elvis film star trek

Small Details You Missed In Baz Luhrmann's Elvis

Few people in the world possess such notable names that you immediately recognize. One such name is Elvis Presley, who changed rock music forever by combining the R&B feel and lyrics of Black musicians with the existing country music sounds. Fans know him not just from memorable hits like "Heartbreak Hotel," "Can't Help Falling In Love," and "Suspicious Minds," but also from his work in the film industry with movies like "Viva Las Vegas" and "Blue Hawaii," and from his marriage to Priscilla Presley.

But after Elvis' death in 1977, more and more information about his life, especially his relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, came to light. There were horrible stories of mismanagement and the conditions Elvis worked in, and Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" showcases this. The film also pays homage to Elvis' work with Black musicians, his marriage and fatherhood, and his emotions throughout his rise to fame.

The film is a true spectacle, with a lot of information and insight about Elvis' life packed into it. However, there's even more than what you might notice on your first watch. Luhrmann includes many tiny details that further tell Elvis' story and add to the authenticity of the film. Interested to see what small details you may have missed? Read on for some of the blink-and-you-miss-it details Luhrmann included in his 2022 film, "Elvis."

Real blue jumpsuit

Elvis is certainly known for his stage presence, but part of what made it so memorable was his costume choices. For the film, Luhrmann emulated some of Elvis' most famous styles, including Elvis' blue jumpsuit that he wore during his Vegas residency. In the beginning of "Elvis," there are shots of Austin Butler's Elvis performing in Vegas and the crowd going wild. In this, there are multiple panels of Butler in the blue jumpsuit as he's performing.

There aren't many shots of the real Elvis in the film, but there is one during this early scene in the film where the real Elvis and Butler's Elvis are seen in a two panel shot. Both men have the memorable blue jumpsuit on and are dancing in their wild manner. The scene is so quick that if you blink you miss it, and you almost can't tell the difference between the two versions of the musician, but it's there nonetheless. This two panel shot helps to blur the lines between Butler's immersive performance as Elvis and the real deal himself.

Star Trek references

One small detail fans may have missed were all of the hidden "Star Trek" references throughout the film. First, in the beginning of the film at the International hotel in Vegas, there's an advertisement for the "Star Trek Experience" on the sign in the front. Within the first two minutes there's a reference to "Star Trek," but there's at least one other reference later in the film during the Christmas special. While Tom Parker and the NBC studio executives are walking through the hallways at NBC studios, there are several posters hanging up that include the "Star Trek" cast and promote the show.

Some might think these small "Star Trek" details are merely a coincidence, but they are actually purposely hidden in the film. In a documentary about Elvis , it's revealed that the king was actually a huge fan of "Star Trek," both the cast of characters and the show's plot. Celeste Yarnall, "Star Trek" actress and Elvis' on-screen costar, talked about how much Elvis loved the show, and even told the documentary makers that Elvis named one of his horses Star Trek. Because of his love for the show, Luhrmann wanted to include some small "Star Trek" details that Elvis' hardcore fans would recognize as an homage to his fandom.

The Blue Hawaii red shirt

One of Elvis' most famous films is " Blue Hawaii ." In the film, Elvis plays Chad, a boy who is meant to take over his family business but throws that away in favor of working for his girlfriend as a tour guide. The film also starred Angela Lansbury, and included some hits like "Blue Hawaii," "Aloha Oe," and, most famously, "Can't Help Falling In Love." There's a whole section of the film that pays tribute to Elvis' film career, but one of the homages to Elvis' acting is a small detail you might have missed.

A bit over 30 minutes into "Elvis," B.B. King and Elvis go shopping for new outfits at a store called Lansky's. While in the store, there's a shot that shows all the shelves and other products in the store aside from what the two musicians are purchasing. In this shot, you can see a row of shirts displayed behind Elvis, and one of the shirts is his iconic red Hawaiian-style shirt he wears in "Blue Hawaii." It's a small detail and the shot is fleeting, but diehard Elvis fans can keep their eyes peeled for this small homage to one of Elvis' most famous acting moments.

Kurt Russell's cameo

One of the most action-packed scenes of the film comes from the "Viva Las Vegas" montage, where the audience sees shots of real Elvis films, fake reenactments from Butler, and moments with Elvis and Priscilla or Elvis and his "Memphis Mafia," as they were called. There are several panels going at once, making it the perfect place to slip in some smaller details about the musician and actor. Though many fans see this as a moment where it's once again hard to tell the difference between the real Elvis and Butler's iteration, there's one panel where you can absolutely be sure it's the real Elvis because of the other actor in it making a cameo.

One of the panels behind Butler's Elvis while he's filming the surfing shots shows a memorable scene from Elvis' film "It Happened At The World's Fair." The scene involves Elvis asking a young child to kick him in the shin incredibly hard, and he even offers him a quarter to do so. The child agrees, and kicks Elvis really hard in the shin. In this scene, the child actor is actually famous actor Kurt Russell, who has starred in films like "The Hateful Eight" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." This cameo from Russell is also meaningful because he eventually played Elvis in John Carpenter's 1979 biopic, "Elvis." The 2022 "Elvis" cameo for young Russell is brief, but there for those who pay close attention.

Sharon Tate's death in the paper

Elvis underwent a lot of mental stress throughout his career, mostly because of the way Tom Parker kept him continually running and didn't give him room to rest. This type of exhaustion is something that many celebrities experience, but Elvis in particular was dealing with the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. both, while watching other celebrities murdered or attacked just for their fame. This took a huge toll on him and, with Parker's assistance, created an air of paranoia that helped Parker control his life.

One scene, though, that perfectly encapsulates this is when Elvis is in the hospital for exhaustion and Parker is reading the newspaper with Sharon Tate's murder on the cover. This is used as a plot device to spark a discussion about fear of the lives of entertainers, but Butler fans know there's a deeper meaning to this detail. The choice of Tate's murder being the focus can be seen as an homage to Butler's role as Tex , one of Tate's killers in the Quentin Tarantino film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." It's a small detail that only fans of Butler or the Tarantino film would know, but it's a fun detail nonetheless.

I will always love you

The relationship between Elvis and his wife, Priscilla, is a large plot point of the film. The audience gets to see their romance at every stage, starting with how they meet and bond and ending with their divorce and co-parenting style. There's one scene that's particularly heartbreaking because of how clear it is to the audience that they still love each other, but just can't work as a couple anymore. When they are talking together in the car toward the end of the film, it's a heart to heart that only Priscilla could help Elvis get through. They both get out of the car to leave, and Elvis looks at Priscilla and mouths "I will always love you."

It's a tearful moment, but it's one with a deeper meaning than just the sentiment. Elvis famously sang Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" to Priscilla when the two were getting divorced, and Priscilla told Parton about this. But even more than this, Elvis wanted to professionally record Parton's song, and she wanted that as well. However, Parker wanted to take half of the publishing rights for the song, and Parton wouldn't agree to it, resulting in Elvis never recording it. However, Parton was always honored that Elvis wanted to sing it, and about the detail that he sang it privately to Priscilla. She told W Magazine that it "touched her deeply."

The catalyst for Parker and Elvis' relationship throughout the film starts with their intense conversation at the carnival. Parker notices Elvis standing alone, and sees him as a lost outcast who would be easily influenced by his management. He approaches Elvis, but Elvis is suddenly called away by his friends to go into the house of mirrors, delaying the conversation between the musician and manager. However, when Parker first notices Elvis, he notices something else, too: the advertisement for "The Geek" posted behind his view of Elvis.

