe Bar & Grill
(The Presidents' Event is right across the lobby from the restaurant - it ends at noon)
They will have a buffet lunch in addition to their regular menu. We will have a separate section of the restaurant set aside for us. Everyone will pay for their own food and drinks.
There will be door prizes with all the monies going to the Memphis Spay & Neuter Services which provides low-cost and sometimes free spay and neuter services in the Memphis Metro area. For more information about this wonderful service, check out their website http://www.spaymemphis.org/ or "Friend" them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mid-S...102656686453408
If you plan to attend, please email me. Friends and family are very welcome to attend.

Gigi Ballester
ballester_gigi@yahoo.com