BackinMemphis

Yvette Vickers, an early Playboy playmate whose credits as a B-movie actress included such cult films as “Attack of the 50-Foot Woman” and “Attack of the Giant Leeches,” was found dead last week at her Benedict Canyon home. Her body appears to have gone undiscovered for months, police said. Jan Shepard who starred in Attack of the Giant Leeches with Yvette told backinmemphis.com exclusively, she was very sad to hear the lost of her friend Yvette. Vickers, 82, had not been seen for a long time. A neighbor discovered her body in an upstairs room of her Westwanda Drive home on April 27. Its mummified state suggests she could have been dead for close to a year, police said. The official cause of death will by determined by the Los Angeles county coroner's office, but police said they saw no sign of foul play. Vickers had lived in the 1920s-era stone and wood home for decades, and it served as the background for some of her famous modeling pictures. But over time it had becom...

Elvis biographer Marshall Terrill will make his big screen debut with a Steve McQueen biopic and hopes producers will give “The King” the royal treatment for his next screen adaptation. The Hollywood Reporter announced on April 28 that two-time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner ( The Hurt Locker and The Town ) has formed a production company, The Combine, and will play Steve McQueen in an upcoming biopic. “I'm absolutely thrilled because this has been 20 years in the making,” said Terrill, who has written three books on Presley. “Renner is perfect as McQueen and is probably the hottest star on the planet right now.” Writer-director James Gray , who wrote and directed We Own the Night and Two Lovers , is attached to write the McQueen screenplay, which will be based on the two books by Marshall Terrill : Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel (1993) and Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon (2010) . Video director Ivan Zacharias is attached to mak...

Choose Your Region US Price incl. S/H $14.99 Outside US Price incl. S/H $19.99 Paperback: 237 pages Publisher: Daywind (September 2009) Language: English JD had first written his autobiography in 1971, “Gospel Music Is My Life” with writer Bob Terrell. After Mary’s death, he and Terrell rewrote and updated the book, changing the title to “The Life And Times Of JD Sumner”. This book is now out of print as well, but if you find a copy of it, you’ll see JD’s colorful life story told in his own words…a “must-read” for any serious gospel music fan. There are 2 entire chapters devoted to Elvis ! The introduction is written by James Blackwood . This 2009 expanded edition includes lots of photos spanning JD's career. Price includes shipping and handling....act fast! These books are brand new and not used copies! So act fast! 14.99 for US residents and 19.99 for the rest of the world.

City leaders held a ground breaking at the place where Elvis Presley was born as it will soon expand 10,000 plus square-feet. Project plans estimate to cost about $6.6 million including a theater, reception hall, walking trail, and other displays. Two and a half million dollars for this upgrade comes from the Mississippi Legislature, a wise investment according to some of our tourism experts. "For every dollar we spend in advertising and marketing in the state of Mississippi we get about seven dollars returned on that one dollar," says Neal McCoy, Director of the Tupelo Convention and Visitor's Bureau. "So this is a good sound investment we think will attract visitors." "We're the number one tourist attraction for the State of Mississippi. The state tourism people realize that and they're not afraid to put money into a project like this," believes Executive Director of the Elvis Presley Memorial, Dick Guyton. Records show in 2010, the...

Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. Announces Record Number of Preliminaries for the 2011 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest; President Clinton Center Joins as a Location Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) announced today that for the fifth annual Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, there will be a record-breaking 26 preliminaries held around the world throughout the spring and summer. Clinton Presidential Center in Arkansas joins as one of the preliminary contest locations. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) announced today that for the fifth annual Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, there will be a record-breaking 26 preliminaries held around the world throughout the spring and summer. The 26 winners will then compete in Memphis, Tenn., on August 11 and 12, 2011, during Elvis Week. Just added to the list of preliminary contests will be one at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Ark. This preliminary, held July 16, will help celebrate two new temporary ...

TAMPA — A Seminole Heights restaurant where Elvis Presley once ate reopened Tuesday morning after a fire the previous night. The good news for Elvis fans: The booth where he ate was not damaged. Crews responded just before 10 p.m. Monday to reports of smoke at Nicko's Fine Foods, 4603 N Florida Ave. Firefighters found light smoke coming from an electrical panel on the roof. Owner Dee Liakos said a passerby noticed the neon sign on the building was on fire and called authorities. The diner was closed for the evening but reopened for business as usual Tuesday morning. The fire did not spread through the diner, Liakos said, and there was only some mess near the back door when firefighters entered to make sure no one was inside. "Nothing happened inside, thank God," Liakos said. Elvis ate at the diner, then called Ayres Diner, in 1956 after a concert at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. A plaque at booth three on the north side of the restaurant recalls the occasi...