A life-sized
bronze statue of Elvis Presley, appearing in
his famous beaded and studded costume he
wore in a historic 1973 concert from Hawai'i,
will be installed at the Neal Blaisdell
Centre at 10 a.m. July 26. The public may
attend.
"With a great deal of affection, we're very
excited to pay tribute to Elvis and that
great event that was seen by 1.5 billion
around the world," said Rob Pellizzi, senior
vice president of marketing for TV Land, a
cable channel devoted to classic and iconic
TV programming.
The widely-viewed program, "Elvis: Aloha
From Hawaii," was the first musical event
beamed around the globe by satellite,
reaching viewers in 40 countries, with an
audience share of 51 in the U.S. The
soundtrack album rocketed to No. 1 on the
Billboard charts and earned a five-time
platinum award for sales of more than 5
million. Since then, a DVD version also has
become a keepsake.
"The connection with Elvis always has been
remarkable worldwide," said Pellizzi. "In
the Philippines, 92 percent of viewers
watched; 70 percent in Hong Kong."
The statue installation and unveiling are
keyed to the 30th anniversary of Presley's
death on Aug. 16, 1977, at age 42. The
Honolulu concert - a TV "milestone" - is the
reason Hawaii was selected to remember the
rock music icon. Mayor Mufi Hannemann and
entrepreneur Tom Moffatt are among Honolulu
dignitaries who will participate in the
statue unveiling. Larry W. Jones, TV Land
president, also will be on hand.
Source: Email
Posted: 22nd. June. 2007