Elvis Presley

What if Elvis Presley had stayed Elvis Presley and never become Elvis, the Vegas headliner who frittered away gobs of talent to become a kitsch icon? That's the question asked in "Heartbreak Hotel" (noon-2 p.m., USA), a surprisingly effective little film that's purely, and unabashedly, a fantasy.David Keith plays Elvis, and the plot has him kidnapped by high-schooler Johnny Wolfe (Charlie Schlatter), who's convinced a real-life encounter with Elvis is the only thing that will shake his mom (Tuesday Weld)

The U.S. Postal Service is conducting a vote through midnight April 24 on which of two Elvis Presley likenesses should grace a 1993 stamp, the first ever to honor a rock 'n' roll singer. One features a young Elvis Presley from about 1955; the other Elvis as he was in 1973. The singer died in 1977.Some 10 million ballots are available at mail stations and in People magazines in the first effort by the Post Office to hold a public vote on a stamp.The Evening Sun would like to know which likeness you would prefer on a stamp.

Need a reason to get out the party hats, bake a cake and invite people over? Not to worry -- with a good reference book at your side, you can come up with meaningless milestones every day, just like the professionals in marketing and media.Take, for example, Elvis Presley. Is it possible to find a reason to write about him every year through 2000 A.D.? Is Graceland in Memphis?We were able to do this exercise in 10 minutes, without even referring to "The Ultimate Elvis: Elvis Presley Day By Day" (Simon & Schuster, $30)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The "Elvis police" struck quickly after they learned that the new Lady Luck casino in Tunica, Miss., had a mural featuring Elvis Presley."

LAS VEGAS -- The impulse that carried Andrea Bauer to the MGM Grand Hotel this weekend started in her family's living room when she was a girl in the 1950s. Sometimes when her father, a Perry Como fan, left the house, her mother would quickly switch to a record by that new singer, the twitchy kid from Tupelo."Elvis Presley would sing, and my mother and I would dance and dance and dance," Bauer said.So, four decades later, she came to Las Vegas to get a little piece of Graceland.Elvis Presley Enterprises, the group that manages Graceland -- Presley's former home -- and other Elvis-related properties, including the trove of archives from a man who seems to have thrown away nothing (he had kept his 1960 Texaco credit card?

CLONAKILTY, Ireland -- In a country known the world over for its heroic, quixotic, and often violent nationalism, the 75th anniversary of the death of the great patriot Michael Collins passed with considerably less fanfare than the commemorations of Elvis Presley, dead these 20 years.Here in the West Cork village where Collins was born, a three-day rock 'n' roll festival honoring Presley kicked off Friday, 75 years to the day since Collins was assassinated on a lonely stretch of road not far from here, called Beal na mBlath.

Otis Blackwell, 70, who wrote dozens of hit songs, including "Don't Be Cruel" for Elvis Presley, died in Nashville on Monday of a heart attack. Mr. Blackwell wrote more than 1,000 songs, recorded by performers such as Ray Charles, Billy Joel, The Who, James Taylor, Otis Redding, Peggy Lee and Jerry Lee Lewis. Some of Mr. Blackwell's other credits include "Great Balls of Fire" and "Breathless," both recorded by Mr. Lewis; "Handy Man" by Mr. Taylor; "Fever" by Ms. Lee; "Daddy Rolling Stone" by The Who; and "Return to Sender" and "All Shook Up," each recorded by Mr. Presley.

Celebrate the birthday of Elvis as Jed Duvall returns as the King of Rock 'N Roll, with performances Friday, Jan 11 and Saturday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m., at Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main St. An award-winning Elvis Presley performer, Duvall represents all eras of the King: rocking the 1950s, his comeback in 1968 and his Vegas years. Dress in your best '50s attire and win a prize. Best female costume and best male costume prizes awarded at each show. Tickets are $15 for general admission.

"Elvis in the Morning," by William F. Buckley Jr. Harcourt. 328 pages. $25. This fanciful novel is exactly what one would expect when the grand champion of the conservative cause takes on the king of rock 'n' roll. Very strange. William F. Buckley Jr. -- founder of the National Review, lip-smacking former host of "Firing Line," erudite newspaper columnist, author of popular spy novels, defender of sesquipedalianism -- has concocted a breezy "Ragtime"-style tale starring Elvis Presley, with cameo appearances by Richard Nixon, Barry Goldwater, Col. Tom Parker and many, many more.

Elvis Sighting?Elvis himself may be seen in Fells Point on Aug. 16 for the "Salute to Elvis Presley Day," which honors the king of rock and roll on the 17th anniversary of his death. So, get out those blue-suede shoes, put on a rhinestone-studded cape, and grow a really cool set of mutton-chop sideburns. Along with Elvis memorabilia displays and live music, there will be an Elvis look-alike contest. Notice we did not say Elvis impersonator contest. No cheesy croonings of "Love Me Tender" will be allowed.