Elvis still lives

Elvis Presley died on Aug. 16, 1977 at only 42. That may be ages ago but thanks to his devoted following, the King of Rock and Roll turned out to be an even bigger star in death than he was in life. And with the 25th year observance of his death fast coming up you can bet that efforts to honor his memory will be plentiful and extra special.

Here in the Philippines, the Elvis Presley Friendship Club is at the forefront of a round of activities that pays homage to Elvis. This Club is one of more than 600 Elvis clubs all over the world like the International Elvis Presley Fan Club of Hong Kong, the International Elvis Presley Fan Club of Malaysia plus those in Thailand and Japan, where Prime Minister Koizumi is a big fan and many other countries.

What the Elvis Presley Friendship Club has in store for all Elvis fans this year are the following:

1) The Club will celebrate its second anniversary on May 5, Sunday, with a meeting and party that will be held at Quattro Music Bar & Restaurant from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be singing of Elvis songs and door prizes for members.

2) An Elvis Presley Sound-A-Like and Look-A-Like Contest which will be held at the Glorietta Outdoor Park in Makati City at 1 p.m., on May 11. This is in cooperation with Cook Magazine and in connection with the ongoing America the Bountiful celebration, which goes on until May 15. Prizes are first, P8,000; second, P4,000 and third, P3,000 plus gift certificates. Contestants should wear Elvis costumes. Please bring your own minus one tape or CD.

3) Elvises Chito Bertol and Edgar Orpida will represent the Philippines at the Asian Elvis Festival that will be held in Tokyo, Japan on Aug. 17 in answer to the invitation of the International Elvis Fan Club of Tokyo.

4) If you want more Elvis, you may tune in to The Elvis Presley Sunday Specials hosted by Bertol at 8 a.m. and Elvis is Alive hosted by Vic Morales every Friday at 11:30 a.m. over DZSR 918 Kh on AM radio.

The Elvis Presley Friendship Club now has 200 members. Officers include Chito Bertol, one of the Elvis Presley of the Philippines and the president and general manager of the Manila Seedling Bank Foundation Inc. as founding chairman; Levi Castillo, honorary chairman; Bingo Guerrero as president; Tita Tirona as VP for membership; Cora Presley as VP for special projects; Walter Perez as treasurer; Dr. Archee Lee and Dr. Susan Tan as newsletter editors; Nita de Guzman as secretary; Fely Po as chairman for special events; and Tristan Manlapaz as goodman Friday.

The club is open to Elvis Presley fans. There are no membership dues save for the optional P100 for those who wish to subscribe to the newsletter. Benefits include a 10 percent discount on purchases made at the Manila Seedling Bank, medical consultations with Drs. Lee and Tan, exchange of rare Elvis memorabilia and being kept up to date on all Elvis news that comes directly from Graceland, USA. Those who wish to join can simply call up phone nos. 924-0166 and 924-7001 or write to DZSR Sports Radio, PIA Building, Visayas Avenue, QC.

Meanwhile, out there in the US of A, the Elvis commemorative activities promise to be the biggest ever. The biggest of them all is the theatrical release of the Disney animated feature Lilo & Stitch, where Elvis is a major part of the story and which will feature six Elvis songs in the soundtrack. These are Hound Dog, Devil in Disguise, Burning Love, I’m Coming Home, Stuck on You and Heartbreak Hotel. There will be a six-week exhibit about the film in Hollywood and this will of course include a significant collection of Elvis artifacts on loan from Grace-land.

Among the other events you might want to watch out for are a compilation of Elvis’ number one hits plus the 100-track, 4-CD anthology Elvis: Today, Tomorrow and Forever; two new Elvis books, The Elvis Treasures and Elvis: A Celebration which contains 600 photographs; the TV special Elvis: The 25th Anniversary Concert which features Elvis performing with 30 singers and musicians through the wonder of modern technology; a new exhibit at the Sincerely Elvis Museum in Graceland, the Presley mansion which is celebrating its 20th year of being open to the public plus a lot of other festivities that will gladden the heart of every Elvis fan.