This hidden detail has a deeper meaning. First, the "geek" is known to circus lovers as the most grotesque or shocking element of all the acts. These performers usually bite the heads off animals or even eat certain animals alive to impress audiences, and appeal to the audience's forbidden pleasure. This slightly references "Nightmare Alley," which was Parker's favorite film , so that's one meaning to it. However, it also references the fact that Parker saw how audiences reacted to Elvis' act, and how they couldn't control the pleasure they felt from it but weren't sure if they were supposed to be enjoying it or rejecting it. That goes for most of the world's response to the musician, actually. Parker knew Elvis could be the music industry's "geek" act, and took advantage of that in his management of the musician.

Elvis' nervous hands

One of the biggest parts of the film is Elvis' comeback special, which is where you really see Elvis defy Parker in a large way to create what he wants his audience to see, not what Parker is making him do. Elvis fans will watch the film's version of the special and note that it is nearly recreated perfectly by Luhrmann. Every detail of it is so precise, and Butler's performance, though excellent throughout the whole film, is especially well done here. However, one detail that was particularly accurate to add is extremely subtle, but tells a huge story.

In the scene, when Butler's Elvis first starts singing, he reaches for the microphone. When he does this, his hand shakes slightly, like he's nervous to perform. This is because, as Elvis fans will note, in the original comeback special , Elvis hadn't performed in front of a live audience for a long time and was nervous. This caused his hand to shake as he was getting into the feeling of the performance, and Butler included this detail in the film version to make it more authentic and exact to Elvis' behavior at the special.

Comeback special's exact audience

Of course the comeback special in "Elvis" deserves ample praise for its authenticity and precise attention to detail. However, one element of the special that is technically a large detail, but one that only the most attentive Elvis fans will notice, is that every single member of the crowd is exactly replicated from the original Comeback Special. In an article from PopSugar , it's revealed that the costume and makeup team did each individual makeup and hair look for the audience of the special to perfectly replicate the Comeback Special. They even said they used around 450 wigs throughout the whole movie for the extras.

In the article, Shane Thomas, the hair and makeup designer for the film, talked about how every extra that sat around the stage had the same costumes, hairdos, and makeup as the real people from the special. He said, "[With] the real images and our images next to each other – it's quite mind-blowing how well we did with replicating it." Thomas isn't exaggerating; if you look at the two frames side by side, the ridiculously strong effort to recreate the different looks of the audience truly looks identical to its predecessor.

One of the defining moments of Elvis' life and in the film comes from Martin Luther King Jr.'s death. His assassination deeply impacted Elvis, and eventually sparked his rebellion against Parker's agenda and deciding to work with Steve Binder to create the special he wanted to make. However, there's a hidden detail before this, while Elvis is contemplating King Jr.'s death. In the scene, Priscilla walks into Elvis' trailer to find him watching Dr. King's memorial. She greets him by saying "Satnin," which some might take to be a pet name or not really notice she says it at all. This was no throwaway line, though.

"Satnin" is actually what Elvis used to call his mother , Gladys Presley. He used this word because of her Satin-like skin. It was more than that, though, because to the two of them this word was a form of affection. Elvis and his mother had an extremely close relationship, right up until her death. It was slightly strained by the influence of Tom Parker, but was still pure and lovely. Priscilla greeting Elvis in this way is not only a nice way to squeeze that reference into the film, but also especially meaningful because he's grappling with Dr. King's death and it likely brings up feelings about his own mother's death.

Priscilla's Makeup

Another small detail comes once more with the "Viva Las Vegas" Hollywood movie montage. There's a scene in the top left corner of the five panel layout where Elvis is seen doing Priscilla's makeup. This might seem like a small piece of romance between the two, but is really a detail that points toward a larger circumstance between Elvis and Priscilla. Most people might not know that Elvis was very particular about Priscilla's appearance, and actually taught her how to do her makeup.

In Priscilla's memoir, "Elvis and Me," she talked about how Elvis created her, and how she didn't really know who she was as a person without Elvis. She wrote , "He taught me everything. How to dress, how to walk, how to apply makeup and wear my hair, how to behave, how to return love- his way. Over the years, he became my father, husband, and very nearly God." Elvis had a huge control issue with Priscilla, which she didn't take in any nefarious light, but as more of a guidance to creating who she was. However, with no separation between what she wanted and what Elvis wanted for her, it became hard for her to see herself as her own person.

A Toxic connection

One element of "Elvis" that fans enjoyed was the mixing of the old Elvis tracks with new artists' music. Artists like Doja Cat teamed up with the Elvis and Big Mama Thornton hit, "Hound Dog" to create a new spin on the classics. One such mashup that audiences enjoyed was the Elvis song "Viva Las Vegas" mixed with Britney Spears' "Toxic." It circulated around TikTok and, because it wasn't released on the film's soundtrack, was severely requested to be released by fans of the film and the scene. Though this song is an absolute hit, it also serves as an important detail in the film for those wanting to do more of a deep dive on its meaning.

One of the biggest news pieces of 2021 and 2022 came from the movement to free popular musician Britney Spears from her conservatorship. She was poorly managed by her family, and particularly her father, and suffered a lot of abuse because of it. Because this song plays while Elvis is being manipulated in his acting career by Parker, it's clear the song is a reference to how both artists were mismanaged and put into toxic work environments for the profits of those who handled their affairs. It's a small detail that people might not immediately put together, but, as Bustle writes, it's a way to link two of history's most iconic musicians through some of their shared negative experiences.

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The life of American music icon Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker... Read all The life of American music icon Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The life of American music icon Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

• Baz Luhrmann
• Sam Bromell
• Craig Pearce
• Austin Butler
• Olivia DeJonge
• 2K User reviews
• 341 Critic reviews
• 64 Metascore
• 93 wins & 230 nominations total

• Colonel Tom Parker

• Jimmie Rodgers Snow

• Jerry Schilling

• Steve Binder

• Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup

• Sister Rosetta Tharpe

• Dixie Locke

• Scotty Moore

• Little Richard

• Big Mama Thornton …
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• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia For his audition tape, Austin Butler originally recorded himself singing "Love Me Tender." When he watched it, he felt like it was an Elvis impersonation, and refused to submit it. A few days later, he had a nightmare that his deceased mother was dying again. Overwhelmed with grief and with the Elvis audition still on his mind, he decided to pour his emotion into music. Thinking of the lyrics to "Unchained Melody," he remembered, "I always take it for granted that that's to a romantic partner, [but] what if I sing that to my mom?" He sat down at the piano in his bathrobe and filmed it. "And that way of channeling those emotions just felt true," the actor said. The video immediately caught director Baz Luhrmann 's attention, as he was both confused and intrigued. Luhrmann stated, "Was it an audition? Or was he having a breakdown?" The director expressed that the audition felt like a spycam. Luhrmann asked to meet with Butler and eventually gave him the part.
• Goofs Elvis sings Trouble in 1956. Leiber and Stoller wrote the song in 1958.

Gladys Presley : The way you sing is God-given, so there can't be nothin' wrong with it.

