Elvis Presley special 30th anniversary programming event


Toronto, July 12, 2007
VisionTV pays tribute to Elvis Presley with special 30th anniversary programming event The King is dead. Long live the King. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, has been called the greatest cultural force of the past century. His hit recordings and electrifying live performances unleashed a revolution, changing music history forever. Three decades after his untimely death, the legend of Elvis continues to grow. On Thursday Aug. 16, VisionTV commemorates the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s passing with a full evening of programming dedicated to the King. Kicking off at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, VisionTV’s Elvis tribute celebrates the legacy of an entertainment giant with music specials, a feature film, a documentary presentation, and more. VisionTV is also a supporting sponsor of the 2007 Collingwood Elvis Festival, a celebration of the man and his music held annually in picturesque Collingwood, Ont. For more information on this event, which showcases leading Elvis tribute artists from around the world, please visit www.collingwoodelvisfestival.com. VisionTV Elvis Presley Tribute, Thursday Aug. 16: Program Lineup Family Programming 7th Heaven – Special Episode: “The Heart of the Matter” 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT In this special episode of the hit family drama series, Rev. Eric Camden (Stephen Collins) undergoes heart bypass surgery, much to the distress of his concerned family. While under anaesthesia, Eric hallucinates that he's Elvis, performing "I'm All Shook Up," "Don't Be Cruel," "Teddy Bear" and "Rock-A-Hula-Baby." Music Programming The Gaither Gospel Hour – “He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis” 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT Everyone knows Elvis Presley’s many pop hits. But as revealed in this special edition of VisionTV’s The Gaither Gospel Hour, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll also loved listening to and performing gospel songs. Raised in the burgeoning music capital of Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis grew up immersed in the sounds of Southern and Black gospel. In a famed 1957 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, he insisted on singing “Peace in the Valley” for his mother Gladys, and throughout his career he included gospel numbers in his repertoire. Even at the height of his fame, he was most comfortable gathering around the piano with friends to harmonize on some gospel favourites. This hour-long documentary includes recollections from many of Elvis’s friends and colleagues, along with thrilling concert and backstage footage of the King performing gospel classics such as “How Great Thou Art,” “I, John,” “Lead Me, Guide Me” and “Where Could I Go But To The Lord.” Movie Kid Galahad 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT Repeats at 12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT This 1962 Elvis Presley vehicle – a remake of the 1937 feature with Edward G. Robinson -- stars the King as naïve, good-hearted Walter Gulick (a.k.a. “Kid Galahad”), whose boxing talents hold the promise of salvation for small-town fight promoter Willy Grogan (Gig Young), a compulsive gambler up to his eyeballs in debt to mobsters. In the grand tradition of Elvis movies, there’s a pretty girl to be won (Joan Blackman) and songs to be sung along the way (“King of the Whole Wide World,” “This is Living” and “I Got Lucky,” among others.) Charles Bronson delivers a standout performance as fight trainer Lew Nyack, and an uncredited Ed Asner appears as a district attorney. Phil Karlson (Walking Tall) directed. Music Programming *Elvis Lives: The 25th Anniversary Concert* 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT There will never be another showman like Elvis Presley. Staged to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the King’s death, this electrifying concert event recreates the thrill of his epic live performances. High-tech magic reunites Elvis with all of his greatest collaborators – musical director Joe Guercio, the TCB Band, and backing vocalists The Jordanaires, The Imperials, The Sweet Inspirations and The Stamps Quartet – before an ecstatic audience at the Pyramid Coliseum in Elvis’s hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. The flesh-and-blood musicians provide seamless accompaniment to classic footage of Elvis in concert, bringing to life more than two dozen of his most beloved hits, from Fifties rockers like “Mystery Train” and “That’s All Right” to the show-stopping gospel number “How Great Thou Art.” Documentary Elvis Presley’s Graceland 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT Open to the public since 1982, Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee is the Mecca for Elvis lovers around the world. As many as 600,000 visitors a year make a pilgrimage to the King’s celebrated 14-acre estate. This 2001 documentary tells the story behind one of the world’s most famous homes, and presents a rare all-access tour that includes everything from the TV room to the garish “jungle room,” with its shag carpeting and indoor waterfall. Viewers will meet some of the 350 employees who keep the estate running today, and go behind the scenes as staff prepare for the most important date on Graceland’s calendar: an annual candlelight vigil that commemorates the anniversary of Elvis’s death and celebrates his life and legacy. VisionTV, an S-VOX company, is Canada’s multi-faith and multicultural broadcaster, dedicated to programming that celebrates diversity and promotes understanding and tolerance among people of different faiths and cultures. Visit VisionTV on the Web at: www.visiontv.ca.

