Here Comes More Of The King!

I posted a short while back about Elvis' DVDs that are out and the ones that are coming soon and presto... here's the trailer for the excellent upcoming box set (which includes the Elvis on Tour DVD):

Elvis Has A Blue Christmas

Although this is mislabeled as 1965, it's from the '68 Comeback Special obviously. It's a classic Christmas song from Elvis, "Blue Christmas". I have this on DVD and think it was when he was at his peak, which shocked a lot of people as he was just coming off of some of his horrible movie years. The black leather, the intimate performance, the awesome vocals... it doesn't get much better than this. Enjoy.

A Hunka Hunka Burnin' Spud

Sure, he's sold nearly a billion records, had many hit movies and mega-watched TV specials and his home is visited more nearly 40 years after his death than should be logical. But in my opinion, you're really not "somebody" until you have your own Mr. Potato Head. Thus, Elvis Aron Presley has finally reached greatness. It's about time. I want it, I need it, I love it.

Full Story from Elvis.com

Hasbro licensee, PPW Toys, suits up MR. POTATO HEAD as Elvis Presley for a unique co-branded product. An Elvis tribute artist shows off the new collectible during a launch event at Licensing International Expo 2010 in Las Vegas.

Elvis fans, toy collectors and pop culture enthusiasts will spend much of this summer anticipating the launch of the Mr. Potato Head Elvis Presley collectible figures from PPW Toys, under license from Hasbro, Inc. and Elvis Presley Enterprises.

Mr. Potato Head appeared as KISS last year, and this year he is ready to take on the king of rock 'n' roll. A series of Mr. Potato Head collectible figures will be released, each with a variety of costumes, instruments and other iconic components representing Elvis' most memorable performances.

The first spud to be released this August in tandem with Elvis Week events at Graceland in Memphis and will feature Elvis' famous white jumpsuit, microphone and guitar. A second version with Mr. Potato Head wearing black leather from Elvis' 1968 Special Performance will be released during the 2010 holiday season. Components such as hairstyles, costumes, faces and musical instruments will be compatible with every version, so fans can mix and match the styles with hilarious results.

The Mr. Potato Head Elvis Presley collectible figures will not only appeal to kids, but these figures will also be in demand by music fans and pop culture collectors of all ages. The Mr. Potato Head Elvis Presley collectible figures will be available at specialty retailers and e-tailers.

Created in 1952, Mr. Potato Head, the first toy to be featured in a television commercial, became an instant hit with youngsters. In the past 58 years, the beloved character has emerged as an American icon, a true evergreen brand with broad demographic appeal.

The King... of DVD

Hey, I make no bones about... I love The King (see my The King and I post). I've seen most of the films, been to Graceland, have a nice collection of his CDs and my iPod can pop-up any of about 60 Elvis songs on shuffle at any time. I have been known to pop in the DVD of his comeback special to get out of the doldrums. Elvis Presley was awesome in my book. I didn't learn to really appreciate him until the last decade or so, but I made up for lost ground. I'm not super fanatic or anything, but I appreciate the guy.

I'll readily admit though, a good portion of his movies sucked jelly donuts. There are some great ones that I love, but there are more that just stink. So I've always avoid buying any of his movies on DVD (I have a few concerts/special and such though). Finally a couple of decent collection have changed all that. Fox and Warner both have jumped on the 75th birthday bandwagon and after seeing on hit the stands yesterday I did some digging to see what's going down with these 2 sets.

Here's the skinny as far as info I can find:

Elvis 75th Birthday DVD Collection

Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: June 1, 2010
List Price: $39.98 (I got it for $31.99 @ Amazon.com)
Number of discs: 7

* Clambake
* Flaming Star
* Follow That Dream
* Frankie and Johnny
* Kid Galahad
* Love Me Tender
* Wild In The Country

My Thoughts: Well, for the price I got it's less than $7 per movie, and you get the excellent Love Me Tender (one of my favorites) and several other of his good films (Wild In The Country, Follow That Dream, Flaming Star). Sadly, you also get Clambake and Frankie and Johnny, both of which ain't nuthin' but hound dogs. Kid Galahad falls somewhere in between I think. So it's a decent selection, especially for the price.

Elvis 75th Anniversary DVD Collection

Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: August 3, 2010
List Price: $74.98 (Amazon.com has it for $58.49)
Number of discs: 17

* Jailhouse Rock
* It Happened At The World's Fair
* Kissin' Cousins
* Viva Las Vegas
* Girl Happy
* Tickle Me
* Harum Scarum
* Spinout
* Double Trouble
* Stay Away, Joe
* Speedway
* Live a Little, Love a Little
* Charro!
* The Trouble With Girls
* Elvis: That's The Way It Is (Special Edition)
* First Time on DVD - Elvis on Tour
* This Is Elvis

My Thoughts: A few of these I've never even seen (Stay Away, Joe, Live a Little, Love a Little, Tickle Me) but there are some really good ones in there too (Jailhouse Rock, Viva Las Vegas, It Happened At The World's Fair). Also you get a couple of his race car movies (Speedway and Spinout) and although they may suck... c'mon it's Elvis in a race car! That's awesomeness right there. Harum Scarum and Double Trouble both blow pretty hard in my opinion, but Warner sort of makes up for it with some non-movie stuff. The last 3 in the list are all concert or documentary type stuff. So again, for the money, this is a pretty solid set.

