The guardians of Elvis Presley's image and his Graceland estate are looking for the king of Elvis impersonators.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death next August, Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. is holding the first "Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest."
Advertisement
According to The Associated Press, a series of EPE-licensed qualifying contests will be staged around the country. Look for a Las Vegas stop during the process.
The finals will be held over several days during Graceland's annual Elvis "Tribute Week," scheduled for Aug. 11-19.
There's concern among the world of Elvis impersonators that this is the first step toward the rumored regulation of Elvis wannabes by EPE, which likely looks at it as a case of taking care of business.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Tao, the nightlife hot spot at The Venetian, will be the last stop on rap mogul Jay Z's seven-city, 24-hour tour well past midnight tonight. He'll perform a 30-minute concert to mark the release of his comeback album, "Kingdom Come." ...
For the second year in a row, Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace will be the site of the Comedy Cares Celebrity Poker Tournament. Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams will be joined tonight by the cast of the HBO hit "Entourage" and pro poker stars Daniel Negreanu and Joe Navarro. The buy-in for the invitation-only event is $15,000.
MAY I RECOMMEND ...
Tickets still remain for The Comedy Festival's last two nights: Dane Cook's Tourgasm Tour (two shows tonight), Bob Saget with special guest Jamie Kennedy (tonight), A Salute to the Troops and USO (tonight), Kathy Griffin (Saturday), Maxim Real Men of Comedy (Saturday) and Sarah Silverman & Her Magical Friends Weirdo and Beardo (Saturday). Tickets: www.thecomedyfestival.com or 877-TCF-FEST and the box office at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
SIGHTINGS
Britney Spears' former manager, Larry Rudolph, spotted at the Palms on Thursday, amid reports that Spears may be working on a new CD in the Palms recording studios -- or fleeing the paparazzi after filing for divorce last week from Kevin Federline. ... Prince and Flamingo headliner Toni Braxton, at Chaka Khan's performance at Prince's 3121 club at the Rio. ... Olivia Newton-John, James Caan, George Hamilton and Larry King, on the red carpet for the Nevada Cancer Institute "Bond for the Cure" at MGM Grand Garden arena. ... At Social House (Treasure Island) on Wednesday: comedians Damon Wayans and Katt Williams. Also there: poker star Johnny Chan. ... The Lon Bronson All-Star Band, backing up Triumph the Insult Comic Dog at Wednesday's Colosseum performance. Venetian headliner Gordie Brown, knocking it out of the park during his "Impressionists Week" appearance Wednesday on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Brown's four-minute segment included snippets of President Bush, Sylvester Stallone, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Las Vegan Rich Little also was invited and appeared earlier this week. ... The cast of "Burn the Floor" (Luxor), putting on a show at Studio 54 (MGM Grand) on Wednesday night. ... At Pure (Caesars Palace) on Tuesday: Iron Chef Bobby Flay, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and comedian Williams.
THE PUNCH LINE
"A two-part sweeps special on Fox called 'O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened.' ... They've already signed Robert Blake for season two."
