The Blog is Back

I’m blaming the delinquency of my blog on Elvis.

Actually that’s grandiose, and I can’t lay it all on the King’s jumpsuit-shrouded shoulders. It was, however, my job as the official blogger for Elvis Week 2012 that got me away from my own personal bloggery. 

From August 10 through 19 I was busy covering and blogging in Memphis, Tennessee for this annual gathering of Elvis fans. I gave a fan’s-eye view, and it all appeared online at www.elvisweek.com. 

With it being the 35th anniversary of Elvis’s death, this year’s edition of Elvis Week proved to be super special. Approximately 70,000 fans and journalists from all over the world helped make it an even more monumental occasion. 

It proved quite monumental for me in many ways from guest DJing on Sirius-XM’s Elvis Radio channel to hobnobbing with rock royalty Mike Stoller of Leiber and Stoller fame. One moment I was sitting at a table with Jose Feliciano, the next I was trying on a replica Elvis jacket at the King’s favorite clothier. Like Dorothy in Oz, I was plopped in a magical fantasy land with blue suede shoes and gold records replacing ruby slippers and yellow brick roads.

Once I got back to reality I spent all of last week catching up on work and bypassed getting back to the blog. So now it’s time to crank ’er back up. What better way to do it than by looking back at my Elvis Week experience?

My recollections could fill volumes, but I would suggest that those interested simply go back and read the blogs while they’re still up. If you have Sirius-XM they’ll be playing a replay of my guest DJ hour at 8 a.m. EST on Labor Day.

Love me tender,

Jon

Day 1

http://officialelvispresley.tumblr.com/post/29197612097/elvisweekblog

Day 2

http://officialelvispresley.tumblr.com/post/29263893307/legendary-songwriters-and-gospel-celebration-day-2

Day 3

http://officialelvispresley.tumblr.com/post/29337833187/celebrating-the-king-day-3

Day 4

http://officialelvispresley.tumblr.com/post/29409350165/elvis-meets-nixon-day-4

Day 5

http://officialelvispresley.tumblr.com/post/29481894584/packed-house-for-elvis-week-day-5

Day 6

http://officialelvispresley.tumblr.com/post/29556327597/a-day-of-rememberance-day-6

Day 7

http://officialelvispresley.tumblr.com/post/29626891685/35th-anniversary-concert-day-7

Day 8

http://officialelvispresley.tumblr.com/post/29694003948/elvis-week-celebration-continues-day-8

Day 9

http://officialelvispresley.tumblr.com/post/29761689402/wrapping-up-elvis-week-2012

Soaring Above

Life as a freelance journalist finds me cranking out as many articles as possible. With each assignment I’m knee deep in trying to tell a decent story, relaying accuracy and getting the damn thing done on time. Not much time for any emotional involvement.

Then there are the stories and their subjects that hit you in the gut, make you pause and resonate in your soul. One such piece would be an article I wrote earlier in the summer about Nicole Smith. 

Smith’s an avid skydiver who has triumphed over tragedy. After the back-to-back loss of two significant others and surviving a car crash that left doctors wondering if she’d ever walk again, Smith is taking on a heavy task. She’s skydiving in all 50 states. 

Part bucket list experience and part spiritual journey, Smith’s trek is rife with inspiration. She’s been documenting the whole shebang at www.temptphate01.tumblr.com.

This morning I woke to find an email from Smith resting in my inbox. Her final jump on her mission takes place August 18 at Skydive Kansas in Osage City, Kansas.

My heart and admiration go out to Nicole Smith for beating the odds and living life to the fullest. Thank you, Nicole, for giving me the opportunity to tell your story and making it more than just another assignment for me.

Here’s a link to my Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about Nicole Smith:

http://www.ajc.com/lifestyle/50-state-goal-helps-1455975.html

Total Recall

I have a soft spot for classic Schwarzenegger cinema. The ballooned biceps, the gap-toothed smile and all of those quippy one liners never fail to please. “Total Recall” remains one of my favorites, and I often “get my ass to Mars” with repeat DVD viewings. 

“Total Recall” is nothing short of a blast. Any flick featuring Sharon Stone kicking butt while wearing ’80s aerobics duds has me at “hello.” Toss in a detestable bad guy played by Ronny Cox, those cartoonish eye-bulging special effects and a three-boobed prostitute, and it’s sci-fi bliss. And of course you have Ah-nuld driving it all home with the above-mentioned ingredients. 