Toronto, July 12, 2007

VisionTV pays tribute to Elvis Presley with special 30th anniversary programming event

The King is dead. Long live the King.

Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, has been called the greatest cultural force of the past century. His hit recordings and electrifying live performances unleashed a revolution, changing music history forever. Three decades after his untimely death, the legend of Elvis continues to grow.

On Thursday Aug. 16, VisionTV commemorates the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s passing with a full evening of programming dedicated to the King. Kicking off at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, VisionTV’s Elvis tribute celebrates the legacy of an entertainment giant with music specials, a feature film, a documentary presentation, and more.

VisionTV is also a supporting sponsor of the 2007 Collingwood Elvis Festival, a celebration of the man and his music held annually in picturesque Collingwood, Ont. For more information on this event, which showcases leading Elvis tribute artists from around the world, please visit www.collingwoodelvisfestival.com.

VisionTV Elvis Presley Tribute, Thursday Aug. 16: Program Lineup

Family Programming
7th Heaven – Special Episode: “The Heart of the Matter”
5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT
In this special episode of the hit family drama series, Rev. Eric Camden (Stephen Collins) undergoes heart bypass surgery, much to the distress of his concerned family. While under anaesthesia, Eric hallucinates that he's Elvis, performing "I'm All Shook Up," "Don't Be Cruel," "Teddy Bear" and "Rock-A-Hula-Baby."

Music Programming
The Gaither Gospel Hour – “He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis”
6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT

Everyone knows Elvis Presley’s many pop hits. But as revealed in this special edition of VisionTV’s The Gaither Gospel Hour, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll also loved listening to and performing gospel songs. Raised in the burgeoning music capital of Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis grew up immersed in the sounds of Southern and Black gospel. In a famed 1957 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, he insisted on singing “Peace in the Valley” for his mother Gladys, and throughout his career he included gospel numbers in his repertoire. Even at the height of his fame, he was most comfortable gathering around the piano with friends to harmonize on some gospel favourites. This hour-long documentary includes recollections from many of Elvis’s friends and colleagues, along with thrilling concert and backstage footage of the King performing gospel classics such as “How Great Thou Art,” “I, John,” “Lead Me, Guide Me” and “Where Could I Go But To The Lord.”

Movie
Kid Galahad
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Repeats at 12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT

This 1962 Elvis Presley vehicle – a remake of the 1937 feature with Edward G. Robinson -- stars the King as naïve, good-hearted Walter Gulick (a.k.a. “Kid Galahad”), whose boxing talents hold the promise of salvation for small-town fight promoter Willy Grogan (Gig Young), a compulsive gambler up to his eyeballs in debt to mobsters. In the grand tradition of Elvis movies, there’s a pretty girl to be won (Joan Blackman) and songs to be sung along the way (“King of the Whole Wide World,” “This is Living” and “I Got Lucky,” among others.) Charles Bronson delivers a standout performance as fight trainer Lew Nyack, and an uncredited Ed Asner appears as a district attorney. Phil Karlson (Walking Tall) directed.

Music Programming
Elvis Lives: The 25th Anniversary Concert
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

There will never be another showman like Elvis Presley. Staged to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the King’s death, this electrifying concert event recreates the thrill of his epic live performances. High-tech magic reunites Elvis with all of his greatest collaborators – musical director Joe Guercio, the TCB Band, and backing vocalists The Jordanaires, The Imperials, The Sweet Inspirations and The Stamps Quartet – before an ecstatic audience at the Pyramid Coliseum in Elvis’s hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. The flesh-and-blood musicians provide seamless accompaniment to classic footage of Elvis in concert, bringing to life more than two dozen of his most beloved hits, from Fifties rockers like “Mystery Train” and “That’s All Right” to the show-stopping gospel number “How Great Thou Art.”

Documentary
Elvis Presley’s Graceland
11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT

Open to the public since 1982, Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee is the Mecca for Elvis lovers around the world. As many as 600,000 visitors a year make a pilgrimage to the King’s celebrated 14-acre estate. This 2001 documentary tells the story behind one of the world’s most famous homes, and presents a rare all-access tour that includes everything from the TV room to the garish “jungle room,” with its shag carpeting and indoor waterfall. Viewers will meet some of the 350 employees who keep the estate running today, and go behind the scenes as staff prepare for the most important date on Graceland’s calendar: an annual candlelight vigil that commemorates the anniversary of Elvis’s death and celebrates his life and legacy.

VisionTV, an S-VOX company, is Canada’s multi-faith and multicultural broadcaster, dedicated to programming that celebrates diversity and promotes understanding and tolerance among people of different faiths and cultures. Visit VisionTV on the Web at: www.visiontv.ca.