He’d tell Simon, ‘Don’t be cruel’
Calling Elvis Presley America’s “first idol,” Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley welcomed the “American Idol” finalists to Graceland amid cameras and screaming fans.
They were at the rock legend’s Memphis estate Saturday to shoot tonight’s “Idol” installment, which will have an Elvis theme.
Priscilla Presley said it was appropriate because her late ex-husband shared many of the “Idol” contestants’ experiences.
“Elvis, too, had to audition,” she said. “He was laughed at. He was basically booed off stage. He had to struggle with the fact that he came from very humble beginnings and didn’t have opportunities to have others experience his talent.”
Presley added that she’s been an “Idol” fan for years: “I love the fact that these are people from all over the United States who probably would never have had the opportunity to be in this position.”
Her twilight’s last gleaming?
That same day, newly ousted “Idol” finalist Kellie Pickler returned home to Albemarle, N.C., for a parade before thousands of fans.
She even belted out “The Star-Spangled Banner,” though she’s still technically prohibited from non-“Idol” performances.
“I’m going to get in so much trouble for this,” Pickler said, “but what are they going to do – kick me off the show?”
From ‘Idol’ to the bachelor
Meanwhile, over in Tahlequah, Okla., Carrie Underwood, last year’s “Idol” winner, was picking up her diploma from Northeastern State University.
Underwood, 23, was a senior at Northeastern State, just three credits shy of earning her degree in mass communications, when she withdrew from school to compete on the show.
The real Fantasia
Season three “Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino will play herself in a Lifetime TV movie based on her autobiography.
“Life Is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story,” which tells how she dropped out of school and became pregnant as a teen, is scheduled to premiere in August.
Jumpin’ Keith’s crash
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards had surgery in New Zealand on Monday to relieve pressure in his head following a fall last month during a vacation in Fiji.
Richards, 62, who reportedly fell from a palm tree and/or jet ski following a day of drinking, had begun complaining of headaches.
Sympathy for the devil?
Finally, Michael Jackson (formerly Mr. Lisa Marie Presley) is demanding that GQ magazine apologize to him and pull its latest issue.
Photos accompanying an article called “Where’s Michael?,” about a quest to find the pop star in his new Middle Eastern home of Bahrain, show a Jackson look-alike sitting in a darkened movie theater amid a row of children, and standing in the desert draped in a black cloak and headscarf, with a glittery white glove.
The birthday bunch
Newsman Mike Wallace is 88. Actor Albert Finney is 70. Actress Glenda Jackson is 70. Actress Candice Bergen is 60. Singer Billy Joel is 57. Singer/actor John Corbett is 45. Rapper Ghostface Killah (Wu-Tang Clan) is 36. Actress Rosario Dawson is 27.