• Crazy credits At the very end of the movie, the voice of Elvis Presley can be heard greeting the audience.
• Connections Edited from Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)
• Soundtracks Suspicious Minds Written by Francis Zambon (as Mark James) Performed by Elvis Presley Courtesy of RCA Records By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment

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• Aug 8, 2022

Movies & Series About Musicians

• How long is Elvis? Powered by Alexa
• Is Elvis Presley's music used in the movie?
• Did they film any scenes in Memphis?
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• June 24, 2022 (United States)
• United States
• Official Warner Bros.
• Stage 5, Village Roadshow Studios, Oxenford, Queensland, Australia
• Warner Bros.
• Bazmark Films
• Roadshow Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $85,000,000 (estimated)
• $151,040,048
• $31,211,579
• Jun 26, 2022
• $288,670,284

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 39 minutes
• Dolby Digital
• IMAX 6-Track
• Dolby Surround 7.1
• Dolby Atmos

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‘Elvis’ Fact or Fiction: Colonel Tom Parker Biographer on What’s Real and What’s Not in Baz Luhrmann Biopic

By Chris Willman

Chris Willman

Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic

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Does the phrase “That’s All Right, Mama” apply to the new “ Elvis ” movie… as in, “that’s all correct, ma’am”? No one is probably expecting that ; any practiced watcher of biopics knows virtually any example will take deep liberties with the facts for dramatic purposes. And maybe it’s a given that a director who puts hip-hop and hard rock on his period-film soundtracks, as Baz Luhrmann does, might favor effect over total verisimilitude.

Still, “Elvis” is right on enough counts — literally or spiritually — that it’s worth trying to separate fact from fiction in the movie’s narrative of Elvis Presley (played by Austin Butler) and his nearly career-long manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). There may be no one better to go to who can provide the truth on both Presley and “the Colonel,” in tandem, than the latter’s biographer, Alanna Nash. Nash, a veteran music journalist, published “The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley ” to acclaim in 2010 and her book has just been reissued with a new afterword.

The new “Elvis” film is not based on her book, nor did Luhrmann read it, by his account (although he says researchers presented him with notes from that and many other key Presley-related books). But Nash’s work is considered by many to be the authoritative word on Parker, a former carnie who made his fortune off the King, and whose pros and cons as a very, very controlling manager continue to be debated to this day. Variety spoke with her about how much rings true about both of the movie’s primary subjects, point by point.

Popular on Variety

What’s your overall feeling on the movie’s truth-ometer? Are the liberties worth it for creating an artistic picture? Does it veer off in ways that seem unnecessary?

The timeline… well, what timeline? It’s all a Baz Luhrmann fever dream. The past, present and future are all shook up like a ‘50s milkshake and served with a thousand straws! Other than the tremendous pains Baz has taken to make this story seem “woke,” the liberties are essentially fair — except to Parker. In making him such an antagonist, they have robbed him of his many accomplishments with his client.

Is it true, as portrayed, that Parker was consistently trying to pressure Elvis to tone down his sex appeal?

No, no, not at all. Elvis took care of what Elvis did and Colonel took care of what Colonel did. He liked it that Elvis did what brought folks into the big tent. Listen, this guy was no fool! Parker loved it that Elvis was like a male striptease artist… like the bally girls on the carnivals. That sold tickets! The only time Parker got critical is when the shows began to falter with drugs or erratic behavior on stage. But that was in the ’70s.

Was there a late ’50s concert riot in which Elvis deliberately disobeyed Parker’s orders not to move around or wiggle on stage?

There were concert riots, most notably in Jacksonville, Fla., but not a concert for which Parker issued orders like that. No, all that stuff was rehearsed and rehearsed. Colonel knew what Elvis was doing and going to do. And again, he did not advise Elvis on any aspect of his performance. Headlines about how lascivious early Elvis was sold concert tickets. When Parker crony Gabe Tucker threw a magazine piece on the Colonel’s desk that insinuated that Elvis was gay, Parker didn’t say a word until his friend stopped sputtering. “Well,” Parker finally said, “Did they spell his name right?”

Did Parker’s accent really sound like the one Tom Hanks is using in the film?

No. It was more American, more rural. And he had what sounded like a slight lisp or speech impediment. Turns out he didn’t have an impediment — he was just trying to wrap a Dutch tongue around the English language, Southern-style. It sounded like a weird (Southern) regional dialect, and you would know it was Dutch only by listening for certain consonants. But Baz wanted to make him seem more “other.” Or as Baz told me in an interview, “I thought it was very important that Tom present the audience with a strangeness, a sort of ‘What is going on with this guy?’”

Did the Colonel live out his later years being sickly in casinos, as portrayed in the movie’s framing device?

Yes. He was also a consultant to the Hilton, where he gambled every day.

Did Parker really have huge gambling debts he was able to pay off by committing Elvis to a single Vegas hotel for years before Presley’s death?

Yes. Elvis never knew how many shows he played free to satisfy Parker’s enslavement to the roulette wheel and the craps table. In fact, Colonel didn’t even have to go down to the casino. The hotel would bring a roulette wheel to his room. Alex Shoofey, the executive VP of the International, testified that Parker was good for $1 million a year in gambling, but others think that number is low.

Colonel Parker is seen as under pressure from secretive governmental forces who want to keep Elvis from corrupting youth — and to try to get him to tamp down Presley, they threaten to  expose his past, as a non-American native of Holland, which he’s desperate to hide. Is there anything to that?

That’s total and unequivocal bunk, a complete invention in the movie. First of all, when Colonel Parker enlisted in the U.S. Army, he declared himself a Dutch citizen, with parents born in Holland. That was fine — we took foreign nationals — but he just had to swear he’d become a U.S. citizen, which he never did, because he went AWOL. But he worked closely with the Pentagon, planning Elvis’ army career and post-army concert to raise money for the U.S.S. Arizona monument.

Is it true that Colonel Parker’s reason for being attracted to Elvis was that he thought a white singer who sounded Black was bound to be a star and accomplish what a Black singer could not?

No. Eddy Arnold, whom Parker had built into a household name, had fired him as his manager over failing to honor their exclusive contract, though Parker continued to book him. The Colonel was now looking for the next big thing. He didn’t care what color he was. My guess is that, if Elvis had been Black, he wouldn’t have been as interested, because it would have been harder to take him to a larger audience, especially in the segregated South, which was Parker’s stronghold from his days on the carnival circuit.

Elvis’s first manager, Bob Neal, told me that he had a heck of a time getting stations to play Elvis’s first single. Country radio stations said Elvis sounded too Black to play, and the stations that played rhythm and blues said he sounded too much like a hillbilly. But a few of them started playing them all the time. The Colonel promoted Elvis’s first big tour with Hank Snow. Once a big crowd saw Elvis perform, there was a demand for his record.

But that gets telescoped in the movie. In the film, when the Colonel goes to the Louisiana Hayride and first sees Elvis, he’s told backstage that Elvis is on the pop charts and that the country DJs are playing him too, and that Black and white kids are buying Elvis’s records. That potential is what interests him. He also says in the film that if he could find an act that gave the audience feelings they weren’t sure they should enjoy, but did, he could create the greatest show on earth. That’s really what he was looking for all along.

Were Elvis’ primary music influences almost all Black artists, as portrayed in the movie?

No, Luhrmann has really framed this through a present-day lens. Elvis had just as many white influences and announced as early as seventh grade that he was going to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. Remember, he entered a talent contest as a child singing “Old Shep” — warbling about dead dogs is about as country as it gets. An early hero in Tupelo was a hillbilly singer named Mississippi Slim. But living in a “colored” neighborhood, as he did, he certainly heard early R&B, jump-blues and swing tunes pulsating through the walls at the nearby juke joints, and he loved it, as he did both Black and white gospel. Still, the odds were heavily in favor that he’d be a country singer and his stint on the Louisiana Hayride seemed to point him in that direction.

Would Elvis have gone to Black Pentecostal tent meetings as a kid, as seen in the film?

