January 16 - The King and the Jester

Paul Belard, known for his day-by-day series of Elvis photobooks, is finishing work on his latest special interest book The King and the Jester' which will be heading to the printer very soon. The front and back cover images have been released. 

The cover notes: "Tom Parker was an Army deserter who was discharged as a psychopath, a fact that Parker’s apologists conveniently omit or make too little of it; once a psychopath, always a psychopath. He was also an illegal alien, a liar who claimed to be born in West Virginia, a deceitful individual who cheated his partner Hank Snow, and an addicted gambler.

 

He could furthermore be described as a bully, a manipulative, uncaring and narcissistic individual who could also turn on the charm at will, all psychopathic traits.

 

Parker was a hard worker, a gifted promoter, at times a skillful negotiator, and a keen judge of character. Intuitive and astute as he was, it did not take him long to recognize Elvis’ potential for easy money. As this uncultured philistine said of himself, “I did not know what to make of Elvis, or his music. I did not care, but I saw the reaction of the audiences and it was enough for me.” He promptly realized that Elvis was his own ticket to wealth. In addition, he soon realized that the naïve young man and his unsophisticated father would be no match for his dubious ploys.

 

Parker’s style of management was first and foremost self-serving. It squandered a large portion of Elvis’ talent and left an even larger share untapped. Because of Parker’s indifference to his charge’s genius, we only saw and heard the tip of the iceberg of Elvis’ God-given gift.  

 

“It takes either a blind person or a villain to be that close to the most talented entertainer in the 20th century and absolutely miss it.” Dave Marsh, American music critic.

The Elvis information Network noted: "The book is a very strong read and one that is very much the "counterpoint" to the recently published "rose colored glasses" account, 'Elvis and the Colonel: An Insider's Look At The Most Legendary Partnership In Show Business'c by Greg McDonald and Marshall Terrill." More details soon. 

Impactful Television Moments

Riley Keough was present at the 75th Emmy Award Show. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for here role in 'Daisy Jones and the Six' in the category 'Outstanding lead actress in a limited series or TV movie', but lost to 'Beef'. The series did however win two awards for 'Outstanding Sound Mixing' and 'Outstanding Period Costumes'. 

The series was also nominated too, in the category 'Outstanding Limited Series', but lost to Ali Wong's performance in 'Beef'.

In celebration of the Emmy Awards' 75th Anniversary, the Emmy organization compiled the Top 75 Most Impactful Television Moments from the past 75 years. Based on the impact on the viewing public, the list offers an exciting look at the television experiences that have shaped our culture and society.

Elvis' September 9, 1956 performance on the Ed Sullivan Show is listed at 11.

The Top 3:

1. 1960s News Item After Apollo 11 landed on the moon, astronaut Neil Armstrong proclaims "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
2. 2000s News Item Live coverage of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001.
3. 1960s The Ed Sullivan Show The Beatles performance.

(Source: Nigel Patterson / Elvis Information Network / FECC / Emmy / CNN)