I'm going to pick up both of these for less than $100 and get 21 of his movies and 3 other excellent DVDs, so I think it's a pretty good bargain.

What's left? Well, my favorite Elvis flick ever, King Creole is absent, as is G.I. Blues, Blue Hawaii, Fun in Acapulco and Roustabout. Plus some others. But these are available on a collection called Lights! Camera! Elvis! from Paramount a few years ago that's out of print now I believe. It includes Blue Hawaii, Easy Come, Easy Go, Fun in Acapulco, G.I. Blues, Girls! Girls! Girls!, King Creole, Roustabout and Paradise Hawaiian Style. Good luck finding it. I'm not sure what Paramount has planned in their future releases or why they pulled this collection.

So when all is said and done, if you have these 3 DVD collections then your Elvis movie collection is pretty solid. If you don't have them, come to my house (with beer and wings) and we'll do a hunka hunka burnin' movie marathon.

Elvis Is Girl Happy

Of course I'm still in the midst of my own Elvis week. Last night we watched Girl Happy, which is an enjoyable yet ridulously silly film from 1965. It's on of his "beach films" and it takes place in Ft. Lauderdale during spring break (sort of... you can tell nothing was really on location). The dance numbers are quite comical and there are really only a couple of memorable songs... the title track, "The Meanest Girl In Town" (also done by Bill Haley & His Comets called "She's Evil") and "You'll Be Gone". Unfortunately there's also some real forgetable stuff here as well, like "Do The Clam" (seriously), "Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce" and "Wolf Call". And I hate to spoil the ending for you, but after a big misunderstanding... Elvis gets the girl! Who knew! But hey, at least watch it so you too can learn how to do the clam. All the kids are doing it.



So to keep the week going, how about you just enjoy Elvis Presley performing "Steamroller Blues" from his legendary Aloha from Hawaii concert. For more Elvis videos visit Elvis.com.

Warden Threw A Party In The County Jail

R.I.P. Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977)... as usual I'm watching plenty of Elvis movies and listening to tunes. I've watched Change of Habit and Loving You so far, kicking in some Spinout later. We also visited famous Studio B just last week while in Nashville and sat at the same piano The King played on. Get in the mood! Watch this classic (and still one of my favorite Elvis songs) below:



Elvis Presley performing "Jailhouse Rock" from the '68 Comeback Special. For more Elvis Videos visit Elvis.com.

Beer And Elvis?

Since I post a lot about beer, hot women and often post about Elvis as well, this video is made just for this blog I guess. Check out the cool new TV commercial for Heineken that features the great track "Bossa Nova Baby" from Viva ELVIS. The ad is now airing in Ireland. Well done Heineken! I believe I'll have one in your honor, King.





Visit Elvis.com for more information on the King of Rock N Roll, Elvis Presley.

Hot Tuesday

Oh Tuesday, how do I love thee? Well, you're not Monday, so that's a plus and you are closer to Friday so I'm all about that. Also, you provide me with new music and such. Leading the list is a release I told you about right here several months ago and that's Elvis 75th Anniversary DVD Collection. 17 freakin' movies by the King! In one tidy package. I can see me shutting all the blinds and taking a case of jelly donuts and a 12-pack of root beer and having a dancing, singing weekend with the King. Well, maybe not. But I'm buying it at least to add to my collection. And there's more!

On the singles side, the new song from Linkin Park called "The Catalyst" is finally out today as an MP3 download at various sites. It's their first single from the forthcoming album, "A Thousand Suns," out Sept. 14. I checked iTunes this morning and also saw a new single from Methods of Mayhem and Sully Erna solo.

Other stuff:

* Black Crowes ~ "Croweology" CD

* Buckcherry ~ "All Night Long" CD (see blog here)

* Arcade Fire ~ "The Suburbs" CD

* Paul Gilbert ~ "Fuzz Universe" (Racer X, Mr. Big guitarist) CD

* Various Artists ~ "The Kids Are All Right" CD (Film soundtrack... feat. tracks by Beck, David Bowie, Metric, MGMT)

* Kick-Ass DVD (super hero comedy)

* TCM Spotlight: Errol Flynn Adventures (Desperate Journey / Edge of Darkness 1943 / Northern Pursuit / Uncertain Glory / Objective Burma)