He might have gone to Black churches with his friend, Sam Bell, in Tupelo, as a kid. The Black-white divide didn’t mean much to the Presleys. Later, in Memphis, he certainly attended a white fundamentalist church, and — with his early girlfriend, Dixie Locke — the all-Black East Trigg Baptist Church to hear Black gospel. He mentions that church in the film.

He is seen attending so many performances by R&B singers, whether it’s Arthur Big Boy Crudup as a kid or Big Mama Thornton, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, B.B. King and Little Richard later. Is it fantasy that he was constantly seeing or meeting up with all these important artists?

Yes and no. This is Luhrmann showing us Elvis’s influences. Elvis is famously quoted as saying, “Down in Tupelo, Miss., I used to hear old Arthur Crudup bang his box the way I do now and I said, if I ever got to the place I could feel all old Arthur felt, I’d be a music man like nobody saw.” But it’s unclear whether this was on the radio or in person. Teenage Elvis, living in Memphis, certainly went to West Memphis, Arkansas and to Beale Street to hear Black performers. And he continued to go see Black performers, such as Jackie Wilson, throughout his life. He also paid a visit to Little Richard’s home in California in the late ‘50s.

With B.B. King, there was a chance meeting at Sun Studios and, in late 1956, at a famous all-Black charity show, where King was the headliner and Elvis, as an invited guest, came out and wiggled his leg, but did not perform. Backstage, he and King had a photo made. Marty Lacker told me that Elvis and B.B. King used to visit some in Las Vegas, but that was in the ‘70s. He told me: “There were times when B.B. King would be playing in the lounge, and Elvis would be playing in the big room. Elvis would invite B.B. up to the suite after the shows. He liked B.B. and B.B. liked him.”

Elvis’ influences were so diverse. Some people have said the movie undersells Elvis’ country and crooner influences to make him look like almost solely the product of blues and R&B. Any thoughts on that?

I would agree with that. But this is Lurhmann telling us Elvis didn’t steal Black music, as he has been accused of doing, but performed it in homage. I would say it was in his spiritual DNA, as he grew up with Black playmates and heard that music all around him. But Gladys was a big Grand Ole Opry fan, and it was in part the Colonel’s introducing her to Hank Snow that got her to let her boy go with the Colonel. But yes, adolescent Elvis listened to all kinds of music, from the Ink Spots to Dean Martin.

Any thoughts on the portrayal early in the film of country star Hank Snow, who first takes Elvis out on the road before becoming disgusted with him, and his son, Jimmie Rodgers Snow, who seems to worship Elvis? 

Snow had a big ego and resented the fact that Elvis quickly became the draw on his shows, not Snow. And his son, Jimmie (later Jimmy), envied Elvis and yearned to counsel him on his “sinful” ways. Elvis kind of liked Jimmie. They went motorcycle riding together in Nashville. Parker used Jimmie to sidle up to Elvis and form a friendship to get Elvis to sign with Parker and the elder Snow, who were then business partners. But then Colonel cheated Hank out of half of Elvis and that was that. Jimmie later went to Graceland in 1958 to talk to him about how he had given up drinking and doing pills on the road and had turned his life over to Jesus. Elvis wasn’t ready for hear all that yet.

What’s the real origin story of Parker hearing about and going to discover Elvis?

He probably initially heard about Elvis from his cronies in Texarkana when Elvis was playing little clubs while on the Louisiana Hayride. What turned Colonel’s head, though, was a report from his old friend Oscar Davis, who went to Memphis in October 1954 to advance an Arnold appearance at Ellis Auditorium, and saw how Elvis packed a local dive, the Eagle’s Nest, night after night with screaming women. Davis went to have a look and went back to tell Colonel Parker all about him and how he wiggled and girls went wild. Charlie Lamb, who was present that day, told me that Parker got up from the lunch table and got in his car that minute and drove to find him.

What about Presley’s entrance into the Army? It’s shown as being Parker’s idea to get him away for a while to put a lid on the sexual energy and image.

Oh, Parker instigated that whole thing, but it wasn’t to put a lid on the sexual energy. He began negotiating it all with the Pentagon in 1956. He wanted Elvis to go not to Special Services, where the army was happy to put him, but to serve his time as any other soldier. This would sand the rough edges off his image and bring him back as the all-American boy fit for family entertainment with Frank Sinatra. It was all to make him into a beloved pop idol, not a dangerous, lugubrious rock ‘n’ roller.

Parker wanted to make Elvis clean-cut after he came back from the army in part because when Elvis went into the army, neither Elvis nor Parker thought rock ‘n’ roll would last. Elvis, especially, thought that it might even be over by the time he got out. So while he was gone (remember, Parker never went to Germany when Elvis was there), Parker set up all these appearances and movies for him, and the idea was to make him appeal to families — the all-American boy that would have longevity, and could grow into that role as he aged. But once Elvis was onstage, controlling the music, he did what he wanted.

It’s kind of like Priscilla letting Baz make Parker out to be such a villain, but is now having Hanks and Baz say they toned down the Colonel’s evilness once they met with her, because Parker was a good guy. They’re having it both ways.

Is the portrayal of the ’68 comeback special accurate, with Parker trying desperately to keep it a Christmas special, and resisting the rock ‘n’ roll throwback elements that everyone loved, because he was kowtowing to a deeply upset TV network?

Yes and no. It was supposed to be a Christmas show in the sense that it would air in December, and Parker wanted it to be a family show with Elvis as a ‘60s-era Bing Crosby or Perry Como. But there was never a Christmas sweater or a fairy-tale Christmas set. That’s Luhrmann being the showman. Parker was ticked that there was initially no Christmas music, though, and (TV producer) Steve Binder and Elvis threw him “Blue Christmas” as a bone.

Is the portrayal of Elvis’ relationship with Priscilla, however briefly that is dramatized, basically accurate?

It’s both sanitized and expanded. After the divorce, Elvis and Priscilla had little shared experience other than arranging Lisa Marie’s visits.

Did Elvis ever really fire Parker on stage, followed by Parker getting back at him by threatening to demand repayment for every tiny expense item over the years?

He never fired him on stage, but there was an incident in Vegas in 1974 where Elvis criticized Barron Hilton from the stage for firing one of Elvis’s favorite employees. That led to a colossal shouting match afterwards with Parker and talk of firing and quitting on both their parts, with Colonel ultimately presenting a bill that the Presleys could not pay. And so things resumed as they had been. Elvis would never have been so crass as to have fired Colonel from the stage.

Did Parker really do everything in his power to make sure Elvis didn’t fulfill his wish of touring internationally?

Yes. Parker had no passport and couldn’t go and didn’t trust any other promoter to take him. He cited several reasons — primarily security — and not big enough venues, or said the money wasn’t right. Near the end of his life, Parker is said to have been speaking with two promoters about this, since Elvis was so deeply unhappy about never getting to go tour Europe, but it never happened.

Did Parker really install Elvis’ dad, Vernon, as business manager to make sure he, the Colonel, could really run all things?

More or less. Vernon needed something to do, and he was always willing to take money under the table, and Parker saw how malleable he was, and would have suggested Vernon be the so-called business manager. Privately, Parker referred to Elvis’s family as “shit” and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.

Did Parker talk of things in carnival or carnie or conman terms as much as he does in this movie?

Yes, he did. For example, in discussing how he didn’t ever want to get taken advantage of, he’d say, “I don’t want to end up with cider in my ear.” And he had an underling fix up a “cookhouse,” a so-called carnival kitchen, by throwing an oilcloth over the conference room table in his office on the MGM lot. One thing he did with me was to say, “I want you to remember this.” And then he launched into this carny double-speak that sounded kind of like pig Latin. Of course, I had no idea what he was saying, much less remembered it. He never left the carnivals, really.

