BackinMemphis

“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. ...

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 el...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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, secr...

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, ...