You're So Square, Baby I Don't Care

It's an odd coincidence that two of the world's biggest pop stars would share such an important day. While Madonna was born on August 16, the day is actually even more famous for being the day in 1977 when The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, died. His girlfriend at the time, Ginger Alden, found him dead from a heart attack on his bathroom floor at Graceland; he was 42.
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Elvis is long but forgotten. His estate last year made over $60 million in royalties, and thousands of his fans gathered last night at Graceland, his home in Memphis, Tennessee, to mark the 33rd anniversary of his death. Currently, the company which owns the rights to Elvis' name, image and likeness, CKx Inc., is entertaining offers to sell those rights. CKx also owns the t.v. blockbuster, "American Idol", and the co-creator of "AI", Simon Fuller, is one of the persons who is consdering making the purchase of the pop star's money-making name and image.
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Despite Elvis' immense popularity and influence, much has been made of the fact that he only won three Grammy Awards, and those were for his gospel recordings, not for his pop/rock hits. But to understand this anomaly, one must understand that in the early years of the Grammy Awards, (they began in 1958), the Awards had a certain snobbishness to them; only "serious" pop music of the day was rewarded. The early Grammy pop trophies went to artists like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Ray Charles and Henry Mancini. None of the early rock and rollers, rockabilly singers or young teen pop idols were recognized. If the early Grammys had been given out as they are now, (to anyone who has a hit song and who has a pulse), then there is no doubt that Elvis would have a roomful of Grammy Awards.
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In other related Elvis news, his granddaughter, 21 year-old actress Riley Keough is being considered for a role in the upcoming "Mad Max" film, starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. The stunning daughter of Lisa Marie Presley made her film debut this year in "The Runaways".