Anything else to say about the Parker characterization?

The Colonel is a complicated character, and while he always took too much of Presley’s money, he made some very sound decisions for him. Luhrmann hasn’t really given him his due by a long shot.

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Elvis review – blistering, turbocharged chronicle of the King

With electrifying performances from Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker, Baz Luhrmann’s whirlwind biopic is cinematic dynamite

F rom an opening that cheekily evokes the dropped snow globe of Citizen Kane to an Unchained Melody finale that had me crying in the chapel, Baz Luhrmann ’s Elvis is a turned-up-to-11 treat. This blistering pop biopic combines the kinetic musical madness of Moulin Rouge! with the turbo-charged irreverence of The Great Gatsby , the Shakespearian tragedy of Romeo+Juliet (with an added touch of Falstaff and Prince Hal) and the “what- all -of-it!?” ambition of Australia . It’s a riotously audacious work, a kaleidoscopic portrait of the king of rock’n’roll and his puppet-master promoter, the latter of whom narrates the story (like Salieri in Amadeus ) and who tells his money-spinning client: “We are the same, you and I – two odd, lonely children, reaching for eternity.”

“Without me there would be no Elvis Presley ,” drawls Tom Hanks’s Colonel Tom Parker (aka Dutchman Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk), a “snowman” or carnival huckster who does his deals on a Ferris wheel and who sounds genuinely amazed that “there are some who make me out to be the villain of this story!” Most will share that view as the curtain comes down on this whirlwind chronicle of a career from which Parker took 50% of the profits and 100% of the control. Yet for all his monstrousness, Hanks’s prosthetically enhanced antihero has just enough wheedling pathos to make us understand how he wormed his way into Elvis’s confidence. With a sing-song voice that is part Elmer Fudd, part Lugosi’s Dracula, we watch him usurp first Elvis’s much-mourned mother, Gladys, and then his idolised wife, Priscilla, in the inner circle of trust, casting himself as Presley’s closest confidant and making him a star even while strangling his artistic ambition.

Of the actors who have previously tried to bottle Elvis’s lightning-like magic – from Kurt Russell in John Carpenter’s Elvis and Rob Youngblood in Elvis and the Colonel (both made-for-TV productions) to a spectral Val Kilmer in Tony Scott’s True Romance , Bruce Campbell in the bonkers Bubba Ho-Tep and, more recently, Michael Shannon in the goofy Elvis & Nixon – none has come close to the physical, emotional, electrical energy that throbs through Austin Butler’s titular performance here. An early scene of his pink-pegged Presley performing Baby, Let’s Play House on the Louisiana Hayride is pure cinematic dynamite, with the orgasmic reactions of girls in the crowd as elegantly choreographed as Elvis’s gyrations (part religious ecstasy, part blushing burlesque) by movement maestro Polly Bennett.

No sooner has Presley made headlines than Parker has slipped his “wiggling boy” into the army, Luhrmann’s film falling in line with the increasingly popular notion that the colonel used Presley’s national service as a tool to give himself breathing space – room to control and neuter his creation. When Elvis gets out of the army, his rebellious zest is tamed by a string of anaemic Hollywood movies – money-spinning but moribund. Later, we’ll hear of Barbra Streisand’s offer for Presley to share her screen in A Star Is Born (a project Parker reportedly nixed because it wasn’t his project), prompting Elvis’s heartbreaking admission that “I never made that classic film that I can be proud of”.

Cheeky but effective dramatic liberties are taken with the clashing plans for what became known as the ’ 68 Comeback Special (Parker is comically pictured still wondering when the snow and Santa Claus songs are coming, even as Elvis rocks out in black leather). It’s a nice touch to have a picture of Nichelle Nichols’s pioneering Lt Uhura from Star Trek looking down from the TV studio walls as everyone but the colonel wises up to the fact that the times they are a-changing.

There’s nothing subtle about Parker banking on his prize dancing chicken clearing his gambling debts while Elvis belts out Suspicious Minds on stage, a lucrative residency at the Vegas International (weeks that turn into years) imprisoning him as clearly as Michael Corleone in The Godfather . Taking a lead from the 1972 film Elvis on Tour , the third act of Elvis’s life is presented in a split-screen haze, with Dr Nichopoulos pumping him full of drugs as Parker insists that “the only thing that matters is that that man gets up on that stage tonight ”.

Parker aside, Luhrmann’s co-writers Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner are clear on the true roots of Presley’s success, from scenes of the young Elvis feeling the gospel spirit move him in church to Big Mama Thornton rocking Hound Dog upstairs at Club Handy, Little Richard offering flamboyant inspiration and Mahalia Jackson making “the music that makes me happy”. A poignant drop of Elvis’s spoken-word Men with Broken Hearts amid the end credits vocals of In the Ghetto is the cherry on the cake of a film that knows its subject, but isn’t afraid to play fast and loose with a familiar tune.

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Star trek fan films live long and prosper.

Elvis impersonator James Cawley is executive producer of Star Trek: New Voyages. Retro Film Studios, Inc. hide caption

James Cawley (left), John Kelly, and Jeff Quinn as Captain James T.Kirk, Dr. Leonard McCoy, and Mr. Spock Retro Film Studios, Inc. hide caption

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The authenticity of the USS Enterprise set is critical to the volunteer filmmakers. Retro Film Studios, Inc. hide caption

Mr. Spock is as reasonable as ever in Star Trek: New Voyages . Retro Film Studios, Inc. hide caption

In a tiny town in rural upstate New York, sci-fi fans are correcting what they see as one of the great blunders in television -- NBC's decision to cancel the original Star Trek series.

On a sweltering Saturday afternoon in Port Henry, N.Y., James Cawley works on what looks like a Hollywood set. His life-sized replica of the USS Enterprise bridge sits in what used to be a used car dealership on the outskirts of town.

The attention to detail is remarkable, part studio set and part shrine. "We've matched everything just the way it was," says Cawley, who grew up near the set. "We found an original 1964 office chair that was the basis of Capt. Kirk's chair."

Cawley's goal is to finish the series' original five-year voyage, which was derailed not by Klingons but by network executives. CBS and Paramount, which now own the franchise, granted Cawley and crew to make new episodes for distribution on the Internet. The caveat: Cawley is not allowed to make any money from the project.

"My day job as [an Elvis impersonator] has paid for ninety percent of this," says Cawley.

Cawley and his crew of volunteers have gotten so good at making episodes -- they've finished three so far -- that they've started luring Trek icons to Port Henry.

Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in the original series, has visited Port Henry twice. He was drawn to participate in the project by the quality of filmmaking and by new story lines that allow his character to step into the spotlight.

"For the first time, we discovered who Chekov was, that he had an inner life, and that he was a character who could evolve. He wasn't simply an expository character saying 'Warp factor four!'" says Koenig.

This summer, two volunteer Trek films are in production in Port Henry -- one directed by Tim Russ, the Hollywood actor who played Tuvok the Vulcan on Star Trek: Voyager .

Cawley says these productions are as good as plenty of the sci-fi series shown on cable TV. He says they have tallied 30 million downloads worldwide, and even had their episodes translated into Spanish.

Cawley's dream is that the owners of the Trek franchise will buy in someday and agree to let him earn a living playing Kirk full-time.

"I'm just hoping that CBS will embrace the whole fan-film movement…We'd love for them to license the project, so to speak, and give us a small percentage. I mean, this is found money for them. Even at a dollar a download, that's a lot of money for somebody to say, gee, we don't want it," says Cawley.

