Elvis Presley

Re "30,000 Elvis Fans Can't Help Falling in Line," Aug. 17: As a contemporary of Elvis, I wanted to say that not everyone thought he could dance, sing or act. Certainly not better than anyone else his age, picked at random. He was a manufactured icon by social engineers promoting an agenda. (No, it was not just money!) As usual, the adolescent female was the most vulnerable and easiest to manipulate. I sympathize with Elvis. There can be little doubt that he knew this better than anyone, and must have felt contempt for his hysterical worshipers.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a musical with less dramatic tension than "Million Dollar Quartet" anywhere this side of a "My Little Pony" touring show. The production that opened Tuesday at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts really just wants to let the good times roll, so you can be glad it devotes only about 10 minutes of its 105-minute running time to drumming up token conflicts between Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash and their visionary producer, Sam Phillips.

A roundup of this morning's arts and entertainment headlines: Elvis Presley's doctor claims the king died from chronic constipation. Eat your fiber! (Fox News) The official site for J.J. Abrams' "Super 8" has launched. (Official site) Meanwhile, the much-buzzed-about trailer has leaked. (Movie Viral) Gustavo Dudamel pulled a neck muscle Thursday night while conducting the L.A. Philharmonic. (Los Angeles Times) The long-bickering actors unions are considering merging.

Trumpeter Wayne Jackson was the personification of mixed emotions in February when he and his longtime musical partner, saxophonist Andrew Love, were presented with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award for their work over half a century together as the Memphis Horns. Jackson tearfully acknowledged the music industry accolade for the hundreds of recordings that he and Love made in Memphis and elsewhere. They had backed such R&B and soul music greats as Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Sam & Dave and Wilson Pickett, and rock, pop and country luminaries that included Elvis Presley, U2, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Robert Cray and James Taylor.

"Blue Caribbean: In Search of Elvis," a cruise-ship conference marking the 20th anniversary of the rock 'n' roll king's death, sets sail Aug. 17 from Tampa, Fla., for a week in the Caribbean. On board will be El Vez, the Mexican Elvis performance artist; former Presley co-star Julie Parrish; his former hairdresser; Douglas Laurence, who produced three Presley films; and University of Mississipi Prof.

NEW YORK - Autopsy tools used to embalm and prepare Elvis Presley's body for his funeral in 1977 and a toe tag used on the singer for identification purposes are set to go under the hammer at a Chicago auction house. The instruments up for sale at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on Aug. 12 include rubber gloves, forceps, lip brushes, a comb and eye liner, needle injectors, an arterial tube and aneurysm hooks, all of which the auction house say were used only once. The collection, saved for years by a senior embalmer at the Memphis Funeral Home who wishes to stay anonymous, also includes a toe tag marked "John Doe" which was used as a replacement after the original was stolen by a fan during chaos at the hospital.

Hugh Jarrett, 78, a member of Elvis Presley's backup singing group the Jordanaires, died Saturday at an Atlanta hospital from injuries suffered in a March car accident. The Jordanaires formed as a gospel quartet in 1948. Six years later Jarrett, who sang bass, joined the group, which caught Presley's attention after performing on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" TV show and live performances at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. After Presley signed with RCA Records in 1956, the Jordanaires provided vocal backing to the star on tour and on recordings, including such hits as "Don't Be Cruel," "Teddy Bear" and "Don't."

A postage stamp will be issued in honor of the king of rock 'n' roll, and Americans will help select the likeness they want to see. Elvis Presley will appear on a postage stamp in 1993, Postmaster General Anthony M. Frank said Thursday in ending years of controversy about whether Presley was a fit subject for a stamp.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Tuesday. Elvis Presley died 34 years ago today. ( Chicago Sun Times ) A national fad has ended: TLC has canceled "Kate + 8. " ( Los Angeles Times ) But it sounds as if Kate Gosselin could have a job waiting for her on "The Bachelorette. " If she wants it... ( Entertainment Weekly ) The drama around "Sons of Anarchy" and Kurt Sutter extends beyond the creator's Twitter account. ( Los Angeles Times ) Kathy Griffin called Michele Bachmann a bigot to her face.

A circus fit for the King Montreal meets Memphis as Cirque du Soleil premieres for the public its revamped tribute to Elvis Presley in Las Vegas on Feb. 21. "Viva Elvis," staged at Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter, is a blend of Cirque's famous acrobatics and the King's music. If you're looking for an Elvis impersonator, you'll need to look elsewhere on the Strip; modern remixes of Elvis' hits dominate the production. Ticket prices start at $115, including taxes and fees. Info: www.ticketmaster .com.