So I was a bit bummed to hear the Hollywood powers that be were tossing “Recall” in the remake machine. Yet, since I'm crazy about the source material, I still decided to dedicate last week’s edition of my Atlanta-based radio program, “The Pop Culture King Show,” to the new version.

I’ve yet to see it, but they’re saying it’s closer to the original short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick than the 1990 version. On this episode of “The Pop Culture King Show,” starts Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale chat about the movie. And since “Total Recall” is all about both real and artificial memories, I spin memory-themed songs on this week’s show from the likes of Johnny Thunders, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones.

You can stream or download here:

http://1690wmlb.com/total-recall

The Elvis Blog Has Entered The Building

Elvis Week, the biggest Elvis celebration on earth, is gearing up in Memphis. Beginning Friday I’ll be blogging about it daily through August 19 on Elvis.com. I’ll be kicking back in the Jungle Room, getting all shook up at the FedEx Forum, and rocking and rolling all over the River City. 

Here’s a link to the site:

http://officialelvispresley.tumblr.com/

I posted an introductory blog today, and that’s where I’ll be recapping my daily adventures throughout Elvis Week.

Among the slew of killer events is the Elvis 35th Anniversary Concert at the FedEx Forum. It’s the closest thing to seeing him in concert as Elvis returns to the stage on giant video screens. The King croons and many of his former bandmates perform live right along with him. Lisa Marie Presley and her mom, Priscilla will be in the house, too. I saw the 30th Anniversary Concert, and it was absolutely amazing. It gave me chill bumps on top of my chill bumps.

Here's a shot I took at the show:

Here’s a trailer for the 25th Anniversary version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-jACfzjPkk

- J.

Getting Medieval

There’s more to the dinner theatre show Medieval Times than simply gorging on grub with your bare hands as stunt performers rumble while wearing their Round Table best.

In fact the behind-the-scenes stories are often more colorful than what you’ll find on the arena floor. I explore one such story in my recent article for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It’s a profile of Medieval Times performer Clint Mally, and how he escaped a life of drugs and a broken home, and found new life as a knight in shining armor.

Here’s a link to the story:

http://www.ajc.com/lifestyle/performer-shines-in-new-1489664.html?cxtype=rss_lifestyle

Elvis Packing List: Part One

With my trip to Memphis just 10 days away, visions of Elvis are hip-shaking in my head. This kingly obsession has my brain feeling like a mush of peanut butter and banana.

Each time I prepare for a pilgrimage to Graceland I compose a packing checklist. This isn’t just composed of socks, Elvis tees and my favorite hunka-hunka burning love boxer shorts. Being a functioning pop culture junkie, I must keep a solid selection of media within my grasp. This means loading up my go-to Elvis items: Elvis-related books for bedtime reading, an iPod filled to the gills with Presley mp3s, and my favorite go-to Elvis DVDs. 

So I decided to document the packing process by defending the contents of my suitcase. I’ll pick a particular item and explain why it merits a spot on the checklist.

First up is the “King Creole” DVD, the American Express card of my Elvis movie collection. I don’t leave home without it.

Critics and Elvis movie buffs have long hailed “King Creole” as Presley’s best picture, and for good reason. It marked Elvis’ fourth time in front of the camera and the opportunity to work with legendary director Michael Curtiz, the cat who helmed “Casablanca.”

Like Bogart in “Casablanca,” Elvis oozes with cool the moment he slides onscreen. The opening sequence set amid the wrought iron balconies of Bourbon Street finds the King as Danny Fisher, a rebellious teen with a golden voice. Flashing a smile that practically burns through the celluloid, Elvis sings “Crawfish” with a little help from vocalist Kitty White. At that point he has the viewer bagged and tagged like a net full of the crustaceans he’s crooning about.

The supporting cast is no less powerful. Elvis channels his inner James Dean alongside Carolyn Jones in a sultry pre-Morticia Addams role as a piece of gangster arm candy looking for redemption. Vic Morrow is at his slimy best as the hoodlum Shark, and Walther Matthau and his square jaw chew up the scenery as Maxie Fields, an evil crook hell bent on control.

The soundtrack comes chockfull of Elvis delights, including the title track, “Hard Headed Woman,” a blistering version of “Trouble” and the aforementioned “Crawfish” among the highlights. 

Beside being a solid piece of cinema, “King Creole” stands as hard evidence of the true acting talent Presley possessed. Given the right material, he had the performance chops to knock it out of the park. “King Creole” does just that. In fact the King knocks the DVD right into my suitcase.