For now, all the Star Trek: New Voyages episodes from Port Henry are available online, free of charge.

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‘Elvis’ Trailer: The King of Rock and Roll Is Back in Baz Luhrmann’s Flashy Biopic

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Elvis has entered the building. The first trailer for Baz Luhrmann ’s upcoming biopic starring Austin Butler (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was released Thursday, and the resemblance is uncanny. The trailer also confirmed that the previously untitled Warner Bros. film will be called “Elvis.”

The film explores two decades in the life of superstar Elvis Presley before his early death in 1977 at the age of 42, focusing on his complex relationship with manager Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The film follows his rise to fame from poverty and features an all-star cast including Olivia DeJonge (“The Visit”) as Elvis’ wife Priscilla, singer-songwriter Yola as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) as Jimmie Rodgers, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) as B.B. King, Luke Bracey (“Little Fires Everywhere”) as Jerry Schilling and Helen Thomson as Presley’s mother, Gladys.

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Baz Luhrmann's 'Elvis' Movie Delays Release Date

The project, which marks Luhrmann’s first feature film since “The Great Gatsby” in 2013, was first announced in April 2014 after Luhrmann entered into negotiations to direct. In July 2019, Butler was named the film’s star after a casting process that included frontrunners Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller and Harry Styles. Production for the film began in Australia in early 2020, but was halted after Hanks and his wife, Rita, tested positive for COVID-19 — notably as the first celebrities to publicly announce their diagnosis. Shooting resumed later that year, and the release date was pushed back multiple times due to the pandemic. It is set to open in theaters on June 24, with an HBO Max release 45 days later.

“Elvis” is directed, co-produced and co-written by Luhrmann, along with co-writers Craig Pearce, Jeremy Doner and Sam Bromell. Additional producers are Catherine Martin, Patrick McCormick, Andrew Mittman, Schuyler Weiss and Gail Berman, with executive producer Rory Koslow.

Watch the full trailer below.

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Rtl deutschland strikes long-term german films pact with wiedemann & berg film and leonine studios, laurel goodwin dies: elvis presley co-star, last surviving cast member of ‘star trek’ pilot, was 79.

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Laurel Goodwin , an actor who made her movie debut at age 19 opposite Elvis Presley in the 1962 feature Girls! Girls! Girls! and four years later played a crew member in the original, failed Star Trek pilot starring Jeffery Hunter, died February 25. She was 79.

Her death was announced by her sister Maureen Scott. A cause was not disclosed.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, and relocating to California with her family during World War II, Goodwin studied drama at San Francisco State University and was soon signed to a contract with Paramount Pictures. She debuted in Girls! Girls! Girls! as one of two potential love interests for Presley’s character (the other was portrayed by Stella Stevens).

The following year, Goodwin played a daughter of Jackie Gleason’s railroad executive in the comedy Papa’s Delicate Condition .

Over the next decade, Goodwin would appear in numerous TV series, including The Virginian, Get Smart!, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mannix and The Dain Curse, but it was a performance in an episode that never made it to air for which she earned an enduring cult following: She played Yeoman J.M. Colt in “The Cage,” the unaired 1965 pilot for Star Trek that starred Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike. The pilot was rejected by NBC, though some scenes were recycled for a 1966 two-part episode (“The Menagerie”) after William Shatner had replaced Hunter as the Enterprise captain. (“The Cage” subsequently was released in various home entertainment formats.)

Goodwin, along with her husband, producer Walter Wood, produced the 1983 Burt Reynolds-Loni Anderson NASCAR comedy Stroker Ace . She is survived by her sister.

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Published Apr 26, 2017

Catching Up with TOS Guest Star Shari Nims

Shari Nims’ Hollywood resume reveals just three credits, all of which date back 50 years: the Elvis Presley film Easy Come, Easy Go , the role of Sayana in “ The Apple ” episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, and an episode of The Wild Wild West . However, after that, Nims left the business. If you’re going to go three and out, you could do far worse than Trek , The Wild Wild West and an Elvis movie. Nims will be appearing this weekend at The Hollywood Show , an autograph event to be held at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, and it provided the perfect opportunity for StarTrek.com to at long last chat with Nims about Trek , her brief acting career, and her life today…

First, what's life like for you these days? Married? Kids? Grandkids? Where do you live?

My life is great. I am not married and I share a home with my dog, Sonny, a Havanese. I have a daughter who is married with two children, 18 and 26, who are close by. We, along with my brother and his family, live in San Diego. My father and mother, who just passed away, at 92, were also close by.

You will be attending The Hollywood Show . How do you enjoy meeting the fans, answering their questions, posing for photos and signing autographs, and also reconnecting with your colleagues?

That will be my first convention in Hollywood. I am looking forward and excited to meet fans of Star Trek and go back in time. I have heard the fans are great and embracing. Sounds like a good experience. I will see, soon. If you are planning to come to the gala, come by and say hi.

Let's go back in time, nearly 50 years. What did you know about Star Trek at the time? And, how did you land your role as Sayana in "The Apple"?

I was a newbie with an agent who sent me out on interviews is how I got the part. I was not too familiar with Star Trek prior to my working on it, but it didn't take long before I was. I interviewed with the casting director of Star Trek , who I remember was really nice to me, and not long after was told I had been chosen for the part. Sayana and I were same generation. She also was young and naive/ignorant, and I could relate to her being introduced to a foreign way of life. She was also bold, with Makora, her partner in crime, in testing the forbidden waters, as is typical with most teenagers. So, no worries. It wasn't much of a stretch.

That outfit, hair and makeup, not to mention the flowers in your hair, gave you quite the exotic look. What do you remember of the costume and hair fittings, of each element?

I didn't like the makeup much. I didn't think my family would recognize me. The makeup was a surprise and not my "usual look," but I warmed up to it, except for having to leave the house at 3 a.m. for makeup call. The costume was O.K. because I was used to wearing bathing suits. So, I was comfortable. But I still wasn’t sure about the outfit I wore until I saw all the other aliens on set. Makora and I matched, so that was good. I liked the wig and flowers. I had an abundance of hair, a full mane, with flowers, which were in fashion at the time

What else do you recall about the experience?

Everyone on set seemed happy and ready to work. I don't remember many retakes, so the time seemed well spent. Some sets you are waiting for hours. I quickly realized why all the big stars had trailers.

How did you enjoy working with your Makora... David Soul?

David Soul had just moved from New York, as I recall, and was a trained actor. He was the first guy I was scripted to kiss. It was apparent he was serious about the part. He was professional and respectful. Had I not had a boyfriend at the time, we might have dated.

How satisfied were you with the finished episode?

It was several years before I saw the episode, as I was doing a play when “The Apple” aired. I remember it was difficult to watch without being overly critical. Today, I think it's sweet.

Now let's go back a little further, as many people don't know your story. Where are you from? How and why did you get into performing?

I was born in Santa Barbara, CA. My family moved to Riverside. Laguna Beach was where I went for summer fun. I met Ozzie Nelson, who had a home there, playing beach volleyball below his home. Mr. Nelson asked me to think about going to college in L.A. and working as an extra on his show. Several months later, he called and asked if I wanted to start work on the Ozzie & Harriet Show , which I did. I became a member of SEG and SAG, and from there became involved in commercials and other small projects. I did lots of plays at the Santa Monica Playhouse, and acting classes.

If our research is correct, you appeared with Elvis in Easy Come, Easy Go , in Star Trek , and then in an episode of The Wild Wild West . First, is that accurate? And, if so, why did you leave the business after those jobs?