Julie Adams' Leading Men "Creature From the Black Lagoon" Adams was pursued by the amphibious Gill-Man in the 1954 sci-fi favorite. "Bend of the River" Adams appeared with screen legend Jimmy Stewart in this 1952 western. "Tickle Me" Adams plays a rancher who hires rodeo star Elvis Presley in this 1965 musical-comedy.

'Loving You' Hart made two films with Elvis Presley — this 1957 musical and the more dramatic 1958 "King Creole" 'Where The Boys Are' Hart was romanced by George Hamilton in this teen favorite from 1960 that also features Jim Hutton and Paula Prentiss. 'Lisa' Hart's favorite is 1962's "Lisa," in which she plays a Jewish refugee in post-World War II Europe.

When Dolores Hart, 73, walks the red carpet at this year's Academy Awards as planned, no interviewer will need to ask who made her dress. She will be wearing her nun's habit from the Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Conn., where she lives a life of contemplation and hospitality and is mother prioress. Mother Dolores, as she is now known, is the subject this year of an Oscar-nominated documentary short, "God Is the Bigger Elvis," which airs April 5 on HBO. The documentary chronicles her life as a nun after a Hollywood career that saw her costar with Elvis Presley ("Loving You" in 1957 and "King Creole" in 1958)

Elvis Presley was born Jan. 8, 1935, an important date for fans who will be celebrating what would have been his 77th birthday this year. And what better place to start than a tour of the unusual Midcentury Palm Springs home he once lived in. The Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway , as its called, at 1350 Ladera Circle was the place where Presley and then-wife Priscilla retreated to after their Las Vegas wedding in 1967. The furnishings and memorabilia didn't belong to Presley, but the house has been restored with him in mind.  In honor of his birthday weekend, special guided tours of the home the King leased for just one year will be held on the hour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday.

Jerry Leiber, who with his songwriting partner, Mike Stoller, created a songbook that infused the rock 'n' roll scene of the 1950s and early '60s with energy and mischievous humor, has died. He was 78. Leiber, the words half of the duo, died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of cardiopulmonary failure, said Randy Poe, president of the songwriters' music publishing company. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, Leiber and his lifelong writing partner, Stoller, wrote hits that included Elvis Presley's rat-a-tat-tat rendition of "Hound Dog" in 1956 and Peggy Lee's 1969 recording of the jaded "Is That All There Is?"

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Tuesday. Elvis Presley died 34 years ago today. ( Chicago Sun Times ) A national fad has ended: TLC has canceled "Kate + 8. " ( Los Angeles Times ) But it sounds as if Kate Gosselin could have a job waiting for her on "The Bachelorette. " If she wants it... ( Entertainment Weekly ) The drama around "Sons of Anarchy" and Kurt Sutter extends beyond the creator's Twitter account. ( Los Angeles Times ) Kathy Griffin called Michele Bachmann a bigot to her face.

When John Urso left Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on Sunday, he carried two shirts carefully hung and wrapped in plastic -- shirts too small for him to wear. But then again, it would be a shame to risk spilling spaghetti sauce on cloth that may have touched the king of rock 'n' roll. "It's worth every penny," said Urso, who bought the priciest item in a Chicago auction of Presley memorabilia that included locks of Presley's hair allegedly from his famous 1958 Army haircut. Urso passed on the $15,000 hair, but he bought a white cotton shirt with "EP" monogrammed on the chest for $52,000.

Update: A gated Beverly Hills compound that was once home to Elvis Presley and wife Priscilla has been leased out for $20,000 a month. The French Regency-style estate, built in 1958, sits on 1.18 acres in the Trousdale Estates area. Recently remodeled, the 5,367-square-foot house has new flooring, a new kitchen and laundry room, and a resurfaced pool and spa. A guesthouse is attached to the four-bedroom, five-bathroom main home. The property had been listed for lease at $25,000 a month.

The following is a blog documenting two Los Angeles Times editors' attempts to lose weight. It all began on Jan. 10 . My weight-loss partner, Tony, is turning into Elvis Presley. Well, he's going to Vegas.  And he'll probably have a few dozen grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches. You can see it a mile away.  He just quit something called the Cookie Diet (after being on it for about 10 days), ate an entire box of chocolates yesterday and is now heading to Las Vegas for a long weekend.