TV Land Celebrates Elvis
TV LAND AND THE CITY OF HONOLULU TO HONOR ELVIS PRESLEY WITH LIFE-SIZED
SCULPTURE IN JULY, 2007
NETWORK PRESENTS ON-AIR TRIBUTE THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF AUGUST SHOWCASING
FILMS, CONCERTS AND DOCUMENTARIES
NEW YORK, Feb. 14 -- TV Land will celebrate the
life and times of music legend and pop icon Elvis Presley throughout the
summer of 2007, it was announced today by Larry W. Jones, President, TV
Land. Kicking off TV Land's tribute to Elvis in late July, TV Land and the
city of Honolulu, Hawaii will honor Elvis with a life-sized bronze
sculpture. The statue will grace The Neal S. Blaisdell Center, formerly The
Honolulu International Center, the site of Elvis' 1973 Aloha from Hawaii
concert, which was seen globally on television. Fans can log on today at
TVLand.com to view video excerpts and photos from Elvis's historic Aloha
From Hawaii performance. Following this momentous event, beginning August
1, 2007, TV Land will celebrate Elvis with an on-air tribute commemorating
his unprecedented legacy throughout the entire month. From the '68 Comeback
Special to Aloha from Hawaii to the documentary Elvis By The Presleys to
his much-loved films like Love Me Tender and Wild in the Country, TV Land
will showcase Elvis Presley's work every single day in August.
"Elvis is the ultimate icon of pop culture, especially to the Boomer
generation, and one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century,"
states Larry W. Jones. "Celebrating his legacy this August on TV Land will
be a unifying event for current and future Elvis fans."
The "Everything Elvis" tribute encompasses the following:
LIFE-SIZED BRONZE SCULPTURE
The bronze sculpture, which will be unveiled in late July, will
commemorate the historic Aloha from Hawaii event, portraying the King of
Rock 'n' Roll as he appeared in that performance, and pay tribute to him
during the 30th Anniversary year of his passing. Elvis Presley Enterprises,
Inc. has granted permission for this special tribute and will be involved
in the approval process of the sculpture.
"Elvis remains an idol and a hero to so many of us, and because of his
time spent here, Hawaii considers him an adopted son," states Mufi
Hannemann, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu. "Elvis will forever
remain a part of Hawaii's identity -- from his film Blue Hawaii to his 1961
benefit performance to raise money for the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial to the
historic concert which this sculpture commemorates. Honolulu is proud to be
the home to this monument to the King at the very site of one of the most
seminal performances in his career."
Aloha from Hawaii, which initially aired on NBC in April of 1973, was
the first concert event ever to be beamed around the world by satellite.
Carried live in some countries and by tape delay in others, the show was
seen in over 40 countries by 1.5 billion people, a worldwide ratings smash.
In America, 51% of the TV viewing households tuned in to watch Elvis
perform. The soundtrack album went to Number One on the Billboard album
chart and in America alone sales have earned the album a 5x Platinum award.
Through the years, video and DVD releases and rebroadcasts have been
tremendously successful.
The sculpture is the network's sixth work to honor people, places and
moments from pop culture by recognizing the site as a "TV Land Landmark."
The network's landmarks include: a bronze statue of Ralph Kramden of The
Honeymooners at the entrance of New York City's Port Authority Bus
Terminal; a sculpture of Mary Tyler Moore from The Mary Tyler Moore Show at
Nicollett Mall in downtown Minneapolis, MN; The Andy Griffith Show statue
in Raleigh's Pullen Park; a bronze statue of Bob Newhart commemorating his
role as Dr. Robert Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show in Chicago and most
recently, a tribute to the beloved series Bewitched with a life-size statue
depicting a magical view of character Samantha Stevens, played by actress
Elizabeth Montgomery, in Salem MA. Fans can visit TV Land.com to see
photos, virtual tours of the statues as well as streaming video of some of
the dedications. Studio EIS, a three- dimensional design and sculpture
studio in New York founded by brothers Ivan and Elliot Schwartz, is
creating the life-sized bronze sculpture. The studio also created The Andy
Griffith Show statue, the statue commemorating Bob Newhart's role as Dr.
Robert Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show and the statue of Samantha Stevens
from Bewitched.
TV LAND ON-AIR TRIBUTE
It was thirty years ago this August that the world said goodbye to one
of the greatest entertainers and cultural icons of all time - Elvis
Presley. In a monumental tribute, TV Land will showcase a number of
Presley's treasured work by airing films, concerts, documentaries and
interstitial programming starring and about the King of Rock 'n' Roll every
day throughout the month.
TV Land will air the following:
-- Performance specials -- Elvis: '68 Comeback Special, Aloha From
Hawaii, Elvis: the Great Performances and Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll
Classics: Elvis Presley.
-- Documentaries -- Elvis By the Presleys, Elvis On Tour and Elvis: His
Best Friend Remembers.
-- Movies -- Love Me Tender; Wild in the Country; Easy Come, Easy Go; Fun
in Acapulco; Paradise Hawaiian Style; Roustabout; Girl Happy; Live a
Little, Love a Little; Speedway and Elvis and Me.
TVLAND.COM TRIBUTE
Beginning today, TVLand.com will feature three video excerpts from
Elvis's Aloha from Hawaii special. Log on to view Elvis Presley's
performance of "See See Rider," "Hound Dog" and "Can't Help Falling in
Love" as well as photos from the historic concert.
About TV Land
Now seen in over 88 million U.S. homes, TV Land is a division of MTV
Networks. TV Land's program mix features original programming, popular
dramas, sitcoms, westerns, Retromercials and a TV-referential interstitial
environment, all programmed to superserve Baby Boomers -- the first
generation of Americans to grow up watching television. TV Land Productions
was created in 2003 to develop original programming that complements the
network's successful acquired programming slate. TV Land Productions has
produced The TV Land Awards Show (March 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006) and
Chasing Farrah (Spring 2005). In 2006, TV Land premiered several original
productions including Generation Boom, I Pity The Fool starring Mr. T and
Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg. The network features all-time Classic
hits like All in the Family, M*A*S*H, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show
and Bonanza.
MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE: VIA,
VIA.B), owns and operates the following television programming services --
MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, mtvU, VHI, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY
CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, MTV INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL
SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 12 digital services, all of which are
trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also has licensing agreements,
joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming
services can be seen worldwide.
About Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) is based in Memphis, with
additional offices in Los Angeles. In addition to Graceland and its related
attractions in Memphis, including the Heartbreak Hotel, EPE is aggressively
involved in a worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing,
and television, film, video and Internet projects. For more information on
EPE and Graceland, visit http://www.Elvis.com. EPE is a subsidiary of CKX,
Inc., a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ National Market(R)
under the ticker symbol "CKXE." Also visit http://www.ckx.com.
SOURCE TV Land
http://www.nick-at-nite.com
http://www.Elvis.com
http://www.ckx.com/
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