Easy Come Easy Go was a first bit part. I spent a week on a boat on Catalina Island. Everyone got sea legs. Elvis was sweet, soft-spoken and very polite. He rowed me out in a dinghy to show me his compound. I didn't want to get out and meet his posse; not sure why. He was quite a bit older than I at that time and I was not star-struck. But he was sooo sweet. When we were in the boat, I had to lean in in order to hear him because he was so soft-spoken. I was so sad to learn of his struggles later on.

And, yes, I had a bit part on Wild Wild West . One of my first role. I played his "girlfriend." I have never seen nor remember the title of the episode. At that time, I didn't think of having pictures taken on set. I remember Bob (Conrad) being short and wearing heels... I think I was taller than him.  He was very sweet as well and really cute, said I reminded him of his daughter. He had a boxing coach on set and was impressive. I liked the glamorous costume, and, as I remember, they gave me a trailer to use to change and hang out in. That was pretty neat, and the set was friendly and upbeat.

I left Hollywood because I was impatient and ignorant of the business, even though I had a commercial agent, acting agent and manager. It was not something I had ever aspired to do. Also... I got pregnant, married and moved to the beach and didn't look back until years later and realized the opportunity I had been given. I lived in the Hollywood Hills, working only for about three years. As I go through my "Hollywood" album, I realize I did a lot in such a short period of time and have wondered what life would be like had I had the burning desire, needed support, patience and guidance required for someone like myself.

If someone is only going to have three Hollywood credits, she or he could do a lot worse than an Elvis movie and Star Trek . What does it mean to you to be connected with not one, but two pop culture phenomena: Elvis and Star Trek ?

I am extremely grateful and happy to be a part of Star Trek , as well as meeting Elvis and the other various actors, and for the opportunities and jobs I was given. Not to mention, it was the most money I had ever received for a day’s work. Had I known then what I know now.

Go to www.thehollwyoodshow.com for more information about The Hollywood Show.

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Elvis movie trailer shows presley's rise & fall as king of rock & roll.

Warner Bros. releases a new Elvis trailer chronicling the iconic singer's opulent rise and eventual fall as the hip-shaking King of Rock and Roll.

Warner Bros. releases a new  Elvis trailer chronicling the iconic singer's rise and fall as the King of Rock and Roll. The upcoming musical biopic is directed by Baz Luhrmann, known for his flamboyant filmmaking style showcased in 1996's Romeo + Juliet , 2001's Moulin Rouge! , and 2013's The Great Gatsby . Written by Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner, Elvis follows the legendary performer's rise to unprecedented levels of stardom backdropped by his rocky relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star Austin Butler leads the Elvis cast as the titular singer alongside two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, making an unrecognizable transformation as his enigmatic Dutch manager. Luke Bracey, David Wenham, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Kodi Smit-McPhee, Gary Clark Jr., and Richard Roxburgh also make up the film's ensemble cast. The first Elvis trailer debuted earlier this year in February and since then, there have been intermittent looks at the movie, highlighting Presley's iconic hip-shaking and other aspects of the singer's signature style.

Related:  Every Movie Releasing In Summer 2022

Now, days before the film's world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, Warner Bros. has released another Elvis trailer. The new trailer offers a complete look at Presley's life, starting with his rise as the King of Rock and Roll and eventual fall, while also exploring his complicated relationship with his manager, who appears to take undue credit for his career. Watch the new Elvis trailer below:

Click here to watch the Elvis trailer .

The latest Elvis trailer highlights how the biopic spans a period of over twenty years and chronicles both the singer's opulent rise to stardom and eventual fall from grace. In the 1950s, Elvis' emergence was defined by his sexually provocative performance style and the intersection of influences from the Black community, which is why the biopic may be more politically charged than many expect. At the time, Elvis' innovative performative style  excited younger audiences but was also met with much controversy, both reactions which are highlighted in the new trailer.

The trailer ends with a quick glimpse of a slightly older Elvis going on stage and announcing to the audience, " This ain't no nostalgia show. We're gonna do somethin' different ," suggesting that the biopic will also cover the less glamorous years of Presley's life and career when years of prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, leading to his untimely death in 1977 at the age of 42. It's no surprise the  Elvis biopic would lean into this part of his life given how Luhrmann's past work has dealt with similar, albeit fictional, tragic figures such as Romeo Montague and Jay Gatsby. It should be interesting to see how critics and audiences react to Luhrmann's take on Elvis Presley 's life when the film releases in theaters on June 24.

Next:  Does Austin Butler Really Sing In Elvis?

Source:  Warner Bros.

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In Brief: Kirk cast for ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’; ‘Elvis’ goes to Cannes, and more

The Vampire Diaries ‘  Paul Wesley  has been tapped to play Captain James T. Kirk in Paramount+’s  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , according to  Deadline . The  Star Trek: Discovery  spinoff will be set a decade before the Kirk era, and will follow Pike and the USS Enterprise on their own intergalactic adventures.  Anson Mount  will return as fan-favorite Capt. Christopher Pike, along with  Rebecca Romijn  as Number One, Pike’s first officer, and  Ethan Peck  as science officer Spock.  Strange New Worlds  launches May 5 on Paramount+…

Isla Fisher  has joined the star-studded cast of  Strays , the live-action/CGI feature from  Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar  filmmaker  Josh Greenbaum , according to  The Hollywood Reporter .  Will Ferrell ,  Jamie Foxx  and  Randall Park  top the voice cast of the adult comedy, with  Will Forte  appearing in a live-action role.  Strays  follows an abandoned dog who teams up with other strays to get revenge on his former owner. Ferrell voices the abandoned dog, while Foxx is one of the pooches who befriends him and Forte is the nasty human owner. Fischer’s role hasn’t been revealed…

Baz Luhrmann ’s  Elvis  biopic, starring  Tom Hanks  as Colonel  Tom Parker  and  Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood ‘s  Austin Butler  in the title role, will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, according to  Variety .  Elvis  explores the life and music of Elvis Presley, seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with Parker, his enigmatic manager. The Cannes Film Festival, set to take place May 17-28, will unveil its Official Selection at a press conference in Paris during the second or third week of April…

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The ‘Elvis’ Miniseries Biopic You Probably Missed

With powerful performances, including Jonathan Rhys Meyers as "the King," the 2005 CBS miniseries is worth a watch.

The Big Picture

• Jonathan Rhys Meyers delivers a passionate and spot-on performance as Elvis, showcasing his commitment to mimicry and capturing the King's physical appearance, mannerisms, and soft Southern accent.
• Camryn Manheim delivers a praise-worthy portrayal of Gladys Presley, showcasing her motherly affection and delivering emotionally raw moments that add depth to her character.
• Randy Quaid's understated performance as Elvis's manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker, is brilliant, capturing the complexity of the controversial figure and earning him award nominations. The miniseries, though lacking in cinematic effect, is worth watching for the impressive performances alone.

Elvis Presley 's rags-to-riches story has always been a source of Hollywood inspiration. Countless books, movies, and TV shows have depicted the extravagant entertainer and the numerous flamboyant fantasies that made him an irresistible character for consumption . Even now, audiences can't get enough of the larger-than-life singer and his over-the-top lifestyle. The true story of Elvis Presley is more bizarre and outlandish than any fictional rendition . From an impoverished childhood to the "King of Rock and Roll," this musical icon led a fascinatingly tragic life that has provided endless creative content for insatiable audiences ready for more.

With the 2022 Elvis film, which garnered massive audience approval as well as high praise from the Presley family for Austin Butler 's exquisite embodiment of Elvis, it's clear that even now, 46 years after his untimely death, new generations of fans continue to be drawn to his beautifully flawed story of determination and grit. The 2022 film did such a masterful job of telling Elvis's life story with honesty, heart, and integrity that it is hard to beat this biopic for authenticity and cinematic excellence. However, for Elvis fans who can't get enough of the charismatic crooner , the 2005 CBS Elvis miniseries you may have missed is undoubtedly worth a watch.

With powerful lead performances and a focus on Elvis's early life and career, the miniseries has some great moments worthy of praise . In fact, Jonathan Rhys Meyers won the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Miniseries or Film for his portrayal of Elvis. While there are some flaws, most notably some would-be dramatic moments made almost comical with a poorly matched musical score, and some distracting moments where the lip-sync performance seems a little too forced to mimic "the King," there is still a lot to like about this earlier biopic.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Committed to "The King" in 'Elvis'

It isn't easy to embody the gyrating movements and distinctive facial expressions of a music legend as well-loved as Elvis. There is no room for half-measures in portraying "The King of Rock and Roll ." One of the most significant aspects of the Elvis miniseries is the total commitment by Jonathan Rhys Meyers to get it right. Meyers delivers a passionate performance worthy of praise and appreciation. From his physical appearance to his mannerisms, his commitment to mimicry paid off.

From the "King of Rock and Roll" to King Henry VIII of England in The Showtime series The Tudors , Meyers knows how to command a room skillfully with his presence. His intense gaze and mischievous grin add fiery ferocity to his dramatic endeavors. As Elvis, Meyers shines equally in sensitive scenes, such as the death of his Mama Gladys ( Camryn Manheim ), and in dynamic stage scenes, like his performance on The Milton Berle Show . With Elvis's well-known closeness to his mother, Meyers showed real connection and chemistry in scenes with Manheim.

One of the other praise-worthy aspects of Meyers' performance is his spot-on accent. As a native Irishman, Meyers flawlessly and consistently transforms his speech into Elvis's soft Southern tone. Though many actors from across the pond deliver an American accent without trouble , getting the regionally specific Tennessee accent right is no easy feat . Southern accents are not one and the same. Listen to someone from Texas speak versus someone from Georgia, and it becomes glaringly evident that Southern dialects are incredibly varied . With a faultless performance, it's clear that Meyers took his elocution studies seriously.

'Elvis' Supporting Cast Inhabits Their Characters Perfectly

With a Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominated performance as Gladys Presley, there is no doubt Camryn Manheim delivered a praise-worthy performance. From the opening scene where she gently embraces her son's face, it is clear that Manheim truly connected to her character and emanated Gladys' motherly affection in every instance . Her careful and deliberate delivery made the miniseries all the more relatable and endearing. One of the most memorable scenes of Manheim's brilliance is when she is feeding the chickens in the yard at Graceland. She is drinking a beer and not looking quite like her normal self. Elvis comes up to talk to her, and she explains that with all the riches they have amassed , she misses her simple life and the comfort of friends . Her vulnerability and pain are palpable, and she delivers an emotionally raw moment that grounds the scene in reality and adds depth to her character.

For those unused to seeing Rady Quaid in a dramatic role, his stoic performance is a bit unsettling. This is not the Cousin Eddie of the National Lampoon's Vacation franchise or the UFO-obsessed drunk of Independence Day . In fact, Randy's brilliance as Elvis's manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker, is actually in his pensive delivery and toned-down performance. With a complex character in the "Colonel," Quaid had a difficult task in bringing the controversial manager to life. "Colonel" Tom Parker, born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk of the Netherlands, entered the United States illegally as a young man.

In spite of a somewhat shady past and some possible criminal activity , the "Colonel" worked his way from carnival concessions to music promoter and eventually to a well-connected manager. He took Elvis from a local Memphis record label to RCA and international success. Though he is arguably the reason Elvis made it big, he financially entangled himself with the icon so completely that Elvis could never leave him, despite their creative differences and volatile relationship. With such a divisive character, it's easy to see why Randy Quaid's understated embodiment of the villainous vulture was rewarded with Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations.

The 'Elvis' Miniseries is Worth a Watch

Though the 2005 CBS Elvis miniseries has some cheesy moments and is somewhat lacking in cinematic effect, the performances alone make it worth a watch. With multi-nominated performances and one major Golden Globe Award win for Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the talent is certainly present. Though the flash and dazzle of the latest biopic are missing, fans of Elvis are sure to love Meyers' dedicated and enthralling performance as "The King of Rock and Roll. "

Elvis is available to stream on Tubi in the U.S.

WATCH ON TUBI

Hunka hunka: Elvis Challenge returns to Historic Everett Theatre May 4

EVERETT — Get your Elvis shoes on.

Dancing isn’t limited to performers at the annual Kentucky Rain Band’s Elvis Challenge, 7:30 p.m. May 4 at the Historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Ave.

This isn’t a show the audience can take sitting down.

Admission is $25. Part of the proceeds benefit the Everett Gospel Mission.

Last year, 13 Elvis artists gyrated on stage to live music by Kentucky Rain Band. This year, just as many are slated to don dark sunglasses, black sideburns and jumpsuits to croon tunes as the “King of Rock and Roll.”

“There’s a good lineup of contestants. Some returning who have performed before and some new ones,” said event spokesperson Rob Schwertley, whose Elvis stage name is “Robbie Dee.” “There is one woman who is competing.”

Elvis entrants will be judged in four categories: vocal performance, costume and appearance, stage presence, and audience response.

Nick Poling, 33, of Marysville, took home the bacon last year, with a narrow victory over runner-up Kyler Vance, of Lynnwood.

Nick Poling performs as Elvis. (Photo provided by Nick Poling)

Schwertley said Poling wowed the crowd with his hip-shaking, “young Elvis” rendition of “Blue Suede Shoes” and his “jumpsuit-era Elvis” version of “My Way.”

Poling had stage experience. You might remember him as the co-playwright and actor in Marysville’s Red Curtain shows “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” and the “Star Trek”-inspired adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”

This event was the first time he took on his Elvis persona.

“I signed up on a whim,” Poling said. “I hadn’t been in a band or a play for a long time and I was itching to perform.”

He threw together an outfit from thrift-store finds.

To his surprise, he got the crown.

“The crowd really responded well,” he said.

It launched his side hustle as an Elvis artist. He hopes to perform on a cruise ship this summer.

“I got a proper jumpsuit. It was like $1,800, and that’s at the cheaper end,” he said. “I grew my hair out. I grew my own natural sideburns.”

Poling, a medical assistant at a neurology clinic, dressed as Elvis on Halloween. “I gave my patients quite the surprise,” he said.

He’ll be at the May 4 event to sing some Elvis, including “If I Can Dream.” The show’s host is radio personality Heidi May.

Gus Mansour, of Lynnwood, donned his first Elvis costume about 10 years ago. This will be his third year in the Elvis Challenge.

“You are right in the presence of Elvis’ soul,” he said. He calls Elvis music a universal language.

The “King” died at his Tennessee mansion, Graceland, in 1977 at age 42.

Presley’s last words: “I’m going to the bathroom to read.”

In 2018, Donald Trump posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, along with Babe Ruth and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Lisa Marie Presley, his only daughter with actress Priscilla Presley, died Jan. 12, 2023, at age 54.

His granddaughter is actress Riley Keough, co-star with Lily Gladstone in Hulu’s “Under the Bridge” and in the new movie “Sasquatch Sunset.”

Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; [email protected] ; Twitter: @reporterbrown .